Electric Cars

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Portugal's Barroso lithium mine project faces villagers' ire

Dale Ferguson, the Australian interim CEO of Savannah Resources, says they've "listened to the community" and have made changes but concedes that "there always is some level of impact"." this = tough **** for the locals.

Portugal's Barroso lithium mine project faces villagers' ire​



Aida drives a tractor in her village of Covas do Barroso

Aida Fernandes fears common land where she farms her cattle will be destroyed by the lithium mining company
By Caroline Bayley
BBC World Service

An ancient farming village in the Portuguese mountains is fighting plans for an opencast lithium mine right on its doorstep.
The lithium would be used for electric car batteries and is described by the mining company as critical for Europe's transition to green energy.
Portugal's lithium reserves are considered central to Europe's increasing demand for electric cars, but the villagers say it doesn't justify ruining their way of life.
"It would destroy everything," says Aida Fernandes, as she looks across the valley where four opencast pits would border the village of Covas do Barroso in northern Portugal.
Aida, like generations before her, farms cattle in this lush, unspoilt region which has UN Food and Agricultural Heritage status for its landscape and farming traditions.
She deftly manoeuvres a tractor-load of brushwood which she's spent the afternoon cutting from common land owned jointly by the community. Next she spreads the springy branches across the floor of the barn for bedding for her cattle.

Residents of the village stand in street chatting

Opposition to the mine is strong in the village but if there is no agreement the Portuguese government could expropriate the land
Common land is key to a dispute over plans for a new opencast mine - the Barroso Lithium Project - which would produce enough lithium for 500,000 electric car batteries a year over its 14-year operational life.
But three quarters of the mine depends on accessing lithium deposits found in rocks on common land in the area, with the majority owned by the village.
Aida is president of the Baldios - or common land association - which has rejected international mining company Savannah Resource's financial offer to lease the land currently used for forestry and pasture.
The European Union is keen to reduce its dependence on mines in China, Africa and South America for lithium and other raw materials needed for the green energy transition.
The Barroso mine could be one of the first large-scale mines to supply battery grade lithium within Europe and in May Portugal's Environment Agency gave Savannah Resources, which is based in London, the conditional go-ahead.
They had revised their original proposals and agreed to changes such as not taking water from the local river. They must also build a new road to avoid the villages and fill in the opencast pits when mining there is finished.

Head shot of Maria Loureiro

BBC
We're not for sale, we don't want to sell. If I sold my land, what would I do?
Maria Loureiro
Farmer in village of Covas do Barroso
But opposition is still strong and Aida says that at the meetings they've had, "There isn't anyone who's in favour." She says that in spite of the changes, "this is not good for us or for the environment" and they will fight on.
If an agreement isn't reached the Portuguese government could expropriate the land.
Savannah also wants to buy private land from people like Maria Loureiro, who farms at the other end of the village. She grows olive trees and has cows which trot past us with bells jingling around their necks.
"We're not for sale, we don't want to sell," she tells me. She resents the offers of compensation and royalties for the area. "If I sold my land, what would I do?" she asks. She would also lose access to pasture on the common land if the mine went ahead.
This is echoed by Fernando Queiroga, mayor of the municipality of Boticas, which includes the village of Covas do Barroso. He says that even if people are compensated for the duration of the mine they "will never go back to producing agricultural products again because in the meantime they'll leave or they'll just give up farming".
He's finalising a legal challenge to the conditional approval of the project. "If the national courts don't give us our answer, we'll appeal to the European Court," he says.

The parish council of Covas do Barroso and the common land association have also lodged their own legal cases in an attempt to block the project.
Aida's cows feed in open field

Image caption,
The mine is expected to produce enough lithium for 500,000 electric car batteries a year and will operate for 14 years


Dale Ferguson, the Australian interim CEO of Savannah Resources, says they've "listened to the community" and have made changes but concedes that "there always is some level of impact".
He believes the mine is "really critical for the energy transition for Europe". He admits though, that with legal challenges, "the courts will make those ultimate decisions but we respect everybody's rights and everybody's opinions".
Portugal's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate, Ana Fontoura Gouveia, is backing the Barroso mine and further exploitation of lithium in Portugal. She says the mine will bring new jobs and funding through royalties to the area. The legal action, she claims, is simply part of the democratic process.
But does she see this as a test case for the rest of Portugal and Europe? "I see it as a best practice case and we are keen to show that you can do mining in Europe in the 21st Century with the highest standards and to the benefits of local populations," she says.
The rest of Europe will be watching the outcome closely, as pressure grows across the continent to open new mines for raw materials needed for the green transport and energy of the future.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Ford becomes latest automaker to postpone its $12 BILLION EV investment - after saying customers are unwilling to pay a premium for eco cars

Ford has said it will postpone $12billion of investment into EVs because its current generation of electric cars is facing a 'challenging market'.

The new plan will see construction pause on some of the company's EV factories, including a battery plant in Kentucky, its executives noted during its third quarter earnings call on Thursday.

Ford's EV unit, called Ford Model e, lost $1.3 billion on an operating basis in the quarter - roughly double its loss in the same period last year. Shares of the company were down almost 10 percent in the hours after markets opened on Friday.

Its decision comes amid similar moves by other auto makers to pare back spending on electric vehicle projects.

This week Honda and GM said their $5billion partnership to build an affordable EV was scrapped. GM also said it would push back the manufacture of its Chevy Equinox EV, Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra Denali EV.


(More on the link)

.
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow

Ford becomes latest automaker to postpone its $12 BILLION EV investment - after saying customers are unwilling to pay a premium for eco cars

Ford has said it will postpone $12billion of investment into EVs because its current generation of electric cars is facing a 'challenging market'.

The new plan will see construction pause on some of the company's EV factories, including a battery plant in Kentucky, its executives noted during its third quarter earnings call on Thursday.

Ford's EV unit, called Ford Model e, lost $1.3 billion on an operating basis in the quarter - roughly double its loss in the same period last year. Shares of the company were down almost 10 percent in the hours after markets opened on Friday.

Its decision comes amid similar moves by other auto makers to pare back spending on electric vehicle projects.

This week Honda and GM said their $5billion partnership to build an affordable EV was scrapped. GM also said it would push back the manufacture of its Chevy Equinox EV, Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra Denali EV.


(More on the link)

.

They would be stupid to make that colossal investment only to find themselves overwhelmed with constant stream or compensation requests for EVs that burned up. Their directors were obviously aware of all the videos with burning EVs in media.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Recent Battery Fires Rock All-Electric Formula E, FIA World Rallycross Championship

A pair of recent electric battery-related fires, including one that resulted in an explosion that injured at least one person, are slowing a pair of FIA all-electric racing series.

On Monday in Valencia, Spain, an ABB FIA Formula E race car driven by Robert Shwartzman of the DS Penske team, stopped on the track during part of what was scheduled to be a three-day test session for the series. The car was taken back to the garage, where a battery from the car exploded and caused a fire in the garage.

One person was injured and transported to a local hospital for further testing. The fire caused the paddock to be evacuated and the session cancelled.

The fire, according to a Formula E spokesperson, did not involve a car that had tested the new quick-charge system that will allow in-race battery charging possibly as soon as the 2024 season.


View: https://twitter.com/ds_penske_fe/status/1716889386942619876


The FIA, which governs the Formula E all-electric open-wheel racing series, issued the following statement following the incident in Valencia:

In response to an incident earlier today at Formula E pre-season testing in Valencia when a fire caused damage to a garage in the pit lane, on-track testing activity will not go ahead tomorrow, Wednesday.

Damage from the incident was contained following the activation of emergency procedures. One person was taken to hospital as a precaution but released without treatment.

An investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing, but has already identified an issue which is being addressed. The investigation and further safety assessments will be completed and we aim to resume on-track activities from Thursday, subject to final confirmation tomorrow.


View: https://twitter.com/FormulaEZone/status/1716789413768724973


The electric battery-related fire was the second involving an FIA all-electric racing series in recent months.

In July, the Special ONE World Rallycross racing team of drivers Sebastien Loeb and Guerlain Chicherit suffered a major loss of equipment in a garage fire caused by a faulty electric battery system.

According to the Special ONE team,

"On Friday, July 21, Special ONE Racing lost two race cars, a workshop truck, and valuable tools in a fire that occurred in the paddock of the Lydden Hill circuit (Great Britain), during the fourth round of the World Rallycross Championship (World RX). The significant material damage caused by the fire directly resulted in the partial suspension of the team’s sporting activities and those of its partners."

The series was scheduled to return to action at the November 10-11 World RX of Hong Kong Rallycross event, but Special ONE team has declined the invitation over concerns that the battery issues have not been resolved.


(More on the link)

.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Odd memory. At one time television sets were new technology and if I'm not mistaken, didn't a number of the catch fire and maybe explode? Something to do with glue or natural resins and I believe they were of British manufacture. That all worked out OK - as long as you weren't the one sitting there with your eyebrows burned off.
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
I don't think that EVs can be fixed as long as batteries contain combustible chemicals.

If they can come up with non-combustible batteries, then that's a different matter.
 

AD1184

Celestial
Odd memory. At one time television sets were new technology and if I'm not mistaken, didn't a number of the catch fire and maybe explode? Something to do with glue or natural resins and I believe they were of British manufacture. That all worked out OK - as long as you weren't the one sitting there with your eyebrows burned off.
In this instance, the problem is not with a particular manufacturer, but occurs across the vehicles of many manufacturers.

The problem is not electric cars, per se, but the lithium ion battery. Lithium ion batteries have been around for a while already, but they don't seem to be getting any safer. For example, in the car park collapse in England that I mentioned in the original post, the car which initially caught fire is thought to be a diesel or diesel-hybrid Range Rover. However, Land Rover have been offering lithium ion batteries as an option over traditional lead-acid batteries on Range Rovers for a few years now. According to some observers, the initial fire has characteristics of a lithium battery fire and is visibly in a location near to where the battery pack in the hybrid, or the standard battery in the non-hybrid model would be (the battery is in the rear). If lithium ion batteries are ever superseded by safer battery technology in electric vehicles, then the fire issue will be reduced or go away entirely (perhaps making them no more a fire risk than ICE cars).
 

nivek

As Above So Below
This should be a mandatory recall instead if a voluntary one...

...

Toyota recalls 1.85 million RAV4 SUVS over battery fire risks

Toyota has recalled 1.85 million RAV4 sport utility vehicles amid concerns the replacement battery poses a fire risk.

The voluntary recall affects models made between 2013 and 2018, the automaker said in a statement Wednesday.

Some of the vehicles are equipped with replacement 12-volt batteries which have dimensions that are too small.

It means they could move and come into contact with a clamp and short circuit when a driver turns - igniting a fire.

Toyota wrote in a statement it is 'currently preparing the remedy.'


(More on the link)

.
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
This should be a mandatory recall instead if a voluntary one...

...

Toyota recalls 1.85 million RAV4 SUVS over battery fire risks

Toyota has recalled 1.85 million RAV4 sport utility vehicles amid concerns the replacement battery poses a fire risk.

The voluntary recall affects models made between 2013 and 2018, the automaker said in a statement Wednesday.

Some of the vehicles are equipped with replacement 12-volt batteries which have dimensions that are too small.

It means they could move and come into contact with a clamp and short circuit when a driver turns - igniting a fire.

Toyota wrote in a statement it is 'currently preparing the remedy.'


(More on the link)

.

Can somebody fill me in on these "recalls". I always drove a second-hand cars ( tried & tested :) ), so I never experienced a recall.

When they say 1.85 M cars had been recalled by a car manufacturer, does it mean that you drive car back to the dealer from whom you bought the car? I'm guessing here, but there is no way that all the Toyota's dealers can accommodate 1.85 M cars in their parking lots?
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Can somebody fill me in on these "recalls". I always drove a second-hand cars ( tried & tested :) ), so I never experienced a recall.

When they say 1.85 M cars had been recalled by a car manufacturer, does it mean that you drive car back to the dealer from whom you bought the car? I'm guessing here, but there is no way that all the Toyota's dealers can accommodate 1.85 M cars in their parking lots?

You don't have to buy it new, I've had recalls on vehicles that I bought used. Most likely its by make/model state registration but I really don't know for sure. You get a letter that explains it and it tells you to bring it to whatever dealer you want, and some dealers are better than others. Locally Jeep and Subaru have been fine for the few times we've needed them for that. The local Ford dealer is a real piece of work, I've learned to avoid them like the plague - the one minor recall they did was like pulling teeth slow motion.
 

AD1184

Celestial
One other thing about the lithium batteries in electric cars is that they can catch fire when exposed to flood water, particularly if salt water flooding, as from a hurricane surge:


This generally does not happen to parked-up ICE vehicles when exposed to flooding.
 

Non smoking gun

Honorable
What worries me slightly is the self driving training. The majority of the millions of hours will be on right hand drive vehicles, I'm not sure it translates easily to left hand drive countries.
And there are oddities, next door had a Tesla S with the self driving but one of the things it would not handle was traffic lights
 

nivek

As Above So Below
I think this is going to be a monumental failure...

...

Michigan Gov Whitmer orders state government fleet to be 100% electric

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive Tuesday forcing the state government's entire fleet of vehicles, both light-duty and heavy-duty, to transition to zero-emission.

Under Whitmer's actions, Michigan's state agencies must convert all state-owned light-duty vehicles to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2033 and all medium and heavy-duty vehicles by 2040. The governor said the move — which earned endorsements from clean energy groups, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and Detroit Regional Chamber — would reduce pollution and lead to lower costs in the state.


(More on the link)

.
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
I think this is going to be a monumental failure...

...

Michigan Gov Whitmer orders state government fleet to be 100% electric

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive Tuesday forcing the state government's entire fleet of vehicles, both light-duty and heavy-duty, to transition to zero-emission.

Under Whitmer's actions, Michigan's state agencies must convert all state-owned light-duty vehicles to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2033 and all medium and heavy-duty vehicles by 2040. The governor said the move — which earned endorsements from clean energy groups, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and Detroit Regional Chamber — would reduce pollution and lead to lower costs in the state.


(More on the link)

.

Yes, it is.

and lets sit back and enjoy waiting for it to blow back into their face. If they don't manage to paper it over, that failure will at least have a positive impact on subsequent policy making..
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Ford Mustang Mach-E passes Mich. State Police test — the 1st all-electric vehicle to do so

Patrol Cars

Ford Mustang Mach-E passes Mich. State Police test — the 1st all-electric vehicle to do so​

The automaker said this “grueling” test proves the car is “tough enough for even the most challenging jobs”​

September 24, 2021 09:51 AM
mach e police

Ford’s 2021 Mustang Mach-E has become the first all-electric pursuit-rated vehicle for law enforcement
Ford


By Phoebe Wall Howard
Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — An all-electric police pilot vehicle based on the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV just became the first all-electric vehicle to pass Michigan State Police testing that included acceleration, top speed, braking and high-speed pursuit and emergency response handling, the company announced Friday.
Tests by the Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department establish standards that law enforcement agencies all over the country use to evaluate vehicles.
“The fact that the Mustang Mach-E successfully stood up to the grueling Michigan State Police evaluation demonstrates that Ford can build electric vehicles that are capable, tough and reliable enough for even the most challenging jobs,” Ted Cannis, CEO of Ford Pro, the automaker’s commercial division, said in a statement.
Ford Pro submitted the all-electric police pilot vehicle for testing in the Michigan State Police 2022 model year evaluation this month. The company issued a media alert at the time that it was seeking review and approval.

Ford CEO Jim Farley tweeted Friday, “The #MustangMachE just became the first all-electric vehicle to pass the rigorous vehicle evaluation tests by the Michigan State Police. Another real-world application for EVs to help law enforcement agencies reduce their fuel usage and CO2 emissions, plus it’s freaking FAST.”
While all-electric vehicles built by various automakers have demonstrated that a vehicle with an electric powertrain can deliver strong performance, Ford wanted to submit its latest Mustang for the rigorous police testing program so that the vehicle may be officially certified and available for purchase by law enforcement agencies.
Test results are to be published on the Michigan State Police website later this fall.
“Ford will use the pilot program testing as a benchmark while it continues to explore purpose-built electric police vehicles in the future,” Ford said in a release Sept. 17. “Law enforcement demand for all-electric vehicles is growing worldwide.”

Earlier this month, Ford introduced a new Mustang Mach-E police concept car in the United Kingdom “that has police agencies lining up for a chance to try it out,” the company said.
It’s all part of a global commitment to get to zero emissions.

Building cop cars is big business​

Police vehicles are a key market for Ford.

The Dearborn automaker has long established itself in the law enforcement community as a trusted supplier of police cars and SUVs, which generate significant revenue for the automaker.
Ford provides about two-thirds of police vehicles in the U.S.
The Police Interceptor, a modified Ford Explorer, is perhaps the most high-profile current vehicle. It has been clocked at 150 mph during official testing.
The 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder, a pursuit-rated pickup based on the F-150 design, reaches 120 mph with more control when cornering, the company announced in March.

Technology in the pickup is designed to aid police officers, allowing them to “carry more speed when cornering — a rare benefit in a pickup truck,” the company said last spring.

New commercial push​

This latest announcement comes from Ford Pro, a separate global vehicle services and distribution business within Ford that’s leading the company’s push to deliver products and services for commercial and government customers.
“We’re creating a one-stop shop to help those customers increase uptime and productivity while reducing complexity and the total cost of ownership,” Farley said in a statement in May.
The Ford Pro vehicle lineup includes the all-electric 2022 E-Transit van and the all-electric 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro pickup. Ford did not provide a timeframe for when it might plan to build Mustang Mach-E style vehicles for police use.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
I happen to be surfing for something unrelated and came across a pic of an '80s vintage Citroen BX. French vehicles are really weird, but that's beside the point, it reminded me of something else.

If this vehicle:
1701876215698.png
Got it's freak on with this one:
1701876264042.png

I can see how this might be the result. You think Elon was looking at old Citroens?
1701876311101.png
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Biden's billion-dollar plan to build 500,000 EV chargers has yet to yield a single charger

President Biden's trillion-dollar infrastructure package included billions of dollars to fund an ambitious plan to construct a massive nationwide electric vehicle (EV) charging network, but has yet to yield a single charger two years later.

Overall, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) earmarked $7.5 billion for electric vehicle chargers — $5 billion for the so-called National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program and another $2.5 billion in discretionary funds for charging and fueling infrastructure — as part of the federal government's ambitious effort to expand EV ownership and reduce carbon emissions.

However, just $101.5 million has been distributed for seven state NEVI awards and just two projects, located in Columbus, Ohio, and Pittston, Pennsylvania, have begun construction, according to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation which was established by the IIJA. At its current pace, the billion-dollar program, designed to build out a network of 500,000 chargers and award $5 billion in five years, will fund a handful of projects and dish out just $250 million in that time frame.

"Too many members of Congress think ‘Field of Dreams’ is a blueprint for infrastructure: build it and they will come. No, they won’t come. Because Americans didn’t want EVs when this wasteful spending was passed and they don’t want them now, even with all the massive subsidies and incentives to buy EVs," Daren Bakst, the director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Energy and Environment, told Fox News Digital.


(More on the link)

.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Electric cars encounter nearly 80% more problems than gas alternatives, report shows - but experts suggest they're just teething issues

EV owners report far more problems with their cars and trucks than owners of gas-powered vehicles, according to a new survey.

Vehicles in the burgeoning electric vehicle segment, from model year 2021 through 2023, encountered 79 percent more problems than those with combustion engines, according to a Consumer Reports survey of more than 330,000 car owners.

The research said EV owners most frequently reported troubles with battery and charging systems as well as flaws in body panels and the fit of interior parts.

It noted that EV manufacturers are still learning to construct new types of vehicles, and suggested that their build quality will improve over time and teething issues will be ironed out.

But Consumer Reports noted that reliability concerns will cause additional apprehension among prospective buyers, alongside concerns about higher costs, too few charging stations and long charging times.

The growth of EV sales has slowed sharply since last year, and concern has heightened that American consumers are simply not prepared to make the switch from gas-powered cars.

In June 2022, EV sales were growing about 90 percent year over year. But by June of this year the 12-month growth rate had slowed to about 50 percent. Automakers have become increasingly fearful the pace will weaken further.

And this week, about 3,900 auto dealers signed a letter to President Biden asking him to rethink what they described as unrealistic fuel economy and emissions requirements.

'They are not selling nearly as fast as they are arriving at our dealerships, even with deep price cuts, manufacturer incentives and generous government incentives,' the letter said.


(More on the link)

.
 
Top