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Is an Asian Witch Hunt Costing Us Better Batteries?

The United States Department of Energy awarded 20 companies government loans totaling $2.8 billion to boost battery production in the United States. Texas-based Microvast was one of those companies and they announced plans to build a $500+ million dollar facility here in Kentucky which would create more than 500 jobs. Kentucky joined the cause offering $21 million in tax incentives to Microvast.

Abruptly, the DOE pulled funding when some congressional Republicans questioned some “improper ties to China”. Now Kentucky is holding off on the tax incentives until Microvast can explain why the DOE acted so quickly.

Our question is: In this global economy, what exactly is an improper tie to China? The US economy and the Chinese economy are so intertwined, how could you tell? This is an American company, founded by an American whose name just happens to be Yang Wu.

Is this really about China or is it posturing against all things Democrat of which EVs seem to be a part?

Again, the (R)EV Diaries feel that EVs are neither Right nor Left and can stand on their own merit. We also think the more companies making batteries, the cheaper they will become, but more importantly, improvements in battery technology will happen faster because more people will be working to solve the current problems and limitation of current batteries.

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A Tale of Two Hummers: It Was the Worst of EVs, It Was the Best of EVs…

If I told you the Hummer EV was less efficient and produced more greenhouse emissions than a Tesla Model 3, would you be surprised?

If I told you the Hummer EV was less efficient and produced more greenhouse emissions than a gasoline powered Chevy Malibu, would you be surprised?

Today, we look at what probably started out as a cautionary tale that all EVs are not created equally, but that should come as no surprise. There is no equality between internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles either. So how is this even a story?

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) posted a report showing that the Hummer EV produced more CO2 per mile than a Chevy Malibu when charged on a “dirty grid” with the headline: 9,000-Pound Electric Hummer Shows We Can’t Ignore Efficiency of EVs. Motor1.com took the same report and offered this headline: New Hummer EV Produces More Emissions Than A Gas Powered Sedan. We follow this up six months later with: Biden is touting giant EVs. Are they actually good for the planet?

Same report. Same story. But the headlines paint a different picture. In our opinion, it seems one is pointing out not all EVs are helping climate change. One is just an attention grabber. And one is supporting a narrative… sort of.

Due diligence is required to navigate any content published these days. This assumes that one makes it past the headline and reads the article. Most people just form an opinion based on the headline and the first few paragraphs but one has to ask, “Does it make sense? What are the motives of the creator? How does this fit my world-view?”

Enjoy and let us know what you think.

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TESCO Shrugged Part 1

A grocery chain in the United Kingdom, Tesco, is pulling thousands of FREE public chargers from several of its locations because of the rising cost of energy. The plan is to eliminate 2,147 FREE ports which is a 38% reduction of the FREE charging available at 600 locations in the UK. That is a 5% drop in the OVERALL public infrastructure in Great Britain.

It sounds to us like Tesco is WalMart with a British accent and we know WalMart hosts several ElectrifyAmerica locations… but they are by no means FREE. Should they be?

Seriously, if WalMart is dedicated to the environment, should we expect free charging? Subsidized charging? How about Volkswagen? IKEA, North America? The US Government?

In America, we have a 1 TRILLION dollar infrastructure spending bill in place with $7.5 BILLION set for public charging. The question is, who is paying for this and who SHOULD be paying for this?

You know we are just guys talking, but let us set aside the mandates and the climate for a moment and discuss the role corporate America should play, the government should play , and each of us will play as EV adoption increases. Enjoy part one of our discussion.

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Tucker Carlson Gave Me My Opinion…

Do you think for yourself? We like to think we do, but how many of us adopt the opinions of others for no other reason than some perceived authority. Even if you agree on one topic, does that mean their opinion is valid on another? Where do you draw the line?

Today, we take on a report of a West Virginia candidate that is anti-EV because he is anti-EPA and anti-Biden administration. Of course, he is just trying to “rile up” his base, but it is a prime example of something neutral, like EV’s, being turned into a political football in rural America.

We find it sad that this is the case, but it’s not just EVs; it is just symptomatic of a bigger issue: people’s inability to apply critical thinking in all situations. Some people are content to let someone else tell them what they think, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. The emperor has no clothes.

This is a two part episode. We try not to be too political, but it sort of turns into an indictment of the entire American political system. We split it up because the discussion (and it was a good one) went on for over an hour.

If this is not your cup of tea, next week we plan to release BOTH the continuance of this episode and an entirely new topic.

And by no means are we telling you how to think. We’re just offering food for thought.

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Have You Experienced Buyers Remorse?

Have you ever bought something that didn’t really live up to the hype? I know I have.

There is a YouTube channel called Jetters Garage and our attention was directed to a video entitled “Ford Watched My Viral Lightning Video – Amazing What They Said” which was a follow up to a video entitled “Why I regret buying a Ford Lightning! (EV Electric Truck)“. Jet is not new to EVs, having owned a Tesla Model S for seven years in San Diego, California.

That is a click-bait title if ever I’ve seen one, and I admittedly fall for click-bait often, but I was intrigued and started with the first video. Jet outlines the pros and cons of his new 2023 F-150 Lightning in the video and reveals his experience on a recent road trip. (At the time of this post, the video is 2 months old with 571K views.) His observations are interesting, yet not unexpected, regarding a newly introduced car model. These videos are must-see if you’re considering purchasing an F-150 Lightning.

This brings us to our discussion of his videos and his experience in general. Brent and Ben discuss some of their perceptions of living in southeastern Kentucky (SeKY) versus SoCal. We talk ownership, charging in public, and electric rates, including time of use (TOU) and why it makes sense there and not here.

Does Jet’s experience differ greatly from someone in small-town America? Listen to our opinion and feel free to weigh in with your own.

PS: Link to third video.

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Rappahannock Part 4: The Zack Morris Phone

As we wrap up (finally) our discussion of the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s presentation of the future of EV adoption in northern Virginia, we start looking at how we think EV adoption would look in small-town Kentucky. Rappahannock developed three scenarios where, on the high end, 30% of all cars in their territory were electric by 2030. On the low end, 5% and the middle ground was 10%. Based on several factors, Brent and Ben have differing opinions, but then Ben plays the ever popular “Zack Morris phone” card.

On the TV series Saved By The Bell, Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) used a Motorola DynaTAC, which was the first commercially available mobile phone circa 1984. This “brick” was literally 10-inches long not counting its rubber antenna, weighed 2.5 lbs., and cost $4000. Back then, you would have been crazy to have suggested in 30 years that almost everyone in the world would have a mobile phone in their pocket. The idea was inconceivable.

Are we on the precipice of such a change with EVs? It’s difficult to imagine 3 out of every 10 cars on the road being electric, much less 7 or 8 out of 10. There are forces at work to push 100% adoption, but will we ever get there? Just as the iPhone revolutionized the industry, what will make EVs as common as cell phones?

Also, RECs calculations on the cost to drive an EV support our own (R)EVD conclusions, but we could have told you we were right… we just don’t like to brag.

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Rappahannock Part 3: We’re All Going To Die

Okay, admittedly that title is a little over the top. The point, as we resume our discussion of presentation by Rappahannock Electric Cooperative*, is that everything has a life-span and much of our existing infrastructure is too old or too weak to support the growing demand of energy in America.

The solution is to revitalize and strengthen, harden, if you will, the grid to meet the growing need, but that, of course, takes money and resources. The question becomes, “Who is going to pay for it?” The real answer is you, me and all the other peoples of this land. Whether it’s via government through taxes or via utilities through increased energy rates, I guarantee we are going to pay for it.

That being said, we look at scenarios that Rappahannock put forth and the cost associated with each.

We also find out that Ben, sometimes… but rarely, gets confused and the senility kicks in. The real question is, “what point should we be concerned?”

*Rappahannock Electric Cooperative lies in the northern and eastern part of Virginia serving 170,000+ members. Being a cooperative of that size, REC is influential in the co-op world because of not only their size, but by their proximity to industry organizations like the NRECA and policy makers like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the US Department of Energy. This has allowed them to become a proving ground for many programs, leading the way in innovation and understanding for other cooperatives, and shaping the approach to challenges in the industry. As such, REC releases many reports, studies, and presentations showing their results both independently and jointly with other organizations.

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