EV Now - electric vehicle tech, innovations and info

EV Now - electric vehicle tech, innovations and info


02 EV Planes Trains and Automobiles 2019

January 22, 2020

In this episode (recorded Fall/Autumn 2019) we take a quick look at the prospects for electric aircraft, battery powered trains, plus a very high level view of how far electric cars have come in the last decade and how some vested interests are trying to prevent change.PlanesAre we likely to see an electric plane anytime soon? Transatlantic distances look to be decades off, but there are some promising initiatives underway with lightweight short range aircraft used in pleasure tours and island hopping. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2019/09/23/climate-explained--why-don-t-we-have-electric-aircraft-.html https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008jfk (BBC 'In Business' radio show - Flying Green) (UK only)  TrainsThere's a fair amount of activity in the rail space, being driven by manufacturers, train operators and governments. And one innovative approach resulting in being first to market. Canadian Bombardier 2nd Oct announces new €100m five-year partnership with Swiss battery maker Leclanché https://www.railjournal.com/rolling-stock/bombardier-selects-preferred-battery-supplier/ http://vivarail.co.uk/a-first-for-vivarail-and-a-first-for-the-uk/ https://www.alstom.com/our-solutions/rolling-stock/coradia-ilint-worlds-1st-hydrogen-powered-train https://www.railjournal.com/fleet/obb-battery-electric-train-to-carry-passengers-next-month/  AutomobilesIn the final section we look at some EVs you can now buy compared to 10 years ago, and explore how legacy interests and even some automakers are lobbying against EVs and in favour of business-as-usual. Jay Leno's 2009 Mini-e https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlLXQjtuBn0 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/climate/cafe-emissions-rollback-oil-industry.html https://www.desmog.co.uk/2019/09/19/koch-network-structure-social-change-kill-electric-car https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/exclusive-carmakers-opponents-climate-action-us-europe-emissions https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/climate-crisis-what-carmakers-say  And a fossil-fuelled bonus clip right at the end..... :-)