Photo by WrongTog on Unsplash

Hi again,
Welcome to a new edition of the State of Charge newsletter. A concise monthly overview of the renewable energy transition and the advent of electric mobility. This month we read about the development of the Chinese charge infrastructure. We learn about the link between public debt and the climate crisis, and we listen to a podcast with our good friend Christina Bu, Secretary of the Norwegian EV Association. 🙌

Photo by Chuttersnap on Unsplash

BNEF applauds the efforts of China, who represented two-thirds of all public chargers installed in 2020. This expansion is driven by the fact that most Chinese EV consumers are urban residents with no access to private chargers. Click the ‘read more’ button for insights into the data.
 

These statistics only include 100% Electric Vehicles, no hybrids. Statistics are provided by our partner
 ev-volumes.com. The Electric Vehicle World Sales Database.

Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash

Even before the pandemic, countries like Belize, Mozambique, and Fiji spent a sizable chunk of their budgets dealing with extreme weather events, with no money left to pay back creditors. Institutions and experts proposed debt relief programs in exchange for green investments, in order in order to prevent countries with shrinking economies from defaulting.
 

SoC Good Reads

Oil majors are investing into renewable energy sources in an initial effort to move away from gas. We see many of them expanding into offshore wind. Forbes explains why.

Since last year, many people have turned to biking. In the UK alone, sales of bikes and cycling accessories grew by 45% — an industry growth of £1 billion.

Planting trees can sequester carbon, rebuild forests, and boost agricultural productivity, but they must be planted in the right location, e360 argues. For example, non-native trees can rapidly dry soil. And in some cases, planting trees can actually be a bad idea!

EV emissions are concentrated at production plants and charge stations. Tesla promised that, this year, all Superchargers will be powered by green energy, even though their approach is not yet clear. In any case, this will help further decrease the impact of EVs.

Photo by bert brrr on Unsplash

MIT researchers argued that policymakers always refer to the same few studies on lithium-ion battery costs, despite their inconsistencies. To remedy this problem, they collected data from 1990 to 2019. They found that the real price of lithium-ion cells has declined by about 97% since commercial introduction in 1991. To learn more, check the complete study below.
 

SoC Other News

NFTs are on the rise, and prices are going crazy. However, creating the average NFT leaves a stunning environmental footprint: over 200 kg of planet-warming carbon. That’s equivalent to driving 500 miles (800 km) in a typical American gas-powered car.

Nebraska limoncello powered by geothermal energy anyone?

Costs to charge an electric vehicle vary dramatically across countries. Spoiler alert; Germany is the most expensive, and Ukraine the cheapest. 

Have a look at this super cool prototype of an electric ferry riding on the Kiel Fjord, Germany. We would like the same in Amsterdam, please!
 

• Solar may cover 75% of global electricity demand by 2050
• Even toy car maker Matchbox is jumping on the EV trend
• JPMorgan Chase expanding deforestation policies under shareholder pressure
• IKEA, Volvo, Uber, & other companies tell EU to end petrol & diesel car sales by 2035

Photo by bert brrr on Unsplash

SoC Listen to This

This month, we listen to an episode of Vox Media, LLC.'s "Today, Explained" with host Umair Irfan. Guest Christina Bu, secretary of the Norwegian EV Association, explains Norway’s EV success, and the surprising role played by synth-pop band A-ha. The hosts then discuss new US policies to stimulate transport electrification.
 

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