EVs have the power

Part II of Energy Crisis - Alternatives

By Elric Langton | 23 April 2022

In this editorial, which was originally published via the sister site last month - we will be looking at modern technologies, such as batter power, power storage and Electric vehicles (EVs), in some more detail.

Tesla ($TSLA) is a key player in the electronics of things, battery energy, storage, and innovation. By paying attention to what Tesla is doing, we can get a good handle on future trends. It does not matter if we discuss EVs, power grids or household energy storage to power stations; the problems are the same, capacity, storage, consumption, and supply chain issues. As demand grows, so does the fear of the cost-effectiveness of a particular product.

In our first episode of last week’s Energy Crisis – Alternatives, we discussed the ramp-up of the EVs market and a little on the supply chains from mining to the recycling of EOL batteries. It is worth reiterating this further from the automotive bemouths estimates as they transition from ICE to EVs. Last week I criticised Joe Biden due to his executive orders that made the USA and the EU weaker due to the increased dependency on Russian oil & gas. This time, for balance, his policies pushing for a greener future deserve some credit because his administration is putting policies in place that secure funding for start-ups, and corporations developing green energy, be they battery developers, wind farms or solar, are be partly funded USA taxpayers if they create and innovate in the USA, rather than outside, a policy developed by the orange man, if I am not mistaken, and may represent the only policy the democrat has not killed with executive orders. Yes, of course, people like me are complaining about the 25% levy on our energy costs, which are in the main seen as helping the wealthy landowners, and big corporates that should not need government subsidies; they should be funding for their future survival, even if this reduces dividend payments.

I strayed a tad! Back to the USA motor manufacturers and their transition from ICE to EVs. There is a race on now to beat China of all nations, yes, China! Did you know China sold over one million EVs than the USA? OK, that should not come as a shock if you compare the populations that drive. If this is your thinking, you would be wrong – the size of the population has nothing to do with this statistic; China has c300 million vehicles on the road, while the USA has c280 million, so in this context, it is a bit of a surprise China sold one million more EVs than the USA. However, if that little statistic surprised you, the next will likely not be a surprise. Tesla has dominated the EV market, particularly in the USA. This is about to change with the announcement Ford is doubling its investment in EVs and autonomous vehicle with a $29 billion acquisition. Both Ford and General Motors have set to manufacture EVs exclusively by 2035.