🌎 Dongle town

Dongles are here to help the EV transition

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Acclimate Editor
July 26, 2023

Welcome back, climate leaders.

In today’s edition:

  • 🔌 Dongles are here to help the EV transition

  • ⚡️ Secretive Bill Gates funded hydrogen startup gets $91m

  • 🏠 Americans chase affordable housing despite climate risks

Read time: 5 minutes

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HOT TOPICS

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The recent adoption of Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) by major automakers has disrupted the EV charging landscape.

Following Ford's groundbreaking deal with Tesla, numerous automakers, including General Motors, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, and Mercedes-Benz, have decided to embrace the NACS connector.

Even top charging operators like Electrify America, EVgo, and ChargePoint plan to incorporate Tesla's connector into their existing hubs.

To bridge the gap during this transition, automakers will distribute adapters to their customers, enabling non-Tesla EV owners to use Tesla's Superchargers temporarily.

Though adapters have limitations and charge a bit slower, they serve as a stopgap until future EVs come equipped with the NACS port built-in.

Offshore wind projects on the East Coast are encountering difficulties that threaten their progress. While controversies surrounding whales and opposition to renewable energy have received attention, the main issue lies in the higher-than-anticipated costs.

The United States currently has only two operational offshore wind projects, producing a mere 0.14% of the target set by the Biden administration. A pipeline of projects in various stages of development faces increasing costs, extending the timeline.

Higher costs create profitability concerns for developers. Canceled projects and rising expenses threaten the expansion of offshore wind energy. If cost recovery remains a challenge, coastal regions worldwide risk losing a crucial renewable energy source.

Battery recycling regulations under the Inflation Reduction Act have sparked a surge in the battery recycling industry in the US.

The law mandates a certain percentage of materials for electric car batteries to be sourced domestically, fueling the demand for recycling. A quirk in the law allows batteries made with Chinese materials to be considered domestically sourced if recycled in the US.

Consequently, this has led to a significant increase in American battery recycling facilities and pushed car manufacturers to incorporate recycled materials in new batteries.

China currently dominates global EV battery recycling, but the US aims to go beyond shredding batteries and focus on purifying essential elements domestically to qualify for federal EV tax credits. Notably, lithium, cobalt, and nickel found in these batteries are valued at 1,000 to 2,000 euros per car.

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Source: Unsplash

📈 Business & Markets

  • Major companies like GM, Meta, and Walmart are collaborating to explore innovative strategies such as transmission and virtual power plants to achieve deep grid decarbonization, going beyond clean-energy contracts.

  • Nissan will adopt Tesla's EV-charging design in the U.S. and Canada starting in 2025, aiming to boost EV adoption and achieve 40% fully electric U.S. vehicle sales by 2030.

  • PG&E introduces new initiatives to boost EV adoption in underserved communities, offering free infrastructure and resources for EV charging in low-income areas.

🏛 Policy & Politics

  • Maine Governor Janet Mills resolves conflicts with labor unions on legislation to promote offshore wind, averting potential failure.

  • Texas lacks incentives to recruit residents in mitigating strain on the grid during heatwaves, despite record-setting electricity demand.

  • UPS workers are ready to stage the largest single-employer strike in US history due to heat-related dangers.

🚀 Startups & Tech

  • A groundbreaking factory by startup Twelve in Washington will produce sustainable aviation fuel from CO2, making it the first of its kind in the country.

  • Koloma, a secretive start-up backed by Bill Gates and funded with $91m, is extracting natural hydrogen in the US.

  • Terabase Energy secures $25M in funding to aid the expansion of their Terafab™ construction automation system for solar power plants.

  • Aeroseal secures $62M in Series B funding, totaling over $100M raised. This sealing company specializes in duct and building seal solutions.

🌎 Society & Impact

  • Americans are risking climate hazards to find affordable housing, with increased migration to high-risk areas susceptible to heatwaves, floods, and wildfires.

  • Jeff Bezos' fund will invest $400M in creating urban green spaces, starting with $50M for 5 cities. The initiative aims to improve access to nature in underserved urban areas.

  • A Colorado ski resort defied the heat wave and reopened for limited skiing during the Fourth of July weekend.

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KEY DATA

$300m

The Interior Department distributed $295.6 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to all states and territories. Changes in the LWCF Manual promote collaboration with Tribal Nations, expanding eligibility and supporting outdoor conservation and recreation.

ACCLIMATE RECS

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