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Northvolt, a Swedish battery maker, has planned a ‘gigafactory’ in the region, which protesters have called an ‘ecocidal disgrace’ When the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt announced plans to build a multibillion-dollar ‘gigafactory’ in Quebec , the proposal was heralded as a win for Canada’s ambitions to become a global green energy powerhouse – and lauded as an environmentally sensitive project which would minimize harmful emissions. Four months later, however, protestors are describing the sprawling plant an “ecocidal disgrace”, and driving steel bars and nails into trees, to prevent the company from clearcutting forests and destroying wetlands ahead of construction. Continue reading...

Company pledged to reform its culture and ‘failure of leadership’ after self-driving car dragged pedestrian GM’s Cruise self-driving car unit on Thursday revealed US Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission probes stemming from an October collision in which one of its autonomous vehicles dragged a pedestrian who had been struck by another vehicle. Cruise reported the government investigations in a blog post in which the company also vowed to reform its culture stemming from a “failure of leadership” around the incident. The blog post did not disclose the status of the victim, who was dragged 20ft by the vehicle, nor the scope of the justice department and SEC probes. Continue reading...

Bigger cars more likely to kill people, release more toxic gas and are outgrowing design of cities New cars in the EU and UK have grown 1cm wider every two years, the Guardian can reveal, driven by large luxury SUVs whose sales show no sign of slowing. “It’s unrelenting,” said James Nix, an analyst at the Transport and Environment (T&E) campaign group and author of the report. “Spurred on by sales of the largest SUVs, vehicles are getting wider every year.” Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts Why are cars designed to be capable of going much faster than the speed limit? (Don’t tell me they’re made with the Autobahn in mind.) Andy Crosby, north Wales Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com . Continue reading...

Freezing temperatures across central US have cut electric vehicles’ range and left drivers facing long waits at charging stations For nearly a week, frigid temperatures from Chicago to northern Texas have made life painful for electric-vehicle owners, with reduced driving range and hours of waiting at charging stations. In Oak Brook, Illinois, near Chicago, on Monday, television reporters found Teslas that were running out of juice while in long lines for plugs at a Supercharger station. The temperature hit a low of -9F (-23C). Continue reading...

Jeremy Hunt has an almost religious belief that the invisible hand of the market works – even when it punches Britons Motorists are expected this year to benefit from an electric car price war – one driven not by the market but by governments in Britain and China. For the first time, the UK has required 22% of new cars sold in 2024 to be electric and, thanks to Beijing’s generous subsidies, cut-price Chinese cars will help meet the demand. There is a trade-off. While Britons can access affordable green motoring, China potentially hoovers up manufacturing prowess and jobs. Conservative politicians seem relaxed about sending such work and technology abroad. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, made the case against protectionism at Davos, a policy he has often criticised . He trusts the invisible hand of the market even when it punches Britons in the gut, such as the blow felt today in south Wales. Tata Steel’s Port Talbot blast furnaces will close with the loss of thousands of jobs, inste...

Company sought arrest warrant for Keith ‘Keef’ Leech after he allegedly posted links to confidential documents on social media in defiance of court order Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Tesla has been criticised by an Australian federal court judge for seeking a “draconian” order for an arrest warrant against a man who allegedly posted confidential internal documents from the electric car maker on social media sites in defiance of a court order. Keith “Keef” Leech was ordered by the court on 8 January to delete all records he held of any documents obtained from the Tesla whistleblower Lukasz Krupski related to Tesla cars. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Akshat Rathi argues that around the world economies are switching to clean technology as prices drop The root of the climate crisis is “not capitalism but the corruption of capitalism”, according to the author of a new book on how people, policy and technology are working to stop the planet from heating. Akshat Rathi, a climate reporter with financial news outlet Bloomberg, argues that smart policies can harness capitalism to cut carbon pollution without killing markets or competition. “It is now cheaper to save the world than destroy it,” he writes, adding that this holds true even when viewed through a narrow capitalist lens. Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts Why are cars designed to be capable of going much faster than the speed limit? (Don’t tell me they’re made with the Autobahn in mind.) Andy Crosby, north Wales Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com . A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...

Councils in England will have to digitise all traffic regulation measures such as temporary speed limits or road closures Satnavs and Google Maps will soon include live data on road closures, parking restrictions and temporary speed limits in England under a UK government scheme aimed to ease drivers’ pain and pave the way for driverless cars. Councils will be ordered to digitise all traffic regulation orders (TROs), short-term traffic measures such as temporary speed limits or road closures. Continue reading...

EV sales are booming and longtime favourite makes and models are being ignored in favour of Tesla and BYD Newcomer brands and luxury marques are dominating booming electric car sales as mainstream players struggle to match the pace of a fast-evolving EV market. The top three selling electric vehicles in Australia in 2023 were from Tesla and BYD , between them accounting for two-thirds of the 87,217 electric cars sold, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Continue reading...

Funding comes amid concerns transition to zero-carbon transportation isn’t keeping pace with goals to tackle climate crisis Joe Biden’s administration has unveiled $623m in funding to boost the number of electric vehicle charging points in the US, amid concerns that the transition to zero-carbon transportation isn’t keeping pace with goals to tackle the climate crisis. The funding will be distributed in grants for dozens of programs across 22 states, such as EV chargers for apartment blocks in New Jersey, rapid chargers in Oregon and hydrogen fuel chargers for freight trucks in Texas. In all, it’s expected the money, drawn from the bipartisan infrastructure law, will add 7,500 chargers to the US total. Continue reading...

Support aims to stop production being lured overseas with promise of bigger foreign subsidies The EU has announced €4bn (£3.4bn) of state aid investments in new factories producing electric batteries for cars, heat pumps and solar panels as it seeks to accelerate production and the uptake of green technologies and combat cheap Chinese imports. The Swedish battery producer Northvolt will receive €902m in state aid to build a new factory in Heide in Germany, while a wide range of clean tech factories in France are to get a €2.5bn bump in state aid. Continue reading...

Pilot scheme in Scotland will involve engineers retrofitting cabinets originally used for cables Business live – latest updates BT is launching a programme to convert old street cabinets traditionally used for broadband and phone cables into electric vehicle charging points. The first conversion under the pilot scheme will take place within weeks in East Lothian, Scotland, before being expanded to more locations. Continue reading...

Government had rejected campaigners’ demands for new safety measures on basis of outdated research The government is reviewing quad bike safety regulation in what campaigners described as “an embarrassing climbdown” after ministers repeatedly claimed that the introduction of roll bars could do more harm than good. Ministers had previously said that research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that roll bars could increase the risk of injury. But the HSE research was done in 1999, nearly a decade before the invention of newer devices that do save lives, according to evidence from Australia and the US. Continue reading...

Stalled growth in electric vehicles comes despite government goal to phase out petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles by 2035 The number of new cars registered in the UK has jumped by nearly 18% but electric vehicle demand is flatlining, prompting the industry to call for a VAT cut to stimulate sales. Annual figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Friday show 1.9m new cars were registered last year, well up on the previous year’s figure of 1.6m and the highest level since the 2.3m registrations of 2019. Continue reading...

Laws in the state have yet to catch up to autonomous vehicles, even though hundreds are already on the road Why are self-driving cars exempt from traffic tickets in San Francisco? Autonomous vehicles in San Francisco are exempt from traffic tickets if there is nobody in the driver’s seat, according to the San Francisco police department (SFPD), underscoring ongoing legal and safety concerns surrounding the expanding technology. California law has not caught up to the cars, even though they are already on the road, say public safety agencies and experts. Continue reading...

The Ford Ranger usurps Toyota’s HiLux as the most sold car model, while battery EVs accounted for 7.2% of sales Not a single sedan or hatchback ranked in the top 10 most bought cars in Australia in 2023 – a year that set an all-time record for new car sales – as the nation’s love affair with fuel-thirsty SUVs and utes reached new heights. The top three most sold cars in Australia last year were utes, with the next seven most popular new cars all SUVs, according to new data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which said 2023 set an all-time record for new vehicle sales with more than 1.2m vehicles delivered. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Submissions seen from companies on both sides of zero-emission vehicle mandate Several of the world’s biggest carmakers lobbied the UK government to try to weaken or delay rules to accelerate electric car sales and cut Britain’s carbon emissions. Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Nissan were among the companies to ask for delays in enforcement of the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate that obliges them to sell increasing proportions of electric cars or face heavy fines, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Build Your Dreams outsells rival in final quarter of 2023 figures for battery-only vehicles Elon Musk’s Tesla has been overtaken by its Chinese rival, BYD, as the world’s top selling electric carmaker. BYD, which has been backed by the US investment billionaire Warren Buffett since 2008, has beaten Tesla’s production for a second consecutive year. Continue reading...