Stellantis is getting salty. Not long after VW and BYD reported advancement toward sodium-ion batteries, Stellantis says it will invest in a French battery startup, Tiamat, to get its hands on that bright and abundant future.
Not to be confused with the ancient Mesopotamian sea goddess, Tiamat was formed in 2017 from a state science research institute. Its batteries are cheaper and charge quicker, but offer less range and are mostly suitable for small private vehicles. This is something somebody sometimes will have to offer consumers if they want to sell all these electric dreams.
This year the EPA will begin issuing fines on oil and gas companies for excessive methane emissions. While the nation has been making a mixture of symbolic and practical efforts toward reducing greenhouse gases, this is the first federal tax on such emissions in the country.
The new rule follows record US oil and gas production. It encourages fossil fuel companies to cut methane emissions since they are more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. The oil/gas industry is the largest producer of them.
The fines will increase by the year per ton of methane released.
Additionally, the Department of Energy will allocate over $1B to incentivize advances in "no- and low-emitting oil and gas technologies," including methane monitoring and leak prevention.
Methane is a naturally occurring gas in our atmosphere. A lot comes from wetlands and keeps the cocktail of breathable air we love loving us back. However, the oil and gas industry produces methane equal to all the world's wetlands, doubling down on the planet's primary source. We don't know all the science, but doubling an ingredient in a recipe usually changes the outcome of the meal.
Volvo and Tesla have announced production issues following the Red Sea attacks.
Ok, so, what is happening in the Red Sea? An Iranian-backed rebel group has been targeting ships, mostly linked to Israel, in one of the world's most important shipping routes.
The US and UK attacked Houthi targets in Yemen to break up the piracy, but now it seems more of the region and world will be dragged into the conflict as the rebel group vows to retaliate.
NATO supports the strikes, while Iran and nearby countries predictably aren't fans.
Wait, so is the US at war with Iran? Not really, but Israel's ongoing actions in Gaza following the October 7th terror attack conducted by Hamas have everybody taking sides and some taking up arms for the sake of those sides.
Implications at home? The Red Sea shipping disruption will impact the cost of freight and delay the time it takes to get products, oil, and gas where it needs to be. This will contribute to higher costs for many consumer items. Many companies are taking a detour around Africa, which adds about 10 days and a $1M expense to the trip.
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Goodbye, pandemic, chip shortage, and supply crisis.
Hello, shipping disruptions, fuel price fluctuations, and more unrest in the news.
We can’t panic every time somebody says the sky is falling, but we also can’t ignore the stress our team and community are feeling.
It’s time to put some rubber on the road. Loving people more than we love cars means every time the headline is hard to read, let’s give our communities something better to look at.
Based on the dealers we know, we trust you all to bring a little hope to this chaotic moment.