This image shows part of a green hydrogen facility in Spain. A number of major economies, including the EU, are looking to develop green hydrogen projects in the coming years.
Angel Garcia | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Plans for an Australian “super hub” focused on the generation of wind, solar and green hydrogen are taking shape, with those involved hoping it will start producing power by 2027.
In a statement Monday, Fortescue Future Industries said it was partnering with another firm called Windlab on the project, known as the North Queensland Super Hub.
FFI said the hub “could generate more than 10GW [gigawatts] of wind and solar power and underpin the industrial-scale production of green hydrogen from purpose-built facilities within Queensland.”
The initial stage of the planned project will center around the development of the 800 megawatt Prairie Wind Farm and another 1,000 MW project. On condition of approvals, construction of the first phase is slated to begin in 2025.
“Energy generated from the project stands to produce green hydrogen as well as feed renewable power to the grid,” FFI said.
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Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in a wide range of industries.
It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.
If the electricity used in this process comes from a renewable source such as wind or solar then some call it “green” or “renewable” hydrogen. Today, the vast majority of hydrogen generation is based on fossil fuels.
In Aug. 2021, oil and gas giant BP said “the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia using renewable energy” had become technically feasible at scale in Australia.
The energy supermajor’s conclusion was based on the findings of a feasibility study announced in May 2020 and backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, solar developer Lightsource bp and professional services firm GHD Advisory.
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For its part, FFI said on Monday that industrial-scale green hydrogen had been “constrained by the lack of renewable supply to power the process of extracting hydrogen from water through electrification.”
Commenting on the proposals, FFI’s CEO Mark Hutchinson said the natural resources of Australia — including solar, wind and landmass — were “unrivalled in terms of their potential for the production of green energy” and “green hydrogen in particular.”
“For the first time, the North Queensland Super Hub will provide the quantity of renewable energy we need to support large-scale green hydrogen production right here in Queensland,” he went on to add.
Ambition, but work to be done
The news out of Australia comes as other large economies look to develop plans for green hydrogen.
The European Commission, for example, has said it wants 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers to be installed in the EU by 2030.
Last week, during a roundtable discussion at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described green hydrogen as “one of the most important technologies for a climate neutral world.”
“Green hydrogen is the key to decarbonizing our economies, especially for hard to electrify sectors such as steel production, the chemical industry, heavy shipping and aviation,” Scholz added, before going on to acknowledge that a significant amount of work was needed for the sector to mature.
“Of course, green hydrogen is still an infant industry, its production is currently too cost intensive compared to fossil fuels,” he said. “There’s also a ‘chicken and egg’ dilemma of supply and demand where market actors block each other, waiting for the other to move.”
Also appearing on the panel was Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy. “Hydrogen will be indispensable for the decarbonization of … industry,” he said.
“The question is, for us now, how do we get there in a world which is still driven, in terms of business, by hydrocarbons,” he added. “So it requires an extra effort to make green hydrogen projects … work.”
Imagine seeing this as the next ice cream truck rolling through your neighborhood? Yep, Rivian and Ben & Jerry’s teamed up to create the electric ice cream truck we’ve been waiting for. The “Scoop Truck” will be hitting the road to hand out ice cream this week and honestly, it looks pretty sweet.
Rivian and Ben & Jerry’s unveil electric ice cream truck
What’s better than an ice cream truck? An electric one. The Rivian and Ben & Jerry’s mashup gives us a sneak peek at the ice cream truck of the future.
The “Scoop Truck” will officially debut at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, this week. Fans can stop by to get a first look at the electric truck (and maybe a sweet treat to go with it).
After that, the scoop trucks will hit the road, stopping at Rivian community events. You can also catch it at upcoming events in Vermont, Ben & Jerry’s home state.
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The electric scoop truck is based on Rivian’s Commercial Van, which was launched last month in the US. You may have seen the Rivian Electric Delivery Vans (EDVs) for Amazon roaming through your neighborhood. After ending its exclusivity agreement, Rivian is now open to other partnerships, like with Ben & Jerry’s.
Rivian and Ben & Jerry’s electric ice cream truck (Source: Ben & Jerry’s)
Rivian said its Commercial Van “will allow for more events, more catering gigs, and dishing out more ice cream than ever” with up to 161 miles of range.
Sean Slattery, Ben & Jerry’s US integrated Marketing Project lead joked that “Rivian helped Ben & Jerry’s reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in a small way, while making things a little bit cooler… which, as an ice cream company, is extremely difficult to do.”
Rivian Commercial Van (Source: Rivian)
Rivian’s electric van is available in two models: the Delivery 500 and 700, starting at $79,900 and $83,900, respectively. The smaller (Delivery 500) van is designed for getting around city streets, while the larger (Delivery 700) model includes extra space (652 cu ft) for more cargo and storage.
Rivian and Ben & Jerry’s are two companies fighting for a cleaner future, so the “sweet” partnership makes sense. What do you think of the electric ice cream truck? Let us know in the comments below.
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Elon Musk tried to pump Tesla’s stock (TSLA) by claiming a 10x increase in profits, but it failed. In fact, the stock is down 10% since Musk’s pump.
After an analyst posted a prediction that Tesla would increase its profits by 256%, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded
It will require outstanding execution, but I think more like 1000% gain for Tesla in 5 years is possible.
The comment was quickly propagated by Elon fans and the community of “Tesla all-ins” as being a sign that Musk, who is quite busy with X and DOGE lately, still believes in Tesla.
And yet, Tesla’s stock is down 10% since Musk’s pump:
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There are a few factors at play here. Mostly, it’s just not a great pump and shows Musk is disconnectedness with Tesla and its shareholders.
Many of his fans took it as a “1000% or 10x increase in Tesla’s stock”, but the analyst Musk was responding to was talking about profits.
At the time of the tweet, Tesla was trading at 150x profits. With a P/E of 15, Tesla’s stock price already assumed a roughly 10x increase in profits over the next few years.
Therefore, Musk saying that with “outstanding execution,” he “thinks” Tesla could “possibly” achieve a “more like” 10x increase in profits in “5 years,” is just not the pump that his fans thought it was. In fact, it was basically him saying that Tesla is currently priced for perfect execution.
Despite the drop in the last two days, Tesla is still trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of ~130.
Electrek’s Take
I think this shows how disconnected Elon is from Tesla and its shareholders. They thought, and he probably did too, that this would be a great pump, but it’s simply not.
Especially not amid protests and boycotts against Tesla while the company already had demand issues.
They are clinging to the idea that the Model Y refresh will save the company and return it to growth, but I don’t see that happening right now.
I think that Elon distancing himself from Tesla would be the only thing that would help right now, and it doesn’t look like it will happen. So, the shareholders will have to push him out, which won’t happen until the stock price motivates them.
We are still quite a bit away from that, but I think it’s headed in that direction fast.
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Starting today, the fully autonomous Waymo One ride service is available exclusively to customers in Austin, Texas through the Uber app. Today’s news builds upon Waymo’s existing partnership with Uber and is a milestone in the robotaxi startup’s expansion to new cities around the US.
As promised, robotaxi developer Waymo is expanding its Waymo One service to new US cities. While much of the world is still not completely sold on the plausibility of full-fledged robotaxi operations across major metropolitan areas, Waymo is trekking forward in its operations and has the data to prove it is, in fact, safer in many ways.
With the financial backing of parent company Alphabet Inc. (Google) and a $5.6 billion influx of cash secure in 2024, Waymo has been able to expand robotaxi operations in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix.
At the time of the Series C funding announcement mentioned above, the mobility company detailed plans to expand its Waymo-One rideshare services to new cities like Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia in 2025 through an ongoing partnership with Uber.
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Today, Waymo has confirmed that fully-autonomous rides are now available in Austin through the Uber app. Be sure to check out the video from Waymo below.
Source: Waymo
Waymo One operational around 37 square miles of Austin
Waymo confirmed the start of fully autonomous robotaxi services in Austin today through a social media post. According to Waymo, Uber users who request an Uber X, Uber Comfort, Uber Green, or Uber Comfort Electric will have the opportunity to opt in and match with Waymo’s autonomous vehicles (when available).
Riders who are matched with a Waymo One-equipped EV, currently the Jaguar I-Pace (RIP), will be able to travel within a 37-square-mile footprint around much of Austin, including Hyde Park, Downtown, and Montopolis. Through the Uber app, riders will see options to unlock the Waymo One vehicle’s doors, open the trunk, and begin their ride once they are inside.
Today’s rollout stems from a multi-year partnership between Waymo and Uber. Austin is the first market where Uber is managing and dispatching Waymo vehicles, so it will be an important one to keep and eye on to see how everything runs and how the public responds.
As previously announced, the partnership with Uber also includes robotaxi expansions to the public in Atlanta, Georgia, later this year. As we reported in December 2024, Miami is also in the works for a 2026 rollout. While we await those expansions, here’s some footage of the Waymo One rollout in Austin.
Source: Waymo
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