Rich white people are overwhelmingly blocking wind farms
The NIMBYs blocking the deployment of wind farms are overwhelmingly rich and white in the US and Canada, according to a new study.
Rich white people are wind farm NIMBYs
The study, “Prevalence and predictors of wind energy opposition in North America,” is newly published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by researchers from UC Santa Barbara, the University of Michigan, and Gallup.
They examined wind energy projects throughout the US and Canada to determine how common opposition is and what factors predict it.
The study collected over 35,000 news articles to analyze 1,415 North American wind energy projects between 2000 and 2016. The study defined political opposition to projects as physical protests, legal actions, legislation, and letters to the editor.
In total, 17% of wind projects in the US and 18% in Canada faced significant opposition, with rates of opposition increasing over time, as wind energy has grown.
Spatial distribution of wind energy projects and opposition in the United States of America and Canada. Projects that experienced opposition are shown in red. Darker shades indicate a larger concentration of plants in that specific area. Source: PNAS study
In the US, opposition was concentrated in the Northeast in areas with a higher proportion of white residents and a lower proportion of Hispanic residents. In addition, the names of the people who opposed wind projects were overwhelmingly likely (92.4%) to be white.
In Canada, opposition was concentrated in Ontario and in wealthy communities. In both countries, larger projects were more likely to face opposition than smaller projects. The number of people engaging in opposition was small at a given project: the median number of protesters was 23 in the US and 34 in Canada.
The researchers termed this “energy privilege,” which they describe in the abstract as “wherein the delay and cancellation of clean energy in wealthier, whiter communities leads to continued pollution in poorer communities, and communities of color.”
Leah Stokes, lead author and associate professor of environmental politics at UC Santa Barbara, said:
Fossil fuel plants are predominantly located in poorer communities and communities of color. These plants create pollution. We need to replace fossil fuel power plants with clean energy, like wind and solar.
When wealthier, whiter communities oppose wind energy projects in their backyards, they extend the lifetime of fossil fuel projects. This is an injustice.
Electrek’s Take
For anyone who isn’t familiar with the term NIMBY, an acronym for Not In My Backyard, it’s a resident who supports something as long as it’s not put anywhere near where they live.
As in, “Oh yes, I am completely for wind power! I just don’t want it near me. It would ruin my view.”
This study looked at a lot of variables, from proximity to potential wind farms, to their economic potential for the local community, to turbine size. And what was striking was that, out of all the variables, the study found that in the US, “race and ethnicity variables are by far the strongest predictors of opposition.” Interestingly, it didn’t turn out to be a partisanship thing.
The paper’s bottom line – small numbers of white and wealthier people in rural areas are blocking wind farms. Or as they succinctly put it, “Opposition to clean energy is a privilege.”
Let us know your thoughts about this study in the comments below – and keep it civil, please.
Read more: New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm hits a milestone – and one county is fighting all of it
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The Radar R6 was China’s first mass-market 100% electric pickup. Now, it’s rolling out overseas into new markets. The R6 is already the top-selling EV pickup in China, but will it win over buyers in global markets?
This Chinese EV pickup is headed for new global markets
Volvo owner, Geely, launched Radar in 2022, claiming it’s “China’s first pure electric outdoor lifestyle brand.” A few months later, it launched its first vehicle, the Radar R6, starting at about $25,000 (178,800 yuan)
The R6 is a fully electric pickup based on Geely’s SEA platform, which underpins Volvo’s electric minivan, the EM90, sold in China.
It’s available with three battery pack options: 63 kWh, 86 kWh, and 100 kWh, for a CLTC range of up to 392 miles (632 km).
Over the last two years (2023 to 2025), Radar R6 was China’s top-selling electric pickup, accounting for over 50% of the market. Following its success, Geely began exporting models to new markets like Thailand under the name Riddara.
Riddara is now sold in over 50 countries and regions, including parts of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Central, and South America.
“In 2025, Geely Riddara will enter a new phase of global cooperation,” the brand’s CEO, Mr Ling Shiquan, said during a conference earlier this year.
The rugged EV brand plans to expand in growing markets like Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil, aiming to sell 30,000 models with “NEV pickup market leadership in every region.” Most recently, Geely signed a deal with Capital Smart Motors (CSM) to sell the EV pickup in Pakistan.
Radar claims the R6 (RD6) is “more than just a pickup” with the unique ability to drive like an SUV. The global version is available in rear and all-wheel-drive powertrains.
The more powerful AWD variant features up to 6,600 lbs (3,000 kg) towing, 32.1″”wading, and a 4.5-second acceleration from 0 to 100km/h (0 to 62 mph).
To give you a comparison, the Tesla Cybertruck AWD model has a 325-mile (EPA) range, 11,000-lb towing capacity, and a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.1 seconds.
In China, Radar launched a cheaper electric truck, dubbed King Kong. It starts at 99,800 yuan, or around $13,700. It’s available in RWD and AWD powertrains and has a CLTC range of up to 375 miles (605 km).
Would you buy Radar’s (Riddara) electric pickup for around $25,000? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below.
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It’s about the size of the Tesla Model Y. The EV5 is already a hit in China. Now, Kia is about to launch the global model. With its official debut coming up, Kia’s electric SUV was spotted for the first time with a few noticeable upgrades.
Meet the new electric SUV
Kia first unveiled the EV5 at the Chengdu Motor Show in 2023. A few months later, the electric SUV officially went on sale in China, starting at just over $20,000 (149,800 yuan).
The EV5 is 4,615 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,715 mm tall, or roughly the same size as the Tesla Model Y (4,750 mm long, 1,978 mm wide, 1,624 mm tall). It’s also significantly cheaper in China. The new Model Y starts at 263,500 yuan ($36,500).
Kia’s base model has a CLTC range of 329 miles (530 km) from a 64.2 kWh BYD Blade battery. The longer-range model gets up to 447 miles (720 km) from an 88.1 kWh battery.
In comparison, the new Tesla Model Y has a CLTC driving range of up to 368 miles (593 km). The Long-range AWD model starts at 313,500 yuan ($43,400) and has a range of up to 447 miles (719 km).
The EV5 is already leading Kia’s comeback in China. Last year, Kia sold over 200,000 vehicles for the first time in four years, ranking first among joint venture brands. The electric SUV was one of the main growth drivers.
When will Kia launch the EV5 global model?
Kia launched the EV5 in several global markets last year, including Australia and New Zealand. Recent sales figures from TheDriven show that the electric SUV was the fourth top-selling EV in Australia through April, with 1,509 units sold.
Through the first four months of 2025, the EV5 trails only the Tesla Model Y (3,394), Model 3 (2,266), and MG MG4 (1,698) through April. However, these models are made in China and exported by Kia’s joint venture, Yueda Kia Motors.
Kia is preparing to launch production of the global version of the EV5 later this year at its Autoland Gwangju manufacturing plant in South Korea.
According to TheKoreanCarBlog, it will be the first exclusive electric car built at the facility, codenamed “OV1” internally.
With mass production scheduled for the third quarter of 2025, we are finally getting our first look at the Kia EV5 global model. New images from Autospy reveal several noticeable upgrades from the current version built in China.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few updated design elements, including alloy wheels, pulled from Kia’s new EV6 and EV9.
The interior has been refined with an updated center console to attract buyers outside of China. You can also expect to see Kia’s latest ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens in a panoramic curved setup.
It will also drop the lower-cost LFP battery in favor of a higher-density NCM option, which could raise prices in other markets.
Kia will launch the EV5 global version in new markets, including South Korea, Europe, and Canada. Sadly, it’s not expected to arrive in the US.
The company confirmed earlier this year that the EV5 will be “exclusively for the Canadian market” in North America. It will be sold with FWD and AWD powertrains and two battery sizes: 60.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh, offering up to 500 km (310 miles) range.
What do you think of Kia’s electric SUV? Would you buy one over the Tesla Model Y? Let us know in the comments below.
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Tesla (TSLA) has lost its head of the Indian market just as the automaker is rumored to finally enter India after several false starts.
Tesla has been trying to enter the Indian automotive market for years, but it has been unable to circumvent the country’s protectionist efforts, which include high import duties on foreign vehicles.
The Indian government wanted Tesla to build a factory in the country, but the automaker preferred to first establish a market in the country through imported vehicles before investing in a manufacturing facility in the country.
Last year, we reported that India finally reached a compromise on its import duties on cars, opening the door for Tesla and other EV automakers to launch in the country.
The deal involves significantly reducing import duties for a limited number of electric vehicles as long as the automaker makes a significant investment and commitment to build an electric vehicle factory in India in the coming years.
It looked like Tesla had a hand in making that deal happen, considering the automaker was working closely with the government, and there were indications that Tesla would take them up on the deal.
However, it has been more than a year since India announced the program, and Tesla has yet to take them up on it.
Tesla did make moves toward entering the Indian market. It started hiring service and sales staff earlier this year and considered locations in New Delhi and Mumbai.
The automaker also tested some of its electric vehicles in India, but that also happened years ago, when Tesla was first supposed to enter the Indian market, and it didn’t happen.
We have been burned before. We will believe Tesla’s entry into the Indian market when it finally happens.
If it is happening, it’s not off to a good start as Tesla has reportedly lost its head of country in India, Prashanth Menon, just ahead of the supposed market launch.
Menon had been at Tesla since 2016. He held roles in business planning until 2021, when he was made head of Tesla in India.
Bloomberg now reports that Menon left and that Tesla’s Chinese team has been put in charge of the Indian market.
Electrek’s Take
At this point, I’m in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” phase of Tesla’s Indian market entry. It seemed to be on the verge of happening 2-3 times and never happened.
To be fair, it does look like this time is closer than ever, but then Tesla loses its country head, and it’s not like the timing for entering the Indian market looks great with the country seemingly being on the verge of a new war with Pakistan.
We will keep an eye on it.
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