House Republicans have once again voted to poison you and cost you trillions
House Republicans have once again attempted to pass a law that will increase emissions and cost Americans trillions of dollars in additional fuel and health costs.
The bill in question is called H.R.4468, the “CARS” act. It was introduced by Rep Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA). It passed the House Wednesday by a vote of 221-197, with 216 republicans and 5 Democrats voting to poison you and cost you trillions of dollars, and 197 Democrats and zero republicans voting to protect you from pollution and save you money.
The law, which has not yet been voted on in the Senate and will be vetoed by President Biden if it does reach his desk, intends to block the implementation of the EPA’s new emissions rules which will avoid nearly 10 billion tons of emissions and save Americans trillions of dollars in health and fuel costs if implemented.
The rules work out to $12,000 in savings for the average consumer over the average life of a vehicle, not to mention the hundreds of billions of dollars in health and climate benefits.
The emissions rules were released in April, and the EPA has been taking public comments and considering more or less stringent alternatives since, which will culminate in a final implementation of the rule early next year.
Various lobbying groups have had their say in the interim, with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation wrongly saying that the rules are “neither reasonable nor achievable.” The AAI represents nearly every major automaker – many of them, like Ford and GM, have claimed to be all-in on EVs and yet still lend their support to a group that lobbies for worse emission standards.
The few companies that aren’t part of AAI’s membership tend to be the all-electric automakers who, almost a decade early, are already well within compliance with the regulation’s 2032 target, showing that the target is in fact achievable in contradiction to AAI’s incorrect claim. These automakers have much more reasonably called for stronger action, not lighter action.
Meanwhile, environmental and health groups, who represent doctors and people with lungs (that’s you), rather than polluters, have applauded the EPA’s proposed standards.
But despite us writing about this in an EV publication, the EPA standards do not in fact mandate EVs, in contradiction to claims made by H.R. 4468’s main sponsor. Part of the bill reads:
“(B) Effective beginning on the date of enactment of this subparagraph, any regulation prescribed under paragraph (1) (and any revision thereof), including any such regulation or revision prescribed before the date of enactment of this subparagraph, shall not—
“(i) mandate the use of any specific technology; or
“(ii) result in limited availability of new motor vehicles based on the type of new motor vehicle engine in such new motor vehicles.”.
And Walberg, in defending his assault on Americans’ lungs and pocketbooks, stated “while EVs may play a large role in the future of the auto industry, Washington should not discount other technologies like hydrogen, hybrids, and the internal combustion engine.”
But Walberg shows that he did not comprehend the regulations in question, because the proposed EPA regulation in fact does not do that. All it does is mandate a certain level of emissions from vehicles, and automakers are free to use any technologies they want to reach those emissions levels.
If they can reach suitably low levels of pollution with internal combustion engines, they are free to use them. And if hybridization or hydrogen can contribute more than internal combustion engines can, and if they can get consumers to actually want to buy cars with those technologies, then they are free to use those technologies as well.
The EPA standards are in fact “technology-agnostic,” so this shows a lack of understanding on behalf of the bill’s author and the hundreds of Republicans (and 5 Democrats) who voted for it, telling people who do understand the issue (the EPA) that they need to stop doing a thing they aren’t even doing. And the instruction the bill provides to the EPA stands in direct contradiction of the other mandate the House has already given it: to protect clean air, through the Clean Air Act.
This action is just the latest in a long recent history of the US republican party attacking clean air and working to increase costs and decrease the consumer’s ability to choose a cleaner vehicle, or to live in a world where pollution is nor forced upon them.
Just last week, Ohio Republicans echoed US House Republicans in attempting to overturn California’s pollution standards, as yet another assault on the very same “states’ rights” which they often claim to believe in.
And earlier in this same House term, House and Senate Republicans voted on a bill to overturn the EPA’s first truck soot rule in two decades which they knew would never pass into law, and yet they still wanted to send a message – to let you know that if they did gain power, they are chomping at the bit for any chance to poison you.
This new bill will now be referred to the Senate, where it may or may not receive a vote, and will be vetoed by President Biden if it reaches his desk. Given the lack of a veto-proof majority, it is dead in the water – merely acting as a statement by House Republicans that they want to increase pollution and costs for Americans at a time where we desperately need a reduction in both. When people show you who they are, believe them.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
With the winter in full swing, it’s easy to spend most of the time indoors, but if you’re still looking to scratch that itch to get out and spend more time outside exploring, the XQi3 by NIU is the perfect solution to explore both trails and urban spots. On top of NIU designing the XQi3 with some great handling for off-road riding, it’s also fully street-legal.
It’s always a blast to be out in the trails enjoying nature but for urban areas, there’s usually a lot to explore and luckily the XQi3 is able to be registered as a moped. NIU has an EKHO Dealer collab that enables NIU to sell licensed and registered vehicles to customers directly, making it easy to ride off with a fully compliant street-legal bike.
Before we get into how it handles off-road let’s go through some of the quick specs.
The XQi3 has a top speed of 45 km/h for street-legal use and up to 80 km/h for off-road. Powering the bike is a removable 72v 32ah LG lithium-ion battery, which gives you a max range of 90km on a single charge, of course, that will vary depending on if you are in eco or sports mode, but it’s certainly plenty of range to explore new trails or new sites without having range anxiety, and since it is removable, you’ll be able to charge it anywhere, anytime.
Okay, now that we got some of those specs out of the way, it’s time to dive into one of the most exciting aspects about this bike which is just how great the handling feels while riding off road. This probably won’t be listed on a spec sheet but the wide grippy seat and overall design of this bike makes it very functional as an offroad bike.
NIU made this bike for riders to actually use offroad and one of the obvious signs of that is the stock skidplate that they added for more protection.
While the lightweight feel and torquey motor give a ton of confidence while riding, knowing that the bike is robust enough for this kind of riding is encouraging for trying out new sections that would normally feel intimidating.
And with that extra level of protection dropping the bike is not as worrying as you might think making it easy to pick up the bike, and continue riding just as you would on any other powersports bike.
As for the suspension the XQi3 uses adjustable front and rear KKE suspension that lets you fine-tune the compression, rebound, and preload depending on your size and what kind of riding you intend to do.
While riding through roots and loose dirt the 19-inch off-road tires hold up surprisingly well and with the tread patterns not being too aggressive it’s a great balance between traction and durability since very aggressive tread patterns typically wear out fairly quickly when using them on the tarmac.
And to brake the XQi3 features 203 mm rear disc brakes and 220 mm front disc brakes giving some great braking action for both on and off-road action.
NIU also added some great tech onto the XQi3 which includes seamless app connectivity via Bluetooth letting you unlock a world of features from monitoring your battery and vehicle status to tracking your route history.
In addition NIU is the only company in the category that has the ability to send out OTA updates.
For security the bike uses an NFC card to unlock but can also be unlocked via bluetooth.
And through your controls as well as the display you can navigate to eco or sport mode and you can also use the Ultraboost to get you up to 8000W up from the 3500W of rated power. Through the display you’ll also be able to check your battery level, speed, lap times and more.
For added safety, NIU included an emergency kill switch where if disconnected, the feature will automatically cut off power to the motor just in case of any emergency.
For those unfamiliar with NIU, the brand is now celebrating their 10 year anniversary and with that they’ve announced that the brand will be starting assembly in the US and is soon entering into the powersports segment .
Overall this is a great feeling offroad bike that is fully street-legal and comes with all the requirements to be fully compliant as a road-legal moped. I had a ton of fun exploring
With the XQi3, the premium build quality, long range, and flexibility make it a blast to go out even if it’s the middle of winter.
To check out NIU on socials you can find them @niumobility and for more of their lineup you can check out their website here.
NIU XQi3 gallery
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
British telecom provider BT Group has committed to adding 3,500 new EVs to its commercial truck and van fleet over the next two years, bringing its total EV count to 8,000 units and giving it the largest electric vehicle fleet in the UK.
With more than 27,000 in its total fleet, BT Group is one of the largest operators of commercial vehicles of any kind – ICE or electric – in the UK. Now, the company says it has plans to become a fully net zero business by 2031, and looks to electrify all (or nearly all) of its vehicles over the next five years.
Company executives believe the addition of the new EVs (which will see a mix of vehicles deployed from Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Renault) will give it “the edge” as it aims to upgrade UK residents to full fiber internet.
“By integrating yet more electric vehicles into our operations, we are taking another significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the UK’s transition to a greener future,” said Simon Lowth, Chief Financial Officer, BT Group. “As we extend our full fiber build from 16 million homes and businesses today to 25 million by the end of 2026, having the most efficient, sustainable electric vehicles will give our engineers the edge as they connect customers at pace to our next generation networks.”
In addition to pushing for its own carbon neutrality, BT Group is fighting the good fight – and is among a small number of large fleet operators in the UK actively supporting the nation’s proposed 2030 ban on ICE vehicles.
As such, political supporters of the ban have been quick to sing BT Group’s praises. “We want to help more businesses decarbonize their operations,” explains Lilian Greenwood, Future of Roads Minister. “(We’ve) extended our plug-in van grant with £120m funding to help roll out more zero emission vans on our roads – part of our £2.3bn to support industry and consumers switch to EVs and make the transition a success.”
Electrek’s Take
Despite all the doom, gloom, and wishful thinking from the anti-EV crowd, the numbers paint a narrative of swift expansion in the commercial EV and ZEV (Zero-Emission Vehicle) markets driven by strong incentives, up-front cost parity with ICE, and proven reductions in vehicle downtime and maintenance costs.
Expect continued growth in the commercial EV space in the months and years ahead, with virtually no going back.
SOURCE | IMAGES: BT Group, via Electrive.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
In a move that’s expected to play a crucial role in supporting the transition to medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, $100 million of the Biden Administration’s last-minute $635M payout is headed to Illinois to help build out an electric truck charging corridor.
While Tesla failed to secure funding for its heavy-duty electric truck chargers at the Federal level, Tesla was one of four companies – the others being Prologis, Gage Zero, and Pilot Flying J – that will be splitting the $100 million awarded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s CFI program.
Tesla is understood to have requested fully 40% of the $100MM award, with Prologis requesting $60 million, Gage Zero requesting $16 million, and Pilot requesting $10 million.
The project will facilitate the construction of 345 electric truck charging ports and pull-through truck charging stalls across 14 sites throughout Illinois, with each of the awarded companies putting up some of its own money to support the infrastructure buildout as well. To that end, Prologis is expected to invest $18 million, Tesla $19 million, Gage Zero $4 million, and Pilot travel stations committing $2.5 million.
“Most of the development has happened on the coasts, and there’s nothing really happening in the Midwest, which is not great for long-haul trucking,” said Megha Lakhchaura, Illinois’ state EV officer. “We think that this hub could be of national importance.”
Lakhchaura isn’t wrong. More than 30,000 commercial trucks travel the state’s I-80 and I-90 corridor each day – and electrifying those trucks would make a huge impact in the public health and quality of life along the heavily populated roadways.
The Illinois EPA’s $100 million awards join Illinois utility ComEd’s $90 million push to build out a commercial EV charging infrastructure and encourage commercial EV adoption along the I-80/90 corridors, as well as the state’s own EV rebates for both private and company-owned battery electric vehicles.
SOURCES: TechCrunch, via Yahoo! Finance; MSN.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway