Toyota takes a page from Tesla as it opens Lexus charging stations to other EVs
Despite its slow shift to fully electric cars, Toyota may be learning. Toyota announced it’s opening Lexus charging stations to other EVs in Japan, taking a page from Tesla in the US and globally.
Lexus opens exclusive Lexus charging to all EVs
Toyota’s luxury brand opened its first “rapid charging station” in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya last June, kicking off the Lexus Electrified Program.
In December 2023, a second charging station was added at Karuiza Common Grounds. Lexus charging stations include quick chargers with up to 150 kW max power to get drivers back on the road quickly, similar to Tesla’s Supercharger network.
In comparison, Tesla’s Superchargers can deliver up to 250 kW peak charging rates. Tesla confirmed its V4 Supercharger will support up to 350 kW output, but it’s also capped at 250 kW.
Up until now, Lexus owners had exclusive access to the charging stations. Owners could reserve their spot through the My Lexus app up to 60 days in advance. Payments are handled through the App automatically for a seamless experience, similar to Tesla’s Superchargers.
However, Lexus offers benefits like complimentary drinks, workspaces, and discounts on nearby services.
Now, all EV owners will be able to access the charging stations. Toyota announced it’s opening Lexus charging stations for other EVs to use
The move is similar to Tesla, which opened its Supercharger network to other EVs. Last May, Ford was the first to announce plans to adopt Tesla’s NACS adaptor. Virtually all automakers, including Toyota and Lexus, have followed suit to gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger network in the US.
However, Tesla has over 15,000 superchargers in the US and Canada and more than 50,000 globally. By 2030, Lexus plans to have about 100 charging stations in Japan.
Meanwhile, Toyota and Lexus continue to lag behind the industry’s shift to electric vehicles. Toyota, including Lexus, sold 46,033 EVs globally through the first four months of 2024. That’s only 3.4% of Toyota’s 1.3 million cars sold during this time.
Source: Toyota, The Japan News
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The Pew Research Center surveyed Americans about how they feel about local wind and solar development in their communities – this is what they found.
Wind and solar in Americans’ backyards
As a whole, more Americans think wind or solar would help rather than hurt their local economy. But many believe it would make no difference or are unsure. Respondents were asked to consider the prospect of wind and solar separately, but their views on wind and solar turned out to be very similar.
When asked about the economic impact a new solar farm would have on their community, overall, 33% think it would help their local economy, 7% think it would hurt, 30% say it makes no difference, and 30% aren’t sure.
Americans similarly viewed the economic impact of a wind farm: 33% think it would help the local economy, 9% say it would hurt it, 27% say it makes no difference, and 31% aren’t sure.
If responses are divided by political leanings, Democrats are far more positive than Republicans about the local impact of solar and wind.
Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, 46% say installing a solar panel farm in their community would improve their local economy, 23% say it makes no difference, and just 3% say this would hurt it.
Contrast that with Republicans and Republican leaners – 21% say installing a solar panel farm in their community would improve their local economy, 39% say it makes no difference, and 10% say this would hurt it.
When the ages of those surveyed is considered, that impacts the results yet again – 45% of Americans under 30 think installing a solar farm would help the local economy, but only 24% of those 65 and older think the same.
Both Democrats and Republicans ages 18 to 29 are more likely than older people to see wind and solar having a positive effect on their local economy.
As for the aesthetics of renewables, 45% of Americans say a new solar panel farm in their area would definitely or probably make the landscape unattractive, and almost as many – 42% – say it wouldn’t do this. Feelings about wind were nearly identical.
On balance, more Americans think a local solar farm would lower the price they pay for electricity than not (44% vs. 37%, and 19% not sure). Views tilt positive (40%) on tax revenue impact, but 32% say they’re not sure, and 27% say it wouldn’t bring in more tax revenue.
If you’re curious about Pew’s methodology and who was polled (spoiler: it’s extremely balanced), that’s here.
Electrek’s Take
In some ways these responses are predictable, and in other ways they’re enlightening. The political divide is pretty much what I expected, and the differences in age demographics isn’t a shock – younger people are more familiar with renewables, and probably more open to new things.
What surprised and frankly disappointed me was the larger-than-expected percentage of Americans who don’t think renewables positively impact their local economies, or who aren’t sure. Solar and wind bring in significant tax revenue, create jobs, and, assuming the utility passes the savings down, reduces folks’ electricity bills. Why don’t more folks know about this at the local level?
I’m curious to hear from our readers why you think there isn’t more awareness of the benefits of utility-scale solar and wind at the local level. Is it NIMBYism? Propaganda? Lack of communication from local government? Electricity bills not budging? Let me know your thoughts below, and please be civil.
Read more: 49% of Americans think climate change is mostly someone else’s problem
Due to shifts in solar policy, renters and homeowners in many states are now able to subscribe to a local community solar farm. Community solar typically saves you 5-15% depending on where you live, it’s quick and easy to sign up (no upfront costs), and no solar panels are installed on your property.
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Environment
U.S. needs major nuclear power expansion to meet rising electricity demand, Southern Company CEO says
The United States needs to build a significant number of nuclear plants to supply surging energy demand while also meeting climate goals, the CEO of Southern Company said at an event on Thursday.
“This country will need more nuclear plants going forward,” Chris Womack said at the Reuters Global Energy Transition conference in New York City.
“It’s upwards of 10 large gigawatts of nuclear power that I think we have to have going forward,” the CEO said. This is equivalent to about 10 new nuclear plants with a single reactor each. The typical reactor in the U.S. produces about a gigawatt of electricity, according to the Department of Energy.
Based on market capitalization, Southern Company is the second largest name in the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU). It’s also one of the largest providers of electricity in the nation, serving millions of people across Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
Last year, the Atlanta-headquartered utility completed the first nuclear plant in the U.S. in more than three decades, with the second of two new reactors having started commercial operations in April.
Womack said Southern Company is seeing a level of electricity demand that that the utility has not faced since the advent of air conditioning and heat pumps in the South in the 1970s and 1980s. After two decades of nearly flat power growth, Southern Company is now expecting demand to grow by three to four times, the CEO said.
“A lot of this is dependent and contingent upon what we see with artificial intelligence and all those large learning models and what data centers will consume,” Womack said. “You’re also seeing in the Southeast, this incredible population growth and you’re seeing all this onshoring with manufacturing.”
Unit 3’s reactor and cooling tower stand at Georgia Power Co.’s Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, on Jan. 20, 2023.
John Bazemore | AP
Atlanta is one of the fastest growing data center markets in the nation, with construction growing by 211% increase to 732 megawatts in 2023, according to the real estate service firm CBRE. Utility stocks have made a comeback in 2024 on the power trend, with Southern Company up 11% year to date.
Womack said 80% of the demand Southern Company is facing between now and the end of the decade will be supplied by renewable energy, but natural gas and nuclear will also play key roles in providing reliable power.
“Nuclear has got to be a big part of this mix, of [the] decarbonization focus as we go forward to make sure we’re having the power and the energy and the electricity this economy needs,” Womack said.
Nuclear has the advantage of providing reliable electricity without emitting any carbon emissions, while renewables will need cheaper, longer duration batteries before they power facilities like data centers around the clock at commercial scale.
But building new nuclear plants is expensive, and the permitting and construction process is time consuming. The new nuclear reactors that Southern Company built at the Plant Vogtle in Georgia opened some seven years behind schedule and cost more than $30 billion, at least double the original projections, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Not everyone in the power industry is convinced that nuclear is the way forward. AES Corporation CEO Andres Gluski said earlier this month the he thought the “euphoria” over nuclear power is a “little over blown.” AES is major supplier of power for tech companies building out data centers.
There is only so much existing nuclear energy that merchant power providers can re-contract to sites such as data centers, Gluski told CNBC. “The question is, going forward, what’s the price of new nuclear,” he said.
Womack said the government has to put the right incentives in place and ensure that there is a way to mitigate cost overruns in building new nuclear plants. The CEO said developing small modular nuclear reactors is also key. These smaller nuclear plants, which are still under development, are in theory easier to site and not as capital intensive as traditional plants.
GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik told CNBC Thursday that small modular nuclear reactors will become an important part of the energy mix. The company will commission a small modular reactor in Ontario, Canada in 2029.
“Small modular reactors are going to become a much bigger piece of the equation,” Strazik told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” at the Aspen Ideas Festival. “No question it will be.”
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