The benefits of trading in your gas guzzler for an EV go beyond protecting the environment. It can also help protect your health and that of those around you. With significant reductions in harmful air pollution, transitioning to electric vehicles and clean non-combustion electricity could save nearly 90,000 lives in the US by 2050, according to new data from the American Lung Association.
Can electric vehicles save lives with cleaner air?
The report highlights how the US could save close to $1 trillion ($978 billion) in public health benefits with fewer premature deaths, asthma attacks, and lost work days due to cleaner air. This includes:
- $978 billion in public health benefits
- 89,300 fewer premature deaths
- 2.2 million fewer asthma attacks
- 10.7 million fewer lost workdays
With transportation being the leading source of harmful air pollution and climate pollution (35% of total CO2 emissions in 2021) in the US, transitioning to zero-emission electric vehicles is critical.
Furthermore, over 35% of all Americans (roughly 120 million people) live in areas with unhealthy ozone and/or particle pollution linked to increased asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, and premature deaths.
Although electric vehicle sales broke another record in the first three months of 2023, reaching 7.2% market share, more will need to be done to achieve a fully electric future.
The American Lung Association states in its Driving to Clean Air report, “It is imperative that states and the federal government implement stronger standards and take advantage of new funding programs to accelerate the transition away from combustion and toward zero-emission technology.”
State and federal funding programs
To significantly reduce harmful pollution, the ALA highlights several state and federal programs designed to drive EV and clean electricity adoption but says further action is required.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last August provides several incentives and rebates to support consumers and communities to jumpstart the clean energy economy with affordable options.
For example, buyers looking for a new EV are eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $7,500; used EVs also qualify for a credit of up to $4,000. Moreover, the bill provides rebates covering up to 100% of the costs of electric stoves, cooktops, ovens, and ranges.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 invests $7.5 billion to build a nationwide EV charging network to drive adoption further.
The new investments enabled the EPA to introduce new emissions rules in April, creating stricter emissions standards for passenger vehicles. According to the EPA, the new rules could result in EV market share reaching 60% by 2030 and 67% by 2032.
Taking the initiative upon themselves, several states have adopted the California Air Resources Board Advanced Clean Cars II regulations designed to “rapidly scale down emissions” and drive zero-emission EV sales to 100% market share by 2035.
Six states have already adopted the policy while more are in the process of doing so, according to the American Lung Association.
The ALA concludes moving to zero-emission EVs, and electricity would result in “major improvements in public health.” According to the organization, the transition “represents a critical public health intervention to reduce harmful pollutants and prevent health emergencies.”
However, strong state and federal actions are needed to bring these health benefits to communities and drive the transition to 100% zero-emission passenger vehicles and non-combustion electricity sources by 2035.
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Germany’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, EnBW’s He Dreiht, just hit a big milestone: The first enormous turbine is now up in the North Sea.
He Dreiht – which means “it spins” in Low German – is using Vestas’s massive 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the first project in the world to install them. Just one spin of one of the rotors can generate enough electricity to power four households for an entire day.
When it’s finished, He Dreiht will have 64 mega turbines cranking out 960 megawatts (MW) of clean power – enough to supply around 1.1 million homes. And it’s being built without any government subsidies.
EnBW, one of Germany’s major energy companies, has been working in offshore wind for more than 15 years, but He Dreiht is their biggest project yet. “It will play a key role in helping us to significantly grow our renewable energy output from 6.6 GW to over 10 GW by 2030,” said Michael Class, who heads up EnBW’s generation portfolio development.
The project is a win for Vestas, too. “With the installation of the first V236-15.0 MW, we have reached an important milestone for both the He Dreiht project and our offshore ramp-up, which helps Germany build a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.
He Dreiht is located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Helgoland. At peak times, more than 500 workers will be out at sea building the farm, using a fleet of more than 60 ships. EnBW’s offshore team in Hamburg is running the show.
The installation process is a major operation. The 64 foundations were already set in the seabed last year. Parts for the turbines are loaded onto the installation vessel Wind Orca in Esbjerg, Denmark, and shipped out in a 12-hour journey to the construction site. From there, the turbines are lifted into place. Meanwhile, crews are also working on internal wind farm cabling.
A partner consortium made up of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP, and Norges Bank Investment Management owns 49.9% of the shares in He Dreiht.
Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build
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Tesla has released a quick update about its Tesla Semi factory in Nevada. It says that it is on track for volume production of the electric semi truck in 2026.
The Tesla Semi was first scheduled to go into production in 2019, but it has faced numerous delays.
Now, it appears that there is finally some momentum to bring it to volume production.
For the last two years, Tesla has been working to build a new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada, where it builds the battery packs and drive units for most of its electric vehicles built in North America.
Today, Tesla released a “progress update on the factory, confirming that it finished building and it’s now working on deploying the production lines:
Tesla had previously mentioned aiming for volume production by 2025, but it is now only talking about starting production toward the end of the year and ramping up next year.
The automaker reiterated its planned production capacity of 50,000 units.
We recently reported that an early Tesla Semi customer, Ryder, stated that the electric truck program is experiencing more delays and a price increase described as “dramatic.”
They now expect to take deliveries of their first trucks later in 2026 and said that the price has increased “dramatically,” leading them to scale back their pilot program from 42 to 18 Tesla Semi trucks.
When originally unveiling the Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker mentioned prices of $150,000 for a 300-mile range truck and $180,000 for the 500-mile version. Tesla also took orders for a “Founder’s Series Semi” at $200,000.
However, Tesla didn’t update the prices when launching the “production version” of the truck in late 2022. Price increases have been speculated, but the company has never confirmed them.
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Vietnamese solar panel maker Boviet Solar just opened the doors to its first US factory — a huge new PV module plant in Greenville, North Carolina.
The company dropped $294 million into the state-of-the-art facility, which will pump out Boviet’s Gamma Series monofacial and Vega Series bifacial solar panels. They’re using advanced PERC and N-Type solar cell tech, which basically means these panels are built to deliver higher efficiency and better performance across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.
The Greenville factory’s first phase is now online with an annual PV module output capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). For Phase 2, which is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2026, Boviet will invest another $100 million to add 600,000 square feet and ramp up to another 2 GW. It will make high-efficiency solar cells.
Once both phases are complete, Boviet’s campus will cover more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and R&D space. It’s one of the biggest clean energy manufacturing projects North Carolina has ever seen.
The jobs impact is significant, too. The first phase will create 460 skilled local jobs. Phase 2 is expected to add another 908, bringing the total to over 1,300 direct jobs, plus nearly 2,000 more indirect jobs across the region. That’s good news for Pitt County’s economy, real estate market, and workforce training programs.
“This facility is not just creating jobs, but creating opportunity, innovation, and a stronger foundation for eastern North Carolina,” said Senator Kandie Smith. Governor Josh Stein added that Boviet Solar’s move shows how North Carolina is leading the way in clean energy growth.
Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus
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