Free Republic

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada announced on Thursday a sweeping plan to offer billions of dollars in incentives and tax breaks for auto industry investment designed to help turn Canada into a global leader in electric vehicles.The new policies, Mr. Carney said, were meant to transform Canada’s economy and make it less reliant on a single trade partner after President Trump’s economic assaults and threats on Canada’s sovereignty have frayed relations between the two nations.“We must take care of ourselves,’’ Mr. Carney told reporters at an auto parts factory in Ontario. “We cannot control what others do.’’Mr. Trump has...

China has banned hidden door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), making it the first country to stop the use of the controversial designs that were made popular by multi-billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla. It comes as EVs are facing scrutiny from safety watchdogs around the world after a number of deadly incidents, including two fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi EVs in which power failures were suspected to have prevented doors from being opened. Under the new regulations, cars will only be allowed to be sold if they have a mechanical release both on the inside and outside of their doors,...

General Motors has announced that production of the newly updated 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV will end after approximately 18 months to make way for a gas-powered Buick crossover at its Kansas manufacturing facility. Inside EVs reports that General Motors has confirmed plans to discontinue production of the heavily updated 2027 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle after a limited production run of about one and a half years. The decision will allow the automaker to repurpose its Fairfax, Kansas, factory for manufacturing the Buick Envision, a gas-powered crossover currently built in China that will be reshored to the United States. A Chevrolet...

Top business leaders this week delivered an expletive-laden plea in defense of climate action, describing the backlash to Europe’s green transition as an “aberration.” In an interview with CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte said he disagreed with the suggestion that it may just be a matter of time before net zero is dismissed in Europe, saying short-term thinking on this issue is “bulls---.” Asked about political leaders backtracking on their much-vaunted European Green New Deal and Norway’s oil fund reportedly defending a push from companies to water down their climate goals, Bäte...

BEIJING -- The Liberal government has reached a deal with Beijing to slash tariffs on a set number of Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for China dropping duties on agriculture products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday. The deal marks a de-escalation in tensions with a country the Liberal government had, in recent years, branded as a disruptive power. Carney described it as a “preliminary but landmark” agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs, part of a broader strategic partnership with China that includes increasing tourism and cultural ties. Carney also said Xi has committed to visa-free travel for...

A revolutionary solid state battery was publicized globally in January of 2026, but not shown in person. If the announcement is true, the world will be dramatically changed. We interviewed the co-founder of Donut Labs, which made the announcement: • Donut Labs and Verge Motorcycles In Depth ... We dug up as much information as we could, including a few bit we haven't seen anywhere else. We found a billionaire and some intellectual property which could explain the amazing properties of this battery. Heck, we even take a guess at a specific battery chemistry and manufacturing method which might fit...

Times, they are a changing....Reminber i told you so...

Most of us have moved on from the global warming hoax — but not the moonbats running New York, unfortunately for kids. Via Fox Business: Parents in western New York are raising alarms over cold rides and breakdowns after officials mandated that all school bus purchases must be electric by 2027. Kids come home frozen in the Lake Shore Central School District. Already nearly half of its buses are electric. Running the heat drains their batteries. Several parents told the outlet that they heard of at least one instance of the buses breaking down, in addition to the heating issues....

ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVB) — On the heels of a statewide mandate requiring all school bus purchases in New York State be electric by 2027, parents in the Lake Shore Central School District are speaking out, claiming some bus drivers are turning the heat down, or off completely, in an attempt to conserve battery life on their electric school buses. WIVB News 4 has received several calls from concerned parents in the school district, which covers parts of Angola, Brant, and Derby, regarding their child’s bus trips to and from school, claiming they’re coming in freezing when they get home...

The EU looks set to scrap a landmark 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars on Tuesday, as part of a package of reforms aimed at supporting Europe's embattled auto industry. Carmakers and their backers have lobbied hard for Brussels to relax the ban over the past year – in the face of fierce competition from China and a slower-than-expected shift to electric vehicles (EVs). Set in 2023, the ban was a cornerstone of the EU's environmental Green Deal, which has come under increased pressure from businesses and right-wing politicians as the EU seeks to bolster its industry.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire was reported at 9:20 a.m. on Foothill Boulevard, just below the 210 Freeway overpass. No children were aboard at the time, and the driver was transported to a local hospital for minor smoke inhalation injuries. Aerial footage showed a large plume of smoke emerging from below the underpass. The smoke led to the closure of the Osbourne Street offramp, according to Caltrans. Fire crews were at the scene but appeared to keep their distance from the flames. Experts say fires involving lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in electric vehicles, are typically controlled...

Ford CEO Jim Farley has proven himself to be a passionate car guy, but every now and again he pops up to remind everyone he’s running a multi-billion dollar company with one of the most recognisable brand names in the world. Earlier this week, Farley stood with US President Donald Trump as fuel economy targets were slashed, effectively allowing Ford – and other brands – to battle less red tape and sell vehicles for greater profits, while at the same time providing better up-front affordability for buyers. Now, Farley has turned his attention to Europe, amid reports that the continent’s...

What It Is The Chevrolet Camaro was originally created as a Ford Mustang foil. History now appears ready to repeat itself as Chevy prepares to reintroduce the Camaro nameplate to the market. This time, we're hearing from our sources that we should expect the Bow Tie to resurrect the Camaro not as a coupe but as a fastback SUV aimed squarely at the Mustang Mach-E. That is, unless General Motors president Mark Reuss has his way and the Camaro makes its comeback as an electric car. But if it's an SUV, here's what we believe you can expect: Why It...

WASHINGTON — The US Postal Service’s promised all-electric fleet is still woefully behind schedule, with more than $3 billion in taxpayer funding out the door and just 612 of the expected 35,000 battery-powered delivery trucks built, according to a letter sent to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and obtained by The Post. Former President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) set aside $3 billion for what Ernst has since ripped as a green “boondoggle” that saw almost all of that amount paid to Wisconsin-based defense contractor Oshkosh to build the environmentally friendly mail trucks. Ernst, who chairs the Senate’s DOGE...

Not long ago Ford boldly declared that soon, 40% of its production would be all-electric. The F-150 Lightning was going to be the vanguard of that revolution. It was going to be the world beater, the very model of electric—EV—glory. Alas, it was not to be. The conventionally powered F-150 has long been the most popular truck in America, the standard by which others were judged and the best selling. Unfortunately for Ford, the F-150 Lightning isn’t any of those things. According to AutoBlog.com, Ford has lost $13 billion on its EVs since 2023, and surely more than that before....

The New North Carolina plant is aimed at selling more hybrid cars and trucks to AmericansLIBERTY, N.C.—Toyota, a longtime hybrid car and truck promoter, is making one of the industry’s biggest bets on green transportation and opening a $14 billion battery plant here. For years, Toyota held out against electric vehicles while rivals retrofitted factories and launched models in preparation for an all-electric future. Now that the EV market in the U.S. is vanishing as tax credits expire and sales disappoint, Toyota is doubling down on its hybrid strategy. The Japanese automaker’s gamble: that American consumers—many of whom won’t touch...

CACHE, Okla. (KSWO) - Cache Public Schools had an unveiling on Aug. 11 where they showed their brand new electric buses. School officials say this is a vital step in modernizing transportation for students in their district. A ribbon cutting was held this afternoon to showcase the 6 brand new electric vehicles. Officials say the move to electric is more affordable and reliable in the face of volatile diesel prices and shows a real step in improving the students’ experience.

Washington’s first plug-in ferry will begin shuttling cars and passengers across Puget Sound by the end of next week. Gov. Bob Ferguson made the announcement Thursday during a celebratory demonstration lap around Elliott Bay on the ferry Wenatchee, concluding a challenging conversion to hybrid-electric propulsion over the past 22 months. *SNIP* “Washington state is a great visionary state. It deserves a great visionary boat and it has got one today,” Inslee exulted. *SNIP* The complicated shore power infrastructure is in the design phase for the downtown Seattle, Bainbridge, Bremerton, Kingston and Clinton terminals. The Seattle terminal’s plug-in charging arm and...

“Greater sickness in EVs can be attributed to a lack of previous experience, as both a driver and as a passenger, where the brain lacks accuracy in estimating the motion forces because it relies on previous experience in other types of cars,” William Emond, a PhD student researching car sickness told The Guardian. “When discovering a new motion environment, the brain needs to habituate because there is no knowledge of previous experience in such a context. This is, for example, why almost everyone becomes sick in zero-gravity environments,” he explained.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is blazing forward with a controversial move to repeal California's EV mandate — and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is warning it will come back to bite him.Why it matters: Schumer (D-N.Y.) all but threatened to deploy similar strategies to get around opinions by key, nonpartisan rule makers if and when he grabs back control of the chamber."What goes around comes around," Schumer said on Tuesday. He and other Democratic leaders have described the GOP move as a "nuclear option."Thune (R-S.D.) accused Democrats of "throwing a tantrum."Driving the news: The Senate will vote as soon as...