His ALOHAnet, designed a half-century ago in Hawaii, was a precursor to the technology used in today’s smartphones and home WiFi networks.

Professor Abramson’s project at the University of Hawaii was originally designed to transmit data to schools on the far-flung Hawaiian islands by means of a radio channel. But the solution he and his group devised in the late 1960s and early ’70s would prove widely applicable; some of their technology is still in use in today’s smartphones, satellites and home WiFi networks. 

The technology he helped to create allowed many digital devices to send and receive data over that shared radio channel.

It was a simple approach that did not require complex scheduling of when each packet of data would be sent. If a data packet was not received, it was simply sent again. The approach was a departure from telecommunications practices at the time, but it worked.

“It was an incredibly audacious idea, real out-of-the box engineering,” said Vinton Cerf, a computer scientist at Google and the co-author, with Robert Kahn, of the technical standards for linking computer networks on the internet.

The wireless network in Hawaii, which began operating in 1971, was called ALOHAnet, embracing the Hawaiian salutation for greeting or parting. It was a smaller, wireless version of the better known ARPAnet, the precursor to the internet, which allowed researchers at universities to share a network and send messages over landlines. The ARPAnet was led by the Pentagon’s Advanced Research Projects Agency, which also funded the ALOHAnet.

“The early wireless work in Hawaii is vastly underappreciated,” said Marc Weber, an internet historian at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. “Every modern form of wireless data networking, from WiFi to your cellphone, goes back to the ALOHAnet.”

The ALOHAnet technology became so widely used was partly because Professor Abramson and his team had shared it freely and welcomed other scientists to Hawaii.

Professor Abramson majored in physics at Harvard, then earned a master’s degree in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford, in 1958. He briefly worked in industry and had postdoctoral teaching stints before he went to Hawaii. He retired from the University of Hawaii in 1994.

A study of low-risk COVID-19 infected individuals finds impairments four months after first contracting the virus.

Young and previously healthy people with ongoing symptoms of Covid-19 are showing signs of damage to multiple organs four months after the initial infection, UK study suggests.

The findings are a step towards unpicking the physical underpinnings and developing treatments for some of the strange and extensive symptoms experienced by people with “long Covid”, brain fog, breathlessness, and pain are among the most frequently reported effects.

The UK-based Coverscan study assessed the long-term impact of Covid-19 on organ health in around 500 “low-risk” individuals – those who are relatively young and without any major underlying health complaints – with ongoing Covid symptoms, through a combination of MRI scans, blood tests, physical measurements and online questionnaires.

A total of 200 COVID-19 patients in the study had undergone screening suggesting 70% have impairments in one or more organs, including the heart, lungs, liver and pancreas, four months after their initial Covid-19 illness.

There is some post-infection impairment in 25% of the people in the study,  affecting two or more organs,” said Amitava Banerjee, a cardiologist and associate professor of clinical data science at University College London.

“This is of interest because we need to know if [the impairments] continue or improve – or if there is a subgroup of people who could get worse.”

COVERSCAN STUDY FINDINGS

Between April and September 2020, 201 individuals (mean age 44 (SD 11.0) 55 years, 70% female, 87% white, 31% healthcare workers) completed assessments following 56 SARS-CoV-2 infection (median 140, IQR 105-160 days after initial symptoms).

The 57 prevalence of pre-existing conditions (obesity: 20%, hypertension: 6%; diabetes: 2%; heart 58 disease: 4%) was low, and only 18% of individuals had been hospitalized with COVID-19. 59 Fatigue (98%), muscle aches (88%), breathlessness (87%), and headaches (83%) were the 60 most frequently reported symptoms.

Ongoing cardiorespiratory (92%) and gastrointestinal 61 (73%) symptoms were common, and 42% of individuals had ten or more symptoms. 62 There was evidence of mild organ impairment in heart (32%), lungs (33%), kidneys (12%), 63 liver (10%), pancreas (17%), and spleen (6%). Single (66%) and multi-organ (25%) 64 impairment was observed, and was significantly associated with risk of prior COVID-19 65 hospitalization.

In some, but not all, cases there was a correlation between people’s symptoms and the site of the organ impairment. For instance, heart or lung impairments correlated with breathlessness, while liver or pancreas impairments were associated with gastrointestinal symptoms.

“It supports the idea that there is an insult at organ level, and potentially multi-organ level, which is detectable, and which could help to explain at least some of the symptoms and the trajectory of the disease,” said Banerjee.

The new findings could also have implications for the management of people with long-term Covid impacts, suggesting the need for closer collaboration between medical specialists. “Sending the people you need to the cardiologist, and then to the gastroenterologist, and then to the neurologist would be an inefficient way to deal with things as the pandemic continues,” Banerjee said.

For Mirabai Nicholson-McKellar, Covid-19 brought an onslaught of symptoms from chest pains to an 11-day migraine, three positive test results, and a period in hospital.

Brain Fog: the long and unclear road to coronavirus recovery

Seven months later, the rollercoaster is far from over: the 36-year-old from Byron Bay, Australia is still experiencing symptoms – including difficulties with thinking that are often described as “brain fog”.

“Brain fog seems like such an inferior description of what is actually going on. It’s completely crippling. I am unable to think clearly enough to [do] anything,” says Nicholson-McKellar, adding that the experience would be better described as cognitive impairment.

The consequences, she says, have been enormous.

“I can’t work more than one to two hours a day and even just leaving the house to get some shopping can be a challenge,” she says. “When I get tired it becomes much worse and sometimes all I can do is lay in bed and watch TV.” Brain fog has made her forgetful to the point that she says she burns pots while cooking.

“It often prevents me from being able to have a coherent conversation or write a text message or email,” she adds. “I feel like a shadow of my former self. I am not living right now, I am simply existing.”

Nicholson-McKellar is far from alone.

Dr Michael Zandi, a consultant at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology , says he has seen patients who have been living with brain fog for a few months. While some have been admitted to hospital or intensive care with Covid, Zandi says he is now seeing cases among people who coped with Covid at home.

“The proportion of people with cognitive symptoms for any period of time as a result of Covid-19 is unknown, and a focus of study now, but in some studies could be up to 20%,” he says.

Zandi agrees that difficulties with thinking and concentration have previously been reported by patients with other conditions, including the auto-immune disease lupus.

“Doctors and scientists wouldn’t necessarily use [brain fog] as a diagnosis as it doesn’t exactly tell you what the problem is and what could be causing that,” says Zandi.

Dr Wilfred Van Gorp, former president of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, says many Covid survivors he has seen with brain fog also have problems ranging from headaches to difficulties tolerating loud noise and controlling emotions.

 “The complaints are very much similar to [those of] post-concussion patients,” he says, adding that there are also similarities to chronic fatigue syndrome.

Zandi says there could be many causes of brain fog in Covid survivors, from inflammation in the body to a lack of oxygen to the brain – the latter is a particular concern for those who spent time on ventilators.

Dr Nick Grey, a consultant clinical psychologist at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said terms similar to “brain fog” have previously been used in connection with extreme tiredness, low mood and conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – the latter of which is thought to affect about a quarter of Covid survivors who were in intensive care.

(originally published, Guardian, 10-09-20)

Donald Trump campaigned in 2016 pledging to save the coal industry. The problem is that coal and biomass have high unchangeable price points. Not so for solar energy.

The Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) is a term which describes the wholesale cost of the power produced by solar and sold to HELCO over a contract term. The wholesale cost is about 50-60 percent of the retail price that HELCO sells electricity to customers.

The Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission approved the HELCO-Hu Honua Power Purchase Agreement in December 2013. Hu Honua failed to meet contractual deadlines and HELCO canceled the contract.

The Commission approved the Amended and Revised HELCO- Hu Honua Power Purchase Agreement in July 2017.

The Consumer Advocate noted that the LCOE for the Hu Honua project in 2013 was consistent with other contracts: Hu Honua (25.3 cents/kWh), Kahuku Wind (22.5 cents/kWh), H-Power (22.4 cents/kWh), Interisland Wind (22.0 cents/kWh), and Kalaeloa Solar (21.8 cents/kWh)

The Public Utilities Commission described how the LCOE had changed between 2013 and 2017.

The LCOE for the Hu Honua biomass project in 2013 was 25.3 cents per kilowatt-hour over the 20-year contract.

If this same contract was signed in 2017, then in 2017 dollars the cost would be 28.6 cents per kilowatt-hour over the 20-year contract.

But HELCO and Hu Honua agreed to extend the contract from 20 to 30 years, thereby spreading out the fixed costs. With the extended contract, the price fell to 22.1 cents per kilowatt-hour over the 30-year contract.

The price of Hawai`i solar electricity in 2010 exceeded 20 cents per kilowatt-hour. By the end of the decade, the price of solar combined with a battery energy storage system was below 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) recently documented how the price of various types of renewable energy changed from 2010 to 2020.

Over the period from 2010 to 2020, the price of solar fell from 37.8 cents to 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The price of on-shore and off-shore wind both fell, but not as dramatically. They had started the decade much cheaper than solar, but by the end of the decade, they were competitive.

Because wind turbines take longer to install, future projections are easier to estimate. The cost of contracted offshore wind scheduled to become operational in 2023 is 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The 2010-20 decade also saw the price of batteries fall by almost 90%. The prices are expected to drop dramatically in the 2020s as battery energy storage systems increase exponentially to meet electric grid and transportation needs.

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published the Future of Solar PV report. “The price of solar electricity is expected to fall further from an average $0.085/kWh last year to $0.02-0.08/kWh by the end of the next decade and $0.01-0.05 by mid-century.”

Throughout this period, Hu Honua will have a locked-in price exceeding 20 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Hu Honua points out that they add diversity to the renewable mix on the Big Island: wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. Hu Honua also points out that a portfolio of higher and lower-priced renewables are cost-competitive today.

The price of electricity on the Big Island is three times higher than the national average.

If all fossil fuel and biomass plants on the Big Island was replaced with solar, wind, and batteries, prices would fall sharply, except for the fact that ratepayers are still contractually obligated to pay for the outdated generation currently being used.

The Public Utilities Commission is wrapping up its two-plus year investigation of Performance-Based Regulation, seeking ways to incentivize Hawaiian Electric Company to reduce its costs. The current PUC has put the public interest and ratepayers ahead of utility inefficiencies and shareholder profits, a welcome change.

National Drive Electric Week is coming to Hawaii, beginning September 26 and concluding October 3rd. Hawaii Electric Vehicle Association (www.hawaiiev.org) will host statewide activities in support of this national event and celebration.

Transportation puts more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than any other sector in the U.S. economy. In Hawaii, the percentage of transportation-related pollution is higher, representing an excess of 40% of all local greenhouse gas emissions.  Hawaii is now following a global trend in the electrification of transportation, and off fossil fuels.

Whether you’re curious about electric vehicles or already an experienced EV owner, alternatives to gas guzzling cars, SUVs, and trucks may be closer than you think.

BeyondKona invites you to read this informative article on what’s here and just around the corner in the world of emerging electric vehicle alternatives for Hawaii’s drivers.

Billionaire value investor Mario Gabelli recently lauded Elon Musk as “phenomenal” and described electric vehicles as “the holy grail” in the current shift toward a green economy.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s competitors, the world’s automakers, are finally listening to the “silent” propulsion of electric vehicles — and have begun in earnest to chase Tesla’s taillights before its too late.

Tesla is the world leader in EV technology and vehicle production, and will likely remain so for some time into the future.  Most auto-truck manufacturers (for the time being) remain firmly lashed to fossil fuels and 20^th century internal combustion engine technology, with a long overdue transition to the efficiencies battery-powered vehicles beginning to take hold a midst rising competition from companies like Tesla, and start-ups like Rivian, Lucid, and too many Chinese EV startups to count.

Every major legacy auto manufacturer is working on introducing (competitive) electric vehicles in a variety of models and formats.

What follows is a sneak preview of a new generation of electric vehicles that do not remotely resemble the half-hearted attempts at EVs of the past, mostly designed to simply off-set California’s strict air quality and regulatory emissions standards.

Buckle up your safety belt, new electric vehicle cars, SUV, and trucks are on their way and to showrooms (likely not all of the following EV models and make it to Hawaii) in the next few model years, but the list of new zero emissions vehicle options, loaded with new tech features, is impressive.

AUDI

As you might expect from its name, the Q4 e-tron will slot in between Audi’s Q3 and Q5 crossovers in size. But it will be different from both in that it will come only in an all-electric e-tron configuration.

Like many of the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming EV models, it will ride on the company’s MEB platform.

The Q4 e-tron concept pictured here offers a close look at what the production car will look like when it goes on sale in 2021.

BMW

BMW’s first “i” cars, the i3 and i8, relied upon wild, futuristic designs to make a statement. The next model in the electric sub-brand will have far more conventional styling, as it’s intended to be similar to the 4-series Gran Coupe four-door hatchback.

BMW has already announced that the i4 will have 523 hp and an 80.0-kWh battery pack, and it will start production in 2021.

The iNext (SUV), pictured here camouflaged, starts production in 2021 and should arrive in the U.S. sometime later. Europe will get it before we do. It’s intended as a flagship for BMW’s expanded “i” family of electrified vehicles. BMW says it will have a range of over 400 miles with Level 3 autonomous driving capability.

BOLLINGER

From a Michigan-based startup come a pair of utilitarian-looking high-end vehicles, including this B1 SUV and pick-up variant, each priced at $125,000.

It is likely we won’t see any of these on the Big Island or in Hawaii anytime soon.

Bollinger is expected to start delivering to customers in 2021.  Both SUV and truck are claimed to offer 614 horsepower, 668 lb-ft of torque, and a 4.5-second zero-to-6o-mph time.

The Bollinger B1’s 120.0-kWh battery pack is said to offer up to 200 miles of range. Other specs include a 5000-pound payload capacity and 15 inches of ground clearance.

BYTON (from China)

Byton represents what is the leading edge of what’s expected to be a flood of electric vehicles from the Chinese startup, which has only been around since 2016.

European countries will get to buy them first, but we expect the M-Byte to start at $45,000 in the U.S.

GM:  CADILLAC – CHEVY – HUMMER

In a major bid to compete with Tesla and other electric vehicle makers, General Motors unveiled the Cadillac Lyriq electric last month.

The Lyriq is the first fully-electric Cadillac introduced by GM, which is preparing to unveil a whole new lineup of electric cars, trucks and SUVs,

Chevrolet, whihc broke gorund in the EV space with 2011 introduced of the highly successful Chevy Volt, was fashionably late to the EV-pickup party, and only announced earlier in 2020 plans for a fully-electric Chevy pickup to go into production before 2025.

It would be different than the already teased GMC Hummer EV. Chevy can fit 24 battery modules between the frame and under the body with a battery pack that can store as much as 200.0 kWh of electricity on board.

Howver, not to be out done, Tesla’s Cybertruck will have planned 500 miles range and packing a huge 250 kWh battery pack. Also unfortunate for Chevy, Telsa’s Cybertruck will be deliveries late next year, and even startup companies like Lordstown, Nikola, and Rivian all have trucks planned to go on sale sooner that Chevy. But the real race will be a classic competition between Chevy and Ford to see who gets their EV pick-ups to market first.

The GMC Hummer EV is expected to come as both an SUV and pickup. It will be offered with a one-two-and three electric drive motor configurations, with a promised 1000 horsepower with an insane 11,500 lb-ft of torque. Although the real truck hasn’t been unveiled yet, GMC announced it would have removable roof panels. General Motors announced that although the Hummer debut was delayed to the global pandemic, they still plan to sell it sometime 2021, well ahead of the Chevy EV pick-up.

GM – HONDA

Honda and General Motors are in talks over an alliance that could see them develop and sell vehicles together under their own brands, as well as cooperate in research and development, connected services and purchasing.

The two auto giants have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding, with plans to develop two new electric vehicles together for Honda using GM’s Ultium batteries and EV platform.

General Motors showed offed a future long-range, all-electric SUV, named the LYRIQ, is scheduled to be offered in 2024 and sold under its Cadillac luxury brand. The vehicle’s range and performance details are unavailable at this time.

CEO Mary Barra promised investors on Tuesday that would be the case—and the 2017 introduction and reception of GM’s first all-electric car since the EV-1, 20 years earlier, was the 238-mile range Chevrolet Bolt EV. The apparent sale success of the Bolt encouraged the company to accelerate its over transition plans to EV models.

Well before the Bolt EV launched, GM costs for Electric Vehicle battery packs was $145 per kilowatt-hour for the cells. The industry’s magic bullet costs for batteries, the most expensive component of EV production is $100 per kilowatt-hour, it is at this price point the major ICE car manufacturers claim profitability in producing EV’s will be achieved. The price for batteries, as measured in KWh costs has dramatically dropped over the past two decades, more than half by many measurements.

GM’s US rival Ford has teamed up with German giant Volkswagen to jointly develop electric and self-driving vehicles, and a pending merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot also aims to hold costs down.

FORD

The company that introduced America to the first mass-market car Model T, it’s about to break ground again with its all-electric F-150 Pick-up (goes on sale next year, and all the new all electric Mustang crossover, the Mach E, available before the end of this year.

Building off its storied best-selling history and recent partnership with Rivian, Ford looks to make an all-electric pickup brawny enough to avoid alienating its central customer base while also drawing in new shoppers interested in owning a pickup, but without the carbon footprint of a gasoline engine.

The Ford F-150 electric pickup truck is expected on sale in 2021, putting it squarely in the middle of the fray when Tesla, General Motors, Bollinger, and others are bringing out their electric trucks.

JAGUAR

Jaguar dove headfirst into the EV pool with the unprecedented I-Pace electric hatchback, and the company is doubling down by turning one of its most iconic models, the XJ luxury sedan, into an EV. We hear that the electric XJ will use the same platform, battery pack, and electric motors as the I-Pace, but it will surely be more elegantly styled, as is befitting a flagship luxury sedan. Expect it to arrive sometime in 2020.

The 2021 Jaguar I-Pace is a fascinating all-electric crossover that looks good and drives well. Its luxury designation and price will limit its mainstream popularity, but there’s no denying that the I-Pace’s futuristic facade captures the imagination. This iPace boasts an EPA-rated range of 253 miles plus fast-charging capability and instantaneous acceleration.

The i-Pace is available for delivery today from Oahu dealers. Auto review are unanimous on the way the crossover handles, “… more like a sports car than a five-seat crossover, with its controlled demeanor and tactile steering.”

HYUNDAI

Hyundai introduced the Kona for the 2018 model year and followed up with the all-electric version last year. More awareness is sure to come, however, because the Kona Electric is one of the best EVs on the market.

Hyundai’s successful electric crossover, the Kona (price and model ranges from $37k to 45K), is presently not sold in Kona, Hawaii or the rest of the state at this time.  Kona has an estimated driving range of 258, standard fast-charging capability, and plenty of technology and safety features.

The Korean manufacturer current sells the Niro EV, and expected to beginning to sell in America this fall the Soul EV, but those plans have been scrapped.  Both Kia. and its parent company Hyundai. has several all-electric concept planned but specific plans for delivery to an American audience remain uncertain at this time.  Hyundai’s successful electric crossover, the Kona (price and model ranges from $37k to 45K), is presently not sold in Kona, Hawaii, but special delivery arrangements are available through KUHIO HYUNDAI in Kauai.

KIA

Kia’s Plan S, revealed in January, states that the South Korean company is committed to going electric and committing to a significant volume of electric vehicles in the future.  Under the plan, Kia will invest $25 billion by the end of 2025, with global aims to introduce 11 new Kia EVs by 2025 and sell 500,000 electric vehicles annually by that year. With that, Kia would have a projected 6.6% of the world’s electric vehicle sales.

LORDSTOWN

The Lordstown Motors Endurance electric pickup truck, announced the same day as the Tesla Cybertruck (which is perhaps not merely a coincidence), is Lordstown’s first vehicle.

The pick-up price is said to begin at $52,500, will have a four-wheel-drive hub motor system, and it purported to have a 250-mile range, and will be built in Lordstown, Ohio, formerly the site of a GM plant.

Deliveries for the vehicle will start in late this year.

LUCID MOTORS

This California startup, founded in 2007 as a battery-technology company, announced it would build a Tesla-fighting electric four-door sedan in 2016, but the car’s actual arrival seemed in question until recently.

This year, though, Lucid Motors received a $1 billion investment in November last year, and since broke ground on its future assembly plant in Casa Grande, Arizona.

The company has also partnered with Electrify America’s network of chargers, so the promised luxury sedan looks a lot closer to reality now.

Lucid promises its “Air” model will deliver 517 miles of range, 1000 horsepower, a top speed of “over 200 mph,” and a zero-to-6o-mph time of 2.5 seconds, plus over-the-air updates and autonomous-driving technology.

Deliveries of the first Air models will begin in Spring 2021, but the car has already set several new and unheard-of records for the EV sector. Not only is the Air currently holding the benchmark for EPA-estimated range at 517 miles, but its “Dream Edition” variant also set a 9.9-second quarter-mile record, becoming just the third production car on Earth to ever accomplish that feat.

The company announced it will start production in 2021, after the factory’s first stage of construction is completed.

Lucid’s primary focus is similar to Tesla’s: Create a high-performance and efficient electric cars that help accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transportation.

Mercedes-Benz

The EQC400 is Mercedes’s first all-electric vehicle, a compact crossover with a not too impressive estimated range of 200 miles.

The luxury vehicle starts at $68,895 and is slated to reach showrooms in early 2021, and is said to offer the values of most Mercedes: comfort, quietness, and precision in steering.

It comes with two electric motors which offer all-wheel drive and a claimed 4.9-second zero-to-60-mph time.

Nikola and GM — teaming up to take on Tesla’s cybertruck.

The electric truck startup announced Tuesday it has selected GM to be its manufacturing partner for its electric pickup truck dubbed the Badger. The Badger will use GM’s widely acclaimed Ultium battery technology. Additionally, Nikola will hand over $2 billion in stock to GM — giving the automaker an 11% stake in the company.

GM’s CEO Mary Barra said, “What we’re focused on is creating an all electric future and this announcement is very important today because it shows another very strong validation of our technology, our hydrogen fuel cell technology as well as our ultium batteries.”

Thus far, the Badger has been a mere rendering that has lit-up social media feeds.

The company did begin taking pre-orders for the electric super pickup truck in late June. On paper, the truck stands to be a beast. It’s expected to have 906 horsepower and have a 600-mile range using both battery and hydrogen fuel cells.

Nikola has said pricing will start at $60,000 for the electric vehicle version and $90,000 for the one that also includes the hydrogen cell.

The Badger is expected to be unveiled in early December. Production has been set for 2022.

NISSAN

Earlier this year,  Nissan took the wraps off the Ariya in its July world debut.

Nissan, after years of successful EV experience with its initial introduce of the Nissan Leaf in 2011, the company is finally preparing to introduce to the North American market a new EV model, the Ariya, an Electric Crossover with an expected 300-Mile driving range.

The Ariya is scheduled to be introduced in 2021 and 2022 model years

Looking remarkably close in appearance to the concept version that was unveiled last fall at the Tokyo motor show, the Ariya will start around $40,000 when it goes on sale in US as a 2022 model, and that’s before any federal tax incentives.

PORSCHE

Porsche recently announced the full electric Macan EV, scheduled for delivery in 2023, and is based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform of Porsche Taycan sports car, now available for sale in the United States.

The Macan is being co-developed with Audi.

It will have the same 800-volt tech as the next Taycan and will probably share its electric motors and battery packs. Price and other particulars are not available at this time, but like the very expensive Taycan, the Macan it is expected to be priced north of six figures when it finally hits the showroom floor.

RIVIAN

American startup Rivian has a production-ready truck, called the Rivian R1T (Expected: 2021), is preparing to take the EV truck fight to the likes of Bollinger and Tesla.

The R1T comes standard with all-wheel drive, the ability to tow up to 11,000 pounds, adjustable air suspension, and Level 3 autonomous-driving capabilities. The three battery packs that are available are 105.0, 135.0, and 180.0 kWh, with ranges of 230, 300, and 400 miles, respectively. Rivian claims that models equipped with the 180.0-kWh pack can hit 60 mph in a supercar-like 3.0 seconds. Look for Rivian R1T to start moving toward the marketplace in 2021 with a starting price of around $69,000.

The people at the startup Rivian aren’t just making an electric truck; they’re making an electric SUV, too. Built on the same platform as the R1T, the R1S shares the same battery pack options and ranges as its truck sibling.

In fact, the main differences between the truck and SUV are that the SUV can only tow 7716 pounds to the truck’s 11,000, and that the SUV can seat up to seven compared to the truck’s five. The R1S is set to compete against the likes of the Tesla Model X and will go on sale in 2020 just after the R1T, with a starting price of $72,500.

SUBARU and TOYOTA – Future EV Collaboration

Subaru and Toyota, both companies have been late in joining the transition to all electric EV models, but are now playing catch by jointly working together to produce a pair of electric SUVs that will share a platform, details are sketchy. It is ironic that Toyota, the company that introduced a hybrid line of gas-battery vehicles starting with the Prius missed the boat on EV’s which have since made their 20 year old hybrid technology now obsolete.

The platform the two manufacturers are collaborating on will be for “mid-size and large passenger vehicles.” Neither auto maker currently offers a fully electric vehicle in the U.S., but it’s possible the new EVs built on this platform will hit the market as soon as 2021.

TESLA

Tesla is the world leader in EV technology and vehicle production, and will likely remain so for some time to come. Tesla’s Model S luxury sedan set the standard for 21^st century electric vehicles nearly 10 years ago, and today still holds the title of best in class, performance, and technology.

Additions to the Model S in the family Tesla of EV’s now include the company’s luxury crossover Model X, and lower priced mass market electric vehicles in the Model 3 sedan, and the most recent addition, the Model Y crossover.

To say that the design of the Tesla Cybertruck is polarizing is a massive understatement, and the Cybertruck itself is massive—a hunk made of stainless steel that is estimated to weigh upward of 9000 pounds in its production version.

CEO Elon Musk has claimed as many as 200,000 would-be buyers have put down deposits in less than a week after the Cybertruck’s unveiling on November 21st of last year.

The Cyber Truck’s dimensions are similar to those for the market-dominating Ford F-150, and its stainless-steel unibody make it a vehicle designed to last the test of time and utility. The first, lowest-range version (250-plus miles) and is claimed to be priced starting under $40,000. Production is scheduled for late 2021.

Jay Leno takes a drive in the Cybertruck with Elon Musk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25ZuKkbHdqM

VW

Volkswagen’s journey from diesel crisis to the upcoming market debut of several EV models in Europe and the U.S. has not been easy, but Wolfsburg is rolling ahead and debuting several different models later this year and next.

The first on this side of the Atlantic is going to be the ID.4 electric crossover. Set to challenge several more-affordable electric crossover models including the Tesla Model Y and the Nissan Ariya when it goes on sale, the ID.4 will offer buyers an easy way into EV ownership.

VW CEO Ralf Brandstätter said, “Volkswagen has successfully completed the first phase of the Transform 2025+ strategy. The company is now embarking on the next phase“.

“The broad-based electric offensive will now become tangible with new vehicles on the roads. Volkswagen is paving the way to zero-emission mobility for everyone. By 2025, at least 1.5 million electric cars are to be sold. In addition to electrification, the brand will also forge ahead with digitalization over the coming years.”

When it comes to pricing, VW execs have hinted that the ID.4 will start in the low-$30,000 range, prior to the application of the $7,500 federal tax credit and other local discounts, and stretch to about $45,000 for the top.

Electric Vehicle Outlook – 2020

The Electric Vehicle Outlook, according to Bloomberg’s annual long-term forecast of how electrification, shared mobility and autonomous driving will impact road transport from now out to 2040.

It covers light duty passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, buses, and two/three-wheeled vehicles.

The report draws on our team of specialists around the world and looks at how these trends will impact the automotive, energy, infrastructure, and battery materials markets over the next 20 years.

Passenger EV sales jumped from 450,000 in 2015 to 2.1 million in 2019. They will drop in 2020 (pandemic impacts on worldwide auto sales) before continuing to rise as battery prices fall, energy density improves, more charging infrastructure is built, and sales spread to new markets.

The world’s oil companies are taking a hit due to the early adoption of electric modes of transportation and their increasing popularity.

A recent Bloomberg study indicates that EVs are removing around one million barrels per day of oil consumed around the world. Although this figure is only 1% of the 100 million barrels per day consumption rate from 2019, it is the beginning of an inevitable transformation to a global clean energy economy.

Interestingly, most of the impact of oil consumption is not coming from the market adoption of electric cars, but from two and three-wheeled vehicles powered by electric batteries – which all together are beginning to impact commercial oil use on a global scale.

Interestingly enough, scooters and other small-scale forms of personal; electric transportation are displacing more oil and contributing to positive environmental awareness on a larger scale than luxury electric cars.

Bloomberg’s Nathaniel Bullard stated that electric bikes, trikes, and scooters are disrupting global oil consumption on a massive scale.   In 2020, so far, this category of electrified transportation has accounted for around 60% of avoided oil consumption.

In a year that has been especially harsh to global automotive sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic, oil consumption is already at a low. Bloomberg’s analysts also foresee a 23% decline in the sales of internal combustion engine vehicles this year.

The two areas where the vast majority of the displacement of oil usage is concentrated is the United States and China; the two largest automotive markets in the world.

These two countries (markets) also account for a greater overall environmental and economic benefit through the widescale adoption of electric vehicles than most other parts of the world, and offer local incentives  and government subsidies in most areas, one exception: Hawaii.

It is evident that the pandemic, combined with the emerging electric transportation sector is causing significant disruptions in Big Oil plans.