April 23, 2023

1. Asian heat waves dampen enthusiasm for EU Fit for 55 and US EV tax credits (this episode is also Minutes 63)

9 minutes

As heat waves bake Asia, Gerard, Laurent and Michael discuss the implications. Even at 1.2° Celsius of warming, the impacts are already very significant, and more warming is baked in. But this black cloud comes with silver linings.CATL made significant announcements related to batteries, and in Gerard’s opinion, CATL has earned credibility, so unlike many announcement in the battery space, these don’t need a cubic meter of salt. 500 Watt/hour per kilogram solid-state batteries roll over the delaying tactics of the aviation and trucking industries, and battery differentiation for different use cases is starting to increase.
The EU passed Fit for 55, which includes a carbon border adjustment mechanism. That means that one of the biggest economies and importers in the world is now slapping a carbon price on significant imports from across the Atlantic and China, changing the economics of trade for the cleaner.
Will the USA get there? Likely, but it’s two steps forward, one step back.US EV tax credits provide the maximum of $7,500 only for 14 of 91 models of EVs sold in the country, and only domestic manufacturers made the cut. Early union-made only requirements that excluded Tesla were dropped, so its models qualify. And one of us has finally seen a Rivian in the semi-wild, as it was outside of the Rivian showroom a block from where Michael lives.

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