₦airaland Forum

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/08/16/nopia-ride-launches-in-nairobi-as-the-first-full-electric-mobility-company-in-africa/

The company has kickstarted operations that is set to see the number of electric vehicles increase to several hundred by the end of the year.


• Nopia Ride, is the first ever full electric mobility service in East Africa.
• In the first phase of the investment program, the company has kickstarted operations that is set to see the number of electric vehicles increase to several hundreds by the end of the year.
• Nopia vehicles are easy to locate and book using Nopia mobile app now available for download.
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On Thursday, EkoRent, a leading Finnish electric mobility company operating under local name EkoRent Africa, announced the launch of Nopia Ride, the first ever full electric mobility service in East Africa.
In the first phase of the investment program, the company has kickstarted operations that is set to see the number of electric vehicles increase to several hundred by the end of the year.

Flagging off the electric cars at Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi, Head of Public Health Dr. Ombacho lauded the move by EkoRent terming it as timely in environment conservation as well as an admirable gesture by the private sector.
“In line with the United Nation Goals for Sustainable Development, I am happy to see Kenya continue to play her part particularly in the pursuance of sustainable and clean energy. I urge more players in the private sector to prioritize developing environmentally friendly technologies and compliment the government’s efforts on implementing them ” He added.
Flagging off the electric cars at Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi, Head of Public Health Dr. Ombacho lauded the move by EkoRent terming it as timely in environment conservation as well as an admirable gesture by the private sector. (George Tubei)
In addition to being eco-friendly on the road, Nopia’s electric cars are also low in lifecycle carbon footprint. In total, batteries of electric vehicles can be used for about 10-15 years and even after the power capacity of the batteries declines for driving purpose, they can still be used for years for example as home energy storage.
According to EkoRent founder and CEO Juha Suojanen, Kenya’s capital was but the ideal location to start the service before expanding it to other regions.
“Nairobi is a fast-growing city with considerable traffic congestion. The World bank reports that the transport sector accounted for more than half of all the carbon dioxide emissions Kenya produced in 2014. Nairobi City can benefit from Nopia electric ride service that helps in solving the increasing emission and urban transportation challenges while creating jobs for the populace.” Said Juha.

These vehicles can be easily re-charged around Nairobi in several conveniently located Nopia Charging Bays.
Nopia vehicles are easy to locate and book using Nopia mobile app now available for download. By tapping pick-up and destination point the app shows the estimated price for your ride. Besides cash, the trip can easily be paid using embedded MPesa Xpress functionality.

Nopia pricing model is designed to be low and fair for the passengers while at the same time being economically sustainable for the drivers.
“Drivers are very important part of our solution, and they should be treated with respect and paid fairly. Our solution will enable our driver partners earn higher income than any other platform in the market today” says Juha Suojanen.
The company hopes to tackle harmful air pollution by offering Nopia Electric Ride service that is 100 % emission-free and helps to improve the air quality around us.
It is known that a similar but more robust plan is underway for electric vehicles in Nigeria, the Nigerian company Tomoto Innovations Nig Ltd is has plans underway to take on the electric car business in Nigeria by creating a transportation system for corporate entities and private individuals, create a big charging network and make electric vehicles readily available for purchase in Nigeria. This will propel the company’s goals of flooding the Nigerian road with zero emission cars to reduce pollution,

The world is adopting the EV technology so fast and the UK Government is not left out. The UK Government has started to establish its Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, with bidding now open for those wanting to manage the £400 million project, that is intended to support businesses building electric vehicle charge points across the country.
Available for businesses to access the finances they require to build more EV charge points, the fund has been created following the announcement of the Road to Zero strategy, and was announced as part of Budget 2017.
These proposals say out – in part at least – the government’s plans to have at least half of new cars sold by 2030 made up of ultra low emission vehicles, and all new cars and vans by 2040 zero-emission capable.
The Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will help make it easier for buyers to pick electric vehicles, by assisting in the expanding the number of charge points in the UK. The Chancellor revealed in Budget 2017 that £200 million will be put forward by the government, with the remaining £200 million matched by the private sector.
The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick, said: “We want the UK to be a world leader when it comes to the number of electric cars on our roads. Uptake is increasing and we want the opportunity to own an electric vehicle to be available to all.
“But crucial to encouraging the take-up of these cars across the country is increasing people’s access to charging points. We want to scale up at pace and ensure interoperability for ease of use.
“This fund is a vital step in our mission to change the way we travel, create new jobs and protect our environment for future generations. This builds on our ambitions set out in The Road to Zero to encourage new homes to be built with charging-points.” This is in contrast with Nigeria and Africa where EV is still far from being adopted.

BYD has announced a new electric bus leasing program in partnership with Generate Capital. The new program is seeded with an initial $200 million investment that is geared towards lowering the barrier to adoption for electric vehicles for public and private-sector buses.

The move allows public transit and private fleet managers to shift the higher up-front cost of battery electric vehicles from a capital cost to a monthly operating expense. Electric buses – and vehicles in general – cost more up front due to the higher relative cost of batteries but pay out over the longer haul with their reduced month to month expenses for fuel costs. Transitioning from a purchase model to a long term lease model allows these managers to pay for the buses from existing vehicle purchase and fuel cost expense line items.
“We founded Generate Capital to bring precisely this type of proven solution to the world,” said Scott Jacobs, Generate Capital’s CEO and co-founder. “Electric buses produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions; they’re cheaper to operate than diesel buses; have lower maintenance costs; and they’re quieter and more pleasant for the rider. Traditional leasing companies typically don’t value any residual in electric vehicles, which makes financing difficult. Programs like these are an all-around win for project developers, customers, and for the environment.”
An early adopter of BYD’s buses, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) in the high desert of Los Angeles County calculated a savings of more than $46 million over the lifetime of its fleet purely as a result of going electric. On an annualized basis, AVTA estimates it will save $46,000 per bus per year, which in and of itself is an impressive number.
Electric vehicles have lower fuel costs, lower regulatory overhead, and lower maintenance compared to their internal combustion counterparts. As a nice cherry on top, they also eliminate point of use emissions and drastically reduce the amount of noise generated by transit fleets.
BYD president Stella Li stated that, “BYD’s mission is to fundamentally change the world by reducing our dependency on carbon-based fuels through the development and advancement of battery and electric vehicle technology. This partnership will be critical in that effort by creating new financing alternatives to a broader range of clients.”
Bus fleets are set to rapidly transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles as battery costs continue to fall and more manufacturers offer longer range buses. Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s 2018 EV Outlook report from May 2018 forecasted that 84% of all transit bus sales would be electric by 2030. Lowering the up-front barrier to entry will help more bus operators make the transition to electric vehicles sooner rather than later, which is a clear win for BYD but also for the planet, as responsible citizens around the world attempt to rein in global transportation emissions. I must add that it would be a great delight to see the Lagos BRT Buses turned to Electric to avoid the noise and fumes that comes from it. And then every other part of Nigeria.

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/07/09/shell-ceo-calls-for-uk-to-ban-gas-diesel-car-sales-sooner/
The UK has already decided to ban the sale of new cars and vans with internal combustion engines by 2040 but some are calling for that ban to happen sooner in order to address the persistent problem of poor air quality near many roads and highways. This week, Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, told The Guardian he supports the calls to move up the effective date of the ban.
“If you would bring it forward, obviously that would be welcome. I think the UK will have to go at a much higher speed than the speed the rest of the world can go.” He added that nations in Africa and Asia would necessarily move more slowly to switch to battery powered vehicles. “The world will work at different speeds,” he said. With the strides Tomoto Innovations is pulling in Nigeria we doubt that it will be long before Africa catches up with the rest of the world if they can get their financing right.
The big question is “Why would the head of one of the world’s largest oil companies be in favor of banning vehicles that burn gasoline and diesel?” Primarily so corporations like his can gain some clarity about what their business will look like in the future so they can plan appropriately. In other words, van Beurden and Shell have accepted that the electric car revolution will be successful in time and they want to be able to transition their business model so they can benefit from it. He also thinks moving the effective date of the ban forward would force consumers to adjust their own attitudes.

In the UK, carbon emissions from the energy sector have been reduced significantly by the rise in electricity from renewable sources, which means the transportation sector is now the largest contributor to the nation’s carbon problem. But the health risks associated with the nitrous oxides spewing from the nation’s tailpipes are also a primary reason why the country is willing to ban the sale of cars with internal combustion engines. The government estimates the health impact from the polluted air created by tailpipe emissions costs the UK economy more than $3 billion annually.
One aspect of the oil business many people miss is the economic activity that takes place at the places where people refuel their vehicles. In some cases, more than half the profits generated at those locations come from selling snacks, cigarettes, lottery tickets, and beverages to motorists. Shell is installing electric car chargers at its service stations in the UK in an effort to attract customers who drive plug-in hybrid and electric cars.
In the future, selling gasoline won’t be enough to keep investors happy. Just as tobacco companies diversified into cosmetics, snack foods, and other industries, the oil companies are busy re-positioning themselves for the inevitable day when gas pumps will become museum pieces.

Ben van Beurden had one more thought to share with the press. He was sharply critical of the various lawsuits brought against fossil fuel companies by cities and states. Just last week, Rhode Island became the first state in the US to sue Shell and several other oil companies for damages resulting from the use of fossil fuels. “It’s sort of bizarre that the users of our products say, actually, we don’t want your product, why did you force it on us,” said Van Beurden.
Actually, Ben, you just don’t get it. All those people suing you are not doing so because of your products. They are suing you because your buddies in the oil industry (and maybe you) knew about the dangers decades ago but conspired among themselves/yourselves to hide the truth from the public. What you and your pals have done will result in whole nations disappearing without a trace beneath the oceans and millions upon millions of humans needlessly suffering from poor health and shorter lives. And you want us to excuse that reprehensible behavior so you can continue to make money in the future?
Well, sorry if we are unimpressed with your complaint. Perhaps you were not at the helm when your company first hatched its evil plot, but you are at the helm now, and from your words, you still don’t understand the enormity of your company’s actions. Perhaps the courts won’t hold you and your peers accountable, but history surely will.

The oil industry is seeing the writing on the wall when it comes to electric vehicles and several oil industry giants have recently made significant investments in electric vehicles.

BP has been one of those oil giants and now it makes another move in the same direction by buying the UK’s biggest electric vehicle charging company.


The British oil giant announced the acquisition of Chargemaster, which operates the UK’s largest public network of EV charging points, with over 6,500 across the country.

The company will be rebranded as ‘BP Chargemaster’.

Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP Downstream, said about the announcement:

Bringing together the UK’s leading fuel retailer and its largest charging company, BP Chargemaster will deliver a truly differentiated offer for the country’s growing number of electric vehicle owners. At BP we believe that fast and convenient charging is critical to support the successful adoption of electric vehicles. Combining BP’s and Chargemaster’s complementary expertise, experience and assets is an important step towards offering fast and ultra-fast charging at BP sites across the UK and to BP becoming the leading provider of energy to low carbon vehicles, on the road or at home.

David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster, added:

The acquisition of Chargemaster by BP marks a true milestone in the move towards low carbon motoring in the UK. I am truly excited to lead the Chargemaster team into a new era backed by the strength and scale of BP, which will help us maintain our market-leading position and grow the national POLAR charging network to support the large range of exciting new electric vehicles that are coming to market in the next couple of years.

After the acquisition is completed, BP says that Chargemaster employees will continue to be employed by BP Chargemaster as it will operate as a wholly owned BP entity.

Oil companies have been increasingly interested in electric vehicle charging as they start to see electric vehicles slowly taking over the car industry.

Shell is leading the charge through its involvement in the new Ionity charging network in Europe. It has been building chargers at its own gas stations, and recently acquired a charging network with over 30,000 chargers.

But BP is also now apparently also seriously on board. Along with this new acquisition, they also recently invested in a US-based electric vehicle charging station manufacturer and in a battery startup.

Tomoto’s Take

If you have a weird feeling about an oil company buying into EV technology and companies, it’s maybe because you remember that oil companies once bought and killed some EV tech. Chevron did it with the battery tech in the original Toyota RAV4 EV and there were a few other examples with electric motors in the 1990s.

But I think I can safely say that it won’t be repeated.

EVs have become so mainstream this time around that killing off a few startups wouldn’t have a major impact.

Instead, I think it clearly shows that oil companies are seeing the writing on the wall and they are investing their money into the next phase of the energy industry.
Electric vehicle is the future whether we like it or not, most auto makers are massively investing and making electric vehicles. The earlier you start investing the better for you.

The Chelsea legend that is currently on holidays at the Coco Private Island Maldives was seen cruising on a Tesla whose model is yet to be confirmed. John Terry, the Chelsea and England legend is well known as a lover of fun therefore it is no surprise that he has joined the league of stars cheering for Tesla and actually owning one. John Terry joins former team mate and =https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/06/24/chelsea-legend-john-terry-joins-the-tesla-life/[url]Chelsea legend Petr Cech[/url] who owns a Tesla model X worth £74,530 , Former Chelsea player Florent Malouda who drives a Tesla Roadster and Arsenal right back, Hector Bellerin as owners of the eco-friendly vehicle Tesla even though the Arsenal team is in partnership with BYD a very heavy weight in the electric car industry in China.
In the short video he posted on his Instagram story @johnterry.26, he was seen sitting inside the car, cruising and making videos while gushing about the car. He really impressed that he instantly declared it the best car He’s ever driven.
This allows them to make a killing on savings on petrol. And with a range of around 300 miles on a single charge, they don’t have to worry about being stranded on the roadside.
Now that almost everyone that has driven Tesla testifies positively about the car, it is safe to say electric cars are not just here to international combustion engines and keep our car emissions zero. They are here to change our driving experience for the good. In all round, electric vehicles are far better.
It won’t be long till these Electric vehicles get to African market and take over especially with the kind of efforts and facilities Tomoto Innovations Nig Ltd is putting in place in Nigeria and planning for Africa. The company is the first indigenous electric vehicle company in Nigeria which is focusing on importing electric cars into Nigeria, creating a charging network and charging stations, a transportation system for corporate entities and private individuals solely powered by electric vehicles. This way there would be full integration of the electric vehicle technology in Africa.
The advantages of electric vehicles are far too many and way better when compared to internal combustion engine. For example if Nigerians use electric cars, no one would use them to play politics of fuel scarcity and increment of fuel prices at any point in time. Nigerians can always charge their cars at home or the charging stations with the 24 hours solar energy also to be supplied by the company.

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/26/bp-gets-invests-in-ultra-fast-charging-company-storedot-as-they-continue-their-green-ventures/

BP Ventures invests $20 million into an ultra-fast-charging battery developer called StoreDot that targets a battery for electric vehicles that charges in just 5 minutes. It is understood that the goal is to commercialize a flash battery for mobile communication devices as early as 2019 followed by an EV battery. Who said petroleum companies were sitting on a goldmine and not taking advantage of it?

Does BP Have A Green Future?
It will take some time for many to see petroleum companies as green … if we ever do. After decades of scandals and disasters, those companies seem to carry a permanent pollution stench and stigma.
All too aware of it, a few years ago, BP changed its logo to shrink and move away from the center the letters BP and replace them with a green & yellow flower-like logo. Get it? If the logo is green…
But wishful thinking about going back to the good old days, whatever they were, has not stopped the electric vehicle (EV) progression. In fact, the EV progression’s numbers are growing rapidly and many petroleum companies are trying to make sure they are not left out of the emerging industry. It seems BP has come to the same conclusion as most of us did about ultra-fast charging and will focus on it in order to accelerate EV adoption globally.

Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP Downstream, said: “Ultra-fast charging is at the heart of BP’s electrification strategy. StoreDot’s technology shows real potential for car batteries that can charge in the same amount time it takes to fill a gas tank. With our growing portfolio of charging infrastructure and technologies, we’re excited by our opportunities to develop truly innovative EV customer offers. We are committed to being the fuel provider of choice — no matter what car our customers drive.”
StoreDot & The Companies Doing The Heavy Work
As far as what StoreDot is all about, the company is apparently still working with lithium-ion-based battery technology, but it took them into a new realm of ultra-fast charging — so far, to be clear, just for the mobile and industrial markets. The company is now developing its next battery as an ultra-fast charging one for EVs. These EV batteries will charge in approximately as much time as it would take to refuel a gas car. As to when StoreDot expects to bring its mobile device flash batteries to the market, which could be as early as 2019. We can only hope the EV batteries will follow by only a year or two at most.
Its fundamental design rests on using both organic and inorganic compounds combined with nano-materials optimized for various ultra-fast charging battery applications. Dr. Doron Myerdorf, Co-Founder and CEO of StoreDot, said: “Working closely together with a global energy leader is a significant milestone in StoreDot’s direction of strengthening the EV ultra-fast charging eco-system. The combination of BP’s impressive presence and StoreDot’s eco-system of EV partnerships enables faster implementation of ultra-fast charging stations and could allow a better charging experience for drivers.”
As such, David Gilmour, vice president of business development at BP Ventures, added: “The technology to support EVs is advancing rapidly and BP Ventures is committed to identifying and investing in companies that we believe are at the cutting edge of this industry. StoreDot has shown significant progress in the development of ultra-fast charging, both in mobile phone and vehicle applications. BP looks forward to working alongside them, as an investor and strategic partner, to bring their technology from the lab to the vehicle.”
BP — Branching into Plugs
BP has over 70 charge points at its retail sites globally and has been investing here and there in cleantech companies. This includes a January 2018, $5 million investment in mobile EV rapid charging systems FreeWire Technologies.
BP Ventures is a funding arm of BP that identifies and invests in private, high-growth, potentially game-changing technology companies. And although its portfolio is mainly focused on emerging technologies in oil and gas exploration and production, as well as downstream conversion processes, it has started to focus its strategy on 5 key areas: advanced mobility, bio & low carbon products, carbon management, digital transformation, and power & storage. Let’s keep the heat going and help BP step up to its environmental stewardship role. How? Go electric!

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/26/bp-gets-invests-in-ultra-fast-charging-company-storedot-as-they-continue-their-green-ventures/

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/25/some-of-the-biggest-things-to-get-used-to-when-switching-from-an-internal-combustion-driven-car-to-an-electric-car/

Definitely range is the biggest thing to get used to.
But I’ll start with some of the smaller things.
1. EVs are very quiet: I think a driver would have to be more careful manouvering around pedestrians, simply because the vehicle is so quiet. You have a fairly high chance of hitting squirrels who don’t hear you coming, hahahaha yeah right. But modern insulation is good enough that ICEVs are not that loud in the passenger compartment either. Plus at higher speeds, the road noise is comparable.
2. Instant acceleration: This is immensely enjoyable but you get used to it pretty quick. So much so that switching to an ICEV is really strange because you miss it.
3. Charging time. In an ICEV, you worry whether you have enough fuel to get home, or whether you can afford the time to fill up on your way to work, or whether the price will go up (or down, causing binge line-ups). In an electric car, you plug it in when you get home and it’s full in the morning. You might look for charge stations everywhere for the first couple of months, but you really only need to do that on long trips, and 98% of typical city driving is short trips. Going in one would have guessed that this would be the biggest issue, but in reality, it’s mostly a non issue. Most of our daily travel is well within the range limit of our cars and charging overnight takes care of that. The exception is the unexpected trip. For instance, one evening you have to drive into town to pick up your daughter. You’ve already had a day of commuting and shopping and the EV was charging on it’s Level 1 EVSE but it would take 12 hours to fully recharge. You have enough juice to get into town, but You had to find a charger to get back. You can find a local charging station that often have free chargers so you can charge up . You decided to buy a super charger or even a Level 2 EVSE and to avoid situations like this, since a full recharge is usually only 1–2 hours.
4. Range Anxiety: It does exist but it’s manageable. In the beginning, you are unsure if the car *really* has the range to get to where you want to go. After awhile, you have enough experience to what is or is not possible and the anxiety disappears. You tend to drive safer because that extends range and you tend to charge when you can. Instead of going through a drive thru, you are more likely to stop at a place where you can eat in while recharging. Malls are good for this.
5. Regenerative braking. You could ignore this and simply brake like an ICEV, but why not regenerate some energy and save your brake linings while doing it? With regen, you typically are paying more attention to traffic so you can apply it sooner. It won’t stop you as fast as friction brakes can, so applying it sooner for longer is the way to go.
Which brings me to the biggest thing to get used to: The effect of highway driving on range.
This is the hardest because it is contrary to a lifetime of driving. In an ICEV, highway mileage is ALWAYS better than city mileage. This is because the engine has a powerband that is most efficient at a fairly high rpm and the transmission and engine work together to get the most out of that power band which tends to mean the car is most efficient at highway speeds. Plus in the city, you have lights and heavy traffic which causes you to waste kinetic energy by braking all the time.
In contrast, an EV has a much simpler power band. So much so that it doesn’t even need a transmission. The efficiency is roughly the same at any rpm. But at higher speeds, you have much more load caused by friction and air resistance. Air resistance increases as the SQUARE of the velocity so it can get pretty significant at high speeds. Thus the equation is turned on its head and the EV gets better mileage in the CITY than the HIGHWAY. In the city, you are going slower so almost no air resistance plus the stop and go driving that is the bane of an ICEV is less of an issue because your regenerative brakes take up some of that otherwise lost energy. In some edge cases, you will take a slower side road rather than a highway in order to get where you’re going with sufficient range to get there. But mostly, keeping a bit under the highway limit is sufficient.

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/25/some-of-the-biggest-things-to-get-used-to-when-switching-from-an-internal-combustion-driven-car-to-an-electric-car/

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/25/mark-zuckerberg-talks-about-elon-musks-warnings-against-ai-at-vivatech/

During an interview at the 2018 Viva Technology conference in Paris on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked about his company's practices and his personal take on the future of AI.
"I think that AI is going to unlock a huge amount of positive things, whether that's helping to identify and cure diseases, to help cars drive more safely, to help keep our communities safe," he said.
His comments were in response to a question from the interviewer about his personal thoughts on Tesla CEO Elon Musk's skepticism towards AI. Musk has repeatedly warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence, recently calling it "far more dangerous than nukes" at SXSW last March.
To be clear, Musk has specified that his worries are pointed towards "general AI," and not the kind of "functional/narrow AI" you'd find in a car.
But Zuckerberg expressed a more overarching optimism in response to his views on AI.
Where Zuckerberg and Musk's beliefs overlap, of course, is in the eventual benefit of self-driving cars, which use AI technology. Zuckerberg said they're going to help fix a very important humanitarian crisis, if we can get to a point when they're being made well. He added that he agrees with one point in particular that Musk has been making recently in support of self-driving cars. "We need to make sure that we don't get too negative on this stuff," he said referring to AI technology."Because it's too easy for people to point to an individual failure of technology and try to use that as an argument to slow down progress." Which is exactly the problem Elon Musk and Tesla is facing that Led to Musk calling for a poll on the media and seeking that they report the right things.
Zuckerberg said he himself has been trying to make this point for a while. He did follow his support for AI up with remarks about the seriousness of AI ethics and clarified that there are bound to be issues along the way, just as there are for any new technology. But he said AI skeptics aren't helping the cause; if anything, they're being counter-productive.
"I do think that if you want to be out there, saying that we need to slow down progress on this, then... you need to own some of the responsibility [for] every day that goes by that we don't have cure for those diseases or safer self-driving cars. I don't know that that's necessarily doing the world a service."
“It’s easy for people to point to an individual failure of technology and try to use that as an argument to slow down progress.” Mark said in conclusion.
Zuckerberg said he himself has been trying to make this point for a while. He did follow his support for AI up with remarks about the seriousness of AI ethics and clarified that there are bound to be issues along the way, just as there are for any new technology. But he said AI skeptics aren't helping the cause; if anything, they're being counter-productive.
"I do think that if you want to be out there, saying that we need to slow down progress on this, then... you need to own some of the responsibility [for] every day that goes by that we don't have cure for those diseases or safer self-driving cars. I don't know that that's necessarily doing the world a service."

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/25/mark-zuckerberg-talks-about-elon-musks-warnings-against-ai-at-vivatech/

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/23/changdao-island-goes-100-electric-with-yutong-e-bus/

On April 24, 50 units of Yutong full electric buses were officially delivered to Changdao Island, Shandong province. It means that the electrification degree of public transport in the Changdao Island has reached 100%, marking that Changdao Island has become the first island county which entered the era of full electric passenger transportation. This has created a “Changdao Island model” for the transport construction of national and even global ecological islands.

Full of blue seas and beautiful scenery, Changdao Island is known as the “celestial mountain on the sea”, which has totally 32 islands. Establishing the cooperation with Yutong, three passenger transport companies on the island are trying to build a green tourism and public transport system and keep the sky blue, clear water and lush mountain on the island. Only by building a green transportation system can we sustain the ecology and economy, thus ultimately helping the Changdao Island achieve a sustainable development.

Seeing from the perspective of the relevant person in charge of Changdo Island, there are two reasons why they introduced Yutong full electric buses: first, Yutong is an influential brand, and its sales volume ranked first for many years, therefore it is trustworthy; second, the quality of Yutong full electric products is very good.

The buses delivered this time are Yutong ZK6115BEVG5 full electric buses. It is 10.7 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 3.2 meters high, with 46 seats. It features zero emission, low noise and high energy conversion efficiency with a driving range up to 180 kilometers. It can adapt to the complex road conditions of the island, stand the test of sea winds and sea salt corrosion, and meet the operational needs of tourism and public transport on the island, which will improve and optimize the overall ecological conservation of the Changdao Island.

Vigorously developing the tourism and public transport with full electric vehicles and actively advocating the green travel are of great practical significance to promote the development of a low-carbon economy and accelerate the ecological construction of the Changdao Island. The entry of this batch of Yutong full electric buses will bring a new leap-forward development for Changdao Island.

Yutong promises that it will also make efforts to shoulder the mission of marine ecological protection and sustainable development of the Changdao Island. In terms of services, Yutong will do its utmost to ensure the smooth operation of its full electric vehicles. And in terms of products, Yutong will help the island to improve its ecological environment with eco-friendly products, and provide diverse, efficient and reliable carbon-free transportation solutions to the Changdao Island.

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/23/changdao-island-goes-100-electric-with-yutong-e-bus/

Nigeria wont be left behind, Tomoto Innovations is working on bringing electric vehicles into Nigeria market and making it a major transportation system

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/22/577/

Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts EVs to dominate global auto market, as costs continue to tumble
It has been an eventful and uplifting few days for the electric vehicle (EV) market. First an electric Jaguar provided a green gloss to the Royal Wedding, then Bloomberg New Energy Finance some of the most bullish sales projections yet for a sector that is already well used to rapid growth, then today a major new EV charging network provider left stealth mode and unveiled plans for the world's largest fast charger and energy storage network.
The latest developments provide yet more evidence that growing business interest in zero emission transport is poised to accelerate, as costs continue to fall and charging infrastructure expands. tomoto.ng takes a look at the reasons behind the growing optimism coursing through the EV industry - and why the oil industry should be concerned.
1. A tipping point is fast approaching
The raw numbers contained in tomoto are eye-popping. Global EV sales have grown from a few hundred thousand in 2014 to over 1.6 million this year, as battery prices have fallen from $1,000/kWh in 2010 to a low of $209/kWh at the end of last year. At the same time average energy density of EV batteries is also improving at around five to seven per cent a year.
It is these fundamental technological and economic trends that underpin tomoto's projections, with the report predicting that the point is fast approaching where zero emission vehicles become not just the greener, but also the most economic choice. "The upfront cost of EVs will become competitive on an unsubsidized basis starting in 2024," the report states. "By 2029, most segments reach parity as battery prices continue to fall."
With battery ranges and charging infrastructure also set to improve the report is able to confidently predict that sales will soar from 1.1 million units last year to 11 million in 2025, 30 million in 2030, and 60 million in 2040. That would mean EVs would make up 55 per cent of the light-duty vehicle market. "The number of ICE vehicles sold per year (gasoline or diesel) is expected to start declining in the mid-2020s, as EVs bite hard into their market," the report states.
2. E-Buses are heading into the fast lane
A key driver of EV growth will come from a somewhat unlikely source: buses. A host of manufacturers are accelerating the roll out of electric buses, as city authorities respond to growing air quality concerns and broadly successful pilot projects. BNEF reckons the market for e-buses will grow even faster than the market for electric cars and vans. With 300,000 e-buses already in operation in China it reckons the latest models could undercut conventional buses on a total cost of ownership basis as early as next year - a fact that is likely to resonate with cash-strapped city authorities.
"The big new feature of this forecast is electric buses," said Colin McKerracher,. "China has led this market in spectacular style, accounting for 99 per cent of the world total last year. The rest of the world will follow, and by 2040 we expect 80 per cent of the global municipal bus fleet to be electric."
3. Automakers are responding
One of the reasons tomoto has upgraded its EV projections, albeit marginally, is to be found in the head-turning new EV development plans announced by many of the world's biggest auto companies in the past year. The days of Nissan and Tesla dominating the market could be numbered, as virtually every major brand has announced multi-billion pound EV investment plans.
According to tomoto the number of EV models available is set to jump from 155 at the end of 2017 to 289 by 2022, while a number of companies, such as Chinese giant Chang'an, are eyeing up 100 per cent EV ranges.
These R& investments are creating their own market momentum, as automakers prepare to ramp up marketing spend and step up pressure on governments to deliver the supporting infrastructure that will ensure their gamble pays off.
4. Infrastructure developers are responding
One of the biggest barriers to EV growth has been on-going concerns about recharging infrastructure. Never mind the fact most people will recharge at home, the absence of a truly extensive public charging network is always going to prey on the mind of prospective customers. Equally, tomoto's prediction that an EV-dominated global fleet will add six per cent to global power demand by 2040 raises legitimate questions about infrastructure costs.
However, here too there are reasons to be optimistic. All around the world policy makers are seeking to incentivize the development of charging networks, energy and auto giants with deep pockets are flocking to join the market, and engineers are increasingly confident that smart grid and vehicle to grid systems can address any technical concerns.
Today's unveiling of ambitious plans from Pivot Power to develop the world's first national network of integrated energy storage and fast charging stations are undoubtedly a sign of things to come. Michael Liebreich and Pivot Power advisor observes: "Renewable, batteries and electric vehicles are going to completely transform our power system, not just because they help clean up our horrible air quality and meet our climate targets, but because their costs are falling far faster than people realize."
Perhaps most important of all, the global logistics industry is waking up to these huge benefits and is investing heavily in the charging infrastructure it needs to clean up the world's delivery fleets. There are good reasons to think concerns about the feasibility of mass EV charging networks have been overblown.
5. Growth will be uneven (and could be even faster than expected)
Unfortunately these trends do not mean zero emission motoring is inevitable everywhere. Tomoto reckons growth rates for EVs will vary considerable by region over the next few decades. For example, the market is expected to quickly build on its relative strength in Europe and China, with EVs accounting for 44 per cent and 41 per cent of light vehicle sales, respectively, by 2040. In contrast, EVs share of the US and Japanese market is expected to reach 34 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, despite ambitious plans from the government, on-going infrastructure challenges mean EVs are expected to make up just seven per cent of new car sales in India by 2030.
However, while Tomoto is one of the most bullish analysts when it comes to EV sales projections - certainly a lot more bullish than the IEA and the oil majors - it is worth noting that some EV advocates reckon that it is still erring on the conservative side when considering the pace at which EVs will disrupt the auto market.

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/22/577/

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/22/byd-sells-20-electric-buses-to-los-angeles-international-airport/

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BYD continues to make inroads into the North American market with a new deal for 20 of its fully electric buses destined for the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The new buses will provide airfield passenger transportation, replacing the existing fleet of diesel-powered buses and adding capacity to the system.

When operational, the new BYD fleet at LAX will comprise the largest fleet of fully electric airfield transfer buses in the United States, yet again putting a spotlight on Southern California as a leader in clean technology adoption.
LAX ordered 20 of BYD’s fully-electric 60 foot | 18.3 meter long articulated buses that will be able to carry up to 120 passengers, depending on the configuration used and can travel 250 miles | 400 kilometers on a single charge. Considering the relatively small footprint of LAX compared to a typical city route, this will be more than sufficient for a day or even a week of service around the airport.
Replacing its aging fleet of diesel transfer buses with the fully electric BYD buses will reduce fleet emissions from 308 tons of greenhouse gases to zero in an air district struggling to slash emissions to stay in compliance with federal and state emission targets. Putting the emission reduction in perspective, that’s the equivalent of saving 34,000 gallons of gasoline or removing 66 conventional passenger vehicles from the road.
The purchase of the fully-electric buses was approved at a recent meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, to position LAX to comply with LA’s “Sustainable City plan,” an initiative by Mayor Eric Garcetti to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions to 45% below the 1990 baseline levels by 2025.
The company’s Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Programs Group, Samantha Bricker, stated that “These electric buses represent an important step up in terms of sustainability and carbon footprint reduction,” and added, “By replacing 14 diesel-powered engines and expanding our battery-electric bus capacity, we’re looking at making a substantial reduction in tailpipe emissions, which means cleaner air for our guests and surrounding neighbors.”
The massive 60 foot | 18.3 meter buses will be produced at the BYD Lancaster plant in Southern California, which was just tripled in size last year and already has another 100,000 square foot expansion underway to further optimize operations at the factory. BYD entered the U.S. market in 1999 and has invested a total of around $300 million in the United States to date.
Macy Neshati, Senior Vice President of BYD Heavy Industries, said: “We are proud to provide LAX with 20 California-made electric transit buses, which will provide cleaner air and help create healthier communities.”

https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/22/the-duke-duchess-of-sussex-depart-windsor-castle-in-their-electric/

It is no longer news that the Royal Family is a huge advocate for green energy and environmental conservation. So when we saw newly wed Royals depart Windsor in a 1968 E-Type Jaguar. [color=#006600][/color]This vehicle was originally manufactured in 1968, and has since been converted to electric power #RoyalWedding
It was more like they are practicing what they are preaching. I am pretty sure millions of people noticed!


This is actually a very pleasant surprise. The symbolic value of this event for the global shift to electric transportation cannot be underestimated.
The car is a converted 1968 E-Type, and this particular one now has “E190518” on the license plate, stating the date of Harry and Meghan’s wedding.
To better understand the idea behind the Jaguar E-type Concept Zero, you can can read Steve Hanley’s article about it from last year, and take a look at this video from Fully Charged covering the official unveiling of it:
No doubt this stunt combines a lot of positive thinking around EVs in the general public. What Royalty say and do seem to have tremendous impact on people’s attitudes, like it or not. And all lovers of classic cars will have to give in to the beauty of this electrified Jaguar. The rest of us are just thrilled to our stomach that EVs are now really finally getting a firm grip in the general public.

nice one, money men

very soon electric vehicles will be everywhere and we would stop buying fuel. I hope the government is preparing for this because it is bound to come to past. like it or not..

Get some Electric Vehicles for the environment

electric cars and solar system is taking over. Arsenal FC signed a deal with BYD for Electric cars and Buses
https://tomoto.ng/blog/2018/05/14/byd-partners-with-arsenal-fc-to-go-electric-in-a-groundbreaking-deal-for-electric-vehicles/

not a bad idea if nigeria can adopt solar energy [url]tomoto.ng[/url]

nice one I go die. Rico is a man with good heart

Nice one