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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New EU CO2 limits on cars risk triggering an invasion of fake ‘electric’ vehicles

On the day the European Parliament rubber-stamps stricter CO2 limits for new cars and vans, Transport & Environment (T&E) warns that carmakers can exploit loopholes in the regulation to push sales of fake plug-in cars over electric vehicles (EVs) with no tailpipe emissions. As the rules on crediting EV sales leave room for gaming, carmakers can supply half of all ´zero and low-emission´ cars needed to comply with stricter CO2 limits with fake ‘electric’ cars.

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AUTO SALES: China Scales Back Electric-Car Subsidies to Spur Innovation

  • Date: 26-03-19
  • Category: AUTO SALES
  • Source: Bloomberg

China will scale back subsidies on electric vehicles as the industry develops and costs go down, trying to encourage local manufacturers to rely on innovation rather than government assistance to spur sales.

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EMISSIONS: WLTP emissions loophole closed by EU lawmakers

  • Date: 26-03-19
  • Category: EMISSIONS
  • Source: Europe Auto News

The European Commission has tightened the WLTP test regime for new cars sold in the bloc after claims that automakers were gaming the tests.

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RARE EARTHS: Wesfarmers' $1.5b bid for Lynas could spark bidding war

  • Date: 26-03-19
  • Category: RARE EARTHS
  • Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Wesfarmers' surprise $1.5 billion bid for rare earths miner Lynas Corp could spark a bidding war as companies try to cash in on the rising demand for electric vehicles and wind turbines.

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BATTERIES: Innovation boosts lithium-ion battery recycling rate to over 80%

  • Date: 25-03-19
  • Category: BATTERIES
  • Source: PV Magazine

Finnish clean-energy company Fortum has achieved a lithium-ion battery recycling rate of over 80% — against a current rate of 50% — with a low-CO2 hydrometallurgical recycling process.

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PALLADIUM: Palladium’s Hot Rally May Be Coming to an End

  • Date: 22-03-19
  • Category: PALLADIUM
  • Source: Bloomberg

Prices have rallied to fresh records on tighter supplies of the material mainly used in gasoline vehicle autocatalysts. But analysts surveyed by Bloomberg see the metal ending the year 16 percent lower than now, partly as shortages are priced in and car sales in key markets slow.

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DIESEL: Dirty lies: how the car industry hid the truth about diesel emissions

  • Date: 22-03-19
  • Category: DIESEL
  • Source: The Guardian

John German had not been looking to make a splash when he commissioned an examination of pollution from diesel cars back in 2013. The exam compared what came out of their exhaust pipes, during the lab tests that were required by law, with emissions on the road under real driving conditions. German and his colleagues at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in the US just wanted to tie up the last loose ends in a big report, and thought the research would give them something positive to say about diesel. They might even be able to offer tips to Europe from the US’s experience in getting the dirty fuel to run a little cleaner.

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MACROECONOMICS: Manufacturing Slump Deals Another Blow to Europe’s Economic Outlook

Europe’s economic outlook was thrown into fresh doubt after reports showed weakness across France and Germany.

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