Can VW & Rivian Save Each Other?! July's Almost Breaking News!

Join Robert for July's Almost Breaking News! This episode highlights Rivian and VW’s joint venture, why investment in clean energy is on the up, how concrete could turn your home into a giant battery, China’s EU tariffs dilemma and much more. Get ready for a whirlwind tour of all the essential news from the world of EVs and clean energy from the past month, with Robert resisting expletives at every turn! Watch now! @fullychargedshow @EverythingElectricShow
00:00 It's Almost Breaking News!
01:46 Rivian and VW’s Joint Venture
02:31 Battery Powered Flight!
04:56 Investment in Clean Energy
06:21 Electricity Storing Concrete
08:30 Long Range EVs now cost less!
10:41 Fuel Cell Trucks!
13:48 Storage Systems from Electric Car Batteries to Continue!
17:02 China EV Dilemma!
21:48 Wind and Solar Power Cheaper then Coal and Gas!
Links to stories:
Rivian and VW’s Joint Venture
www.businesswire.com/news/hom...
Battery Powered Flight!
electrek.co/2024/06/05/archer...
archer.com/company
Investment in Clean Energy
www.iea.org/news/investment-i...
reneweconomy.com.au/more-mone...
Electricity Storing Concrete
www.independent.co.uk/tech/co...
Long Range EVs now cost less!
financialpost.com/pmn/busines...
Fuel Cell Trucks!
www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/...
electrek.co/2024/06/17/volvo-...
Storage Systems from Electric Car Batteries to Continue!
www.electrive.com/2024/06/13/...
China EV Dilemma!
www.barrons.com/news/china-sa...
www.csis.org/blogs/trustee-ch...
www.theguardian.com/business/...
europe.autonews.com/automaker...
Wind and Solar Power Cheaper then Coal and Gas!
reneweconomy.com.au/wind-and-...
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Everything Electric EUROPE, USA & (UK) NORTH - dates for 2025, 2026 & 2027 to be confirmed

[@robinbennett5994]

Cancelling the ban on on-shore wind in England was a pretty major change you didn't mention.

[@milescoleman910]

There was a ban on onshore windmills? ( I wish you could hear how high my voice went )

[@brummiesalteno-81]

​@@milescoleman910 Not exactly banned, but with such ridiculous planning laws it makes it almost impossible to install new ones. Hopefully this will change soon.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

​@@milescoleman910 Turbines. "Mills" make flour.

[@philiptaylor7902]

@@milescoleman910 Yep, our (right wing) Conservative government effectively banned them about 10 years ago by allowing a single objection to veto any new development. Our incoming (centre left wing) Labour government reversed this effective ban within four days of coming to power.

[@zombiestyled]

Not banned as you confirmed. Just highly weighted towards objections from residents carrying more.

[@RobertMunro-v7b]

Love these global updates Robert and team! Please keep them coming! Also really appreciate the rants, you are making a difference!!!

[@krakken-]

UK: "Peaceful transfer of power".. US: "braggart"

[@connclissmann6514]

Jealous?

[@jantjarks7946]

​@@connclissmann6514Quite the opposite.

[@sorbethyena3828]

USA doesnt use the word braggart lol so British "BrAgGaRt"

[@samuelprice538]

The og Tesla roadster was for very wealthy people too Robert. I'm glad that existed and was successful enough to fund the development of vehicles that were for slightly less wealthy people. Etc etc.

[@bobwallace9753]

The first automobiles were for rich people. The first Ford Model Ts were very much more expensive than they were a few years later. Try to find a new technology that hasn't started expensive and become more affordable.

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

The first ballpoint pens cost $50 - when that was a month’s rent❤

[@jbmaru]

Go UK, it's your time to shine!

[@ElectrifyThis]

Have to say these are my fav bits of the Fully Charged universe.

[@samanthabenda3752]

Agree! btw I am really enjoying your KZbin chanel!

[@markotten1755]

Same!

[@carlainscough6065]

This programme gives me real hope for the future. Got my first EV on order to start doing my bit!!

[@rappermusician]

Thanks again Robert - your highly entertaining style NEVER fails to cheer me up and so glad to hear all this good news

[@robinhood4640]

You bring up a good point about battery storage allowing you to make a cup of tea if there is a zombie invasion, i had overlooked that advantage.

[@solentbum]

Is that the same as when the grandchildren visit?

[@robinhood4640]

@@solentbum No, it's not the same, apparently. I'm not very familiar with zombie invasions, so i can't explain the differences, but i have been told, by an expert, that there are some slight differences.

[@logicalChimp]

@@robinhood4640 I think it's the speed they move at... zombies are, generally, slower.

[@ISuperTed]

They should create a new joint venture company called Vivian!

[@andymccabe6712]

..... Or....Rik....!!!

[@lagmonster7789]

RiVoltswagen 😆

[@GruffSillyGoat]

With their first joint produced model named _SPG_

[@thewheelieguy]

Really Vulvian would be a better name, I think...

[@NeilBlanchard]

I'll bet dollars to donuts - that the cost of nuclear does *NOT* include the cost of *DECOMMISSIONING*.

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

Thats someone s problem and a different budget.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@universeisundernoobligatio3283 It's part of the actual cost of nuclear power - and another YUGE cost is security AND health problems over the millenniums that the waste will be dangerous.

[@ferkeap]

No, that's from every kWh sold, put into a fund. And all this is part of the planning before the build. most people lack the knowledge and assume the worst when it comes to nuclear, because ..... greenpeace and other anti-nuclear disinformation campaigns.

[@briankuhl9314]

@@NeilBlanchard No the health problems are tiny, you get way way more people dying from air polution from coal and petroleum, radiation is deadly, but the number of people that have died of cancer from nuclear power plant accidents and general use is tiny in comparison. You get more radiation from an International. flight than visiting a nuclear power station. The radioactive waste is also dangerous, but if anyones died, I've never heard of it. You're more likely to get hit by lightning at this point, or drown at hydro plant, fall off wind turbine. All the nuclear waste from all plants around the world is stored in concrete in out of the way places the size of few football fields. If civilization ended tomorrow there would thousand rusting underground petrol storage containers poising the water table all around the world, but you'd need to wander into a desert far from any arable land and spends days in nuclear waste dump in order to die.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

Check the reports on "3 mile island" USA. (Yes... "That one") Many billions over 60+(!) years. . Think about that. An Engineer which worked in the plant could have a child spend a whole career and retire decommissioning AND have THEIR child spend 20 years on the same project?

[@Leopold5100]

another absolutely fantastic episode guys, thank you

[@getlot23]

I think it shouldn't be understated how well our politician's of all parties have handled the peaceful transfer of power. Also great to here of the end of new petrol & diesel returned to 2030.

[@busog97641]

My wife and I both *LOVE* Robert Llewellyn!!!

[@flukeylukey7559]

Maybe invite him over for a cuppa.

[@leschristinenewman3775]

Thanks for all your hard work over the last 14 years. I am one of your viewers from out of the UK. We live in NZ

[@Raturidesagain]

Great delivery - less grump, more fun!!

[@briankuhl9314]

Best breaking news in awhile, Robert's back.

[@markotten1755]

Love these updates SO much! Thank you Robert and team, killing it as always

[@SonderZensei]

Rather than a jar, can we pop your brain in Kryten

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

I call “dibs” on Kryten’s brain! 🧠

[@jonathanclutton2813]

Great stuff, thanks Robert. Superb innovations and a government that's making sensible decisions for once; how refreshing!

[@urbanstrencan]

Another great episode, Europe was not paying enough attention on Chinese cars and now they are here with awesome cars at reasonable prices 😊

[@rogerstarkey5390]

It wasn't simy "not paying enough attention" . As with much other tech. "We" tried to exploit "Their" cheap labour. "Capitalism and all that" . "They" saw us coming. "They" had a *consistent* 3 decade development plan (which "we" ignored) Compared to our 4-5 year "sorry but the new Government says no funding" system. . "They" not only learned the tech. They educated and *surpassed* our technology. . Now, "WE" have 2 choices Either allow THEM into our markets, or use our OLD tech and let them move ahead.

[@EcoHouseThailand]

Just noticed the BYD Seal over Robert's left shoulder. I have owned the AWD performance version for 8 months and absolutely love the car, it's currently plugged into my solar system and powering my house as I write this.

[@martingill6996]

Looks a bit small on the shelve, what size battery is it 0.77kw?

[@EcoHouseThailand]

@@martingill6996😂

[@lluow]

Really envy your setup. It’s so hard to own an EV here in Australia for low income people. The government is slow to roll out the charging infrastructure. EVs are still a luxury for most of people.

[@EcoHouseThailand]

@@lluow Thanks, I built my house here 8 years ago and off-grid solar was part of the build budget, funded by spending less on the aesthetics . Here in Thailand proper EVs (not micro cars) start at AUS$20k for a Neta V AUS$28k for a BYD Dolphin or MG4 these prices include some government incentives. Thailand is not a rich country but over 13% of new car sales last month were full EVs

[@skierpage]

​@@EcoHouseThailand *aesthetics. Congratulations on your house build.

[@yorelescovar2716]

You guys should do one in Panamá or Costa rica ... but preferably panama where I live 😊 here we even have BYD, geely GAC bestune donfeng maxus mg etc besides the legacy companies

[@williamblue9996]

I have a mg4 good car super low running costs remember you are our shouty show off please keep up the great work always fun and informative

[@mrmawson2438]

Cheers Robert

[@pauladams1829]

Love the show! Thank you! ❤

[@joehopfield]

It sure would be nice if the US could somehow find the will to fund public transit (busses, trains) instead of continuing to subsidize auto infrastructure.

[@_-martin-_]

I'll be happy if the US stops starting endless wars and illegal conflicts around the world! The US is modern day terrorists!

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

It sure would be nice if the US could somehow find the will to stop subsidizing the oil and gas companies.

[@_-martin-_]

It sure would be nice if the US could somehow find the will to stop starting illegal wars and conflicts around the world!

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

@@_-martin-_ Where in the Ukraine is the US waging a illegal war?

[@_-martin-_]

@@universeisundernoobligatio3283 Maybe you are unaware but it is the US that provoked the proxy war in Ukraine. The US is doing everything for the Ukraine army but pulling the triggers. Educate yourself and listen to Jeffrey Sachs and John Mearsheimer.

[@sleekitwan]

Great roundup Robert. The UK government for the last 14 years, literally could not have foot-dragged any more if it tried, on renewable energy and the like. Glad ‘Energy Ed’ is now the Labour government’s energy secretary. Spotted him, a couple of years back, when we were at Watford Gap services, and he was recharging his Renault Zoe in the electric bay by the cafe entrance. I believe this to be the singular most important job of the new govt. Why? Surely it’s housing? Or Health? No, because of the massive bearing energy has on every one of the other sectors. Energy Ed will be letting the other Secretaries of State know, what is coming down the electric pipe. All sectors, use energy aplenty. Energy Ed, will be in charge of how that energy is sourced and transmitted/stored. AI, gobbles energy, for example. Our major metropolis, London, has wind effects we ought to be using, the Venturi effect, which accelerates airflow and knocks people off their feet…using wind turbines in a safe way here (smaller, caged), would attenuate such effects and create energy nearly free. The future is so much brighter than the past. Lastly, Putin. Once we significantly diminish the hold fossil fuel from abroad has on us and America, we will be much better able to resist pressure from Putin and his criminal associates that run Russia, to yield to their demands. Energy independence, gives us homeland security. Football wins are lovely. But energy independence, and cheaper energy, is a tremendous basic need. Good luck to us all, things will be better. We’ve earned the improvement.

[@FutureSystem738]

Thanks Robert. I wouldn’t buy a VW even if it was almost free, and even if it was the best EV out there. It’s not of course. I have NOT forgotten Dieselgate.

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

VW is spelled S c u m

[@Jaw0lf]

Always enjoyable!!!

[@Roamor1]

Thank you

[@frejaresund3770]

I have been enjoyed, so thank you for delivering.

[@barrymurton8988]

Love the idea of using old PS sites for battery storage. These sites should also be used for solar and wind farms! Just think how good the site at Dungeness B would be!

[@ferkeap]

And build new reactors there.

[@MichaelSmith-fn5no]

If the battery powered air taxis mean less noisy helicopters I'm all for it! By far the loudest thing to fly over my house and I live on the Heathrow flight path!

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

Helicopters are dangerous, century-old technology, from Model T era.

[@w3072]

nice job rob

[@sorbethyena3828]

I went to the live show in vancouver last year, love Robert!!!!!

[@martindumais2883]

14 yo channel? And I have been a subscriber for at least 10 years.

[@colintwyning9614]

Great report

[@seangibbons6520]

Another great video

[@Validole]

Robert, you should know better than that, that the energy density of ultracapacitors is abysmal compare even to ancient battery chemistries.

[@alasdairdougall7868]

If we took the fossil fuel subsidies and move them to our manufacturers, we would be in a far better position.

[@markkunes9711]

Very good but I find it annoying that the cost of output of these various energy generators is given in pounds per Megawatt hour, whereas our electric bills are in pence per kilowatt hour. Its not a hugely difficult conversion - so if onshore wind is £50 per MWh then that is 5p per kWh - a much more familiar figure and we can immediately see how the power companies are rakng it in by charging us 25p per kWh.

[@andrewsaint6581]

Onshore wind is a tiny proportion of the total. Which also includes "nukiller" as George dubya used to call it.

[@logicalChimp]

The national price is determined by the most expensive fuel used to provide power (currently Nat.Gas)... this was done deliberately, as a way to 'encourage' companies to focus on building the cheapest power generation they can, because they'd pocket the price differential (ie big profits for those producing 'cheap' power, little profit for those producing 'expensive' power). Alas, didn't quite work as planned - and thus we get stuck with high power prices...

[@ferkeap]

​@@logicalChimpnot that simple, that's only on the short ter market, min 15 min etc.

[@ferkeap]

This is the generation cost in MWh. Not the sale and delivery. There is also a discrapency in cost, the sampling done by lazard is not right. Also is the LCOE method not viable to compare different generation types with each other. The sale and delivery cost very highly. See it as comparing a post card cost to a shipment of peanuts in a container. You still get it delivered......

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

Should it be “dollars per Megawatt hour?” “Euros per…”

[@JBMP-mp7rm]

Hi Rob, a tour de force in energy policy direction. I’m hoping governments hear and understand. Well done and thanks for yours and your team great work. I hope that your excellent messaging is translated and literally powers and empowers all the people of the world. Great work.

[@rp9674]

Love is in the air, summer love

[@GregFurtman]

Robert, another wonderful show! I love your sarcasm. You should look into a US EVTOL company called Beta Technologies and their EVTOL Alia. One of the reasons they are building it is for medical purposes like getting people to hospitals or transporting organ donations as quickly as possible, a much more noble thing to do than saving well-to-do people some travel time.

[@Winnetou17]

I was thinking of mentioning that they can be used from an airport on an island or mainland to go to the mainland or an island nearby. But your example is even better. So while we might not have transatlantic bev-aircraft in our lifetime, it can certainly become the norm in some niche categories. But realistically that would reduce the emissions by something like 0.01%

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

Brilliant!

[@5fingers1]

👍 good one

[@steve_787]

Just on new homes, the Building Regulation Part L is already fairly well advanced on the push to well insulated homes using renewables. The next edition (released every 3-4 years to allow the industry to keep pace with the changes) will almost certainly make gas boilers virtually impossible to pass. Labour won't have had a lot to do with it as that's where it's about to head anyway.

[@WilliamLeigh-cl9bq]

@@steve_787 is that for definite, it seems to have gone all quiet on banning gas boilers from new build in 2025

[@steve_787]

@@WilliamLeigh-cl9bq under the current 2023 Part L you are benchmarked against a "notional building" of the same size with a bunch of set parameters/values and you need to be equal to, of better than this base value. The current base assumes good insulation values with a gas boiler, but includes for waste water heat recovery to the showers and a minimum PV array based on the ground floor area (40% of the m2 value/6.5. i.e. a house with a 60m2 ground floor area would need 3.7kWp array). You can avoid the PV's with the same spec as a gas boiler, if you go with a heat pump (and thats with an assumed COP of 2.5, design a pump to get closer to 4 and you can likely drop the WWHR to the showers). The idea a few editions ago was to build better fabric buildings so people can bolt of renewables later, rather than rely on renewables to offset a poorly insulated house. I don't think they will need to ban gas boilers per say, it'll just get to a point where the uplifts you need to do on a building spec will just make it unfeasible. Given each edition they tend to adjust for the greener grid, heat pumps will perform even better on a grid based CO2 emissions basis. Gas is stuck with it's emissions. Joke is, 10 odd years ago, you'd find it harder to pass with a heat pump as the grid wasn't as green as it is now. If they change the notional building you are benchmarked against (and make no other changes) then that will really kill the boilers. This is just for new builds, replacement of existing boilers is likely to carry on for some time unless Labour make a change.

[@WilliamLeigh-cl9bq]

@@steve_787 problem with that is developers will keep building houses with no space for a water cylinder and microbore piping and radiators making it very disruptive to install a heat pump

[@steve_787]

@@WilliamLeigh-cl9bq yes and no. Microbore isn't the issue it was originally perceived to be provided they have a 22/28mm main off of the boiler and then drop down/up to the rads with copper microbore. There's a channel named "Upsidedownfork" and his house from 1990 is microbore and he's getting COP's over 4. As new builds have a much lower heat loss you don't need to move as much heat about. I do state on any drawings I do, if the client insists on a gas system, that it be designed for a low temp system and to allow for minimum 22mm copper and a HWC with minimum 3m2 coil to aid the replacement down the road. A lot of developers I've worked with over the years tend to go with a combi for 1/2 bed units and 3 bed+ tend to have an unvented cylinder. I did see on the HeatGeek channel that they have got a tank designed to fit in an under counter kitchen unit now so keen to see if they become popular. Smaller housing units are likely to be more constrained with external space for the unit. Under the NDSS (Nationally Described Space Standards) new builds have to have a minimum sizes depending on the size of the unit and number of bedspaces, this then gives a minimum area of storage (between 1-4m2 depending on the size) so there should always be room for a tank somewhere. I have a mix of plastic and copper microbore (extended house from 1989) and will start to investigate a heat pump a bit more in the next year or so as I've not been put off from what I've seen so far from other retrofits.

[@logicalChimp]

@@WilliamLeigh-cl9bq Newer heatpumps work with micro-bore (or so I was told by the Octopus Engineer that surveyed my house and wrote up the install quote - which only required replacing one radiator, plus new pipework to the proposed location for the new Cylinder, etc)... alas, planning permission was refused on the grounds that the pump would be 'too noisy' for the neighbours... so no idea if the assertions about it being fine with microbore were correct or not.

[@tomrybold]

thanks robert

[@buscseik]

thank you

[@simhedgesrex7097]

If we had spent £36bn on Insulating homes, instead of Hinckley Point we could have saved 3.6GW of power usage. Or we could have rebuilt the grid, burying most of the cables or having an offshore grid, or we could have absolutely massive grid storage batteries all over the country. Or covered the country's supermarkets, factories, filling stations and car parks with solar.

[@ferkeap]

Bull, because you have to do both. And that money isn't the UKs money, it the HP-c investment owners. These simplistic economic ideas are household-Budgets.

[@alasdairdougall7868]

The issue with Hydrogen powered heavy truck is that the 90% coming from steam reforming. Given that the fossil fuel companies already get a lot of government subsidies, they will reduce the cost to make more and ask for an extra tax break.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

It's worse than that, only 0.1% to 1% of hydrogen is green generated at the moment, 99.x% is fossil fuel based - 90% steam reforming of oil/natural gass and the rest from other coal/oil based methods.

[@Pottery4Life]

Thank you.

[@clivewhitworth4755]

Hilarious, concise and optimistic. I hope this is seen and believed outside the chancel. Thank you.

[@samuxan]

It seems the cheapest proper car you can buy in my country now is the dacia spring. The problem with EV being more expensive is when you have the same model with an ICE engine and the artificially create a price difference

[@andrewsaint6581]

I think Dongfeng build the Dacia Spring in, er, China. For Renault.

[@kfh123]

Rivian = VW's Captain America

[@catielakeradio]

Another enjoyable and informative episode. I prefer your news to the Beeb. 😉❤🔋

[@doubleclutchonline5811]

VW and Rivian aren't really a "merger of equals." VW invested. They are still separate companies. If I were Rivian, I wouldn't want to be conjoined with a company that's saddled with so much debt. I would be really interested in knowing Rivian/VW's plans. The new Scout perhaps? As a current Rivian owner, it's very clear that they knocked it outta the park with the R1. In many ways, the user software is now superior to my Model X. The R2 and R3 have gotten everyone excited. So along with their commercial van, they have a range of platforms which likely why VW Group is so intrigued.

[@skierpage]

They announced "a partnership on electrical/electronic architecture & vehicle software" and "joint creation of next-generation software stack for both parties." No mention of a shared physical car platform (or the other things Rivian fans fantasize about like R1S and R1T delivered at VW dealerships, VW selling R1Ss in Europe), but I agree Scout and Rivian are going after the same market. I rented an R1S when I needed to transport 7 people in style. If you actually need that much metal it's a great car! Even before the 2025 gen 2 improvements.

[@miketrebert7788]

Hey, mister smartypants. I’m a vegan and I’ll grind my battleaxe whenever necessary!

[@jamesengland7461]

Gotta murder those maters 😂

[@EugeneLambert]

Hinkley Point C, surely that kind of time and cost overrun should lead to criminal charges!

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

Protect director - Lord Stuart Pidd - is safe for now😂

[@samijokinen9246]

17:00 They have kept electric bicycles expensive just the same way for years. EU have given Chinese electric bikes high custom fees for a long time to drive up the prices.

[@Sidewinder1009oli]

New batteries being installed in an old powerplant location in Uskmouth near Newport South Wales UK 16:00

[@user-ny2bx8ez1c]

IMHO I don't think it's going to work. Both need to re-think how they will do EVs. Cutting costs & vertical integration, along with being "all in " on EVs would be a good start.

[@RadiantFreeEnergyResearch]

i would love to see every major automaker offer at least two or three micro mobility transportation vehicles, for those of us that love to travel with something less than several thousand pounds of weight. all electric propulsion is quite exciting!

[@walking_in_the_shade]

Volkswagen + Rivian = Vivian??

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

Love it! 😂 Having been revived myself, I’m waiting for reVivian. Cheers❤, Frunky.

[@davidpearn5925]

Love your model car.........we love the real thing............in our garage 😊 After 2 OTA updates it's even better now. ✅

[@lnewbyliveca]

See you in Vancouver………again.😊

[@mikeb9281]

New Nuclear station was not started in 2007, it was started much later

[@timrothwell33]

Hinkley Point C has been going on for decades 25th August 1982 CEGB announces its intention to apply for permission to build a new station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. 27th Aug 1987 CEGB officially submitted planning application to build a PWR at Hinkley Point to West Somerset District Council. 21st March 1988 Cecil Parkinson, Secretary of State for Energy, announced the setting up of the public inquiry into the CEGB’s plans to construct a PWR at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

[@Sparky783]

Construction started in 2017, it was probably all the planning that started earlier.

[@ferkeap]

@@timrothwell33 exactly, looking for planning isn't the start. The start is either the investment decision or the first groundworks. No-one goes and looks at when windparks do that or solar, without there backup by other sources/batteries or gas.

[@bobbyllewellyn]

@@Sparky783 Construction started in June 2016.

[@ferkeap]

And the second reactor build at hinckley is going 25% faster. This will all also transfer to the sizewel-c build, which has started groundwork.

[@Nikoo033]

On the graph you presented, the average cost/MWh for onshore wind+storage is actually more like $80, not $50. It does not fundamentally change the fact that nuclear costs $100 dollars more per MWh, but I thought I’d mention it 😁

[@bobwallace9753]

Nuclear needs storage if it plays a major role on the grid. And nuclear needs standby backup generation for when nuclear plants fail. Those costs are not generally recognized by people pushing nuclear.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

​@@bobwallace9753 They're "Recognised" just not "publicised"

[@ferkeap]

That figure for nuclear is False because it based on very little data. HP-c for example has a fixed kwh price of ~9ct and that was thought expensive. In my country it is produced under 5ct. And Lcoe is comparing apples to oranges.

[@ferkeap]

​@@bobwallace9753non sense, this a general thing that grid operators need to deal with. If anything nuclear is much less needed of backup. It has more capacity. And it runs so smooth it has the highest uptime by far for any generator. Capacity factors above 90%. Did you get these framing points from an anti - nuclear group, like green peace or climate coalition, beyond coal etc.

[@bobwallace9753]

@@ferkeap If by HP-c you mean the latest Hinkley Point reactor the price is not fixed, but increases with the rate of inflation. Hinkley Point Contract Price in Euros Assuming 3% Inflation 2010 0.11 Strike price set 2017 0.13 Construction starts 2027 0.18 Plant comes online 2061 0.49 End of 35 year contract 35 year Average 0.33/kWh I don't know what your country is, but I suspect you are not reporting the cost of electricity from a new nuclear plant. The unsubsidized cost. In the US electricity is produced in paid off reactors from around $0.02/kWh to a bit over $0.05/kWh. But that's only after 20 to 30 years of paying off the installed cost of the plant. And that rate is considerably higher. LCOC is how one objectively compares the cost of electricity from different technologies.

[@evilutionltd]

It's also worth noting that, because of the failure to build Sizewell C nuclear reactor fast enough, National Grid are now trying to get permission to install 114 miles of pylons from Tilbury Essex to Norfolk to share the offshore wind farm electricity. So, thanks to poor forward thinking and bad project management, the countryside is going to be ruined by pylons and it wouldn't surprise me if the residents of Essex paid for the wind farm with their tax. National Grid say it's ok though because they have a new pylon design that looks nice.

[@ferkeap]

BS any delay is because of Anti-nuclear campaigners and the covid years, the build is actually going close to schedule beyond that.

[@bobbyllewellyn]

Hhhmmmm, I wonder who has been in power for the last 14 years

[@skierpage]

Pylons don't "ruin the countryside." They're symbolic of how much energy we use and how much we rely on the grid.

[@evilutionltd]

@@skierpage ah yes of course, they drop them in from the sky and they dig into the ground. Not a single piece of machinery is brought in across fields to dig up the land for foundations and crane the pylon pieces into place. Of course it ruins the countryside. Physically it takes years to recover from the works and visually it is ruined for ever. National Grid (who made 19 billion profit last financial year) considered putting the cables underground but it was going to be a bit more expensive. Boo hoo! So you are white-knighting for a billion pound company who are putting money over everything and unnecessarily adding 520 eyesores to greenbelt land.

[@ferkeap]

That's nimby direct for you. It's that what keeps projects back, not if it's nuclear energy or not. Progress is progress.

[@robertarmstrong3478]

Don't get too impressed by bankers big spreadsheets; remember sub-prime mortgage debt? Some of them are just really good at maximising their short term bonuses!

[@christophreuter9572]

Hi from Germany the biggest living museum in the world!

[@karmanline2005]

Under the previous legislation ICE PHEV registrations would still be allowed, although they never confirmed the zero emissions range. A compromise would be to allow HEV/PHEVS after 2030, but not conventional ICE. There's no point forcing people to buy PHEVs because reluctant drivers just dont bother charging them; weve seen that before with fleet drivers who have a PHEV purely for co car tax avoidance. 😢

[@mrmawson2438]

Afternoon

[@alexjones5220]

Plugging (excuse the pun) the VW Rivian relationship is pure clickbate as it took up about 1 minute of your show. Luckily I was tuning in anyway!! Good work Robert, love the channel as always 😊

[@skierpage]

It's not pure clickbait, it was the opening topic in the video and is genuinely relevant.

[@gobiwaq]

Green hydrogen? Are you sure sir? It does mean changing the bulb

[@bobwallace9753]

Can't build a green hydrogen vehicle that won't also run on dirty hydrogen. And people are likely to be dirty hydrogen since it will be cheaper.

[@kinross24]

Actually, Tesla sales are up a in Q1 results and continue to climb. What the story also didn’t mention was the increase sales of Full Self Driving in the USA adding $10000 for each upgrade, in the thousands each month. This will very soon be available to China as the Chinese government approved it last month. That’s a massive increase in revenue without making or shipping anything!!

[@nicolasrojas2960]

Honest question here: it's been a while since solar and wind are cheaper per KWh than nuclear, nevertheless in order to replace all energy production to renewables large areas are required to install PV panels and/or wind turbines. Nuclear on the other hand requires significantly less area and can use current fossil fuel infrastructure to build the plants. The main issue here are NIMBYs, particularly because in rural areas there is a significant distrust of renewables. Shouldn' t the cost of estimates contemplate legal costs, plus delays due to permits and/or political headwinds in the best localities for renewables? Also, the cost of nuclear is absurdly high because each plant done currently is a one-of, that is to say, there no serialization of the designs and not enough qualified workers to build this plants. A more serious effort to build nuclear would significantly reduce costs and timelines to get the plants in operation.

[@bob808]

Robert, I wonder if you've heard of Edison Motors (from Canada)? If so, what do you think of their truck conversions?

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

I’m in Canada. Edison? Has Old Thomas been revivified?

[@alistairl]

Hydrogen Fuel Cells AFAIK are better than Hydrogen Combustion - stop burning stuff 😊. BEV for me - my wife refuses to go near anything much over 3 bar 😜

[@skierpage]

A fuel cell is more efficient and cleaner than burning hydrogen, but it's still a dumb expensive way of storing electricity for later use. We need to replace existing industrial uses of 70-130 M tons annually of dirty hydrogen (besides hydrogen used in refining fossil fuels which will DIE) that can't be electrified. That's better than using green H2 for dubious new uses where more efficient alternatives exist. That Hyundai project in Switzerland is a head scratcher. You can drive from one end of Switzerland to the other well within the range of a battery-electric truck, the range of those Xcient HFC trucks is no greater than a middling BE truck, and I guarantee the H2 trucks and fuel are far more expensive. So what is the point except politicians handing out subsidy $$$$ to cronies?

[@caterthun4853]

As BP are saying. The transfer of energy to renewable is not going as fast as expected. Wonder who is impeding this? Perhaps they can see they can help the transfer to hydrogen by supplying hydrogen from their gas wells..now there some help. Bit like been told in past to use filter on cigarettes to stop cancer

[@skierpage]

Fossil fuel companies cynically promote new dubious uses for hydrogen, knowing that in the unlikely case they succeed it will only increase demand for their dirty H2 for the decade or more it will take green H2 production to ramp up. And it lets knuckle-dragging blowhards confidently say "I'll never go electric, I'm waiting for hydrogen that will soon solve all the problems."

[@ash_pro_2000]

Do the European car manufacturers also export cars out of their Chinese factories back to the EU? That would explain much better their moaning about the EU tariffs

[@zapfanzapfan]

Yes.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

All but one have a Joint Venture, so their profits are split.

[@hughbrommage387]

What is the import duty for cars made in EU in China? For luxury vehicles, I believe it is 100%. Best if Chinese companies make their vehicles in the EU. I can’t believe anything western automotive companies say. VW?

[@rogerstarkey5390]

I BELIEVE you might be thinking of "India"? I know.... Same end of the planet.... Confusing...

[@BigVern1980]

Dont know the answer here but do a lot of the legacy automotive companies source their battery tech from china? Maybe they are worried about supply chain issues if a tariff is added on by the EU?

[@rogerstarkey5390]

Errr... Yep!

[@ashtaroth1975]

Was Tavares who started the tariffs investigation and now changes of mind. Maybe because the leapmotors agreement?

[@rogerstarkey5390]

"Changes mind"? Kinda like We can't compete, "they're too cheap" Conclusion "they must be cheating" (because we didn't ignore what was happening for 2 decades) . Solution ... "Tariffs!" . Results 1) Our consumers won't buy their cars (but they still MIGHT... because they're "better"?) . 2) They will buy OUR cars (hybrids??) 🤔 (UNTIL they start asking "Where all them cool EVs at then?") . 3) IF we decide to get Back in the game... WHERE do we get the batteries from? Easy! Korea!! But where do THEY get the MATERIALS from? Oh..... . 4) What if they just sell the cars "somewhere else"? (There's a looooong list wanting to join BRICS) .... So now, We MUST ask them to help out?

[@iainhusband445]

Can you imagine what you could do with £26billion with regards to fusion or tidal power in the UK?? rather than using failing tech from other countries?

[@Alan_UK]

Unless I missed it Robert didn't really discuss or answer "Can VW & Rivian Save Each Other?" . From the little he said, VW might get access to some decent software, somewhat needed after the fiasco with the ID3 launch software. But besides skills & knowledge synergy there are issues like culture and modus operandi.

[@Pegaroo_]

11:07 until we have enough surplus clean energy these fuel cell busses would be just as well directly running of the methane that was used to create the hydrogen

[@lennyvalentin6485]

Nuke energy cost for newly built plants is surely set to go much MUCH higher than anything already built. All the new projects I've seen cost estimates of have literally exploded past initial expectations, the most recently built nuke energy plant in Finland - don't ask me to name it; it begins with "O" and has around 15 more letters in it - cost about twelve BILLION euros. For just ONE additional reactor. I can't explain this phenomenon any other way than it must be caused by simply extraordinary amounts of grifting and fraud. Also very cool to hear about VW and Rivian! I'm thinking that's something which only good things must come out of. :)

[@skierpage]

Olkiluoto 3 in Finland, Europe's largest nuclear plant at 1.6 GW, started producing power in 2023 after 18 years of construction and estimated €11 billion in construction costs. Some claim it has reduced _spot_ prices for electricity in the winter in Finland because it is supplies ~10% of Finnish demand and isn't intermittent. Finland got 42% of its electricity from nuclear in 2023, 19% from hydro, 18% from wind power, 13% from biomass. "Grift and fraud"? Maybe. Nuclear power plant construction is heavily regulated (good), only done by one or two companies, or consortium of companies (Olkiluoto 3 went from Siemens to Areva to Framatome to EDF as each walked away), so there's no competition in a region, and most critically, there are so few projects and they take so long that a well-trained experienced workforce never develops. The bad welds and incorrect steel and poor concrete quality that bedevil nuclear construction could be fraud by subcontractors, but there's Hanlon's razor "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." The companies building the plants mostly go bust or merge, so this isn't like the Mafia making big $$$$ running garbage services.

[@johnknight9150]

Literally.

[@kaidean]

Does the collaboration between VW and Rivian mean we will finally be able to buy a Rivian in the UK?

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

No.😂

[@GruffSillyGoat]

At the moment energy analysts estimate that it takes 50kWh of energy to produce 1kg of hydrogren, and this is using the current highest efficiency hydrogren generation (green energy powered electrolysis). Hydrogen has 33kWh/kg energy density, if used 100% efficiently, meaning a net energy cost of 17kWh per kg of hydrogen produced. Further, the storage, handling and transportation requires a further 4kWh/kg (rough estimate, with storage cost alone is up to 3kWh/kg) of energy. Finally, for fuel-cell engines their efficiency is between 40% and 60%, resulting in an available output of 13 to 20kWh/kg for every 54kwH/kg put in - a net overall energy loss of 34 to 41kWh/kg . For mobility needs, battery based solution are significantly more efficient and practical (less bulk), particularly in smaller vehicles like cars/light commercial vehicles. It's only larger vechicles (such as mining, shipping and long haul flight) that high power needs and economies of scale start to make hydrogen powered mobility beneficial (currently, batteries are still innovating on power densities). For applications where the fuel cell heat loss can be captured the efficiency can be raised to 85% and hence more economical overall. This one reason is why the new UK government's focus to date on hydrogen usage mainly considers static applications, such as steel fabrication, where it can displace existing fossil fuel usage.

[@oddjobsandrandomprojects]

Nice! Get that info out there ahead of the village idiot. 😂

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

EVTOL is wonderful for islanders! My revivifier lives in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia - birthplace of Canada. But there are just a few hundred people. City of Saint John is nearby, just 74 km - across the Frunkin’ Bay of Fundy’s 12-metre tides. 3+ hours by ferry? Or 20 minutes by air?

[@nr5494]

What is the relationship between Everything Electric and Fully Charged. Was FC founded by Robert and EE by Dan? Do they compete? Do they specialise? It seems to me that there is a synergy to be had.

[@EverythingElectricShow]

They’re sisters channels. FC focuses on cars, planes, trains etc and the EE channel focuses more on Clean Energy, Home Tech etc

[@zapfanzapfan]

Everything Electric started as Fully Charged podcast (or Fully Charged plus?) if I remember right.

[@douggoodman3914]

Why no mention of the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted during the production of concrete!!??

[@skierpage]

Because it's only 4-8% of global CO2 emissions compared with 15% from transportation and 34% from energy!!?? You might as well ask why no mention of the GHGs from livestock, 11-19% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Or, or, or.

[@EVRealFacts]

Good point, I'd start with China's new coal power station a week and the USA military complex and leave worrying about my boiler temperature and shopping trips until much later

[@skierpage]

@@EVRealFacts China is installing more wind and solar generation than the rest of the world put together. The coal plants will run less and less often because even in China they can't compete when renewables are generating.

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

It is a concern: whoever sorts it out will get rich❤

[@skierpage]

@@EVRealFacts China is also selling most of the solar and battery storage in the rest of the world, and installing far more wind and solar and storage within its borders than any other country. The coal stations are terrible; they're insurance for local governments from angry citizens if the power goes out. But eventually electric utilities will shovel less and less dirty fossil fuel into them as renewables and storage cheaply supply more power more of the time. If you're in the USA your per capita greenhouse gas emissions of 17 tonnes CO2e in 2022 ware twice China's 9.8 t, but UK is less at 6 t. Every person, company, region, and state needs to rapidly reduce emissions further.

[@howardcairns78]

Love these updates! Keep them coming!

[@ThomasGreatbatch]

The absolute perceived incompetence of Hinkley Point astounds and annoys me every time I think about it. Image how much solar, wind and storage could have been bought for £35b and how much quicker it could have been brought online, at what point do they pull the plug on it!

[@gillscorner794]

Simple answer to Chinese ev's being subsidised - give European car manufacturers subsidies to produce evs

[@thewheelieguy]

What the heck??? At 14:04 you say "400 million" car battery packs. Total cumulative electric car production is about 40 million worldwide, so you slipped a digit.

[@bobwallace9753]

It's like you've never heard about Tesla's 500 mile range semi.

[@fishyerik]

About battery powered flight, batteries are already good enough for short distances, but won't become good enough for commercial travel at transonic speed across the world in the foreseeable future. But we're probably using more biofuel to greenwash fossil fuels used for ground transport than the amount of aviation fuel that is very difficult to displace with battery powered flight. Not saying it's perfectly sustainable option, but possibly an improvement, and that also put things in perspective. Construction materials that can store power isn't a new idea, that pops up occasionally, but it is problematic. Not saying impossible, but the concept has some severe practical problems. Hydrogen becomes more problematic the more energy you need, sure it is easier to "hide" the problems the bigger the vehicles are, but hydrogen doesn't offer any significant practical advantages over batteries when used in trucks. The only case where hydrogen fuel is much better than batteries is in rockets. Liquid hydrogen, "stored" at extremely low temperatures and moderate pressure, powering engines, not fuel cells, could technically be an option for aviation, but that would be extremely expensive.