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Tag: Tesla

  • Paris Accord: US tech firms dare President Trump again, ‘go unusual’

    Paris Accord: US tech firms dare President Trump again, ‘go unusual’

    Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google are among hundreds of US businesses joining an effort to support the Paris climate agreement as part of a public campaign announced Monday.

    Dubbed “We Are Still In,” the launch of the initiative comes just days after President Donald Trump said the United States would withdraw from the international accord, stunning much of the world and breaking with a broad host of industry executives who supported the deal.

    The campaign’s participants, who also include hundreds of investors, universities, local officials and state governments, have pledged to support the Paris accord and “pursue ambitious climate goals,” according to an open letter the campaign released.

    The group also took aim at Trump, saying his decision “damages the world’s ability to avoid the most dangerous and costly effects of climate change.” The business leaders and officials described Trump’s move as “out of step with what is happening in the United States.”

    The campaign on climate is the latest example of some of the biggest players in Silicon Valley opposing Trump’s key policies. The president’s travel ban and ongoing litigation surrounding his immigration orders have also sparked widespread condemnation from the tech industry.

    After the president revealed last week that he intends to exit the agreement, several high-profile business leaders said they would end their advisory roles with Trump, in protest. Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and Disney chief executive Robert Iger said last week that they would no longer serve on the president’s economic advisory council. Executives from Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Google also swiftly criticised Trump’s decision after his announcement.

    Dozens of states last week said they would forge ahead with their climate policies and their aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in response to the president’s move. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, D, also unveiled the largest renewable energy investment by any state, a $1.65 billion plan to support renewable energy and energy efficiency.

     

  • India’s pathway to selling only electric cars by 2030

    India’s pathway to selling only electric cars by 2030

    While the United States is walking away from the historic Paris Climate Agreement, India is making a bold vow to start selling only electric cars by 2030.

    India is one of the world’s most polluted countries. Its energy department said in a blog post that it has set the “ambitious” target to stop selling gas-powered vehicles in an attempt to clean up its air.

    As the country’s economy has boomed, new industries and commuters have spewed pollutants in the air at staggering rates. Now, its 1.3 billion residents are suffering. One estimate says India’s air contributes to 1.2 million deaths per year. Doctors have said breathing the air in New Dehli, the nation’s capital, is like smoking 10 cigarettes a day.

    India’s energy minister, Piyush Goyal, said recently that the country will help facilitate the electric car effort by offering subsidies for a couple of years. “After that,” he said, “the cost of electric vehicles will start paying for themselves.”

    The government’s National Electric Mobility Mission Plan wants annual sales of electric and hybrid cars to hit 6 million to 7 million by 2020.

    That’s music to the ears of Elon Musk, CEO of electric car powerhouse Tesla, who touted the decision on Twitter Thursday.

    Tesla hasn’t actually entered the Indian market yet, but Musk has frequently talked about his plans to open up shop there. He said earlier this year that it could happen by summer, but those plans appear to be delayed.

    India is anxiously awaiting Tesla’s arrival. Even the head of Mahindra, India’s leading electric carmaker, told Musk he’ll welcome the competition.

    “The more the merrier — and greener,” Anand Mahindra wrote.

    Plans to aggressively expand the number of electric cars on the road is just one of a number of ways India is trying to go greener. The government is also underway on major pushes to expand its solar energy capacity.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also doubled down on his commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement after President Trump rebuked the pact on Thursday.

    He was in France on Saturday meeting with French President Emanuel Macron, who also strongly condemned Trump’s decision.

    “Paris Agreement is a shared legacy of the world. It will benefit the future generations as well,” Modi wrote on Twitter.

     

     

    CNN

     

  • 2 top tech execs announces exit from Trump advisory councils

    2 top tech execs announces exit from Trump advisory councils

    Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Walt Disney Co CEO Robert Iger said on Thursday they would leave White House advisory councils after US President Donald Trump said he would withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

    Trump decided to pull the United States from the landmark 2015 global agreement designed to fight climate change despite entreaties from US allies and corporate leaders in an action that fulfilled a major campaign pledge.

    “Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world,” Musk said in a Twitter post. He is a member of the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum, a business advisory group, and Trump’s manufacturing jobs council.

    Musk said on Wednesday that he had done “all I can” to convince Trump to stay in the accord, and threatened to leave the presidential advisory councils if Trump announced a US exit from the accord.

    Iger wrote on Twitter that “as a matter of principle, I’ve resigned from the President’s Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.” He is leaving the business advisory group.

    Uber Technologies Inc CEO Travis Kalanick quit the business advisory council in February amid pressure from activists and employees who opposed the administration’s immigration policies.

    Trump created the business advisory group in December before taking office to assist him in making policy decisions. The group is led by Stephen Schwarzman, chief executive of Blackstone Group LP and includes Indra Nooyi, the chief executive of PepsiCo Inc and Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co .

    Late on Thursday, BlackRock Inc Chief Executive Larry Fink said he would continue to serve on Trump’s CEO Forum, despite reservations about the White House decision to withdraw from the Paris accord.

    “I accepted the invitation to serve on the President’s CEO Forum because I believe I can contribute to the policy dialogue in Washington and serve as a voice for investors,” Fink said in a statement.

    “I am a strong believer that our industry needs to have a voice with governments around the world,” said Fink, whose company is the world’s largest asset manager, with $5.4 trillion (roughly Rs. 3,47,69,610 crores) under management.

    “I do not agree with all of the president’s policies and decisions, including today’s announcement to exit the US from the Paris Agreement which I believe is a critical step forward in addressing climate change.”

    Asked about Musk’s resignation, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox News that “anybody who read the agreement and understood it would realize that this was not really about climate, this was about US money going to other countries and it didn’t solve the climate problem.”

    Musk has met with Trump several times and spoken with him about the long-term goal of his company SpaceX for flights to Mars carrying humans.

    The White House is planning to a hold a meeting with technology leaders on June 19, an administration spokesman said Wednesday.

    General Motors Co said Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra would remain on the presidential advisory panel, adding that her participation “provides GM a seat at an important table to contribute to a constructive dialogue about key policy issues.”

    In 2013, GM signed a declaration joining other major companies arguing that responding to climate change was good business. The automaker said on Thursday that despite the withdrawal it “will not waver from our commitment to the environment.”

    It was unclear whether Ford Motor Co’s new chief executive, James Hackett, would join Trump’s panel.

    Ford spokeswoman Christin Baker said on Thursday the No.2 US automaker believes “climate change is real, and remain deeply committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our vehicles and our facilities.”

  • Tesla Solar Roof tile now available for pre-order – Elon Musk

    Tesla Solar Roof tile now available for pre-order – Elon Musk

    Tesla founder and chief executive officer, Elon Musk has announced its solar energy tile, Tesla Solar Roof Tile is now available for pre-order.

    Elon Musk took to his Twittter handle yesterday to make the announcement saying, “Tesla solar glass roof orders open this afternoon. I think it will be great”.

    The tiles will collect energy from the sun to power your home.

    Orders will open first for the black glass style, with a choice of smooth or textured surfaces.

    “Black glass smooth and textured will be first. Tuscan and French Slate in about six months,” Musk said.

    Musk had previously said that orders would begin in April.

    In replies to enquiries on the tweet announcing the availability of the Tesla solar energy tile on Twitter, Musk said that delivery and installation would begin to other countries next year, including the UK and Australia.

    “Solar roof can be ordered for almost any country. Deployment this year in the US and overseas next year,” he further stated.

    The company says a “typical homeowner can expect to pay $21.85 per square foot for a Solar Roof”.

    The company released a calculator directly on their website, which any homeowner can use to get an estimate based on data from Google’s Sunroof project.

    According to the Tesla’s website calculator, roofing a 2,000 square-foot home in New York state, with 40 percent coverage of active solar tiles and battery backup for night-time use, would cost about $50,000 after federal tax credits, and generate $64,000 in energy over 30 years.

    Tesla is giving the lifetime of the home as warranty for the solar roof.

    “Made with tempered glass, Solar Roof tiles are more than three times stronger than standard roofing tiles. That’s why we offer the best warranty in the industry – the lifetime of your house, or infinity, whichever comes first,” a statement read on the company’s website.

    ImageFile: Tesla Solar Roof Tile now available for pre-order - Elon Musk

    “The pricing is better than I expected, better than everyone expected,” Bloomberg quotes Hugh Bromley, a solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance as saying.

    Inactive tiles will cost $11 per square foot.