Interesting Ideas

We’ve got another robotaxi collaboration. This time, it’s Nissan, Uber, and Wayve that are teaming up to work on a robotaxi rollout … eventually. “The parties will begin preparations for a pilot deployment in Tokyo by late 2026, introducing the Nissan LEAF powered by the Wayve AI Driver, available to ... [continued]

The post Nissan, Uber, & Wayve Team Up On Robotaxis appeared first on CleanTechnica.

About two years ago, March, 13–20, 2024, my wife and I spent 8 days in Paris. We observed how Paris had electrified at that time. I wrote an article for CleanTechnica that I would now call “Paris Electrified 1.0,” while I would call this one Paris Electrified 2.0. This year ... [continued]

The post Paris Electrified 2.0 appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Volkswagen ID.3 was a huge marker in Volkswagen’s transition to electric vehicles. I still remember one of our writers, Steve Hanley, reporting from the Volkswagen factory in Germany when the first units rolled off the production line. Some of the biggest names in German politics, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, ... [continued]

The post New Volkswagen ID.3 Getting New Name — ID.3 Neo — But What’s Changed? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Analysis has found more than 3,000 mining operations within the most naturally precious areas of the planet, a much bigger footprint than previously thought

Weda Bay is just one example of a global trend that could see the mining industry expand into some of Earth’s last areas of wilderness in search of minerals and materials to feed the global economy.

Analysis produced for the Guardian by a group of academic researchers found more than 3,267 mining operations within key biodiversity areas (KBAs), accounting for nearly 5% of the mining sector’s global footprint. China, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico top the rankings for total surface mining area within key biodiversity areas, the most naturally precious areas of the planet.

It’s not too exciting, but this little-by-little approach is how public EV charging expansion has been going. In the latest update, the city of San Francisco has proposed to install 100 new curbside public EV chargers to provide extra public charging options. It has been reported San Francisco already has ... [continued]

The post San Francisco Could Add 100 New Curbside EV Chargers appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Hemmed in by the sea and poor transport links, many young people from the Yorkshire town feel trapped, but there is also a pride in the area

It’s the morning after a wet and stormy day in the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough. The waves, which the previous day had been crashing dramatically on the harbour walls, have calmed and a few brave souls have entered the water with surfboards. There is a man throwing a ball for his dog on the beach and a kayaker bobbing on the waves.

Just up from the seafront in the centre of town, Jack and Charlie, both 17, are leaning forward listening to a story from 19-year-old Keane about his recent visit to a drama school in London, where he is hoping to apply for a place on an actor training course once he has saved enough money.

Scarborough, on the North Yorkshire coast, was one of England’s first seaside resorts

Cycle lanes, electric cars and other interventions have helped 19 global cities slash levels of pollutants by more than 20%

London, San Francisco and Beijing are among 19 global cities that have achieved “remarkable reductions” in air pollution, analysis has found, having slashed levels of two airway-aggravating pollutants by more than 20% since 2010.

The analysis found interventions such as cycle lanes, uptake of electric cars and restrictions on polluting vehicles had helped to drive the improvements.

Bainton, Cambridgeshire: Villagers gather each year on Palm Sunday to celebrate these scented flowers

Beside the lichen-encrusted churchyard wall, a robin sings from the dark heart of a yew, its clear notes rising above the gruff calls of nesting rooks. Along the path, a bank of buttery primroses glows beside the bright stars of lesser celandine, offering early forage to the first pollen-dusted solitary bee. Across the gravestones, small points of colour are beginning to appear. St Mary’s churchyard stirs in readiness for the annual Bainton primrose festival, when villagers gather on Palm Sunday to celebrate this quiet herald of spring.

The primrose has long symbolised renewal. In earlier times, landowners would open their woods on Good Friday so that parishioners could gather the scented flowers for Easter decorations. Here in Bainton, their abundance owes much to a thoughtful former churchwarden who delayed mowing until early June, allowing the plants to set and shed seed. Since then, primroses have spread beyond the churchyard and on to the verges of this Fen‑edge village.

The death of the EV1 was reported prematurely according to GM, which is preparing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1990's electric car this year.

The post Did GM Just Use The EV1 To Troll Ford, Again? Or Tesla? Or Both? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Rome did not only organise its agriculture in tune with the rhythm of the seasons, it also fought its wars that way

March is named for the Roman god Mars. He was among other things the god of agriculture, and the month was marked by ceremonies to protect new crops from bad weather.

Mars was the god of war too, and better weather also meant the start of the campaigning season. The roles sometimes merged. In one of the oldest Roman ceremonies, the “leaping priests” of Mars, 12 young men from noble families would dress as ancient warriors and parade around the city singing in an archaic form of Latin for a good beginning to the planting season.

The case for renewable energy is stronger than ever before in Texas, despite the efforts of State AG and US Senate hopeful Ken Paxton to go to bat for coal power.

The post In Battle Against Renewable Energy Investing, Texas AG Is All Hat — No Cattle appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Fears are growing that the new far-right president will slash environmental protections in favour of foreign investment

In Chile’s most northerly region, Arica y Parinacota, Andrea Chellew, 62, relies on tourists for her cafe. They usually travel from the coastal city of Arica to the unique biosphere of the Andean highlands, which rise well above 5,000 metres and host nature reserves and wetlands.

At 3,000 metres (9,800ft) above sea level, along Highway 11, she lives by the trade route that brings raw materials and goods between Bolivia and Chile. Yet the cafe remains empty as fewer tourists come, amid more reports of increased mining activity near environmentally protected areas, such as the Lauca national park.

Recent attack on plants led to fears of escalating strikes, but Iran knows drought has left it equally vulnerable

• Middle East crisis – live updates

In 1983, the CIA determined that the most crucial commodity in the Gulf was its desalinated potable water.

Although the loss of a single plant could be handled, “successful attacks on several plants in the most dependent countries could generate a national crisis that could lead to panic flights from the country and civil unrest”. And the greatest threat to the region’s water supply? “Iran.”

In the race to meet the demands of the energy transition, biodiversity hotspots such as Palawan in the Philippines are being increasingly mined for critical elements

• How nature is being sacrificed for mining across the world – a data visualisation

Moharen Tahil Tambiling lowers himself from the fishing boat into the water and gingerly picks his way over the reef circling the bay. At low tide here in Brooke’s Point on Palawan, a long, rugged island in the south-west of the Philippines archipelago, the coral is just under the surface, and it looms suddenly under the waves, scraping at the boat’s wooden hull.

Beneath his feet are brain-like mounds and curling fingers of coral. Leaning over the side of the fishing boat, the men point out different kinds: some which were once vibrant orange and others that should be delicate pink. Now, almost everything is the same dull khaki, covered by a thick film of silt. Another man jumps overboard, stirring the sediment. A cloud rises like thick smoke over the reef.

The EV startup Harbinger Motors has picked the perfect time to pitch electric trucks, despite the premature death of the federal tax credit.

The post With Oil On The Rocks, Electric Trucks Save Even More Bucks appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Climate change committee finds move to renewable energy would also bring health, economic and security benefits

Achieving the UK’s net zero target by 2050 will cost less than a single oil shock and bring health and economic benefits while insulating the country against future costs, the government’s climate advisers have forecast.

Eliminating the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels by adopting renewable energy and green technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, would be the best and most cost-effective option for the future economy, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) found.

Our February update on EV sales shows: Australian plugin penetration grew from 16% in January 2026 to about 19% in February. That is a sales total of 11,100 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 5,854 plugin hybrid EVs (PHEVs). Almost 17,000 Australian motorists joined the electric vehicle ecosystem, a significant increase ... [continued]

The post Plugin Vehicles Achieve 19% Penetration in Australian Auto Market in February appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Peak Energy is bringing its sodium-ion batteries storage system to Wisconsin, where it will help provide dispatchable clean energy to MISO.

The post Peak Energy Bringing Sodium-Ion Battery Storage To Wisconsin appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Australian artist was a relentless self-promoter, prolific painter and pro wrestler. He loved a tall tale – but his true story was remarkable

• Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

If you checked out the Archibald prize finalists back in 1983, one painting in particular might have caught your eye. Taking up seven feet of wall space, Dr Brown and Green Old Time Waltz is a psychedelic portrait of Bob Brown, rendered in rich colours and filled with hidden details: from faces smuggled into the trees to little green men walking around Brown’s feet.

But just as noteworthy as the painting was the man standing next to it. Clad in hand-painted clothes, with painted false teeth in his mouth and a walking stick he didn’t really need in his hand, stood Harold “the Kangaroo” Thornton, the artist and self-described “greatest genius that ever lived”.

Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning

The disruption of LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz due to the United States and Israel attempting to bomb Iran into regime change quickly exposes how dependent many countries remain on imported fuels. Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, and several Southeast Asian economies rely on steady cargo deliveries to keep ... [continued]

The post Pakistan Avoids LNG Shocks Due to Iranian Bombing With Solar Panels appeared first on CleanTechnica.