Interesting Ideas

A lot of people have been skeptical about CATL’s new Naxtra sodium-ion batteries, wondering when they would appear in passenger vehicles. The wait is over. We have the answer. Following up on earlier announcements that sodium-ion batteries would be introduced to a wide range of products this year, CATL announced ... [continued]

The post CATL Sodium-Ion Batteries in Passenger Vehicles in July! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The new Nissan LEAF could be an absolute blockbuster. If it came from another brand, I’m convinced it could break records, but Nissan is a good midsized car company that could have really hit it out of the park with this one. The pricing and spec and size and design ... [continued]

The post New Nissan LEAF Wins More Awards — Best Buy Awards from Kelley Blue Book appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Experts say climate crisis, corruption and lack or misuse of infrastructure among factors driving water conflicts

Water-related violence has almost doubled since 2022 and little is being done to understand and address the trend and prevent new and escalating risks, experts have said.

There were 419 incidents of water-related violence recorded in 2024, up from 235 in 2022, according to the Pacific Institute, a US-based thinktank.

Researchers found a new way to filter and destroy Pfas chemicals at 100 times the rate of current systems

New filtration technology developed by Rice University may absorb some Pfas “forever chemicals” at 100 times the rate previously possible, which could dramatically improve pollution control and speed remediations.

Researchers also say they have also found a way to destroy Pfas, though both technologies face a steep challenge in being deployed on an industrial scale.

I have a Tesla Model 3 that is more than 6 years old, so I will discuss what upgrades to a new Tesla could do for me. However, note that you could now trade a used Tesla in for over 75 different EV models from Rivian, Ford, Chevrolet, Hummer, Cadillac, ... [continued]

The post Time to Trade Your Old EV for a New One? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Grays, Essex: I visit an unassuming gorge where a wealth of ice age fossils was once found, telling us about Britain’s megafauna – and Neanderthals

You wouldn’t know the Lion Pit was there. This overgrown gorge exists quietly, without the sensation its name implies, below a housing estate, by Lakeside shopping centre and within earshot of the M25, wedged on all sides as tightly as the newbuilds that line its cliffs. This is industrial West Thurrock, far south Essex, where the wild marshes that still thrive on the Blackwater Estuary, where I live in the north-east of the county, have long since disappeared.

As I arrive, a fox strolls up the road, urbanely cool. It darts over the edge and into the gorge. I follow it. Descend into the pit, and you’re down in deep time. Ice age time, to be precise, because this location has produced some of the most important archaeological finds of Britain’s Palaeolithic past.

There are a lot of updates out there this week about Tesla “Full Self Driving” (FSD) and Tesla robotaxis. I’m going to try to cover this news here as objectively as possible, but with extra useful context in order to try to provide a relatively complete picture of all of ... [continued]

The post Tesla “Full Self Driving” & Robotaxi News in Texas, China, & LA–NYC — What’s Real & What’s Not? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Study also says Balkan levels are often higher than in Beijing – and sometimes among the highest in the world

When we think of the world’s most polluted cities, images of Delhi or Beijing come to mind, but new data has revealed acute pollution problems close to the heart of Europe.

Prof Andre Prevot, of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, explained: “In winter, the particle pollution in the Balkans is the highest in Europe. Particle pollution levels are often higher than in Beijing and on some days they are among the highest in the world. Sulphur dioxide in winter can be over 30 times greater than what we normally see in western Europe.”

As electric vehicle adoption continues to gain momentum in Southeast Asia, VinFast Philippines is once again highlighting battery subscription as a central strategy for lowering the cost barrier to EV ownership in the Philippine market. During a recent company event covered by local automotive media, VinFast presented updated pricing that ... [continued]

The post VinFast Introduces Battery Subscription Program in the Philippines appeared first on CleanTechnica.

This year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which begins on Friday, could reveal ‘some surprise migratory visitors’

The chances of spotting a fieldfare or redwing in 2026 have risen, thanks to cold and unsettled weather in Europe, prompting a bumper year in birds migrating to the UK.

The RSPB highlighted the trend on the eve of the Big Garden Birdwatch, an annual event that constitutes the world’s largest garden wildlife survey, which will take place between 23 and 25 January.

Electricity demand in Virginia is rising at a historic pace, and families and businesses are feeling the impact in the form of higher utility bills. Solar and energy storage offer the most immediate and cost-effective solution. These technologies are the fastest and cheapest new sources of electricity to build, allowing power to come online ... [continued]

The post Solar & Storage: The Key for Energy Affordability in Virginia appeared first on CleanTechnica.

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced the election of Scott Moskowitz of Qcells as chair of its Board of Directors, alongside a slate of newly elected board members representing the full breadth of the U.S. solar and storage industry. Moskowitz’s election as chair, representing Qcells, a major solar ... [continued]

The post SEIA Elects New Board Chair, Board Members to Guide Organizational and Industrial Priorities in 2026 appeared first on CleanTechnica.

More than 30,000 households left with defects after ‘catastrophic failure’ of Tory government schemes

Members of parliament have called for the Serious Fraud Office to investigate the UK’s home insulation sector, after thousands of householders suffered ruined homes, big financial losses and months of disruption from the “clear and catastrophic failure” of two Conservative government schemes.

More than 30,000 households were left with defects, some of them severe, including mould, water ingress and damage to the fabric of walls, with about 3,000 dwellings so badly damaged they presented immediate health and safety risks to occupants.

Neighbours might look askance at Jarno Coone’s unkempt yard, but the local birds, bees and bats aren’t bothered by the aesthetics

When they moved in about 13 years ago, there was plush green lawn out the front. Nowadays the grass is so high that neighbours fear it could be harbouring snakes. Even the meter reader is a bit wary.

“I’d love to have snakes in the front yard. But they need water. And so they stay down by the river, which is a couple of blocks away,” says Jarno Coone, whose unkempt front yard in Kyneton, Victoria, has been named the World’s Ugliest Lawn 2025.

Some bad news from South Africa. In a year which saw the overall market reach levels not seen in well over a decade, BEV sales were unfortunately down 17%. BEV sales were already very low, and one had hoped sales would kick on following years of decent growth, albeit from ... [continued]

The post BEV Sales Down 17% In South Africa In 2025 appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Oil, out-of-date milk and even roast dinner residues contribute to the growth of fatbergs, a sticky problem for sewerage systems

• Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint

• Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com

Fatbergs are a sticky problem for sewerage systems – blocking pipes, spawning poo balls, and even forcing the cancellation of a Bryan Adams concert.

When households pour cooking oils, out-of-date milk or the residues of a roast dinner down the sink, it contributes to the buildup of fats, oils and grease – known as FOG – in the wastewater system, and the growth of fatbergs.

Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in Mexico are being lead by BYD, which seems to thrive on challenges.

The post BYD Flourishes In Mexico appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Coroner is yet to determine the cause of death of Piper James, a 19-year-old Canadian woman found surrounded by dingoes on Monday

In the early hours of Monday morning, a young woman’s body was found being mauled by a pack of dingoes near a shipwreck on a windswept stretch of white sand beach on an island off the east coast of Australia.

The island was K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, in southern Queensland, home to about 150 human inhabitants and a population of dingoes genetically distinct from those on the mainland. Called wongari in the language of its Butchulla traditional owners, the lean yellow and white canids are sacred to the First People and indelibly entwined in the cultural fabric of this world-heritage listed sand island.

Energy efficiency is the main focus of a new Energy Department effort to help improve competitiveness in key US industrial sectors.

The post US Presidents Come And Go, But Energy Efficiency Is Forever appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Pollution from wood burners kills thousands but proposed emissions limit would cut toxic particles by 10%

New wood-burning stoves will carry a health warning highlighting the impact of the air pollution they produce, under UK government plans.

Ministers have also proposed cutting the limit on the smoke emitted from wood burners by 80%. However, the measure would only apply to new stoves, most of which already meet the stricter limit. The new limit would cut the annual toxic emissions from wood burning in the UK by only 10% over the next decade, according to the consultation.