{"id":391664,"date":"2025-07-30T10:34:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T08:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=391664"},"modified":"2025-07-30T10:34:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T08:34:33","slug":"the-false-promises-of-electric-vehicles-are-being-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=391664","title":{"rendered":"The False Promises of Electric Vehicles Are Being Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"723\" data-attachment-id=\"391672\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=391672\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?fit=723%2C723&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=723%2C723&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A burning cargo ship surrounded by flames and smoke, with containers on fire.\" class=\"wp-image-391672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, 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https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=450%2C450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?resize=550%2C550&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/dailysceptic.org\/2025\/07\/29\/the-false-promises-of-electric-vehicles-are-being-exposed\/#comments\">The Daily Sceptic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailysceptic.org\/author\/tilak-doshi\/\">Tilak Doshi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"425\" data-attachment-id=\"391666\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=391666\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-28-155121.jpeg?fit=812%2C477&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"812,477\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0Screenshot-2025-07-28-155121\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-28-155121.jpeg?fit=723%2C425&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-28-155121.jpeg?resize=723%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A cargo ship named 'Morning Midas' is engulfed in flames while sailing in rough waters, with dark smoke billowing from the fire.\" class=\"wp-image-391666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-28-155121.jpeg?w=812&amp;ssl=1 812w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-28-155121.jpeg?resize=300%2C176&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0Screenshot-2025-07-28-155121.jpeg?resize=768%2C451&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shipping giant Matson&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maritime-executive.com\/article\/matson-suspends-shipping-evs-citing-hazards-of-lithium-ion-batteries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declared<\/a>&nbsp;last week that it would no longer transport electric vehicles (EVs) or plug-in hybrids on its vessels, citing the fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries. This decision, effective immediately, followed the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DVRPrtRJb4Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">catastrophic sinking<\/a>&nbsp;of the carrier Morning Midas earlier in June. The blaze, which aerial imagery showed billowing from the ship\u2019s stern, underscored the perilous nature of lithium-ion battery fires \u2014 intense,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/firecarry.com\/why-are-lithium-fires-hard-to-put-out-understanding-the-challenges-solutions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">almost impossible to extinguish<\/a>, and prone to reignition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lithium-ion battery fires, as seen in incidents like the Morning Midas,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ctif.org\/news\/burning-ship-carrying-lithium-ev-cars-sank-outside-azores\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Felicity Ace<\/a>&nbsp;(2022), and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/cargo-ship-fire-netherlands-ev-electric-vehicle-battery-north-sea-freemantle-highway\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fremantle Highway<\/a>&nbsp;(2023), are a unique hazard. These fires, driven by thermal runaway \u2014 a rapid, self-heating reaction \u2014 burn hotter than conventional fires, produce toxic gases and can reignite days or weeks later. In response, some&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/carbuzz.com\/news\/parking-garage-bans-all-evs-and-hybrids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">German cities<\/a>&nbsp;have banned EVs from underground parking due to fire risks, and a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autoevolution.com\/news\/norwegian-ferry-company-bans-electrified-vehicles-from-transport-on-its-ships-208942.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Norwegian ferry operator<\/a>&nbsp;has prohibited them outright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matson\u2019s move is a stark symbol of a broader reckoning: the electric vehicle revolution, once heralded as the inevitable future of mobility, has come full circle. Like a Rorschach test, the EV experience has exposed its hollow promises, revealing a deeper pathology in Western society\u2019s obsession with \u2018green\u2019 ideals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The False Promises of EVs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just a few years ago, the narrative was unambiguous. EVs were heralded as the vanguard of a clean, renewable future, poised to banish the polluting tailpipes of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to the ash heap of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every major automaker \u2014 from General Motors to Volkswagen \u2014 proclaimed ambitious plans to pivot entirely to electric fleets by the 2030s. General Motors, a leading force in the automotive industry, had \u201ccommitted fully to an all-electric future\u201d,&nbsp;<em>EV Magazine<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/evmagazine.com\/articles\/gms-bold-journey-to-an-all-electric-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a>&nbsp;as recently as August of last year. By June of this year, however,&nbsp;<em>Politico<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/06\/12\/gm-slow-rolls-ev-aspirations-00401177\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;that \u201cGeneral Motors quietly closed the door this week on a goal to make only electric vehicles by 2035\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shine was coming off the EV narrative even before the onset of President Trump\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailysceptic.org\/2025\/04\/02\/president-trumps-energy-dominance-agenda-leaves-climate-juggernaut-on-brink-of-collapse\/\">energy counter-revolution<\/a>&nbsp;this year with his \u2018energy dominance\u2019 and \u2018drill, baby, drill\u2019 agendas to end the Obama and Biden mandates and subsidies for favoured \u2018green\u2019 industries including EVs.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/07\/03\/us-news\/house-passes-big-beautiful-bill-act-sending-it-to-trump-after-bruising-struggle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sweeping tax and budget legislation&nbsp;approved by Congress<\/a>&nbsp;in the \u2018Big Beautiful Bill\u2019 will end the $7,500 tax credit for buying or leasing new electric vehicles and the $4,000 used EV credit on September 30th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In March 2024, CNBC published a widely cited&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/03\/13\/ev-euphoria-is-dead-automakers-trumpet-consumer-choice-in-us.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a>&nbsp;entitled \u2018EV euphoria is dead. Automakers are scaling back or delaying their electric vehicle plans\u2019. The outlet\u2019s automotive industry reporter Michael Wayland wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, the automotive industry has been in a state of EV euphoria. Automakers trotted out optimistic sales forecasts for electric models and announced ambitious targets for EV growth. \u2026 Now the hype is dwindling, and companies are again cheering consumer choice. Automakers from&nbsp;Ford Motor&nbsp;and&nbsp;General Motors&nbsp;to&nbsp;Mercedes-Benz,&nbsp;Volkswagen, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin are scaling back or delaying their electric vehicle plans.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Governments, particularly in the West, fuelled the EV frenzy with hefty subsidies, tax credits and mandates, while environmental activists hailed EVs as the moral choice to \u2018save the planet\u2019. To many, the allure was seductive: silent, smooth-riding vehicles that emit no tailpipe pollution with the promise of lower running costs. They offered affluent Gaia worshippers a \u2018guilt-free\u2019 driving experience. Yet, as Matson\u2019s decision signals, the EV dream has collided with harsh realities \u2014 economic, environmental and practical \u2014 that no amount of propaganda or subsidies can obscure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EV narrative is built on a foundation of optimistic assumptions which have crumbled under scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take the \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Range_anxiety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">range anxiety<\/a>\u2018 that afflicts many potential EV customers. Despite advances in battery technology, EVs still struggle to match the convenience and reliability of ICE vehicles for long-distance travel. The time required to charge \u2014 often 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the charger \u2014 compares unfavourably to the five-minute refuelling of a car run on gasoline or diesel. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In most countries, charging infrastructure, while expanding, remains unevenly distributed, with rural areas and even some urban centres woefully underserved. Planning a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/evhype.com\/are-evs-ready-for-long-road-trips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">long distance journey in an EV<\/a>&nbsp;often feels like a logistical puzzle, requiring meticulous mapping of charging stations and contingency plans for delays or outages. This inconvenience has not gone unnoticed by consumers, who increasingly view EVs as a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qKdvYzYgkNY?si=WqaTqTAE5Rn_n0UP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hassle<\/a>&nbsp;rather than a liberation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every now and then, news of battery technology \u2018breakthroughs\u2019 gets reported with hopes of EV nirvana around the corner. For example, a story in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/carnewschina.com\/2025\/06\/18\/huaweis-3000km-solid-state-battery-patent-with-5-minute-charge-ignites-industry-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>CarNewsChina<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;published last month reported that \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/carnewschina.com\/tag\/huawei\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Huawei<\/a>&nbsp;has stepped up its ambitions in advanced energy storage with a patent for a sulphide-based solid-state battery that offers driving ranges of up to 3,000 kilometres and ultra-fast charging in just five minutes\u201d. Amateur scientist Willis Eschenbach and expert debunker of magical thinking in energy physics&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2025\/07\/04\/why-your-ev-wont-fill-up-in-five\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reacted<\/a>&nbsp;to this story in his inimitable way: \u201cBut, as usual, reality is hiding out in the fine print, ducking the spotlight while the PR machine does its victory lap. Nobody wants to talk about physics. Nobody asks how, exactly, you\u2019re supposed to pour Niagara Falls through a garden hose.\u201d He was referring to the impossible physics underlying the claims of \u201cultra-fast charging\u201d by Huawei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The economic case for EVs has also faltered. Proponents claimed EVs would be cheaper to own and operate, but the reality tells a different story.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.motorfinity.uk\/blog\/ev-ice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Higher upfront costs<\/a>&nbsp;of EVs relative to ICE vehicles, typically 30-40% higher, were only partially bridged by subsidies such as the generous $7,500 federal tax credit in the US under the Obama and Biden administrations which, as already noted, are slated to end shortly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EVs depreciate more rapidly than conventional vehicles, with some models losing up to 50% of their value within the first two years.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Battery replacement costs can reach $30,000, further diminishing resale value. Insurance costs are reported by some to be exorbitantly more expensive. In the UK as elsewhere, the second-hand market for EVs has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisismoney.co.uk\/money\/article-14761681\/Used-electric-cars-lose-half-value-two-years-manufacturers-blamed-discounting-new-prices.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">collapsed<\/a>, with resale values plummeting as consumers shy away from used batteries with uncertain lifespans and as car companies keep discounting prices on newer models as sales start to slow. Car rental companies like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2025\/02\/hertz-hurting-after-it-finishes-selling-30000-evs-in-restructuring-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hertz<\/a>&nbsp;have suffered massive losses after investing heavily in EV fleets, only to find them depreciating rapidly and sitting idle due to lack of demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" data-attachment-id=\"391668\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=391668\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-787.png?fit=856%2C482&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"856,482\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-787.png?fit=723%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-787.png?resize=723%2C407&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bar chart depicting electric vehicle sales data for May 2025, with total sales at 1.6 million units. The chart includes different regions: China, Europe, North America, and the rest of the world, showing year-over-year and month-over-month growth.\" class=\"wp-image-391668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-787.png?w=856&amp;ssl=1 856w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-787.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-787.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest data on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/rhomotion.com\/news\/global-ev-sales-up-28-in-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">global EV sales<\/a>&nbsp;present a mixed picture. Year-to-date January to May 2025 global EV sales grew by 28% over the same period last year. This might suggest that overall, despite the many news headlines about struggling car manufacturers faced with slowing sales figures, the EV transition to electric mobility is still robust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, a quick glance at the data by regional breakdowns shows that the EV story is overwhelmingly a China-focused one. Europe bought 1.6 million more cars in 2025 so far relative to the same period last year, or 27% more. North Americans bought only 0.7 million more, or 3%. The \u2018rest of the world\u2019 bought 0.6 million more EV units or 36%. China alone accounted for 4.4 million new EV units, logging a growth of 33%. To call what is essentially a China-dominated story a global EV success story is a sleight of hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given the opacity of China-related news, it is not clear what to make of reports about vast \u2018graveyards\u2019 of unsold EVs in various cities. A&nbsp;<em>Bloomberg<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/features\/2023-china-ev-graveyards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a>&nbsp;in 2023 reported that \u201ca subsidy-fuelled boom helped build China into an electric-car giant but left weed-infested lots across the nation brimming with unwanted battery-powered cars\u201d. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autoevolution.com\/news\/chinese-auto-industry-uses-a-scam-to-inflate-vehicle-sales-numbers-253453.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>&nbsp;published on Friday warned that \u201cthe Chinese auto industry is a bubble about to burst after years of artificially inflated sales and brutal price wars. The scheme involves registering new vehicles in China and then selling them abroad as used vehicles despite being essentially&nbsp;\u2018zero-mileage\u2019&nbsp;cars. This allows carmakers to report high sales numbers even though the market is on the brink of collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indeed, inflating EV sales figures is not restricted to China. Geoff from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cC3ARnylNcg?si=pfEgnkG-J7MR63qu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Geoff Buys Cars<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;reveals how EV sales numbers are artificially inflated in the UK. Thomas Shepstone of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/energysecurityfreedom.substack.com\/p\/theyre-artificially-inflating-ev?publication_id=547933&amp;post_id=169295627&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=gr4yl&amp;triedRedirect=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Energy Security and Freedom<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;Substack explains it as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Historically, some dealers have registered vehicles to themselves or their dealership to meet sales targets set by manufacturers, qualify for bonuses or clear inventory.&nbsp;This can temporarily inflate reported sales figures, but these vehicles often end up as demo models, loaners or used inventory, not actual consumer sales. \u2026 For EVs, the high cost (average transaction price of $56,351 in Q3 2024) and uneven consumer demand could incentivise such behaviour, especially for brands struggling to move EV stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As pointed out by David Blackmon is his widely read&nbsp;<em>Energy Transition Absurdities&nbsp;<\/em>Substack, the other striking take-away from the graph is the much lower sales this year overall from the peak in December 2024. Blackmon&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blackmon.substack.com\/p\/another-day-another-heinous-example?publication_id=712558&amp;post_id=165857603&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=gr4yl&amp;triedRedirect=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">states<\/a>: \u201cWhat this chart starkly reveals is that the global EV industry has suffered a dramatic drop in sales this year, from almost two million in December 2024 to a bit less than 1.6 million in May 2025. That\u2019s a collapse of 20% in sales in just 150 days or so.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It might be argued that comparing December to May sales figures may be misleading and that the second half of this year might surprise on the upside. Few would want to bet on this presumption. Certainly, most of the auto manufactures who have the most to lose (or gain) financially, as we have seen, are scaling back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dirty Secrets of Clean EVs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The environmental argument, the cornerstone of the EV push, is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/tilakdoshi\/2020\/08\/02\/the-dirty-secrets-of-clean-electric-vehicles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">equally shaky<\/a>. Advocates claimed EVs would slash CO<sub>2<\/sub>&nbsp;emissions, but lifecycle analyses reveal a more complex picture. Manufacturing EV batteries requires energy-intensive mining and processing of rare earths and minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel. In countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, cobalt mining by informal enterprise has led to environmental devastation and harsh employment practices including child labour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The carbon footprint of producing an EV far exceeds that of an ICE vehicle, meaning drivers must log&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/global-ev-outlook-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tens of thousands of miles<\/a>&nbsp;before an EV becomes \u2018greener\u2019 \u2013 and that\u2019s assuming the electricity grid is powered by renewables rather than natural gas and coal. In many regions, it isn\u2019t. The International Energy Agency&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/global-ev-outlook-2025\/executive-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">notes<\/a>&nbsp;that over 60% of EVs sold in Mexico in 2023 and 2024 came from China, where coal-heavy grids undermine the \u2018clean\u2019 narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While EVs eliminate tailpipe emissions, their heavier weight and faster acceleration increase particulate emissions from tire wear.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/archive\/2023\/07\/electric-vehicles-tires-wearing-out-particulates\/674750\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Studies<\/a>&nbsp;suggest that tire emissions can significantly exceed tailpipe emissions, contradicting claims of overall environmental benefits from EV adoption. The smallest tire particles, measured in nanometres, can enter lungs and spread into organs. Various tire components have been linked to chronic conditions including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2020.562813\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">respiratory problems, kidney damage<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4427717\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">neurological damage, and birth defects<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014 a particular concern in low-income neighbourhoods adjacent to highways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are indirect costs of electric vehicles as well that, while not included in the cost an individual owner pays, are borne by the country. The most significant of these is the additional wear on infrastructure from EVs. Heavier vehicles on roads have negative consequences, and EVs are far heavier than their conventional vehicle counterparts. Heavier vehicles cause more damage to roads and bridges. Heavy EVs also pose a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.motorbiscuit.com\/heavy-evs-pose-threat-parking-structure-collapses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">threat of parking structure collapse<\/a>&nbsp;in older or less maintained carparks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not enough attention is paid to the fact that ICE vehicles have made remarkable strides over the past half-century in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/360153572_Vehicle_Emissions_and_Urban_Air_Quality_60_Years_of_Progress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reducing emissions<\/a>&nbsp;of actual pollutants. Sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, lead, mercury and ozone have been curtailed through cleaner fuels, advanced engines and scrubber technologies. Ambient urban conditions have improved markedly from the smog-filled cities typical of the 1950s and 60s. The \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pea_soup_fog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pea-soup<\/a>\u2018 fogs of 1950s London are now a thing of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"414\" data-attachment-id=\"391669\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=391669\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-788.png?fit=979%2C561&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"979,561\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-788.png?fit=723%2C414&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-788.png?resize=723%2C414&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Graph showing progress in air pollution reduction in the UK over 50 years, comparing levels of Sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, PM10, and PM2.5 from 1970 to 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-391669\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-788.png?w=979&amp;ssl=1 979w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-788.png?resize=300%2C172&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-788.png?resize=768%2C440&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is also not widely reocgnised that carbon dioxide, often vilified, is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/co2coalition.org\/2022\/02\/28\/your-honor-co2-is-not-a-pollutant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not a pollutant<\/a>&nbsp;but a trace gas essential for photosynthesis and life itself. The obsession with EVs, then, is less about economics, health or climate, properly understood, and more about a cultural pathology that ignores trade-offs and practicalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Business World\u2019s Retreat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The business world, once all-in on EVs, is now retreating. Major automakers like Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen, which once pledged to phase out ICE vehicles, are scaling back EV investments or halting new projects. In February 2025 it was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.topspeed.com\/ford-evs-to-lose-billions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;that Ford Model e, the company\u2019s electric vehicle division, had an earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) loss of $5.1 billion in 2024 after losing $4.7 billion the year before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A&nbsp;<em>Politico&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/06\/12\/gm-slow-rolls-ev-aspirations-00401177\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>&nbsp;last month noted GM\u2019s shift in investment focus consistent with a more pragmatic, market\u2011aligned strategy reflecting a reinforcement of gasoline\u2011engine investments and a broader step-back from all\u2011EV ambitions. This includes slowing the conversion of key factories to EV production in response to softening demand. Volkswagen\u2019s CEO admitted in 2025 that the company\u2019s EV push was \u201coverly ambitious\u201d, citing weak demand and supply chain issues. He&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-gb\/cars\/news\/vw-rethinks-electric-future-as-ceo-calls-for-eu-reality-check\/ar-AA1DKFfB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a>&nbsp;for greater flexibility in the European Union\u2019s plan to ban sales of new combustion engine cars by 2035, warning that \u201cthe transition to fully electric vehicles may not happen as smoothly as expected\u201d. He urged EU politicians to carry out a \u201creality check\u201d and assess how fast electric vehicles are actually being adopted across member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Toyota, the one major outlier among large automotive companies with its cautious focus on hybrids, has emerged relatively unscathed,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/autos\/hybrids-extend-lead-over-evs-in-green-vehicle-race-4cbd6b42\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">its strategy vindicated<\/a>&nbsp;as consumer preference for hybrids grows. About four or five Chinese manufacturers, propped up by state subsidies, and Tesla are among the few still profiting from EVs. Even Tesla\u2019s margins are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blackmon.substack.com\/p\/teslas-europe-sales-crash-during?publication_id=712558&amp;post_id=164602407&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=gr4yl&amp;triedRedirect=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">under pressure<\/a>&nbsp;as competition intensifies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration\u2019s energy policy shift has accelerated this reversal, going beyond just dismantling subsidies for EVs and other \u2018favoured\u2019 renewables. US regulators have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/autos\/electric-cars\/us-automakers-exempted-from-fines-for-fuel-efficiency-non-compliance\/ar-AA1J0UFb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">waived fines<\/a>&nbsp;for automakers failing to meet fuel efficiency standards dating back to the 2022 model year, following a new law signed by President Donald Trump. This move, part of a tax and budget bill, puts an end to fines under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules established by a 1975 energy law enacted to address a different \u2018problem\u2019 (the Arab oil embargo)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After yanking the \u2018pull\u2019 factor (taxpayer-financed subsidies) and the \u2018push\u2019 factor (the CAFE standards which became increasingly punitive on gasoline and diesel vehicles), Trump also signed a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/5346277-trump-california-ev-mandate-cra\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">congressional resolution<\/a>&nbsp;last month that overturns a California state rule that would have phased out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The California rule and the decision to revoke it are a major deal for the US auto market. The state makes&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/siepr.stanford.edu\/publications\/policy-brief\/californias-population-drain#:~:text=California%20is%20still%20the%20largest,been%20consistently%20below%20that%20number.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">up about 12% of the US population<\/a>&nbsp;and its rule has also been adopted by 11 other states and Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Rorschach Test for the West<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EV story is a cautionary tale of hubris and misplaced priorities. The promise of a clean, cost-effective and convenient future is seductive, but it ignored the complexities of battery production, mineral supply chains, infrastructure and safety. The environmental costs of mining, the economic burden of subsidies and mandates imposed to \u2018save the climate\u2019, and the practical limitations of range and charging have dismantled the myth of EVs as a panacea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The natural market for EVs, brilliantly exploited by Elon Musk, was always the affluent \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/tilakdoshi\/2023\/04\/15\/luxury-beliefs-and-energy-policy-the-fatal-conceit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">luxury beliefs<\/a>\u2018 class of EV proponents and buyers who could afford having these status symbols as their second or third car. But to be a viable business, EVs had to be embraced by many more in the aspiring middle classes. EVs had to be seen as a rational response to both pollution and a belief that they would actually cost less to run once \u2018all the costs\u2019 were accounted for. In the ESG universe, this was called \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/esg-does-neither-much-good-nor-very-well-evidence-composite-scores-impact-reports-strategy-jay-clayton-rating-agents-11663006833\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doing well by doing good<\/a>\u2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, like a Rorschach inkblot, it now transpires that EVs reveal more about our desires than our realities. It was sold as mankind\u2019s solution to poor urban air quality and man-made global warming \u2013 the former affecting the daily health of majority urban dwellers and the latter leading to an impending climate catastrophe for us and our children. Perhaps the love affair with the EV is a projection of Western guilt and idealism in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thedailyeconomy.org\/article\/inside-the-church-of-climate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Church of Climate<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014 a topic for experts on Western \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/words.mattiasdesmet.org\/p\/the-psychology-of-totalitarianism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mass formation<\/a>\u2018 psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the auto industry pivots back to hybrids and ICE vehicles, and as shipping companies like Matson draw a line in the sand, the EV revolution stands exposed as another climate virtue narrative. The path forward lies not in ideological crusades but in pragmatic solutions \u2014 cleaner ICE technologies, robust hybrids and, for EVs, rigorous safety standards and transparent lifecycle assessments. Cars once again need to make sense for sovereign consumers spending their own money, without the carrots and sticks of intrusive government policies supposedly based on \u2018The Science\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Dr Tilak K. Doshi is the&nbsp;<\/em>Daily Sceptic<em>\u2018s Energy Editor. He is an economist, a member of the CO<sub>2<\/sub>&nbsp;Coalition and a former contributor to Forbes. Follow him on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tilakdoshi.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Substack<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/tilakdoshi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shipping giant Matson declared last week that it would no longer transport electric vehicles (EVs) or plug-in hybrids on its vessels, citing the fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries. This decision, effective immediately, followed the catastrophic sinking of the carrier Morning Midas earlier in June. The blaze, which aerial imagery showed billowing from the ship\u2019s stern, underscored the perilous nature of lithium-ion battery fires \u2014 intense, almost impossible to extinguish, and prone to reignition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":391672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"Explore how lithium-ion battery fire risks are reshaping the electric vehicle industry as shipping giants halt EV transport.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Matson Halts Electric Vehicle Shipping Over Fire Risks","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818341,691819743,691828406,691818618,691836895,691820973,691821174,691829799],"class_list":{"0":"post-391664","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-china","9":"tag-climate-propaganda","10":"tag-electric-vehicles-evs-2","11":"tag-energy-transition","12":"tag-global-ev-sales","13":"tag-internal-combustion-engine-ice","14":"tag-lithium-ion-batteries","15":"tag-plug-in-hybrids","17":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQMUyjKEn_BhPziHsRpDPLgP_ffgtTHSLZpF8nXUQbn_ivII4RXsGkvCZTIvheuxhnJmCC2MNJOuPDarB_Sszz98iMraaX4lEGovU34snPCQo3YwVWvUm0aN4MVS2o2TpC5ZMTkdi_eBCx8Yb4pu-SO1Mko1-g-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1DTa","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":381768,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=381768","url_meta":{"origin":391664,"position":0},"title":"When Lithium-Ion Batteries Set Sail: Another Warning to be Ignored by the Climate Technocrats","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On June 4, 2025, the\u00a0Morning Midas\u2014a cargo ship loaded with over 3,000 vehicles, including approximately 800 electric and hybrid models\u2014was left adrift in the Pacific Ocean after catching fire 300 miles southwest of Alaska\u2019s Adak Island.\u00a0Thankfully, all 22 crew members were safely evacuated. But the fire, reportedly starting on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Policy\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Policy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-policy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-6.-Juni-2025-11_51_32.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-6.-Juni-2025-11_51_32.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-6.-Juni-2025-11_51_32.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-6.-Juni-2025-11_51_32.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-6.-Juni-2025-11_51_32.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":339257,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=339257","url_meta":{"origin":391664,"position":1},"title":"EV Explosion: Lithium Battery Fires Provide New &amp; Exciting Firefighting\u00a0Opportunities","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/08\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Electric Vehicles running on wind and solar power captured and stored in lithium-ion batteries is all part of the grand \u2018transition\u2019, or so we\u2019re told. Except when those batteries self-immolate, burn for days and spew out a deadly toxic plume that threatens anything but breaths for miles around.","rel":"","context":"In \"Lithium Battery Fires\"","block_context":{"text":"Lithium Battery Fires","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=lithium-battery-fires"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Electric_Cars_Battery_Fires_75524.jpeg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Electric_Cars_Battery_Fires_75524.jpeg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Electric_Cars_Battery_Fires_75524.jpeg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Electric_Cars_Battery_Fires_75524.jpeg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Electric_Cars_Battery_Fires_75524.jpeg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":206352,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=206352","url_meta":{"origin":391664,"position":2},"title":"Dark clouds on the horizon for electric vehicles","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"29\/06\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"There are a couple of dark clouds hanging over the optimistic growth of electric vehicles (EV\u2019s) that may decimate the supply chain of lithium to make the EV batteries, and how to safely transport EV\u2019s across wide oceans. The\u00a0European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)\u00a0is expected to classify lithium carbonate, chloride, and hydroxide\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0Lithium-cube-illustration.jpg?fit=979%2C489&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0Lithium-cube-illustration.jpg?fit=979%2C489&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0Lithium-cube-illustration.jpg?fit=979%2C489&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0Lithium-cube-illustration.jpg?fit=979%2C489&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":383104,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=383104","url_meta":{"origin":391664,"position":3},"title":"Cargo Ship With Electric Vehicles Burning is Abandoned in Pacific Ocean","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"13\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"There is another example to add to the collection of incidents related to lithium batteries. Last week, a British-managed, Liberian-flagged vessel named\u00a0Morning Midas\u00a0was traveling from Yantai, China, to L\u00e1zaro C\u00e1rdenas, Mexico, carrying approximately 3,000 vehicles (750 to 800 of which were either fully electric or hybrid vehicles).","rel":"","context":"In \"Cargo ship\"","block_context":{"text":"Cargo ship","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=cargo-ship"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-13.-Juni-2025-19_32_13.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-13.-Juni-2025-19_32_13.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-13.-Juni-2025-19_32_13.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-13.-Juni-2025-19_32_13.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":284061,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=284061","url_meta":{"origin":391664,"position":4},"title":"We must put a stop to the electric vehicle revolution \u2013 before someone gets\u00a0hurt","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"19\/10\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Electric car batteries are catching fire and that is a big turnoff to buyers because the batteries of EVs can be a major safety hazard. From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT By Paul Homewood h\/t Philip Bratby What the blazes is going on? We are familiar with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"burst into flames\"","block_context":{"text":"burst into flames","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=burst-into-flames"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/OIG-13-1.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/OIG-13-1.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/OIG-13-1.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/OIG-13-1.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":337279,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337279","url_meta":{"origin":391664,"position":5},"title":"Toyota\u2019s Pratt wisely puts automotive eggs in many baskets","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"23\/07\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"During a high-profile conversation with moderator Peter Bryant at the recent RealClearEnergy Future Forum, Gill Pratt, chief scientist at Toyota, said that his company\u2019s philosophy focuses first on quality of life. From that perspective, he added, the automotive future must be a multi-pathway that respects human diversity and the diversity\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Decarbonization\"","block_context":{"text":"Decarbonization","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=decarbonization"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0shutterstock-720815413.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0shutterstock-720815413.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0shutterstock-720815413.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0shutterstock-720815413.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0shutterstock-720815413.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=391664"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":391675,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391664\/revisions\/391675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/391672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=391664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=391664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=391664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}