In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
Arizona’s now-closed Navajo Generating Station coal plant’s smokestacks will topple this week.
The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance releases principles to accelerate US commercial fleet electrification.
UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now…
Back in July, Google made a push for fun interactive experiences on Assistant devices. In the midst of the holiday season, more games are coming, along with a redesigned lobby on Smart Displays that better curates what is available.
Games on Smart Displays are powered by…
VW unveils impressive EV fast-charging station in Arizona desert to test charging at high temperatures
December 17, 2020
VW is unveiling an impressive electric car fast-charging station in the Arizona desert to test charging at extremely high temperatures.
Successful fast-charging is highly dependent on maintaining a stable temperature of the batteries inside an electric vehicle.
That’s…
Google boosts referrals and other rewards on new Google Pay to $21 until the new year
December 17, 2020
The new Google Pay app brings new ways to manage your funds and exchange money between friends, but it also has a powerful rewards offering. Now, Google is boosting some rewards in the new Google Pay to $21 through the new year.
From now until December 31, select rewards in the new Google Pay app are being upgraded. Firstly, that includes direct referrals, which have jumped from just $5 to a…
Big EV supporter Jennifer Granholm tapped for energy secretary
December 17, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to name Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan, as secretary of energy. She is a huge advocate for electric vehicles. Biden’s choice was confirmed by four people to the Associated Press.
Granholm is currently an adjunct…
Netflix has a huge library of content, but its well-designed app may be one of the service’s more attractive features. Now, Netflix is testing a new audio-only mode on its Android app.
As first reported by the folks over at Android Police, some Android users are seeing a…
Electric vehicle battery cost officially dips under critical $100/kWh price point but there’s a catch
December 17, 2020
Electric vehicle batteries have officially dipped under the critical $100 per kWh price point for the first time.
However, it was for the price of battery packs for electric buses in China.
Price per kWh is a metric used to track the price of batteries.
It can be used to talk about the cost of battery packs or battery cells.
For example, Tesla was achieving a cost per kWh of $150 for its Model…
Google tests new Search image and text previews on hover
December 17, 2020
Google Search is perhaps the most-used tool on the web today, and as such the company is always experimenting with new ways to improve it. This week, Google Search is testing a slight UI tweak that shows image previews when you hover over a link.
Showing up now for some…
Tesla Model Y to help electrify two US police departments
December 17, 2020
Tesla Model Y has been chosen by two US police departments to accelerate the electrification of their fleet.
Some police departments have been quick to do the math and realize the benefits of going electric.
Tesla’s Model 3 has become a popular vehicle for police…
Today, Pixel phones and the top Samsung devices are guaranteed to get three years of major software upgrades. Working with Qualcomm, Google is now making it feasible for Android devices to get 4 OS versions and years of security updates.
In 2017, Google re-architected Android to be more modular, thus allowing updates to be easier and faster to implement. With Project Treble, OEMs can just update…
