Many states are taking steps to get ahead of autonomous commercial vehicles that will eventually be part of everyday life. Kentucky, too, is debating a house bill that will set limitations and guidelines for this emerging technology driven by AI . While one can debate the pros and cons of AI and the long-term effects on the human race, we agree that there is a need for guidelines and tempered expectations. The truth is, from my perspective, that AI is a beneficial tool, but in the hands of most people, becomes a shortcut to an outcome and will eventually be used for unscrupulous purposes. Huma ..read more

Can you imagine a EV that you could drive across the US, from sea to shining sea, without having to stop and charge? Now, you’ll have time to check out the World’s Largest Ball of Twine and The Grand Canyon simply because you’re not looking for infrastructure and can focus on the world around you. That’s the promise of the coming future. We have said numerous times, we are just one breakthrough away (maybe several) from solving the entire clean energy problem for the entire globe. On a smaller, yet related, scale, we are one breakthrough away from higher performance, more efficient electric ve ..read more

a·nath·e·ma /əˈnaTHəmə/ noun Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes. car·math·e·ma /car MATH amuh/ noun The reluctance of people to do basic math regarding EV ownership (which is anathema to me). Kentucky now has an EV tax in place supposedly to offset waning revenue from the 26 cent per gallon gasoline tax.  A spokesman for EvolveKY, an EV advocacy group headquartered in Louisville, said that he was not surprised and that “it needed to come. We need to pay our fair share.”  The fee is $120 and will be paid when the car is registered every year (another tax).&nbs ..read more

We are back. Welcome to 2024. We recorded this episode on January 22 in the middle of a polar vortex. As you can see, it took me (Ben) a while to get it posted. I do apologize and hope to do better. Every day is an adventure, huh? In mid-January, our part of the world experienced heavy snow (more than usual anyway) followed by bitter cold. This was true for most of the eastern part of the U.S. and we were greeted by several news stories where Tesla drivers were having trouble charging. Either the car wouldn’t charge or it took extraordinarily long. To say the least, the tone for most of these ..read more

It’s the end of an era. Lamborghini, one of the most iconic sports car companies ever, after 60 years of business, has announced they will no longer be making strictly internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Instead, they will focus on electrifying their fleet starting with the Revuelto plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Interestingly enough, Revuelto is a famous Spanish fighting bull, which fits perfectly with their bull logo. Revuelto is also translated from Spanish as “scrambled” or “mixed-up”, which describes the battery-ICE combination. Clever… In a previous episode, we talked abo ..read more

EVs are the “in” thing. Most manufacturers are scrambling to get electric models to market. Some are dipping their toe into the water. Some are going full-blown cannonball from the 10 meter platform into the EV pool. Five or six years ago when I (Ben) began educating myself on EVs, I was part of a focus group organized to chart the future of EV adoption and to craft policies for the cooperatives in Kentucky. The group hosted several members from the nearby Toyota plant in Georgetown, KY who shared (what they could) about what Toyota had in development. At the time, we were told that Toyota was ..read more

The United States Department of Energy awarded 20 companies government loans totaling $2.8 billion to boost battery production in the United States. Texas-based Microvast was one of those companies and they announced plans to build a $500+ million dollar facility here in Kentucky which would create more than 500 jobs. Kentucky joined the cause offering $21 million in tax incentives to Microvast. Abruptly, the DOE pulled funding when some congressional Republicans questioned some “improper ties to China”. Now Kentucky is holding off on the tax incentives until Microvast can explain why the DOE ..read more

Enjoy the wrap-up of our discussion about infrastructure and financial responsibility ..read more

Ben wanted to get back to the basics and talk about the 3 levels of charging. Brent suggested that we take an original EV Diaries episode and review it “on-air” to see if anything has changed since 2019. What do you think ..read more

After years of waiting, the Tesla Cybertruck is here. The trucks are finally rolling of the production floor and into the garages of the people that made their reservations when it was first unveiled, assuming they still wanted it. It occurs to us that despite the long wait, people are still intrigued by the unusual utility vehicle and new excitement is brewing. In this episode, Brent wanted to dig into the specifics of the three models that are or will become available as orders are filled. He also wanted to discuss how ordering a vehicle without a test drive works and about what one should b ..read more