Free Republic

The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revealed its ambition: to phase out gas-powered cars in favor of electric vehicles (EVs). Incredibly, this announcement comes as we are flooded with overwhelming evidence that EVs are a market loser. Indeed, the artificial boom and then meltdown of the EV market is a modern industrial calamity. It was created by government, social media, wild disease frenzy, far-flung thinking, and the irrational chasing of utopia, followed by a rude awakening by facts and reality. CEO of Hertz Stephen Scherr has been booted out due to a vast purchase of an EV fleet...

While it has gone virtually unreported on by the American corporate press, left-wing activists in Canada are waging an all-out war on Christians that has seen hundreds of churches burned to the ground. Meanwhile, American Christians are facing their own wave of persecution that shows no sign of letting up. The rash of church burnings began back in 2021 following claims from leaders of the British Columbia First Nation Band Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc that ground-penetrating radar had discovered a “mass grave” of more than 200 indigenous children. The grave allegedly dated back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries,...

a larger campaign to drive Americans out of rural areas and centralize access to food, the Biden administration is rolling out a draconian and needless new wastewater rule that could put small and mid-size food processing facilities out of business. A large group of United States senators and representatives are demanding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw a new meat and poultry wastewater proposal, which they claim “stands to hamper rural economies and drive small- and mid-sized processing facilities out of business.” “Given the technical complexity and high costs of wastewater treatment alterations, coupled with the massive expansion of the...

For a number of years, I’ve been observing demands of activists and promises of politicians that we transition our electrical grid to being supplied mainly by the intermittent renewables, wind and solar, with all large dispatchable sources (fossil fuel and nuclear) banished. Early on, I thought it was obvious that such a transition would inevitably mean that the only way to make the grid function full-time would be energy storage — on a vast scale never before contemplated or attempted. How much storage, and at what potential cost? This is actually an arithmetic problem, somewhat cumbersome but conceptually very elementary,...

Lithium-ion batteries used in E-bikes and other electronic mobility devices are now a leading cause of fires in New York City following their popularity surged during the pandemic’s delivery boom, FDNY officials say. FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn told The Post that fires related to lithium-ion batteries have gone up nearly nine-fold since the pandemic, with more blazes related to the batteries happening in the last two months than in all of 2019. “It’s the prevalence of these e-devices on our streets, there’s way more of them now than ever before,” Flynn said.

Since 2017, hospitalizations due to e-bike injuries have risen 43-fold, ... Over 45,000 Americans were injured as a result of e-bike injuries between 2017 and 2022, indicating a 30-fold rise in the number of injuries caused by the popular mode of transportation. Nearly one in 10 of those injuries required hospitalization. ... 2022, e-bikes accounted for 4 percent of the bike market in the United States, up from 0.06 percent in 2015. ... between 2017 and 2022, the number of injuries rose from 751 to 23,493—over a 108 percent annual increase. Men were those most often injured, receiving between 69...

A massive fire broke out at a French industrial site used for recycling hybrid and electric car batteries on Saturday, sending thick clouds of smoke into the air. The town of Viviez in the department of Aveyron in Southern France was shrouded by black clouds of smoke after a fire broke out at a warehouse used to hold hybrid and electric car lithium batteries. Overall, the site held an estimated 900 tonnes of lithium batteries, however, officials claimed that the cause of the fire has still not been determined, Le Figaro reports.

There has been an almost total media blackout on this story… In fact, the only place I’ve seen it covered is on Twitter/X. Thank you Elon! Basically, a large part of Chile (a tourist city named Valparaiso) has been completely burned to the ground, and the similarities to what happened to Maui are impossible to ignore. The recent wildfires in Chile have caused widespread devastation, claiming at least 112 lives and leaving hundreds more missing. The fires, which have been burning across the country, have prompted the government to declare a state of emergency. One of the most severely affected...

South Korean drivers are concerned that their future EVs could catch fire while charging or in a car crash ... In 2020 and 2021, several high-profile cases of EVs catching fire were reported in South Korea. Three years ago, an electric bus manufactured by Hyundai Motor caught fire while in use. A few months earlier, Hyundai Motor recalled more than 77,000 Kona EVs sold globally after 13 of the electric crossover vehicles caught fire. Hyundai and its battery supplier LG Chem were at odds over the reasons for the recall, with the battery cell maker saying it wasn’t its battery...

France’s President Macron had a plan to make millions of electric vehicles a year. Chancellor Scholz planned to put 15 million on Germany’s roads by 2030. President Biden trumped the lot with a $174bn (£138bn) plan to make the US the world leader. Even Boris Johnson Get info without leaving the page. – remember him – had a £1bn plan to beef up our charging network. Rewind only a couple of years, and almost every president or prime minister was making electric vehicles the cornerstone of an industrial strategy. And yet, this week we have learned that Renault is abandoning...

He got iced. Starbucks fired a barista who was toiling to pay for paramedic school after he helped subdue two robbers who pistol-whipped him. Michael Harrison, 20, told The Post he was manning the drive-thru last month when two masked men entered his downtown St. Louis location around noon and told everyone to get on the ground. With one of the invaders waving what appeared to be a gun, the roughly ten employees and one customer present got on their stomachs in terror. Many of them, the aspiring EMT said, were crying in fear.

An electric double-decker bus caught fire in southwest London on Thursday, prompting the city’s transportation agency to remove a fleet from service as a precaution while the incident is investigated, according to reports. Passengers on the bus in Wimbledon during rush hour had to be evacuated, but no injuries were reported, according to BBC News. Video of the incident show flames and smoke engulfing an apparent rear section of the bus. "Safety is our top priority and we are working with the operator, London General, and the bus manufacturer, Switch, to investigate what happened," Transport for London’s head of business...

A Quebec man who posted conspiracy theories online that forest fires were being deliberately set by the government has pleaded guilty to starting a series of fires himself that forced hundreds of people from their homes. Brian Paré, 38, pleaded guilty Monday to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life at the courthouse in Chibougamau, Que. Prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charron told the court that two of the 14 fires set by Paré forced the evacuation of around 500 homes in Chapais, Que...

Officials today launched an investigation after one of Sadiq Khan's electric buses exploded during today's rush hour. Terrified residents in Wimbledon described a massive 'bang' after a double decker burst into flames during this morning's commute, sparking chaos on the roads as black smoke filled the streets. Astonishing video obtained by MailOnline shows the dramatic moment firefighters battled to put out the inferno. Transport for London (TfL) today launched an investigation after the blaze destroyed the rear and blew out the back windows ... 'It took a long time for them to get it under control with flames flying out...

A serial arson suspect, who a New York judge freed without bail Monday, ignited a new investigation less than two hours later on armed robbery charges, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Amanda Burnside, a Southampton woman who was accused of lighting fires at three houses, was released on her own recognizance despite prosecutors’ request that the judge set bail at $500,000 or $1 million bond. A judge ordered her to report for supervised release within 72 hours. Instead, according to authorities, she waited less than two hours before she acquired a knife, went into a Dollar Tree...

Australia’s Maritime Safety Authority has issued a domestic commercial vessel safety alert on the risks of ferrying battery powered cars (EVs), download it here. Each ferry operator must conduct a risk assessment for their vessel to ensure that they are capable of dealing with potential EV fires. They list the risks of carrying EVs as follows: High voltage shocks. Direct jet flames. Fires develop in intensity quickly and rapidly reach their maximum intensity (typically within 2-3 minutes). Toxic gases. Gas explosion (if the released gas accumulates for a while before being ignited). Long lasting re-ignition risk (can ignite or re-ignite...

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of travelers faced disruption as all flights were suspended Wednesday at London's Luton airport after a fire tore through a newly built parking garage, destroying vehicles and partially collapsing the structure. Four firefighters and an airport employee were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation after the fire, which broke out on Tuesday evening.

The inferno was caused by a car fire, London Luton airport said in a statement All flights have been suspended at Luton airport as a huge fire tears through a terminal car park. Access to the airport has been restricted by the fire at Terminal 2 short stay, with people warned not to travel to get their flights. The inferno was caused by a car fire, the airport said in a statement, and emergency services are in attendance. Passengers have claimed online that boarded flights on the tarmac are being disembarked and that they have been told the airport has...

A BOY of 15 has been killed in a giant explosion feared to have been triggered by detonating electric car batteries. At least 163 were also injured following the huge blast in a customs warehouse near Tashkent Airport in Uzbekistan in the early hours, which was felt up to 20 miles away. Shocking footage shows the explosion at 2.43am local time, which caused damage to hundreds of houses and other buildings over a vast area. Batteries for electric cars exploded at the airport warehouse, it is understood. Dozens of ambulances ferried the wounded to hospitals and at least five children...

More Than 2,000 Children From Lahaina Public Schools Still Missing After Maui Wildfires There are still 850 people missing from the Maui wildfires, but a new report from the Hawaii State Department of Education shows that there are more than 2,000 children who are unaccounted for in the public school system.