From parking spaces to power stations

Liam Gilliver writes on the Euronews website about the untapped potential of solar car parks, contrasting countries like France that are mandating them with the UK's decision to step back. Solar car parks are popping up across Europe, but not every country seems to think they’re a smart investment. Solar car parks could cut … Continue reading From parking spaces to power stations →

Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026

As this week’s Energy in Demand was being prepared, more than 280,000 people had been ordered to flee or lock down as huge wildfires swept Spain and France, prompting Madrid to declare a national emergency and the French authorities to order the total evacuation, by land and sea, of one of the country’s best-known holiday … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026 →

China’s EV gamble has paid off

In an article on The Conversation website, Timothy Minchin, Professor of History, La Trobe University and Michelle Shu Wun Kuek, Doctoral student in History, La Trobe University write about China's long-term industrial strategy paying off, while Western and Japanese automakers struggle to adapt to the electric vehicle transition. It is as much about industrial policy … Continue reading China’s EV gamble has paid off →

The oil shock is a wake-up call for car-dependent cities

Christopher J. Greyson-Gaito, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, McMaster University writes on The Conversation website about using the oil price shock as a wake-up call to build more resilient, less car-dependent cities. Oil price shocks have exposed car‑dependent cities. Here’s what governments can doThe recent Israeli-United States war with Iran sent oil … Continue reading The oil shock is a wake-up call for car-dependent cities →

Electric vehicles: separating legitimate concerns from misinformation

Stuart Braun writes on the Deutsche Welle website about countering common myths about electric vehicles, especially around batteries, critical minerals, fires and supply chains, while putting these concerns into context. Claims that electric vehicle batteries are tainted by exploitative mineral supply chains are discrediting non-fossil cars as electrified road transport booms. Are electric car … Continue reading Electric vehicles: separating legitimate concerns from misinformation →

Energy in Demand News, June 21-22, 2026

At the recent Bonn Climate Change Conference, climate negotiators met to discuss a range of issues – from mitigation to adaptation, finance to technology and capacity-building – and prepare decisions for adoption at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye in November. Fiona Harvey wrote in the Guardian that for “decades, electrification has been a nerdish backwater of … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, June 21-22, 2026 →

The electric vehicle revolution is happening faster than anyone expected

Gero Rueter writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the extraordinary global acceleration of electric vehicle adoption and how falling battery costs, industrial policy and energy security concerns are driving the transition away from combustion engines. China is driving the transition, but Europe and other countries are catching up fast. EVs are no longer a … Continue reading The electric vehicle revolution is happening faster than anyone expected →

150 new power plants: the cost of balancing the grid if the EU slashes EV targets

Scaling back the EU’s electric car targets makes the transition to renewables far more expensive to achieve according to a new study for Transport & Environment. Europe’s electricity system could be one of the biggest victims of plans to scale back electric vehicle targets. By providing ‘batteries on wheels’, EVs are set to fundamentally rewire … Continue reading 150 new power plants: the cost of balancing the grid if the EU slashes EV targets →

European cities are starting to show what happens when streets are built for people

Zeeshan Tirmizi writes on the Deutsche Welle website about a citizen-led campaign in Berlin that is collecting signatures to create a car‑free centre in the German capital. Other European cities also show what happens when streets are built for people. Here's what happens when cities kick out cars Berliners lost 60 hours to traffic … Continue reading European cities are starting to show what happens when streets are built for people →

The economic case for electric vehicles is now improving

In an article on The Conversation website, Viet Nguyen-Tien, Research Economist, London School of Economics and Political Science; Gavin D. J. Harper, Research Fellow, Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements & Critical Materials, University of Birmingham; and Robert Elliott, Professor of Economics, University of Birmingham discuss how the crisis at the Strait of Hormuz has been … Continue reading The economic case for electric vehicles is now improving →