Wait I don't understand is this just an excuse? Is this a slightly more subtle example of an "anti" movement being emboldened by what's happening in the US, despite the same legal framework not applying? Like the anti abortionists in Europe are on the rise. Or is there a legitimate reason that it depends a bit on US policy?
Nothing "anti" about this decision. The province's credit rating was recently downgraded (1). Investing in a struggling local company that had a dim outlook even before the US election (2) would be a tough sell.
I read it as the opposite. A business that's already in trouble that has cross border entanglements in the current climate and can't get private support is a perfectly reasonable time for a government to cut off money.
The only bit where slowing electrification comes up is the first sentence, which felt like an attempt to spin fallout from Trump chaos as people waking up to the folly of electrification instead.
We just completely lost all investments in Northvolt so the government is being very careful with high profile investments into renewables, especially when we've bankrolled them before and they couldn't deliver.
But wasnt Northvolt a stupid idea to begin with? They ordered whole Chinese manufacturing line but forgot to secure technology transfer? Paid for the line and then discovered it takes more than pressing buttons to make good product.
There are _loads_ of electric bus manufacturers; many of the big incumbent manufacturers, at least in Europe, literally have the same chassis in electric and non-electric versions. My local bus system uses these, for instance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_StreetDeck#StreetDeck_E... - they're available in plain diesel, light hybrid, hydrogen, and electric.
Even for double deckers, which are a bit of a niche and really mostly only used in Ireland and the UK in Europe, there are at least four big manufacturers, only one of which is BYD.
The best thing about EBs is, they do not hum and vibrate so much making it feel like the bus is about to transform into some Decepticon bot any minute now.
Huh. I suppose that bus contract probably does make up a sizeable amount of their business. I last saw them at a trade show where they had their class 5 and 6 cab over truck chasses. There was a huge push for EV package delivery, for which that size was ideal. Their offerings looked pretty polished compared to the competition. I would think the CARB rules (and those in the other states that follow CARB) would stir a bit more demand for Lion's product offerings, but I can see what Quebec would be hesitant about such a company operating internationally in the r current political environment.
"the group was seeking government aid of about $24 million to relaunch the company."
sure, let's throw away another $24 million in a company that failed
Government should not be backstopping poorly run companies from the consequences of their failure to execute. That will only encourage further irresponsibility.
Does that apply to Boeing too? Letting poorly run companies fail runs the risk of causing national security problems when you're suddenly dependent on a hostile power for parts of your supply chain.
I am not sure what your point is. If Boeing went bankrupt, someone could buy them and the company would continue running. Also, Boeing is not the most important defense contractor in the US. They don’t make the F35 and they don’t make the new B21 Raider. The world is not going to end if Boeing disappears.
Readit News
1. https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/sp-global-lowers-que...
2. https://globalnews.ca/news/10673318/lion-electric-300-more-l...
The only bit where slowing electrification comes up is the first sentence, which felt like an attempt to spin fallout from Trump chaos as people waking up to the folly of electrification instead.
Dead Comment
https://workingmancapital.com/auction/lion-electric-chicago-...
Here's another example, available in diesel, plugin hybrid, electric, and _natural gas_: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Dennis_Enviro400_Cit... (my local system uses the hybrid version of these).
Even for double deckers, which are a bit of a niche and really mostly only used in Ireland and the UK in Europe, there are at least four big manufacturers, only one of which is BYD.
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They are also so much more comfortable.
Less noisy, less rattly.
I would think it makes society healthier to have quieter, less annoying ways to commute.
This is something else, a startup that I've only ever seen schoolbuses from.
> Our results indicate that today's electrified bus fleets are roughly cost comparable to their traditional diesel counterparts
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X2...