His collection Bugattis, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris appear more for show
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund launches electric vehicle infrastructure company
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2387526/business-economy
The Green Environmental Dragon of the Beast’s Kingdom. Who Can Make War With His Climate Agenda?
Saudi Arabia’s EV goals need infrastructure implementation, says EVIQ CEO
Updated 35 sec ago MANAL AL-BARAKATI November 25, 202322:46
RIYADH: A robust electric vehicle transition that will support Saudi Arabia’s energy goals can only occur with the needed infrastructure, the CEO of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Co. has told Arab News.
Mohammad Gazzaz said the Kingdom has outlined “clear plans” for its ambitions toward electrification, making the need for a framework to fulfill the goals imperative.
Research carried out by his firm – a collaborative effort between the Public Investment Fund and the Saudi Electricity Company – outlined that while there is “huge interest” in EVs among the Kingdom’s population, one of the barriers for potential buyers is the lack of infrastructure.
However, in what was described by Gazzaz as “the chicken or the egg situation,” investors are not keen to put money into the infrastructure because of the high capital cost and the limited number of EVs on the road.
EVIQ is hoping to break the stalemate by installing over 5,000 fast chargers across 1,000 locations throughout the Kingdom.
“In order for those (electrification) ambitions to be fully recognized, one of the key aspects in terms of helping achieve that vision and ambition is the availability of a robust public charging infrastructure network,” Gazzaz said.
He underscored the pivotal role that the SEC – which owns 25 percent of the company – will play, aiding in the development and enhancement of the ecosystem.
The body will be able to “quickly address” some of the apparent issues in the market.
Similarly, Gazzaz noted that PIF’s “very conscious decision” to make an investment in EVIQ aims to tackle the stifling of growth in international markets due to the lack of a functional charging network.
The initiative will aid in facilitating progress within the sector as a whole, the executive outlined, saying: “There are other strategic related projects, such as SEER and LUCID, that the PIF has invested in, and this is going to enable those companies in terms of having the infrastructure available. But also just overall in terms of EV adoption and the decarbonization targets of the Kingdom.”
The company is working with automakers that are offering, or are soon to start delivering, EVs in the Saudi market, to ensure a seamless and efficient user experience, with goals of integrating EVIQ’s charging network into the cars’ onboard navigation systems.
Despite the fact that the number of EVs on the road remains limited, the venture hopes to catalyze the transition needed to “ignite the sector” through collaborating with a broad range of partners, including those in real estate, vehicle manufacturers and governmental entities.
“If we talk about the Public investment Fund, essentially, there is a portfolio of companies that exists in there, that is one of the areas where we were able to build a lot of collaboration and create value across these companies,” he said.
“For example, we’re having conversations with real estate companies within the portfolio to ensure that for new projects that are being built, the infrastructure required is taken into account as part of that process of building out these new locations and for existing locations, it’s ensuring that they start thinking about electrification,” he added.
By deploying the chargers across the Kingdom, the CEO noted that this will lead to a market that is inherently more attractive and viable for the private sector investor, drawing more interest into the sector.
“They will be coming into a market where adoption is growing for EVs. It’s going to be more predictable, if you will, in terms of what the adoption rates are going to be,” Gazzaz said.
“At the same time, it’s going to be a market where there is local talent, there is local capabilities and local know-how in terms of how to deploy this infrastructure,” he added.
The EV and electrification industry remains an area with tremendous room for growth, as a multitude of companies within the global automotive sector have set clear goals of moving to 100 percent, or close to 100 percent, electrification over the next decade or so, according to the CEO, making the option of having a fuel vehicle “more and more constrained in terms of optionality.”
By looking at markets that have undergone this transformation in the last decade, it becomes apparent that this undertaking within the Kingdom cannot be tasked to one single entity. Rather, it births opportunities within the sector for players in manufacturing, maintenance and installation, according to the executive.
“To hit that 1,000 locations, there is going to be a big jump that’s happening on the tail end of 2030. And to be able to scale that kind of thing, you need to have a lot of partners in place that are very capable,” Gazzaz said.
“Ultimately, there is not one company or one organization that’s going to address all the EV infrastructure requirements. There’s different areas that need to be addressed as well … we’re working with different government entities as well. And more importantly, in the private sector are the electrical procurement and construction partners,” he added.
Part of the company’s mandate is to collaborate with a multitude of players over the next couple of years, noted the CEO, with installation and maintenance being the biggest “ticket items” for the infrastructure framework. The company intends to work with local companies nationwide to fulfill these roles.
EVIQ is outlining projects for destination charging, inner-city charging and intercity charging to ensure broad coverage. However, it does not intend to address the entire market’s infrastructure needs.
Gazzaz said: “All we’re doing is just setting the first milestone, in terms of making sure that across the Kingdom there is a robust infrastructure and there is going to be a lot of room for other investors to come in and it’s going to get much more attractive as EV adoption grows.”
Education and awareness are integral to the transformation, thus becoming a “major factor” of the company’s mandate. Gazzaz noted that the EV space remains surrounded by various misconceptions about efficiency.
By working with other companies within the ecosystem, the company aims to address the myths regarding charging speed, noting that the shift will need a change in habits for the consumer.
“One example is it takes hours to charge an electric vehicle. And I think one thing I always tell people, I have been driving an electric vehicle for some time now, and ultimately it’s just a change in habits,” Gazzaz said.
“It’s not that when you’re low on battery, you go to a location and you charge your vehicle the way you do with a fuel vehicle. It’s about charging whenever the car is just sitting around doing nothing. So for me, I go home, plug it in and leave it overnight and wake up in the morning and just continue with my day,” he added.
As technology continues to evolve rapidly, EVIQ is establishing a closed research and development facility, to be announced in the upcoming weeks, ensuring that it remains updated with the ever-growing ecosystem.
“Today, depending on who you ask, it’s a very, very small number of electric vehicles that are on the road. But over the next couple of years, we’re going to see those numbers increase quite significantly as more models become available in the market,” the CEO said.
“We see the technology continue to advance on a regular basis; charging speeds are going down, efficiency is increasing quite significantly. The range that these cars are getting is, in some cases, significantly well over your typical fuel vehicle,” he added.
Gazzaz said the company aims to test various chargers with a multitude of new technology and numerous vehicles to ensure that as the initiative develops, it continues to enhance its platform network.
The green scam: How electric vehicles harm the environment that they’re supposed to save
In 2032, India will need a billion tonnes of coal, partly to charge EVs in urban areas via power generated by thermal plants
24 Nov, 2023 14:42 RT
Five (5) Indian cities, including the capital, New Delhi, consistently rank in the world’s top ten worst air-polluted cities. Vehicular emissions are significant contributors; Delhi alone has around four million cars – no wonder the government of India is promoting electric vehicles (EVs) on a large scale. While India’s target is a 30% market share of EVs by 2030, the share is currently only 1.1%. Moreover, concerns exist about whether EVs are a green option if pollution is transferred from the cities to the countryside.
Around 27.4 million EVs were running on Indian roads as of July 2023, according to the ‘Vahan4’ portal of the Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways. To achieve its goal of net zero by 2070 to cut down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, India is expanding its EV market. The hope in New Delhi, for example, is that a rise in the number of green-number plate vehicles will herald a day when its air will become breathable again. However, India’s EVs depend on just the 8,738 Public Charging Stations (PCS) that are operational as of June 2023, as per the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power data. The number of PCS needs to increase to a minimum of 1.32 million, states the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on ‘Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles,’ to support the 30% market share target.
But will EVs really be emission-free?
For an EV to achieve maximum environmental benefit, the electricity used for charging must be generated from green or renewable sources.
However, much of India’s electricity is still dependent on coal-based thermal power plants, and the government is on a spree to auction more mines and make non-operational mines functional again. India’s total thermal installed capacity is 238.1 Gigawatts, and over 48.67% of thermal power (around 116 GW) is obtained from coal, and electricity demand is increasing by 4.7% annually. As per the National Electricity Plan (2022-32), the projected peak electricity demand for 2026-27 will be 277.2 GW, and for 2031-32, it will be 366.4 GW.
Despite efforts to generate electricity from renewable sources, according to NEP 2022-23, much of India’s electricity will still be derived from thermal plants running on coal by the early 2030s. The share of coal-based capacity in the total installed capacity for the year 2026-27 is likely to be 38.57% and 28.83% for the year 2031-32, which will be around 107 GW and 106 GW respectively, by 2026-27 and 2031-32 – little difference from the present scenario.
“All projections including those of IEA (International Energy Agency), anticipate that coal-based generation is likely to peak around the early 2030s following which the generation will fall and the generation from non-fossil-based sources will increase,” Swati D’Souza, an independent energy expert and former energy analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis told RT.
The ‘Transitioning India’s Road Transport Sector: Realising Climate and Air Quality Benefits’ report by the IEA, in collaboration with NITI Aayog, says that the transport sector contributes to 12% of the total GHG emissions in India. But as India seeks to satisfy the mobility needs of its growing, urbanizing, and rapidly developing population, energy demand and CO₂ emissions from the sector could double by 2050.
A billion tonnes within a decade
NEP projections indicate a substantial demand for coal, with an estimated 831.5 million tonnes in 2026-27 and 1018.2 million tonnes in 2031-32. Power plants relying on coal will likely import approximately 40 million tonnes to meet the growing demand.
But, V K Shrivastava, a former advisor for petroleum refineries, petrochemicals, and energy at BEE, told RT that the central government is launching several schemes and incentives to encourage the use of green energy for charging stations, which would go a long way in making EVs emissions-free, even indirectly.
He emphasized open access to renewable energy, a way of procuring green energy from renewable sources through the power grid; consumers choose their preferred source and pay only for what they consume without owning or operating a generation plant.
“The open access route 2022 is a noteworthy incentive for power distribution companies (DISCOMS) as it provides a 20% rebate on electricity prices when they provide green power to charging points in public spaces during the daytime. Additionally, the Open Access Transaction limit has been reduced from one MW to 100 kW to enable small consumers to purchase renewable power through open access,” he says.
Will EVs just offset GHG emissions from urban to rural India?
Concerns regarding the rise in rural pollution lead to the question of whether the adoption of EVs will offset urban pollution in rural areas as the demand for coal-based electricity increases.
Dr. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur (IIT-K), told RT that agricultural waste-burning, road transport, thermal power plants, refineries, and the steel industry contribute about 45% to the total nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) emissions in rural India. In contrast, thermal power plants are a significant source of CO₂ emissions.
“NO₂ pollution has been increasing in rural areas for the last 20 years,” says Kuttippurath, the author of ‘Air quality trends in rural India: analysis of NO2 pollution using satellite measurements’. “It is also important to note that while the adoption of EVs might lead to reduced CO₂ emissions in metropolitan areas, this reduction may be counterbalanced by an increase in the mining activities or emissions from thermal power plants.”
A report’ Decarbonising Transport: What Does It Mean for India?’ released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in March 2023, states that according to the Fuel Institute, a think tank in Europe, 73% of the emissions from Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) vehicles are released due to vehicle operations while for EVs, 72% of the emissions originate from the fuel burnt to produce electricity which charges the EV battery.
In December 2022, the CO2 baseline database for the Indian power sector, released by the Central Electricity Authority, showed that around 0.968 metric tons of CO₂ emissions are released for the generation of one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity by thermal power plants running on fossil fuels in India, which are majorly located in rural areas of the country.
Optimism on renewables
But D’Souza is hopeful that with the rise in renewable energy, India may not see a surge in coal-based power generation beyond what has already been planned.
“I’m not sure about the potential increase because a large many coal mines are actually shutting down in this decade, so we may not see a surge in coal-based power generation, and pollution in rural areas can be mitigated. But a lot needs to be done to mitigate existing pollution,” she says.
Randheer Singh, ex-director of NITI Aayog and currently the CEO of ForeSee Advisors, echoes D’Souza’s views. He told RT that the Power Ministry has taken several steps for grid modernization while the capacity of renewable power generation has increased multifold in the last five years.
“With the introduction of the hydrogen mission and the green energy obligation, many emission factors are countered. However, more needs to be done, including introducing stringent emission standards and rural electrification through renewables,” Singh told RT.
Another problem is the load-shedding in most cities and electrified villages. As per NEP September 2022, the peak power deficit in India during 2021-22 was just 1.2 %, but an increase in demand for electricity for charging stations and the consequential deficit in supply might become bigger problems. “If we look at projections, by 2030 we can see the share of EVs which are likely to increase are mostly two and three-wheelers which can be charged at home. The PCS comes into play when we think of four-wheeler electric vehicles. So whatever anticipated surge in electricity demand around that time has been taken into account and will not lead to a power deficit,” adds D’Souza.
Environmental impact of Lithium mining in India
In 2021, the Ministry of Heavy Industries launched the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, with an allocated budget of INR 259,380 million ($3.1 billion) for the Automobile and Auto component industry, to encourage and enhance the domestic manufacturing of Advanced Automotive Technology products including EVs and their components.
However, 70% of India’s lithium-ion cell requirements for EVs are imported from China and Hong Kong, a roadblock in delivering domestically- manufactured, cost-efficient EVs.
In February 2023, lithium deposits were discovered in Jammu & Kashmir. Initial estimates by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) suggest a reserve of 5.9 billion tonnes of lithium, positioning India as a potential lithium producer. It may reduce its dependence on other countries for EV batteries.
The central government plans to auction the newly discovered mining blocks by December. However, the mining process will be complex and resource-intensive as the J&K blocks are in the form of hard rocks, unlike the brine found in South America, which will need more water and electricity. Additionally, mining in the region’s fragile ecosystem will have a major environmental impact on its biodiversity and natural resources.
D’Souza says that in India, though there are laws against environmental pollution from mining activities, they face challenges in implementation, and there is a growing concern about the potential weakening of these laws, as observed in the case of the Environment Protection Act this year.
“The development and production from lithium mines will take at least ten years, so the government has time to reinforce environmental protection laws associated with mining activities to address the environmental challenges posed by lithium extraction in J&K,” she says.
Shrivastav opines that while the mining of lithium will have an impact on the ecosystem, it will be far less than that of coal mines. The recycling of batteries, now a global trend, might provide respite.
“The lifespan of an EV battery, about 8-9 years, extends to 20 years through reuse. After reaching a charging capacity of less than 40%, these batteries, deemed unfit for EVs, remain suitable for powering communication towers and instrumentation circuits,” he says.
By Shuchita Jha, an independent environmental journalist based in Bhopal, India.
But how can (7) they call on him (Jesus Christ) to save (7) them unless they believe in Him (Jesus Christ)? (7) And how can they believe in Him (7) (Jesus Christ) if they have never heard about (7) Him (Jesus Christ)? And how can they hear (7) about Him (Jesus Christ) unless someone tells them?” Romans 10:14 (777777)
In His Service,
Night Watchman
Paul Rolland
Night Watchman Ministries
Make Your (7) Decision for Christ NOW!!!!!!! Time is Up!!!!!!!
Jesus Christ’s Offer of Salvation:
The ABCs (7) of Salvation through Jesus Christ (the Lamb)
A. (7) Admit/Acknowledge/Accept that you are sinner. Ask (7) God’s forgiveness and repent of your sins.
. . . “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).
. . . “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10).
. . . “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8).
B. Believe Jesus is Lord. Believe that (7) Jesus Christ is who He claimed to (7) be; that He was both fully God (7) and fully man and that we are (7) saved through His death, burial, and resurrection. (7) Put your trust in Him as your (7) only hope of salvation. Become a son (7) or daughter of God by receiving Christ. (7777777) 7×7
. . . “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:15-17). For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).
C. Call upon His name, Confess (7) with your heart and with your lips (7) that Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
. . . “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10).
. . . “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (John 1:8-10).
. . . “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (John 2:2).
. . . “In this was manifested the love of god toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:9, 14-15).
. . . “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:8-10).
. . . “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).
. . . “Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).
. . . “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” (Romans 1:16).
. . . “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts: 4:12).
. . . “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth for there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:4-6).
. . . “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
. . . “But as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12).
True Church / Bride of Christ Spared from God’s Wrath:
Romans 5:8-10. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
Romans 12:19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 1:10. And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 5:9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 8:35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Jeremiah 30:7. Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.