Welcome To The Impact

📟 Technology

• GM thinks it can beat Tesla in the battle of the battery! They claim their new design will give their cars 400 miles of range and will be cheaper to produce than Tesla’s. We’ll see if they can deliver. [CNN]

• The LA electric plane startup Wright Electric expects their flagship model to enter service in 2027-2030. They have a partnership with EasyJet, and see it as the next step in aviation. [CleanTechnica]

• A new and potentially game-changing solid battery formula – it uses a solid polymer conductor (opposed to a liquid conductor) and could be a big step towards cheaper, safer, and more efficient batteries. [WIRED]

• An Interior Department official has been inserting misleading and false language about climate change into the agency’s environmental studies and impact reports. [NYT]

• New bills in a handful of states let prosecutors seek “lengthy prison terms and steep fines for people who trespass on or damage ‘critical infrastructure’ facilities” (read environmental protestors, and Oil and Gas infrastructure) – here’s the low-down of how these new laws are playing out in court. [Inside Climate News]

• It’s not just their products– now companies are marketing their brand as Carbon neutral. Vox explains what these terms really mean and how to identify actual corporate commitment from greenwashing. [VOX]

• Oregon Republicans staged a walk-out to protest and kill a cap-and-trade bill introduced to the legislature. By exploiting an arcane constitutional provision they’re able to exert veto power over the entire legislature. There are worries this tactic could be exported to other states with similar laws. [OBP]