I see that #dontpayuk is trending on Twitter. Energy bills 100% need to come down, but non-payment of bills targets the wrong companies: it’s like shoplifting your entire big weekly supermarket shop because their suppliers are price gouging on potatoes. Here’s a thread why: 1) Say that an unprecedented global event lead to a shortage of potatoes, leading to their market price going crazy. The cost to grow, harvest & sell British potatoes hasn’t risen by much, but suppliers are more than happy to sell at the inflated wholesale price & make a killing. 2)

@zsk The battery tech in question is actually not that much different from what is in EVs today - it's just that Jeff Dahn's research group excels at making very subtle tweaks to the chemistry that, when added up, massively extend lifespan. 1) @zsk The cathode (positive electrode) material is fairly standard NMC (lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide), but is "single crystal" which means that it's less likely to crack as it expands and contracts during cycling and therefore lasts longer. 2)

Today, @transcotland unveiled its Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, and I'm pleased to see the level of ambition it contains. This map shows the extent of the plans to electrify Scotland's railway via overhead lines (red) and battery/H2 (yellow & green) by 2035. 1) Some routes that are earmarked for overhead electrification, e.g. the Borders line, would arguably be cheaper to decarbonise using battery tech, but overhead will allow freight to be decarbonised & will futureproof the Borders line should it be extended as a thru route to England

@janbartspang @amnesty EV battery production is energy intensive, but that needn't translate as carbon-intensive. Tesla builds its cells at its renewable-powered Gigafactory. Other clean factories include Northvolt in Sweden and Nissan in Sunderland, both of which have very clean grids. 1) @janbartspang @amnesty VW are also aiming for carbon-neutral EV production. You can easily make any battery factory in the world clean by installing solar panels on the roof and some wind turbines nearby, i.e. powering it with on-site renewables. I encourage all manufacturers to do this. 2)