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There are now more electric cars than gas cars on Norway’s roads
Sunday September 15th, 2024 at 1:12 AM

Electrek
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Sometime this month, Norway will have more electric cars on its roads than petrol-only vehicles, according to an analysis of Norwegian government data.

The analysis comes courtesy of Bilbransje24, a Norwegian auto industry publication. It used data from Norway’s Road Traffic Information Council (Opplysningsrådet for Veitrafikken, OFV).

Norway releases detailed monthly information about auto sales in the country, which has been helpful for those of us tracking the EV market in the most EV-obsessed country in the world. It set another world record with 94% EV new car market share in August.

Norway has long been a standout, with the highest level of EV market share of any country and an aspiration to end sales of new gas cars by 2025, while other countries and regions focus on a relatively weak 2035 target.

But it even managed to basically meet that 2025 aspiration early, with non-electrified vehicles only making up a single-digit percentage of sales in the country as early as 2021. Some countries even abruptly stopped ICE vehicle sales with only a few days notice as sales continued to drop.

As is the case with most technologies, the last few percent is always a struggle, but we think getting down to single digits might as well be a win (for reference, California’s 2035 “ban” on gas cars still allows up to 20% of vehicle sales to be PHEVs, which do have a combustion engine in them).

And the combined effect of so many years of extremely high EV sales, and extremely low gas-car sales, means that we’ve seen the installed base of gas vehicles shrink as the installed base of EVs continues to rise. And now, finally, those lines have crossed.

There are more electric cars than petrol-only cars on Norway’s roads (as of… today?)

As of the end of last month, there were 751,450 electric cars in service in Norway and 755,244 petrol-only cars, each making up about 26% of the cars on the roads.

Given that EVs are selling at a rate of about ~10,000 vehicles per month, and petrol-only cars are selling at a rate of about…. zero (okay, maybe a few hundred) per month, that means these lines will cross around the middle of this month. So… just about now.

This does leave out one powertrain type though, diesel, which was quite popular in Norway throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. Diesel’s installed-based crossed that of petrol-only vehicles in late 2014, and they have remained the most common vehicles on Norwegian roads since then. There are just over a million diesel vehicles in Norway (that number will drop below a million at the end of this month), so diesel-only still reigns supreme on Norwegian roads, ahead of EVs.

But EVs are growing, and growing more rapidly than diesel ever did. And both petrol-only – which EVs just advanced ahead of – and diesel-only vehicles are dropping in popularity. “Peak diesel” was reached in 2017, though today they make up 35% of Norway’s cars. Peak petrol-car sales were reached in Norway in 2005.

Each of these numbers leave out hybrids, which make up a smaller amount, both plug-in and otherwise. There are around 208k plug-in hybrids and 156k non-plug-in hybrids on the roads in Norway now. The installed base of plug-in hybrids became larger than that of non-plug-in ones back in 2019.

And the installed-base of diesel and petrol vehicles don’t get driven as often as newer, more efficient EVs do, so the disparate travel distances have resulted in an outsized effect on motor fuel sales in the country. Last year, Electrek did an analysis of how Cratering motor fuel sales in Norway show the death spiral that can end oil.

See more: graphs and charts at Bilbransje24’s article

Electrek’s Take

As usual, Norway is showing the rest of the world how this should all work.

Meanwhile, most countries aren’t even close to having new EV sales eclipse new gas car sales, and Norway is already out here with more EVs on the road than gas cars.

For all the complaints and protestations of impossibility, the Nordic countries have by and large left gas behind. All have high EV penetration, led by Norway, and there have not been any of the widespread problems that fossil fuel propaganda constantly tries to convince you that high EV use would lead to.

Maybe instead of listening to ignorant clowns who are committed to increasing harm and costs, we should just take a look at how one of the happiest nations in the world has transformed its transportation system for the better, and take a few notes.

Charge your electric vehicle at home using rooftop solar panels. Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It’s free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. – ad*

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freeAgent
1 day ago
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This is awesome. It's funny that cold weather is generally considered "bad for EVs" and yet Norway seems to love them.
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Smuggled out of a Santa Monica safe, the top-secret documents that changed American history by Christopher Goffard
Saturday September 14th, 2024 at 10:26 AM

California
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Hunkered over a Xerox machine at an ad agency above a flower shop on Melrose Avenue, Daniel Ellsberg began the laborious process of photocopying the smuggled documents that he hoped would end the Vietnam War.

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freeAgent
2 days ago
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This is a great moment in history. It's sad that in our current era, the government has successfully created conditions that ensure the imprisonment of whistleblowers like Ellsberg.
Los Angeles, CA
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Interest payments on the national debt top $1 trillion as deficit swells
Saturday September 14th, 2024 at 12:18 AM

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A view shows a bronze seal beside a door at the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023. 

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

The U.S. government for the first time has spent more than $1 trillion this year on interest payments for its $35.3 trillion national debt, the Treasury Department reported Thursday.

With the Federal Reserve holding benchmark rates at their highest in 23 years, the government has laid out $1.049 trillion on debt service, up 30% from the same period a year ago and part of a projected $1.158 trillion in payments for the full year.

Subtracting the interest the government earns on its investments, net interest payments have totaled $843 billion, higher than any other category except Social Security and Medicare.

The jump in debt service costs came as the U.S. budget deficit surged in August, edging closer to $2 trillion for the full year.

With one month left in the federal government’s fiscal year, the August shortfall popped by $380 billion, a dramatic reversal from the $89 billion surplus for the same month a year prior that was due largely to accounting maneuvers involving student debt forgiveness.

That took the 2024 deficit to just shy of $1.9 trillion, or a 24% increase from the same point a year ago.

The Fed is widely expected to lower rates next week, but just by a quarter percentage point. However, in anticipation of additional moves in future months, Treasury yields have tumbled in recent weeks.

The benchmark 10-year note last yielded about 3.7%, down more than three-quarters of a percentage point since early July.

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freeAgent
2 days ago
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Los Angeles, CA
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Leica announces the screen-less M11-D range finder camera
Saturday September 14th, 2024 at 12:01 AM

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Image: Leica

Leica has announced the M11-D, a camera in the M11 family that omits a rear display, opting to put an ISO dial in its place. The company says the lack of a display will help users focus on "the elementary aspects of pictorial design such as composition, aperture, shutter speed and ISO."

Underneath the display-less back plate, though, the M11-D is still a modern digital camera. It has a 60MP sensor, with enough cache to shoot five full-resolution images per second, 256GB of internal storage, and the ability to use UHS-II SD cards up to 2TB in size. The camera also includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that you can use to connect it to a smartphone, and USB-C for data transfer and charging.

Image: Leica

The M-11D also includes Leica's 'Content Credentials' system, which will let people verify whether the images taken with it have been edited and, if so, what changes have been made.

This isn't the first time Leica has produced a digital camera without a screen and marketed it as a purer photography experience. There was a similar model in the M10 family as well. Like its predecessor, the M11-D also eschews the iconic red Leica badge on the camera's face, instead opting for what looks like a black flathead screw. Instead, the Leica name is engraved on the top plate.

The M11-D is available for preorder, at a list price of $9,395. That's a $400 price premium over the regular M11, which includes a display for navigating menus and reviewing your shots. However, the M11 only includes 64GB of onboard storage, so the upcharge isn't just for the screen delete.

Press Release:

The New Camera in the Leica M-System Combines an Analogue Photography Experience with a Digital Workflow

Like no other, the Leica M-System is a synonym for legendary quality “Made in Germany”. Since the introduction of the Leica rangefinder system in 1954, the world’s best photographers have appreciated Leica M-Cameras and Lenses for their unique image quality and the intuitive handling, for their masterful manufacture and their value preservation. Up to the present day, the Leica M has remained true to its iconic design and the focus on the essential without compromise. Of course, the same applies to the latest camera in the M11 family: the Leica M11-D. By doing without a display on the back, photography with the Leica M11-D focuses on the elementary aspects of pictorial design such as composition, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. In place of the display, there is a big ISO dial on the back of the camera. When it comes to functionality, however, the new M11-D does not sacrifice anything. With distinct customisability, modern connectivity and hardware-based authenticity technology, which was first introduced into the camera market with the M11-P as Leica Content Credentials, the M11-D proves to be a perfect combination of classic range-finder photography and state-of-the-art camera technology. With its clean lines, the matt black painted surfaces and the absence of the red Leica logo, the new M11-D also stands for maximum understatement in the timeless Leica product design.

The M11-D enables images with a resolution of either 60, 36 or 18 MP. With a cache of 3 GB, continuous shooting of up to 5 pictures per second with 60 MP is possible. The internal memory with 256 GB provides ample space for the images. In addition, the powerful battery makes sure that the M11-D is always ready at the crucial moment. The new member of the particularly compact full-frame system lies comfortably in the hand. With just 540 grams (incl. battery), it undercuts its predecessor by 120 grams.

The M11-D is extremely convenient to use and as an M-Camera, it also opens up the world of the unsurpassed M-Lenses and provides access to all M fixed focal lengths made since 1954. In combination with the full-frame sensor with Triple Resolution Technology, which has been exclusively designed for the Leica M11 family, as well as an ISO range from native ISO 64 to ISO 50,000, the Leica M11-D achieves brilliant image results with excellent noise performance even in low light.

Although the Leica M11-D transfers the analogue experience to the digital world, it does not confine itself to that. Each photographer decides for themselves at what time the digital workflow is to be integrated into the work with the M11-D. The new M-Camera offers seamless connectivity via Bluetooth or direct cable connection. As a certified “Made for iPhone® and iPad®” product, it provides a particularly fast and comfortable connection to iOS devices.

Further settings can be made with the Leica FOTOS app on the smartphone. Thus, the connection with the app enables an easy photo transfer, remote control and geotagging. In addition, pictures can be checked and assessed in the Leica FOTOS app on iOS or Android devices independently from the camera. Adjustments such as the white balance and the choice between the file formats DNG and JPEG can also be made in the app. Once saved in the Leica FOTOS app, the M11-D adopts the settings permanently. In this way, the new M-Camera can be customised to the desired requirements.

Thanks to the hardware-based Leica Content Credentials technology, the new M11-D helps to protect the authenticity of digital images. The technology is based on the framework described by the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) and the open technical standard of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA). Thus, the authenticity of the pictures taken with the M11-D can be checked at any time with a freely available tool or at <a href="https://contentcredentials.org/verify" rel="nofollow">https://contentcredentials.org/verify</a>.

Alongside the new M11-D, two matching high-quality leather accessories are available. One is a black protector, specifically designed for the M11-D with a cutout for the mechanical ISO dial on the camera's back. The other is a carrying strap available in black and cognac, crafted from a single piece of leather, suitable for all M-Series cameras.

The Leica M11-D will be available globally at all Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and authorised dealers starting now. The retail price will be €9,350.00 including VAT.

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freeAgent
2 days ago
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Leica is using the Porsche model of pricing. Don't want a display? That'll be $400.
Los Angeles, CA
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Google’s ad tech empire may be $95B and “too big” to sell, analysts warn DOJ
Wednesday September 11th, 2024 at 11:34 PM

Ars Technica - All content
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Just a couple of days into the Google ad tech antitrust trial, it seems clear that the heart of the US Department of Justice's case is proving that Google Ad Manager is the key to the tech giant's alleged monopoly.

Google Ad Manager is the buy-and-sell side ad tech platform launched following Google's acquisition of DoubleClick and AdX in 2008 for $3 billion. It is currently used to connect Google's publisher ad servers with its ad exchanges, tying the two together in a way that allegedly locks the majority of publishers into paying higher fees on the publisher side because they can't afford to drop Google's ad exchange.

The DOJ has argued that Google Ad Manager "serves 90 percent of publishers that use the ad tech tools to sell their online ad inventory," AdAge reported, and through it, Google clearly wields monopoly powers.

In her opening statement, DOJ attorney Julia Tarver Wood argued that acquisitions helped Google manipulate the rules of ad auctions to maximize profits while making it harder for rivals to enter and compete in the markets Google allegedly monopolized. The DOJ has argued those alleged monopolies are in markets "for publisher ad servers, advertiser ad networks, and the ad exchanges that connect the two," Reuters reported.

Google has denied this characterization of its ad tech dominance, calling the DOJ's market definitions too narrow. The tech company also pointed out that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigated and unconditionally approved the DoubleClick merger in 2007, amidst what the FTC described as urgent "high profile public discussions of the competitive merits of the transaction, in which numerous (sometimes conflicting) theories of competitive harm were proposed." At that time, the FTC concluded that the acquisition "was unlikely to reduce competition in any relevant antitrust market."

But in its complaint, the DOJ argued that the DoubleClick "acquisition vaulted Google into a commanding position over the tools publishers use to sell advertising opportunities, complementing Google’s existing tool for advertisers, Google Ads, and set the stage for Google’s later exclusionary conduct across the ad tech industry."

To set things right, at the very least, the DOJ has asked the court to order Google to spin off Google Ad Manager, which may or may not include valuable products like Google's Display and Video 360 (DV360) platform. There is also the possibility that the US district judge, Leonie Brinkema, could order Google to sell off its ad tech business entirely.

One problem with those proposed remedies, analysts told AdAge, is that no one knows how big Google's ad tech business really is or the actual value of Google Ad Manager.

Google Ad Manager could be worth less if Google's DV360 platform isn't included in the sale or if selling either the publisher or advertiser side cuts out data allowing Google to set the prices that it wants. The CEO of an ad platform called Permutive, Joe Root, told AdAge that "it is hard to say how much of the value of Google’s ads business is because it has this advertiser product and DV360, versus how much of its value comes from Google Ad Manager alone."

Root doubts that Google Ad Manager is "on its own that valuable." However, based on "newly released documents for the trial," some analysts predict that "any new entity spun out of Google" would be "almost too big for any buyer," AdAge reported.

One estimate from an ad tech consultant who helms a strategic advisory firm called Luma Partners, Terence Kawaja, suggested that Google's ad tech business as a standalone company "could be worth up to $95 billion" today, AdAge reported.

“You can’t divest $100 billion,” Kawaja said. “There is no buyer for it. [Google] would have to spin it off to shareholders, that’s how any forced remedy would manifest.”

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freeAgent
4 days ago
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Los Angeles, CA
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Android apps are blocking sideloading and forcing Google Play versions instead
Wednesday September 11th, 2024 at 11:30 PM

Ars Technica - All content
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You might sideload an Android app, or manually install its APK package, if you're using a custom version of Android that doesn't include Google's Play Store. Alternately, the app might be experimental, under development, or perhaps no longer maintained and offered by its developer. Until now, the existence of sideload-ready APKs on the web was something that seemed to be tolerated, if warned against, by Google.

This quiet standstill is being shaken up by a new feature in Google's Play Integrity API. As reported by Android Authority, developer tools to push "remediation" dialogs during sideloading debuted at Google's I/O conference in May, have begun showing up on users' phones. Sideloaders of apps from the British shop Tesco, fandom app BeyBlade X, and ChatGPT have reported "Get this app from Play" prompts, which cannot be worked around. An Android gaming handheld user encountered a similarly worded prompt from Diablo Immortal on their device three months ago.

Google's Play Integrity API is how apps have previously blocked access when loaded onto phones that are in some way modified from a stock OS with all Google Play integrations intact. Recently, a popular two-factor authentication app blocked access on rooted phones, including the security-minded GrapheneOS. Apps can call the Play Integrity API and get back an "integrity verdict," relaying if the phone has a "trustworthy" software environment, has Google Play Protect enabled, and passes other software checks.

Graphene has questioned the veracity of Google's Integrity API and SafetyNet Attestation systems, recommending instead standard Android hardware attestation. Rahman notes that apps do not have to take an all-or-nothing approach to integrity checking. Rather than block installation entirely, apps could call on the API only during sensitive actions, issuing a warning there. But not having a Play Store connection can also deprive developers of metrics, allow for installation on incompatible devices (and resulting bad reviews), and, of course, open the door to paid app piracy.

“Unknown distribution channels” blocked

Google's developer video about "Automatic integrity protection" (at the 12-minute, 24-second mark on YouTube) notes that "select" apps have access to automatic protection. This adds an automatic checking tool to your app and the "strongest version of Google Play's anti-tamper protection." "If users get your protected app from an unknown distribution channel," a slide in the presentation reads, "they'll be prompted to get it from Google Play," available to "select Play Partners."

Last year, Google introduced malware scanning of sideloaded apps at install time. Google and Apple have come out against legislation that would broaden sideloading rights for smartphone owners, citing security and reliability concerns. European regulators forced Apple earlier this year to allow for sideloading apps and app stores, though with fees and geographical restrictions in place.

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freeAgent
4 days ago
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Android app makers treating third-party ROMs as dangerous, etc. is a big problem for the Android ecosystem. People love to say that Android is “open” because you can sideload apps and even replace your OS, but the sacrifices required in order to do so are pretty extreme for a mainstream user.
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