Oct 8, 2019 - Energy & Environment

The U.S. is starting to adopt electric buses

Ben Geman, author of Generate

An electric bus in California. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

The electric bus maker Proterra announced yesterday that Miami-Dade County is buying 33 of its 40-foot, Proterra Catalyst E2 models.

Why it matters: California-based Proterra called it the "largest electric bus order on the East Coast." The order is the latest sign of growing global adoption of the technology that nonetheless remains very heavily concentrated in China.

What they're saying: Nick Albanese of the research firm BloombergNEF tells Axios that electrification of bus fleets in the U.S. is happening slightly faster than they predicted.

  • They had previously forecast the U.S. fleet to reach 675 by year's end, but it has already surpassed 600.
  • "Growing concern about urban air quality and new financing mechanisms (like battery leasing) have been big drivers," he tells me via email.

The big picture: The Miami-Dade order is one of several recent buys in the U.S. and elsewhere.

  • For instance, InsideEVs reported over the weekend: "Tata Motors is rapidly expanding its electric bus business in India and recently scored a contract for 300 vehicles for the Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited."

Go deeper: The evolving electric bus market

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Felix Salmon, author of Capital
31 mins ago - Economy & Business

A white-collar crime crackdown

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

America has waited a decade for an aggressive government crackdown on white-collar crime. Now, just before the election, and in the middle of a bull market, it has arrived.

Why it matters: When times are good, investors become more trusting and more greedy. That makes them more likely to put their money into fraudulent or criminal enterprises.

  • After a decade-long bull market, there is no shortage of those frauds to prosecute.
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Ashley Gold
58 mins ago - Technology

Lawyers crystal-ball the Google antitrust case

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The Justice Department's antitrust suit against Google is a strong, straightforward monopoly case, competition lawyers and experts tell Axios. But that doesn't mean it'll be an easy journey for the government.

The big picture: Winning any antitrust case is a heavy lift. It's even more of a challenge to pull off victory in a future-looking case that seeks to make room for potential new competition to flourish.

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Sam Baker, Andrew Witherspoon
1 hour ago - Health

The pandemic is getting worse again

Expand chart
Data: The COVID Tracking Project, state health departments; Note: Due to a database error, Missouri had a 3 day gap in reporting from Oct. 11-13; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Every available piece of data proves it: The coronavirus pandemic is getting worse again, all across America.

The big picture: As the death toll ticks past 212,000, at a moment when containing the virus ought to be easier and more urgent than ever, we are instead giving it a bigger foothold to grow from.

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