Hurricane Florence has the potential to be a devastating storm for tens of millions along the East Coast later this week, when it is forecast to come close to or cross over the coastline of the Carolinas or mid-Atlantic region. It can possibly come to a complete stall as a major hurricane of Category 3 intensity or greater, which would be a potential nightmare scenario if it plays out.
The big picture: Computer model projections are unanimous in showing the storm will be unusually intense and slow-moving — two attributes that indicate its destructive potential. While Florence was a Category 1 storm Sunday afternoon, it's forecast to take advantage of warm sea surface temperatures, the absence of wind shear and other inhibiting factors to rapidly intensify to a Category 4 or possibly even Category 5 hurricane as it moves toward the East Coast.
Speaking at an Axios event on Friday, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said Tesla was among the "capable" electric vehicle competitors as GM expands its presence in the market by ramping up its commitment to electric cars beyond the Chevrolet Bolt.
"[Tesla has] very capable electric vehicles. When we look at the landscape of competition from a car company perspective, whether it's Tesla or whether it's some of the global [equipment manufacturers], there's very capable competition and that's what kind of drives us. That's why we've been so aggressive on investing in technology and moving quickly."
The big picture: As Axios science editor Andrew Freedman reported yesterday, "Depending on the storm's intensity and exact path, both of which are considerably uncertain, the storm could pose a devastating threat to areas that have not seen a major hurricane make landfall in decades."
Mercedes-Benz is going "all in" on electric cars says Dieter Zetshe, CEO of Mercedes' parent-company Daimler, according to Bloomberg.
The details: Production on the first car in a new series of battery-powered vehicles, called the Mercedes EQC, starts next year. Mercedes plans to invest $12 billion in its move towards electric vehicles. The vehicles will be built at the same assembly plants as the non-electric cars "to be able to better adjust output," Bloomberg reports.
In collaboration with Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota, scientists have built a new map of Antarctica using high resolution satellite images to show the continent in "stunning detail," USA Today reports.
Why it matters, per Axios Science Editor Andrew Freedman:In order to determine the stability of Antarctica's massive ice sheets, particularly the West Antarctic Ice Sheet that has been losing mass, scientists need accurate maps of the ground the ice is resting on. Improvements in mapping could enable researchers to narrow the range of uncertainty regarding future sea level rise from Antarctic ice melt.
The NHC is projecting that Hurricane Florence will be a Category 4 storm with 145 mph sustained winds 5 days from now.
Why it matters: That’s the strongest five-day intensity forecast for an Atlantic hurricane they’ve issued in the past two decades. Keep in mind though, intensity forecasts are much more uncertain than track forecasts.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk elevated longtime company official Jerome Guillen to head of automotive operations and announced several other executive promotions Friday — moves that come just hours after news of two high-level departures.
Why it matters: The executive changes, announced in an email to employees touting "tremendous progress" at the electric automaker, arrive amid a troubled stretch for the company, including events over the last day alone that sent its stock tumbling.
