** Researchers at LexisNexis Risk Solutions found that when drivers switch from gasoline-powered cars to EVs, they tend to crash more. The frequency of insurance claims rises by about 14.3% while the severity of claims, or the amount that has to be paid out, increases by 14.5%, according to the data.
** The cold temperatures are turning up the heat on Elon Musk and his electric vehicles. As record-breaking gusts crept into Chicago in the coldest temperatures seen in the Windy City since 2019, Tesla owners have been having difficulties charging their cars.
** The recent freeze across Texas and Louisiana disrupted scheduled exports of US liquefied natural gas, temporarily tightening some supply of the heating and power-plant fuel.
** A U.S. construction company that built solar farms across the country will pay $2.3 million in penalties to settle claims that it violated federal and state water protections in Alabama, Idaho and Illinois, the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.
** The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled a proposal for solar energy projects on federal lands that identifies 22 million acres in 11 western states best suited for development.
** About two-thirds of home solar installers in California are struggling to generate enough sales to operate their businesses after the state slashed incentives for customers to buy rooftop panels, a trade group said.
** Georgia, a capital for electric vehicle production, needs to increase its supply of electricity produced without burning fossil fuels in order to meet industries’ demand for clean energy, Gov. Brian Kemp told world business leaders Thursday.
** The U.S. on Thursday hit a United Arab Emirates shipping firm with sanctions after it transported Russian crude oil above the $60 per barrel price cap.
** The Defense Department will install solar panels on the Pentagon, part of the Biden administration’s plan to promote clean energy and “reestablish the federal government as a sustainability leader.”
World
** The International Energy Agency in Paris — which a year ago projected a crudeoil shortfall of 2 million barrels a day for the period — estimates that stockpiles actually swelled by 560,000 barrels a day as US production soared. The reversal should serve as a caution for traders still banking on a price recovery.
** After a four-month candidate search, BP Plc, the storied oil and gas company named interim chief executive officer Murray Auchincloss as its permanent head. He replaces Bernard Looney, who abruptly resigned after failing to disclose past relationships with colleagues.
** The European Union should consider introducing carbon pricing in agriculture and strengthening its emissions market to reach its ambitious target of climate neutrality by the middle of the century, according to its advisory body.
** Europe’s automakers are bracing for slower growth this year after sales fell for the first time in 17 months in December on waning enthusiasm for electric vehicles.