** Nearly half-a-million Floridians were still without power Monday morning, days after Hurricane Milton barreled through the state, tearing a path of destruction that was most severe on the west-central coast.
** Electric vehicle startup Fisker received court approval of its bankruptcy liquidation plan on Friday, following last-minute negotiations to preserve the company’s $46 million sale of its remaining inventory of about 3,000 Ocean SUVs. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Horan signed off on Fisker’s bankruptcy plan at a court hearing in Wilmington, Delaware.
** Tennessee has greenlit a nuclear energy development plan that will continue to strengthen energy independence in the United States and support local economic growth. As reported by WBIR, Gov. Bill Lee announced that “Project IKE” would move forward in Oak Ridge thanks to a partnership with Orano USA, whose global headquarters is in Paris.
** Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an ultrathin, bendable, solid-state electrolyte that could double energy storage for electric vehicles, laptops, cell phones, and other gadgets.
** A U.S. appeals court on Friday put on hold approvals and permits necessary to allow a Kinder Morgan subsidiary to construct a 32-mile gas pipeline in Tennessee, at the urging of environmental groups. The proposed Cumberland Project, set to be constructed by Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline, could transport about 245,000 dekatherms per day of additional natural gas to power supplier Tennessee Valley Authority.
** Faced with a 2035 ban on new gasoline powered cars in their state, several northern California police departments reported Tesla models they’ve tested make out to be terrible patrol cars.
World
** U.S. officials believe Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to Iran’s attack this month to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on Saturday. Tehran, a major oil producer, has threatened Israel with severe consequences if the Islamic Republic is attacked.
** Italian lawmakers on Friday questioned the head of Stellantis, the world’s fourth largest automaker, over the group’s strategy, one day after it announced a management shakeup in an effort to revive sales. Stellantis, which makes Jeep and Chrysler vehicles, is struggling globally, with the Italian government demanding clarity about its production plans for the country.
** Norway has reached a historic milestone, with electric cars outnumbering their petrol counterparts for the first time. The Guardian reported that the Norwegian Road Federation, known as OFV, said in a statement that there are now 754,303 electric cars registered in Norway, compared to 753,905 petrol cars.
** China urged the European Union on Saturday not to conduct separate negotiations over the price of China-made electric vehicles sold in the EU, warning that this would “shake the foundations” of bilateral tariff negotiations.
** Life without electricity is wearing on Ecuadorians, punishing their already frail economy and raising questions about the political future. Daily blackouts stretch for 10 hours at a time, and they could get worse in the coming months as a dry spell further tests the country’s reliance on hydropower. Traffic lights are often out, internet service gets interrupted, and building managers ask residents to refrain from washing and drying clothes while backup generators are working.