IKEA Assembles a Future Without Plastic Packaging

Good News Notes: “Thanks to tiny pieces and convoluted instructions, putting together a bookshelf from IKEA can be a maddening experience. But there’s a payoff: What’s stressful is stylish—and also sustainable. The Swedish retailer has been a champion of the environment for years. In 2018, for instance, it announced plans to use only renewable and recycled materials…

In Los Angeles, Tesla’s rivals roll out larger, cheaper electric SUVs

Good News Notes: “Automakers chasing electric vehicle leader Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) revealed new, more affordable and larger electric sport utility vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show, racing into one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. market. Kia Motors (000270.KS) called out Tesla by name at the show, announcing that its upcoming electric crossover EV6 beat Tesla’s previous…

Cadillac rolls out $60,000 Lyriq EV as it phases out gas engines

Good News Notes: “The all-electric Lyriq crossover will mark the beginning of the end for traditional internal combustion engines at Cadillac when the new EV arrives in dealer showrooms in the first half of next year. The Lyriq, Cadillac’s first EV, is the start of a new lineup of electric cars and SUVs for the…

Canoo reveals a bubbly electric pickup truck

Good News Notes: “No, that’s not a Duplo toy — what you see above (and in the renders below) is the design for a pickup truck from California electric vehicle startup Canoo. Revealed in a leak on Reddit on Wednesday, and then subsequently confirmed to Reuters before officially being revealed, the head-turning EV truck is not due out until 2023. By that…

Vienna’s green mini-city offers a model for sustainable, urban living

Good News Notes: “On a recent winter afternoon, Phillip Naderer-Puiu and his partner picked up their 4-year-old daughter from day care in aspern Seestadt, a new community focused on green living on the edge of Vienna.  Naderer-Puiu was one of the first residents when he moved there in 2015. He loves the sense of community….

Ford invests $1 billion in German electric vehicle plant

Good News Notes:  “Ford is investing $1 billion in an electric vehicle production facility in Cologne, Germany, with the European arm of the automotive giant committing to go ‘all-in’ on electric vehicles in the years ahead. In plans announced Wednesday morning, Ford said its entire passenger vehicle range in Europe would be ‘zero-emissions capable, all-electric…

GM-backed electric truck startup Lordstown Motors is going public

Good News Notes: “One-year-old Lordstown Motors will become a publicly traded company in an effort to bring its commercial electric pickup truck, the Endurance, to market. And it will do this with more support from General Motors than was previously known, according to financial filings. The startup plans to list on the Nasdaq stock exchange…

Massachusetts Using Volkswagen Funds On Clean Air Projects

Good News Notes: “Massachusetts is awarding $7.5 million the state received from a nationwide Volkswagen settlement in grants for 98 projects meant to help electrify the transportation sector and reduce air pollution. The money comes from the settlement from Volkswagen’s illegal tampering of vehicle emission control equipment. The state is using the money to help…