The Daily Valet. - 2/23/21, Tuesday

✔️ The Electric Car Buzz

February 23, 2021

Tuesday, February 23rd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Trigger warning: You’ll want to eat some cheese when you’re done with this newsletter.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Electric Car News Is Buzzing

Companies are increasingly setting big, public targets for gas-less cars

Electric vehicles have been slowly gaining steam (so to speak) for a while now, but the race is clearly on. Whether because of looming regulation or the increased public interest, the dribble of EV and plug-in launches has turned into an avalanche of news about accelerated EV timelines and emissions-reduction goals, reports Car & Driver.

Last month, General Motors announced a pledge to only sell electric vehicles by 2035 and make roughly 30 different models without a combustion engine. A week later, Ford revealed it was pouring more than $20 billion into its EV program and that it would only offer electric cars in Europe by 2030. Meanwhile, Tesla—the world’s biggest EV maker—is building a massive Texas factory, where it will not only build sedans and trucks but their batteries too.

Jaguar made news just a few days ago by announcing it will become an all-electric luxury line of cars by 2025 with a new strategy called “Reimagine.” The title may sound flowery, but Gear Patrol says the changes to both the Jaguar and Land Rover product lineups under this new vision will be very, very real and extraordinarily sweeping.

As automakers ramp up EV production, U.S. car buyers are increasingly making the switch themselves. With more than a dozen new electric cars and SUVs set to hit U.S. showrooms in 2021 alone, industry analysts say sales are poised to reach record levels.

But they’re not all winners, it seems. Polestar (the buzzed-about new car brand from the parent company of Volvo) just unveiled its first all-electric offering, which is getting pretty mixed reviews.

And some wonder how we can make these electric cars accessible to everyone. According to Grist, the imbalance in charging locations largely reflects the current market: Private companies build charger stations where electric cars are likely to circulate, not in places with limited EV adoption. So as the industry enters a likely boom phase, efforts will need to be made to ensure “electric cars aren’t just for rich people.”

↦ Give it some gas: Porsche has developed a clean-burning synthetic fuel that could make combustion engines as environmentally friendly as EVs.

White House Mourns COVID Milestone

Biden tries to balance the nation’s grief and hope

On Monday evening, as the U.S. officially tallied half a million Americans lost to COVID-19, President Biden ordered flags on federal property lowered to half staff for five days and then led the moment of communal mourning for those lost to a virus that often prevents people from gathering to remember their loved ones.

According to the Associated Press, Biden's management of the pandemic will no doubt define at least the first year of his presidency. And his response is often caught between preparing the nation for dark weeks ahead while also offering optimism about the progress being made.

Although it was not reflected in the solemn sundown ceremony, Monday also brought decidedly encouraging news. The pace of vaccinations continues to accelerate, deaths and new infections are down, and worries about just how bad the pandemic can get are being replaced with questions about when, exactly, all this will be behind us.

But those positive signs have been played down by a government that opted this week to focus on the grim pandemic milestone and remind Americans not to lower their guards prematurely. In his remarks, Biden called on Americans to remain vigilant: “Let this not be a story of how far we fell,” he said. “But how far we climbed back up.”

↦ Meanwhile: Pharmacists say pooling vaccines could save thousands of doses but the FDA says leftovers can't be combined because they don't contain preservatives.

Trump Has to Release His Tax Returns

The Supreme Court just put an end to years of battling over the financial documents

Former president Donald Trump received a dual defeat Monday at the Supreme Court. The justices tossed out a slew of challenges to the presidential election and refused Trump's last-chance efforts to shield his private financial records from Manhattan's district attorney.

Now, according to the Washington Post, Trump faces unprecedented legal peril for a former president. First, the state of New York's investigation of his business dealings will accelerate and broaden after receiving eight years' worth of tax returns and other financial documents. But Trump also faces scrutiny in Georgia for his efforts to subvert the election results there.

Of course, even if the financial documents are immediately turned over to prosecutors, they'll still be kept confidential under grand jury secrecy rules. CNBC says it's unclear when, or if, the tax returns would ever become public.

Trump slammed the investigation as a politically-motivated “witch hunt” in a statement shortly after the Supreme Court's decision was announced. “The Supreme Court never should have let this ‘fishing expedition’ happen, but they did.”

↦ Dig Deeper: Vice reports on the Manhattan district attorney's hiring of a new special assistant D.A. with extensive white collar investigative experience to look into the Trump family business.

Good News: Cheese Isn’t Bad for You

A guilty pleasure that’s not so bad after all

Today in good news that I'm just going to share and not question: Cheese—that gooey, satisfying food that makes any food better—isn't as bad for you as you've likely been lead to believe.

According to WIRED, a growing body of research suggests that cheese's reputation as a fattening, heart-imperiling food is undeserved. When it comes to weight and other key health outcomes (and setting aside the issue of lactose intolerance, with apologies), cheese is neutral at worst, and possibly even good for you.

Too good to believe? That's what I was thinking ... but the best evidence for the benign impact of cheese comes from long-term “cohort studies” that tracked the health and eating habits of hundreds of thousands of people. The New England Journal of Medicine analyzed the studies and found that foods like potatoes, processed meats and refined grains were associated with weight gain over time, while yogurt, fruit and nuts were associated with weight loss. Cheese was right in the middle: On average, eating more or less of it had essentially no effect on weight.

That finding has held up in more recent research. A 2018 analysis of a study of 2,512 men in Ireland, for example, showed a mild inverse relationship between cheese consumption and body mass after five years, meaning chomping on cheese was associated with weight loss. So ... nachos for lunch?

↦ Meanwhile: Here's why a beloved cheese has suddenly vanished from grocery store shelves.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Is expensive pasta really worth it?

The 1stDibs 50

Daft Punk’s legacy

A Luxe COVID Contingency Plan

This Bahamas resort will fly you home on a private jet if you test positive

Baha Mar—the Bahamas resort where Drake was recently spotted with fellow rappers Meek Mill and Lil Baby—has hatched a luxe plan to quarantine any travelers who come down with coronavirus.

In addition to providing on-site testing, the Nassau resort will offer any guest who tests positive for the virus the choice of either a complimentary private jet to get home or a free, 14-day stay in a suite with a daily dining credit of $150 per person as a part of their "Travel with Confidence" initiative, the hotel shared with Travel Leisure.

The resort—which includes three hotels: the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, SLS Baha Mar, and Rosewood Baha Mar—requires guests undergo rapid tests upon arrival to comply with both the Bahamas protocols as well as the CDC's requirement that all international travelers show a negative test before boarding a flight to the U.S.

It's a win/win, right? If you stay healthy, you enjoy some sun and sand. If you do test positive, well, you can kick back and enjoy a peaceful private flight back home. I just hope you feel well enough to grab the requisite selfie.

Sales We’re Eyeing

No. 495 Camera Strap$120 / $102

Now through the end of the month, Billykirk is offering 35% off a wide variety of their leather goods. From proper work bags and wallets to smaller accessories like camera straps, it's the perfect time to score some hardwearing, well-crafted goods on a discount. Here's what we've got in our carts already.