The Daily Valet. - 2/9/22, Wednesday

✔️A Critical Year

Wednesday, February 9th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I’m ashamed to say how often I utilize my Amazon Prime membership.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

A Critical Year for Electric Cars

The car world is changing ... and changing fast

The automotive world might have fought it initially, but cars are going electric—and they’re going fast. Attitudes toward climate change are shifting, legislative combustion engine bans are looming and EV technology and charging infrastructure are improving everyday.

Carmakers are promising an onslaught of new electric cars built on dedicated EV platforms, while many current iconic vehicles have plans to go electric soon too. And the brands that have leaned all into EVs are finding they can’t build them fast enough.

According to the New York Times, sales of cars powered solely by batteries surged in the United States, Europe and China last year, while deliveries of fossil fuel vehicles were stagnant. Demand for electric cars is so strong that manufacturers are requiring buyers to put down deposits months in advance. And some models are effectively sold out for the next two years.

On Tuesday, President Biden praised the auto manufacturers working on American EVs. “Since 2021, companies have announced investments totaling more than $200 billion in domestic manufacturing here in America, from iconic companies like GM and Ford building out new electric-vehicle production to Tesla, our nation’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, to innovative younger companies like Rivian, building electric trucks.”

While electric vehicles still account for a small slice of the market—about 9% of the new cars sold last year worldwide were electric, up from 2.5% in 2019— their rapid growth could make 2022 the year when the march of battery-powered cars became unstoppable. Further confirming that the internal combustion engine is cruising toward obsolescence.

Sales estimates of new EVs vary widely due to the uncertainty around local adoption rates, purchase prices and incentives, among many other factors. But by 2035, about 45% of new car sales could be electric. According to Reuters, getting drivers to switch from gas-powered to electric vehicles is essential for the U.S. to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

↦ Meanwhile: According to Road & Track, drowsy driving is a way bigger issue than any of us realized.

Mask Mandates Start Dropping

Is the country really ready?

More governors are lifting statewide mask mandates as COVID-19 cases decline and leaders push for the U.S. to “learn to live with” the coronavirus.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will drop the state's indoor mask mandate today, joining in lockstep with other Democratic-led states from New Jersey to California. According to the New York Times, the moves highlight how even officials who installed sweeping safety measures to fight the pandemic are now preparing to live permanently with the virus.

But according to data from the CDC, it might be too soon. It suggests people in more than 3,200 counties—or 99% of the country—should be wearing masks regardless of their vaccination status. The CDC suggests wearing masks in areas where the new case rate is higher than 50 cases per 100,000.

And while we're all tired of wearing the damn masks, the majority of people don't feel quite ready to go bare just yet. A new Axios/Ipsos polling shows only one-fifth of Americans support dropping restrictions entirely, while others are split on how the country should best proceed when it comes to mask and vaccine requirements.

↦ Progress: New COVID cases in the U.S. have gone down 62% over the past two weeks, according to public health data, after surging over the holidays.

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Amazon Prime Will Soon Cost More

Is it worth the extra money for you?

If you're an Amazon Prime member (and at this point, who isn't?), you'll want to know that your go-to source for quick-shipped goods just announced it plans to increase its membership price.

Amazon Prime memberships will soon cost $139 per year or $14.99 per month. The increased price will apply to new members beginning Feb. 18, 2022. And the increase will go into effect for current members after March 25, 2022, on their next renewal date.

According to CNET, his bump marks the first time Amazon has raised prices on Amazon Prime since 2018, when the cost went from $99 to $119 per year (from $11 to $13 monthly). The premium subscription service originally launched in 2005 at $79 per year.

If you're paying for Prime monthly, it may be more important than ever to switch to the annual plan. If you aren't a heavy Prime user, the monthly membership might seem like it saves you money but research has found that “only a very small percentage (of monthly subscribers) truly cherry-pick their Amazon Prime months.” To save any cash, you'll apparently have to skip at least three months. Or The Ascent offers up five other ways to save on a membership.

↦ FYI: Tom's Guide has put together, well, a guide to the best Prime benefits to get the most out of that price hike.

The Delivery Bots Are Coming

Food delivery bots are headed to more cities

The first time I saw one of these squat little delivery robots scooting down a Santa Monica sidewalk, I thought “Hey, that reminds me of Wall-E!” But then I remembered how low-key dark and dystopia that animated film is.

Coco, the leading company operating remote-controlled robot food deliveries, announced on Tuesday its expansion beyond its home base of Los Angeles. The service is now available in Austin as it commences a nationwide rollout.

Coco says it will be bringing its robots to other temperate climate cities like Dallas, Houston and Miami in the next few months. Fans say that the little electric bots are a more sustainable and efficient option to double-parking delivery drivers who have to dash back in forth in cars.

Unlike other autonomous delivery bots, Coco's are controlled by employees who work from home. But LAist wonders are these the wave of the future or the scourge of the worker? One advocate told them, “There's abundant historical evidence to support the claim that advances in technology don't translate into better pay for frontline workers.”

↦ Dig Deeper: Forbes looks closer at the future of delivery robots and what we can expect.

In Other News

↦ All the Snubs and Surprises of the 2022 Oscar Nominations

↦ Peloton Fired 2,800 Employees and Gave Them Free Peloton Memberships

↦ The Dutch Are Lining Up to Pelt Jeff Bezos’s Gigayacht With Rotten Eggs

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

How roses became a thing

Lego Lambos

Zero-carb beer?

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Is Airbnb Giving Real Estate Investing an Edge Again?

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* For illustrative purposes only

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↦ Learn More: About reAlpha and their machine learning approach

Winter Ready Items on Sale

A 20oz. wool blend reversible liner ($215 / $85) that will be your go-to layering piece. The polyfill lining insulates your body heat no matter what side you're wearing it on. Wear this liner well into spring to get the most bang for your buck.

↦ Want more? 5 winter ready items on sale

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