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Increasing demand worldwide Oil price close to $ 100?

Status: 23.06.2021 3:10 p.m.

Oil is more expensive than it has been in two years. Experts warn of a supply crisis: The prices for crude oil and thus also gasoline, kerosene and heating oil could soon rise much higher.

From Angela Göpfert, tagesschau.de

Oil prices hit new multi-year highs this week. For the first time in two years, a barrel (159 liters) of the North Sea Brent cost more than $ 75 again. For a barrel of the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) variety, more than 73 dollars were paid on the market – the highest amount since October 2018. Rising oil prices – something that businesses and consumers may need to get used to. According to some experts, the new multi-year highs in oil prices, which many consumers are already feeling painfully at gas stations or when buying heating oil, are just the beginning of a longer upward trend in the oil market.

Analysts predict rising oil prices

The experts at the US investment bank Goldman Sachs expect the Brent price to rise to $ 80 this summer. But that is not the end of the story. An oil price of $ 100 is a “real possibility”. Alex Sanna, top oil trader at Glencore, the world’s largest commodity trading group, also said, according to the Financial Times, that an oil price of $ 100 is becoming increasingly likely.

The experts at JPMorgan even see a new oil super cycle looming and recently renewed their forecast of an oil price of $ 190 in 2025.

Demand congestion as a price driver

Francisco Blanch, raw materials expert at Bank of America, may not look quite that far into the future. For this he has the most precise 100-dollar forecast ready: the oil price could crack the round mark as early as 2022. The market hardly changes on the supply side – and this in turn is offset by an immense backlog of demand. It is easy to explain where this backlog of demand comes from: Just as many private households restricted their consumption during the pandemic, so too many companies put the necessary investments aside. Now that the global vaccination campaign is gaining momentum, at least in the major industrialized countries, consumers, companies and economies have a lot to catch up on.

Delta variant is a risk factor

The more relaxed Corona situation and the awakening global economy are leading to higher demand for crude oil, gasoline, diesel – and kerosene. Oil expert Blanch sees the rising travel industry as a major price driver.

The delta variant of the virus from India, which could lead to a further tightening of the corona measures, is currently also posing a risk to the economy.

Signal of a shortage of supply

In search of signs of whether demand is actually exceeding supply at the moment, it is worth taking a look at the market for so-called oil futures. Current oil futures contracts are quoted there higher than contracts with delivery at a later point in time. Such a constellation, referred to by experts as “backwardation”, is rather unusual and a clear indication of fear of scarcity – “and thus for further rising prices”, as market expert Robert Rethfeld from Wellenreiter-Invest emphasizes.

A price corrective called fracking

The rising prices should actually make re-entry into the oil market attractive for the US shale industry. In the past, the US frackers acted as flexible price correctors on the oil market: If prices rose, more shale oil was drilled in the short term, supply increased, prices fell again.

As a reminder, the last time oil traded above $ 100 was in 2014, when a rapidly growing supply from the US fracking industry brought an abrupt end to the last oil super cycle.

Sustainability trend slows US oil industry

But this mechanism doesn’t seem to work that well anymore. This is due on the one hand to the new US President Joe Biden, who imposed a stop on oil and gas drilling on state-owned land in January, and on the other hand to the global trend towards sustainable investment.

“The number of active US oil wells is increasing only slowly,” emphasizes wave rider expert Rethfeld. “The investors do not want to see an expansion of the production capacities at the moment, but instead demand investments in renewable energies.”

Iran as a risk factor

The production countries of the OPEC + oil cartel, especially Saudi Arabia and Russia, could benefit from the West’s climate policy. It remains to be seen how willing they are to expand production to fill the void left by the US oil industry.

Especially since there are supply risks on the part of OPEC: “After the election of an ultra-conservative cleric as the new president, Iran will have a hard time overturning US sanctions and increasing oil exports,” said Eugen Weinberg, raw materials expert at Commerzbank .

Inflation Risks Before Revaluation?

Should the oil price actually rise further towards 100 dollars, this would inevitably lead to a reassessment of the inflation risks in the financial markets, since the oil price is one of the main drivers of consumer prices.

Just yesterday, Jerome Powell, head of the US Federal Reserve (Fed), told the House of Representatives budget committee again that the Fed was considering the current high inflation rates a temporary phenomenon considered. However, market expert Rethfeld emphasizes: “Any oil price above $ 100 would suggest to the public that Powell is wrong.”

Hundreds of thousands of motorbike taxi drivers in Rwanda will be able to change petrol motorbikes into electric cars Bloomberg reported that the Rwandan government has partnered with a local company, Rwandan Electric Mobility, to deploy electric scooters in the country’s capital, Kigali. Rwanda has a population of more than 12.6 million people living in an area of ​​26,338 square kilometers, and is the most densely populated country in Africa. The motorbike taxi industry, motorbike taxi service, or delivery is a popular method of transportation and delivery in this country, thanks to its affordable prices and access to all corners of the country. Therefore, the initiative to convert gasoline-powered motorbikes that are nearing the end of their service life to electric ones, will help about 100,000 current motorbike owners to have new and zero-emission vehicles. This move not only reduces the overall carbon footprint but also effectively extends the life of these vehicles. It also greatly reduces maintenance costs, car owners don’t need to worry about oil changes and refueling their vehicles. To launch the project, the Rwanda Environmental Management Agency (REMA) signed a contract with Rwandan Electric Mobility, and technical and financial support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was also secured to promote the project. project progress. The trial phase, which is expected to last for 6 months, will convert about 30,000 motorbike taxis currently using gasoline engines to electric motorbikes.

Supply crisis in Lebanon Queuing for a little gasoline

Status: 14.06.2021 8:41 a.m.

There is currently a shortage of fuel, electricity and medicines in Lebanon. Because the country is in a serious economic and financial crisis. Many Lebanese fear that the situation will get worse. By Anne Allmeling, ARD-Studio Cairo, currently Beirut Layali has almost reached her goal. Six or seven cars are waiting in line at the gas station in front of her. Then it’s her turn. “I don’t know how much I get, but I take as much as they give me.” Layali, who doesn’t want to give her last name, has been waiting for two hours to fill her tank with at least a few liters of gasoline. The 31-year-old works as a lecturer at a university in the center of Beirut. She needs the car on the way to work. “This is the second day I’ve tried to get gasoline. I drove all over town yesterday to find an open gas station. Then I waited four hours. When there were only four or five cars left in front of me were in the queue, it was said that there was no more gasoline. ”

Country has been in crisis for almost two years

Anyone who wants to refuel in Lebanon needs a lot of patience. Because fuel is in short supply. The country lacks the foreign exchange for imports. Lebanon has been in a serious financial and economic crisis for almost two years. The corona pandemic and the explosion in the port of Beirut a good ten months ago made the situation even worse. After its resignation, the government is only in a managerial position, but hardly able to act. In addition, there is a risk of state bankruptcy. Gasoline prices have more than tripled – but many Lebanese have no choice. “There is no public transport, no railroad. There is only private transport,” says Jihad Shehab. The 52-year-old salesman has been waiting for gasoline for his old Mercedes for an hour and a half. Because the line is moving very slowly, he got out of the car and is talking to a friend. “The situation is getting worse and worse. Nothing is progressing, neither in the government nor in the state, nothing,” he complains. Everything got out of hand. There is a dispute right in front of the gas station. A taxi driver complains: He only got twenty liters – not a full tank like the customer before him. His car has a special license plate that only a few Lebanese can afford – if they have the right connections.

FAQ 08/06/2020

Hardly any protests against the political elite

Nepotism and corruption are widespread in Lebanon. One reason why influential politicians and business people have been able to enrich themselves on a large scale in recent decades – at the expense of the state, which is now almost bankrupt. These people should be driven out of their offices, says a young woman who does not want to give her name: “Those responsible in Lebanon do not take any responsibility. The only solution would be for the people to put pressure on the state.” But if there is no uprising, the situation will not improve. Protests against the political elite are sporadic in Lebanon, however. More than half of the population is now considered poor. Most people are busy every day to ensure their survival and that of their families – like Layali. She is now number three in line – but even today she does not get any gasoline. The gas station closes before it is her turn. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. This has happened to me for the fifth time. I have to keep trying.”

Clarification from Brinkhaus Petrol is also becoming more expensive with the Union

Status: 11.06.2021 10:40 a.m.

When it comes to the issue of gasoline prices, the focus is on the Greens. The grand coalition decided to increase the price of CO2 a long time ago. Union faction leader Brinkhaus made this clear again, but demanded an appropriate transition period. In the dispute over rising gasoline prices, Union parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus has made it clear that gasoline would also become more expensive with the Union at the head of the future federal government. “Petrol is getting more expensive, now a little bit, in the second half of this decade it will be really more expensive,” said the CDU politician in Im ARD morning magazine . This was already decided in autumn 2019. “The fight against climate change will not be for free.”

Not the “if”, but the “when” is up for debate

It is important to create realistic and fair transition periods. Germans do not have to sell their cars immediately, but they do have to be prepared to switch to electric cars or low-consumption cars in the future. The social question is not that gasoline will become more expensive. “But the social question is: Do people have a transition period that is long enough to adapt,” said Brinkhaus. This applies not only to gasoline, but also to heating. The plan is to absorb the rising prices through subsidy programs.

Gasoline price hike long been a done deal

In the debate about higher fuel prices, government spokesman Steffen Seibert had recently made it clear that the prices for fuels such as gasoline and diesel would rise in the coming years anyway. The federal government has decided to scale the CO2 price up to 2025, which already has “effects on all fuel prices”, said Seibert last Friday. This applies equally to gasoline, diesel and heating oil. The background to the statements: The coalition of the Union and the SPD had introduced CO2 pricing in traffic and buildings as a central measure in the fight against climate change. Since the beginning of the year, the CO2 price has been 25 euros per ton. According to previous plans, it should rise to 55 euros by 2025. According to calculations, this would mean a surcharge of at least 15.5 cents for a liter of petrol and at least 17.4 cents for a liter of diesel.

Baerbock’s advance fueled debate

In line with the new climate goals of the federal government, the Greens are calling for the increase to be brought forward and for the CO2 price to be raised to 60 euros per ton as early as 2023. At the same time, they propose to give back 75 euros each from the state revenue from the CO2 price to the citizens in order to avoid social upheaval. Most recently, the Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock fueled the debate. According to her party’s draft program, she advocated a gasoline price increase of 16 cents and, after her announcement, received a lot of criticism, especially from the ranks of the SPD. CSU General Secretary Markus Blume also accused the Greens of proceeding ideologically in the climate debate. “For Annalena Baerbock, climate protection is above all a fight against drivers,” Blume told the media. Mobility shouldn’t be a luxury. Rural areas and commuters will not be allowed to bear the burden unilaterally.

A clear majority rejects gasoline price increases

Environmental groups have long accused the parties of “dishonest election campaigns at the expense of the climate and biodiversity” and argued that the German government itself initiated the price of CO2, which is already making fuel more expensive and will continue to make it more expensive. The opinion of the Germans is pretty clear: According to the latest GermanyTrend three quarters (75 percent) of Germans reject a gasoline price increase. 22 percent think such a measure is a step in the right direction. A switch from internal combustion engines to electric drives in cars is also rejected by 57 percent. 37 percent would support such a measure.

After a hacker attack Investigators come to extorted pipeline millions

Status: 08.06.2021 02:12 a.m.

It has been a month since the largest gasoline pipeline in the United States was hacked. The operator paid millions to the extortionists. Now the investigators report a success. After the hacker attack on the largest gasoline pipeline in the United States, investigators recovered most of a ransom payment in the digital currency Bitcoin. The US Department of Justice announced that 63.7 Bitcoin, currently valued at around 2.3 million US dollars, had been seized. The FBI was able to identify a digital wallet that hackers allegedly used to collect a payment from the company concerned, said the agency’s deputy director Paul Abbate.

Hacker from Russia suspected behind the act

The company Colonial Pipeline announced in early May that it had been the victim of a hacker attack. As a result, the pipeline, through which about 45 percent of all fuel consumed on the US east coast runs, was temporarily completely shut down. There were petrol shortages in parts of the country. The capital Washington was particularly hard hit, where at times 88 percent of the gas stations ran out of fuel. “It was an attack on one of our most important national infrastructures,” said Lisa Monaco from the US Department of Justice. The US government suspects hackers from the DarkSide group from Russia behind the crime. Both US authorities and IT security experts strongly advise companies against paying ransom so as not to incentivize cyber criminals to blackmail them. But the pipeline operator paid, as company boss Joseph Blount admitted in the “Wall Street Journal” at the end of May. He authorized a payment of $ 4.4 million. Blount explained the controversial decision by saying that the company was unsure about the extent of the system damage caused. According to the US Department of Justice, Colonial Pipeline had quickly notified the FBI that DarkSide had broken into the computer network and the company had paid the requested ransom of 75 Bitcoin.

Colonial boss praises investigators

In so-called ransomware attacks, data on computers is encrypted – and the attackers usually demand a ransom for the release. Cases in which companies paid were also known before. But it is extremely rare to get the money back. Colonial chief Blount praised the work of the FBI investigators in a statement. He also said the private sector needs to take cyber threats seriously and invest to better defend against them. “Ransomware attacks have increased in scope and sophistication over the past year, targeting our critical infrastructure, businesses of all kinds, entire cities and even law enforcement agencies,” said Monaco from the Justice Department. “Ransomware and digital extortion pose a threat to national and economic security in the United States.” Just a few weeks after the attack on the gasoline pipeline, the world’s largest meat company JBS was hit by a massive cyber attack. Large parts of the production in North America and Australia were paralyzed.

[The latest international oil prices (OPEC wti crude oil) market]

As of the morning close of June 15, 2021: the price of US light crude oil WTI was US$70.88/barrel, down 0.04%, and the price of Brent crude oil was US$72.86/barrel, up 0.23%

Latest information on international oil prices:

Producers are in an awkward position as oil prices soar. Will oil still be in short supply in the next ten years? On June 14, US crude oil futures hit a two-and-a-half-year high. As fund managers have invested trillions of dollars in wind, solar and other renewable energy projects, investment in oil projects has fallen sharply. Some analysts believe that the sharp drop in fossil fuel spending may make it difficult for energy companies to meet global demand for oil. The lack of financing by oil producers may have unintended consequences.

Today’s latest oil price after the rise has been sorted out by the editor, and riders can reply to keywords in the dialogue window to query the latest oil price (for example: Guangzhou).

Finally, the editor will take a look at the latest gasoline prices on June 15:

Liaoning 92# gasoline is 6.87 yuan/liter, 95# gasoline is 7.33 yuan/liter;

Hunan oil price: The wholesale price of Guoliu 0# car diesel is 7250 yuan/ton, and the price is adjusted to 6.52 yuan/liter; the wholesale price of Hunan Guoliu 92# gasoline is 8716 yuan/ton, and the price is adjusted to 6.79 yuan/liter; the wholesale price of Hunan Guoliu 95# gasoline is 9216 yuan/ Tons, the adjusted price is RMB 7.21 per liter;

Shanghai Refined oil wholesale price limit/retail price: Guoliu 0# diesel price is 7000 yuan/ton, 6.28 yuan/liter; Guoliu-10# automobile diesel is 7438 yuan/ton, 6.66 yuan/liter; Guoliu 92# gasoline price is 8493 Yuan/ton, 6.64 Yuan/liter; Guoliu 95# gasoline price is 8990 Yuan/ton, 7.07 Yuan/liter;

Hebei oil prices Qinhuangdao Guoliu 92# gasoline is adjusted to 6.75 yuan/liter; Qinhuangdao Guoliu 95# gasoline is priced at 7.13 yuan/liter; Qinhuangdao Guoliu 98# gasoline is priced at 7.95 yuan/liter; Qinhuangdao Guoliu 0# diesel is adjusted to 6.39 yuan /Rise;

In April 2021, the Prime Minister issued a document assigning the Ministry of Science and Technology to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in, soon finalizing and promulgating national technical regulations on gasoline, diesel fuel, and biofuel corresponding to emission standards at level 5. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is responsible for directing petrol and oil suppliers to have a plan to supply gasoline and diesel at level 5 to ensure that they meet demand for use and are in sync with the application roadmap. emission standards level 5. According to the Vietnam Register, with this regulation, the Euro 5 emission standard only applies to new cars when the vehicle type approval certificate is issued. The emission test method for new vehicles is carried out in a dedicated laboratory. Euro 5 emissions do not apply when periodically checking with cars in circulation. For cars in circulation, the emission standards are applied according to the rapid test method at the registration facilities according to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 16 on the roadmap for applying emission standards of cars participating in traffic and automobiles. Imported used. This standard stipulates that cars with gasoline and diesel engines manufactured after 2008 will apply the level 2 emission standard from January 1, 2020. Thus, raising the automobile emission standard from level 4 (in 2017) to level 5 in January 2022, Vietnam becomes one of the top countries in ASEAN in terms of controlling emissions that have an impact on the environment. In addition, the improvement of automobile emission standards will reduce the cost of disaster recovery due to the greenhouse effect and the cost of medical examination and treatment for the community.

Buy outright battery – expensive solution for invisible benefits The biggest benefit of buying outright batteries is not in the material value but in the spiritual value. It’s a feeling of ownership. But to get that intangible benefit, customers will have to trade it with a relatively large financial burden. The battery is by far the most expensive component of an electric vehicle, accounting for about 30-40% of the cost, according to UK-based research and consulting firm GlobalData. In the foggy country, most electric cars are still at least $13,000 more expensive than a comparable internal combustion engine car. “The biggest barrier to owning an electric car is cost,” Rod Dennis of RAC, the UK’s leading car service, told The Guardian. Although there has been a “revolution” in battery production costs, falling from $1,000/kWh in 2010 to about $150-200/kWh in 2020, according to James Frith, head of Energy Finance column. New Energy (NEF) of Bloomberg news agency, “for electric vehicles to be as cheap as internal combustion engine cars, the battery price must be brought back to the threshold of $100/kWh”. However, according to Bloomberg, the increase in raw material prices on a global scale can create a “bottleneck” that makes the goal of lowering the price of the “energy heart” of electric vehicles more difficult. “It is not a wise choice to spend thousands of dollars more just for the ‘feel of ownership’. Not to mention, the user will be responsible for all risks with the battery block if any, “said an automotive expert. Swap batteries – more risks, more costs To reduce costs for customers, some electric car manufacturers offer a battery swap policy to separate the battery from the price of the car. Specifically, instead of buying outright, customers will rent the battery pack from the manufacturer or a 3rd party. When the battery is almost depleted, the customer will bring the car to the service workshop to replace the fully charged battery. In August 2020, NIO launched a BaaS (Battery as a Service) battery exchange service with a subscription fee from 980 yuan / month (150 USD). According to “Tesla of China”, the BaaS service helps the company reduce the price of cars by about 70,000 yuan (more than $10,000). For customers, refueling the car also becomes as quick as refueling. However, every coin has two sides, the battery swap policy also shows many inadequacies. Before NIO, the battery swap model was tested in the French and Taiwanese markets, but was not really successful. In 2019, French car company Renault had to stop this policy. “Battery swapping will be more suitable for two and three-wheeled vehicles, using low voltage, usually 48V, and small battery capacity, from 1.5kWh to up to 4kWh”, said CV Raman – Head of Engineering of the company. Maruti Suzuki India, analysis. Raman also said that this is the reason why Maruti Suzuki did not enter the electric car battery swap business. “Car batteries use high voltage, are integrated with many technologies and involve the cooling system. Frequent swapping compromises integrity, creates insecurity and increases the risks associated with electrical contact,” he said. On the other hand, Omprakash Upadhyay, an electric vehicle expert at TATA AutoComp (India), said that swapping batteries does not completely reduce the cost burden for customers. This model requires large, complex and expensive infrastructure as service shops have to keep a large stock of pre-charged batteries at all times. “Invisible medium, each car must have at least two sets of batteries – one set inside the vehicle and one available in the battery replacement station. This increases the cost of the car a lot, given the fact that the battery is the most expensive component in an electric vehicle,” Upadhyay said. Battery subscription – optimal for economy, maximum for safety The battery subscription policy that some companies like VinFast apply can be considered a perfect solution, helping to balance both the advantages and limitations of the two forms of outright purchase and swap. In economic terms, instead of having to spend “a lump” of thousands of dollars to buy batteries, customers will be leased batteries by manufacturers. The monthly subscription fee is offered by the company based on the calculation of the average distance traveled. With the VF e34 model, VinFast applies a subscription fee of 1.45 million VND/month for a distance of 1,400km, meeting the average travel demand well. “Operating costs, including battery rental and electric charging, are equal to the cost of gasoline consumption, and the price and features are superior to gasoline cars,” said Ms. Thai Thi Thanh Hai – General Director of VinFast. . According to estimates by GlobalData, the cost of buying a battery pack is equivalent to the total subscription fee for more than 8 years. The form of “split” cost over time is currently quite popular with technology products and services such as phone, television or Internet packages. In particular, the indispensable advantage of the subscription form is that the manufacturer will be responsible for the battery throughout the product life cycle, even to the recycling stage, bringing absolute peace of mind and peace to customers. row. Like VinFast, the company is committed to replacing customers with a new battery pack when the battery’s ability to receive charge drops below 70%. This is a “super benefit” that customers who buy the battery outright do not get. “Battery rental helps car owners benefit more when the battery is checked, maintained and serviced in a timely manner by the manufacturer. This model will be the key for electric vehicles to develop on a large scale, “said GlobalData.

Illustration. https://tinhtexaydung.petrotimes.vn According to GasBuddy, about 30% of all retail gas stations in North Carolina, South Carolina and George are out of gas. Virginia and Tennessee are also experiencing significant blackouts. Colonial Pipeline’s main pipeline transporting gasoline and diesel to the US East Coast has been shut down, following a ransomware attack earlier this month. More than a thousand fuel stations in the Southeast have run out of petrol and diesel due to panic buying and pipeline closures. Even people in Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, are flocking to gas stations to fill up with fuel, when news of gas stations running out of fuel. Colonial Pipeline paid almost $5 million in ransom in the form of a cryptocurrency to the hackers. But 2 weeks after shutting down, some gas stations are still shutting down. In Georgia, according to AAA data, the average price of a gallon of regular retail gasoline was $2,944 as of May 20, up from $2,708 a month before the pipeline failure. In North Carolina, the average price for gasoline is $2,929 per gallon, compared with $2,627 a month ago. According to Reuters, U.S. gasoline consumption is nearing pre-pandemic levels and is now down just 4% in the four weeks since May 14 from the five-year pre-pandemic average. https://tinhtexaydung.petrotimes.vn

A Colonia Pipeline fuel station. Photo: Getty Images The US Department of Transportation’s guidance notice emphasizes that this decision is in response to emergency conditions, stemming from the need for immediate transportation of fuel items, to relieve problems related to supply scarcity. Colonial Pipeline on May 9 also said that many of the company’s main operating pipelines are still closed, but some small lines connecting the supply station and distribution point have returned to normal operation. On May 7, Colonial Pipeline was hacked with ransomware, a type of code that locks systems by encrypting data and demands a ransom to restore access. The attack caused Colonia Pipeline to shut down the entire pipeline network. Colonial Pipeline transports gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products from the Gulf of Texas to the densely populated East Coast of the United States through an 8,850-kilometer pipeline, serving 50 million customers. In areas affected by supply disruptions, fuel demand increased by 4% on May 8, prices also increased by more than 4.2%. The attack caused concern among US consumers about the scarcity of gasoline supplies if the problem is not fixed in time.

Colonial Pipeline transports 2.5 million barrels of fuel per day. Photo: Colonial Pipeline According to the BBC, the state of emergency allows fuel to be transported by road. The news agency quoted experts as saying that fuel prices could increase by 2-3% on May 10, but the real impact would be much worse if this situation continued for longer. Many sources confirm that the malicious code attack is caused by a cybercriminal gang called DarkSide, which infiltrated Colonial’s system on May 6 and stole nearly 100GB of data as a “hostage”. After taking over the data, the group of hackers locked this data on some computers and servers, demanded a ransom and warned that if they did not receive the money, they would release the data on the internet. Colonial is working with law enforcement, cybersecurity and the US Department of Energy to restore service. On the evening of May 9, the company announced that although the four main pipelines continued to stop, some smaller lines between the terminals and delivery points were still operating. “Immediately after learning of the attack, Colonial proactively shut down certain systems to stop the threat. These actions temporarily halted all pipeline operations and affected some systems. our information technology system, which we are actively working on restoring,” said Colonial. “We are in the process of restoring service to other pipelines and will bring the entire system back online when we believe it is safe and in full compliance with all federal regulations. “. The DarkSide message appears on the victim’s computer screen. DarkSide isn’t the largest cybercriminal gang in the field, but the incident demonstrates the heightened risk that malware poses to critical U.S. industrial infrastructure, not just businesses. This gang lists all types of stolen data and sends the victim the URL of the “personal leak site”, where the data is pre-loaded waiting for automatic publication, if the company or organization does not. payment before the deadline. DarkSide claims to provide proof of the data obtained, and is ready to delete all such data from the victim’s network. According to Digital Shadows, a London-based cybersecurity company that tracks global cybercrime groups to help businesses limit their risk of being hacked, DarkSide acts like a company.

The attack was one of the most disruptive digital ransom schemes reported, prompting US lawmakers to call for increased protection of America’s critical energy infrastructure from hackers. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said pipeline repairs were a priority for the Biden administration and Washington was working to avoid more severe fuel supply disruptions by helping Colonial restart the road network. The tube is more than 5,500 miles (8,850 km) long. “Right now it’s an all-in-one effort,” Raimondo said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “We are working closely with company, state and local officials to ensure they return to normal operations as quickly as possible and without disruption to supplies,” Colonial said. The pipeline network was attacked – Photo: Reuters Their main fuel lines are still offline, but some of the smaller routes between the terminals and delivery points are now up and running. Neither Raimondo nor the company has given an estimate of a full reboot date. U.S. gasoline futures rose more than 3% to $2,217 a gallon, the highest since May 2018 as trading opened for the week and market participants reacted to pipeline closures. Colonial ships about 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline and other fuels from refineries on the Gulf Coast to consumers. Its extensive pipeline network serves major US airports including Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport, the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic. A spokeswoman for Charlotte Douglas International Airport said the airport had supplies on hand and was “monitoring the situation closely”. Retail fuel experts including the American Automobile Association say outages lasting several days could have a significant impact on fuel supplies in the region, particularly in the southeastern US. Colonial Pipeline’s fuel tanks – Photo: Reuters While the US government investigation is in its early stages, a former official and three industry sources said the suspected hackers were a professional cybercrime group called DarkSide. DarkSide is one of many gangs that often use malware to extort victims. These groups gain access to private networks, encrypt files with software, and often steal data. They ask for money to decrypt the files and ask for more money to not publish the stolen content. During the Colonial attack, the hackers stole more than 100 gigabytes of data.

Colonial Pipeline had to shut down the entire network after a cyber attack. Photo: wsj.com The administration of President Joe Biden said it was making every effort to restore the company’s operations and avoid disruption to supply. Experts say gas prices will not be affected if the company resumes normal operations in the next few days. However, this cyberattack, rated as the worst ever for the US infrastructure system, should be a warning bell for other companies about the risk they will become the next target of similar attacks. According to Colonial Pipeline, the company’s pipeline carries gasoline and other fuels from Texas to the Northeast, providing nearly 45 percent of the fuel for the East Coast of the United States. Although Colonial Pipeline has not revealed who is responsible for the cyber attack, an unnamed person on the team investigating the incident confirmed that the culprit was a hacker group nicknamed Darkside. This group has been spreading ransomware since August 2020 and is classified as one of the most attackable groups. Over the past 3 years, Darkside has become more and more professional and has caused Western countries tens of billions of dollars in losses. Ransomware attacks are malicious code designed to lock down computer systems using encrypted data and demand a ransom to restore access. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on May 9 warned US businesses to be wary of ransomware attacks. The female minister affirmed that she would work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to handle the issue, considering this a top priority of the government. Reuters news agency, citing a notice from the White House, said the administration was working to help Colonial Pipeline company resume operations to avoid supply disruptions. According to sources, before activating ransomware, hackers often steal data, which is used to blackmail businesses or distort the truth. Sometimes stolen data is more valuable to hackers than the benefit they get by disrupting business operations. Security experts say the attack is a warning to operators and managers of essential infrastructure in the US such as electricity, water, energy and transportation facilities that have long been built. do not update the method to ensure security against the risk of being attacked. Mr. David Kennedy, a senior security consultant and founder of the security consulting firm TrustedSec, admitted that ransomware attacks have spiraled out of control in the US and are currently under development. is one of the greatest threats facing the United States. However, most American companies lack the ability to prepare for such threats.

According to the Vice , DarkSide’s message does not directly refer to the Colonial Pipeline attack, but is titled “Regarding the Latest News”. The group said its actions were unrelated to politics. The cyber attack on May 7 caused the Colonial Pipeline’s fuel pipeline system to stop working. Photo: Bloomberg. “We are a non-political group, not involved in geopolitics. Don’t tie us to a government or look for other motives… Our aim is to make money, not to cause problems for society,” a DarkSide representative wrote on a website belonging to the dark web. According to the Washington Post , some US officials believe that DarkSide is the hacker group behind the Colonial Pipeline attack. Also in the new statement, DarkSide said it will change the way it works and selects targets. “From today, we will examine and analyze each company that partners want to encrypt to avoid social consequences,” the group wrote. On May 7, Colonial Pipeline announced that it had to disconnect some systems after discovering it was “a victim of a cyber attack”. According to the Business Insider , this move caused more than 8,046 km of fuel pipes and some computer systems of Colonial Pipeline to stop working. In an updated statement on May 8, the company representative confirmed that the software used for the attack was in the form of ransomware, which encrypts files in the system and requires victims to pay if they want to get it. again. The company hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate the severity of the attack. The DarkSide hacker group spoke out after the alleged implementation of a cyber attack against the Colonial Pipeline. Photo: Motherboard. According to information on its website, Colonial Pipeline transports about 45% of all fuel consumed on the East Coast of the United States. On May 9, the company said that while the main pipelines are still closed, some smaller pipelines have been reactivated. In response to the incident, the US Department of Transportation has declared a state of emergency in 17 states and Washington to lift restrictions on carriers and drivers assisting in fuel shortages. The declaration of emergency will be in effect until the end of the state of affairs, or until 23:59 on June 8 (local time). After the Colonial Pipeline incident, gasoline prices in the US increased more than 3% to $2,217 per gallon – the highest price since May 2018. Experts warn that the price of gas raw materials may increase further if Colonial Pipeline does not reopen the pipeline in the next few days. How did the FBI hack the suspect’s iPhone? Cellebrite has invented a phone-cracking technology that makes it easier for the FBI to investigate.

Colonial Pipeline’s Dorsey hub in Maryland, USA. Photo: Reuters The difficulty in fuel supply has raised concerns that gasoline prices at pumping stations will escalate during the peak summer travel season. Colonial Pipeline said the company is trying to resume operations this weekend after its fuel pipeline system was paralyzed since May 7 after being hit by a cyber attack. The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline’s fuel pipeline system shut down nearly half of the US East Coast’s fuel supply. The US Energy Administration on May 10 called for mandatory cybersecurity standards for fuel pipeline operators and operators. “Incentivizing the voluntary application of standards to pipelines is inadequate,” said US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard Glick. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accused a cybercriminal group called “DarkSide” of causing a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline. Reuters news agency quoted cybersecurity experts as saying that DarkSide is based in Russia or Eastern Europe, so the gang usually avoids targeting computers that use the languages ​​of the former Soviet republics. However, US President Joe Biden on May 10 expressed he did not believe that the Russian government was behind the cyber attack on the Colonial Pipeline. “So far there is no evidence based on our intelligence that Russia is involved,” Biden said. A statement titled DarkSide group on May 10 stated: “Our goal is to make money and not create problems for society.” Ransomware attack is a type of malware designed to disable computers by encrypting data and blackmailing victims if they want to regain system access. It is not clear what price the hackers offered for Colonial Pipeline, and the company has not commented on the matter. Fuel demand in the southeastern United States has increased sharply in recent days as consumers fear fuel shortages. The Southeastern region of the United States has long depended mainly on the supply of fuel flowing through the Colonial Pipeline’s pipeline system. The average national gasoline price rose 6 cents to $2.96 a gallon last week, the highest since May 2018 and close to a peak set in 2014, the American Automobile Association said. also warned of speculation about fuel hoarding as the supply continued to decrease. Katina Willey, a resident of Florida on May 10, said she had to go to 5 gas stations to buy gas. “Consumers have to wait in long lines at three of the five gas stations I go to,” added Katina Willey. Many other car owners said they were also looking to refill their gas tanks out of fear that the fuel situation could worsen. If the Colonial Pipeline’s pipeline disruptions continue, fuel suppliers may be able to force fuel transportation by trucks and trains to partially ease the fuel shortage. The US Department of Transportation on May 9 lifted travel restrictions for fuel truck drivers in 17 states affected by supply disruptions.

Illustration. The breach at Alpharetta, Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline is the latest in a series of cybersecurity incidents confronting the administration of President Joe Biden – as well as a striking reminder that many companies Operators of the nation’s most basic infrastructure, from dams to power plants, are still unprepared to deal with the threats posed by toxic numbers. Here’s a summary of how a criminal gang managed to get into Colonial’s systems and why the tool they use – ransomware – is such a persistent threat. How can a hacker shut down a pipeline? On May 7, Colonial Pipeline said it learned that hackers had infected their computer networks with ransomware, malicious code used to take control of computers and extract payments from victims. The breach affected Colonial’s business network, which it uses for tasks like payroll management and data reporting to regulators. Colonial disabled those systems, but it also turned off the much more sensitive technology running its pipeline operations — a precaution meant to prevent hackers from accessing it if they hadn’t already. These systems monitor air flow for impurities and leaks, control power levels, and perform other automated tasks to keep pipelines running smoothly. What exactly was closed? Colonial shut down its entire main pipeline, more than 5,500 miles long from Houston, Texas, to Linden, New Jersey. The pipeline transports 45% of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel to the US East Coast, according to the company. The short-lived outage sent wholesale gas prices up on financial markets in the affected region, but that rally cooled slightly during trading on May 10. And while some gasoline retailers may try to add a few cents a gallon to the price at the pump, there have been no reports of shortages at suppliers serving those retail points. Market analysts say the pipeline shutdown will need to last through at least the middle of the week to start affecting supply in some parts of the Southeast, and Houston’s refineries won’t start. reduce production unless Colonial shuts down until next week. Overall, the US is stockpiling 235 million barrels of gasoline, enough to supply the whole country for nearly a month. However, retail gasoline prices have risen steadily in recent weeks and any anxiety could accelerate gains as the country approaches Memorial Day weekend, which the industry considers is the beginning of the “summer driving season” in high demand. How bad could this be? It depends on whether the outage turns into a protracted crisis for Colonial’s customers, which include busy airports and US military bases. Some customers can buy fuel from foreign suppliers, but they will face more financial pressure as Colonial’s pipeline network remains offline. Colonial said on May 10 that it has begun reactivating segments of the pipeline and anticipates “significantly restoring operational service by the end of the week”. However, they did not explain what “basically” means and did provide some other details about the attack investigation. What is Ransomware? Ransomware is software that hackers deploy to lock down victims’ data so they can’t access or use it – in the worst case scenario, essentially shutting down an entire company or government office. The hacker then demands a ransom in exchange for providing a digital key to unlock the files. Over the past few years, ransomware has grown from an occasional nuisance to a ubiquitous threat. Victims include the hospital system, the school district and the DC police department, as well as many small businesses. According to the FBI report, ransomware attacks increased by 37% from 2018-2019 and 20% from 2019-2020. According to one report, the pandemic has led to a significant increase in ransomware, with the number of attacks Attacks more than doubled year-on-year, with a particularly large increase in the healthcare sector. The Department of Justice recently launched a task force to explore new solutions to the problem. But in the meantime, the problem continues to get worse as criminal motives grow. Why aren’t pipelines and power plants better protected against ransomware? The private companies that operate much of America’s critical infrastructure — power plants, dams, natural gas pipelines, and other critical facilities — often neglect to implement safety protocols. government-recommended cybersecurity. While protecting against foreign government hackers sometimes requires complex technology that small critical infrastructure operators cannot afford, protecting against ransomware is are not. Use strong passwords, train employees not to click on suspicious links, and require employees to use multi-factor authentication – which involves entering a randomly generated number after entering one’s password – can prevent all but the most advanced types of hacks, including ransomware. Despite years of warnings from government officials and cybersecurity experts, most companies outside of the highly regulated financial sector have not taken many of these steps. And even organizations that try to take cybersecurity seriously can be covered by small holes. A long-neglected office worker or old computer in a closet is often the weak link that opens an organization’s doors to hackers. With so many companies leaving themselves with easy targets, many cybercriminals have started using ransomware to make money. By choosing victims they know there can be no downtime, these criminals virtually guarantee themselves an easy profit. Additionally, many ransomware operators have begun exploiting a secondary source of profit: reselling stolen data on the dark web, where sensitive personal information can fetch huge sums. Between victims and hackers is a burgeoning crypto ecosystem, consisting of unscrupulous payment facilitators ready to handle ransom transactions and rock wall law enforcement. How often do victims pay the ransom? The US government discourages ransomware victims from paying attackers to regain access to their data. While some ransomware operators honor their agreements and unlock victims’ files to foster trust and increase their chances of receiving a future ransom, many of these criminals simply take the money and disappear. Paying the ransom also encourages cybercriminals to continue their attacks. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, said: “We recognize that victims of cyberattacks often face very difficult situations and they must balance the cost-benefit when there is no other option about paying the ransom,” – told reporters on May 10 In the US, it is not illegal to pay a ransom to regain access to locked data. However, it is illegal to pay ransoms to entities on the Treasury’s sanctions list, and the Treasury Department has warned companies that assist ransomware victims to conduct due diligence on hackers. before making payment arrangements. DarkSide, what is the group behind the attack? The FBI has confirmed that the Colonial Pipeline hack was the work of the DarkSide ransomware gang. This group is a relatively newcomer to the ransomware ecosystem, but they are already well known for their professionalism, patience, and large ransom demand. Security firm Cybereason wrote in a report last month: “The team has a phone number and even a help desk to facilitate negotiations with the victim, and they are putting a lot of effort into gathering information. about their victims – not just technical information about their environment, but more general information about the company itself, like the size of the organization and estimated revenue.” DarkSide is based in Russia, but so far the US has said it does not believe the hackers acted on behalf of the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Biden said on the afternoon of May 10: “To date, there is no evidence … from our intelligence people that Russia is involved. However, he added: “There is evidence that the actor’s ransomware is in Russia. They have some responsibility to deal with this.” Like other ransomware gangs, DarkSide operates on a so-called “ransomware-as-a-service” model, in which it provides code to less sophisticated hackers and helps them carry out attacks enter in exchange for their share of the profits. After being closely watched by the Colonial Pipeline attack, DarkSide seems to be rethinking this model. On May 10, a purported statement from the DarkSide hackers announced the group’s intention to scrutinize the partners’ planned attacks in the future to “avoid social consequences.” festival”. “Our goal is to make money, and not create problems for society.” What is the US government doing with this attack? The White House has established a working group that includes the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency; The Department of Transport’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; FBI; and the Departments of Energy, Treasury and Defense. These agencies are working together to prepare for various scenarios should the pipeline remain shut, including planning for shortages and higher gas prices. In addition, the Department of Transportation waives regulations that limit the driving time without rest of fuel trucks in 17 states and Washington DC. That could make it easier to deliver to customers due to Colonial’s closure.

Illustration. The hack brought down the pipeline, now in its sixth day, and led to panic buying and gas shortages in the Southeastern United States. Colonial said it began reopening its pipeline late Wednesday afternoon, a process that could take days, but declined to comment on the ransom issue. Colonial is working closely with law enforcement, the Department of Energy, and US cybersecurity company FireEye to minimize damage and restore operations. Colonial and government responses to the breach are being closely watched following one of the most direct hacking attacks on US critical infrastructure after years of warnings. Ransomware attacks have increased in number and ransom prices, with hackers encrypting data and seeking cryptocurrency payments to unlock. Investigators in the Colonial case say the malware was distributed by a gang known as DarkSide, which consisted of Russian-speaking people and evaded attack targets in the former Soviet Union. DarkSide previously said that it has no intention of meddling in geopolitics and will be more careful about its affiliates going forward. On Wednesday, the group said on its website that it was “dropping” data from three other victims, including a technology company in Chicago. Officials have so far found no significant connection to the Russian government, concluding instead that the pipeline company that supplies 45% of the US East Coast’s oil was crippled by the attack. ransomware. DarkSide allows “affiliates” to infiltrate targets in different places, then handle ransom negotiation and data release. Two people involved in the Colonial investigation said the man linked in this case was a Russian criminal with no special ties to the government.

Toyota Cross HV operates in the inner city of big cities in Vietnam The picture of electrified vehicles in Vietnam At the seminar on electrified vehicles in Vietnam organized by Tien Phong newspaper, sharing about the picture of electric cars in the world and Vietnam, Expert Nguyen Trung Hieu – Head of Policy Planning Department TMV said: a unit that has the conditions to participate in the research and production of electric vehicles, we have a general view of the picture of electrified cars as follows: Firstly, from the 70s of the last century, when the gasoline crisis When oil broke out, car manufacturers were forced to find a new direction, which is to find a way to replace internal combustion engine fuel. Second is the factor of climate because internal combustion engines contribute to the cause. Therefore, global warming is caused by the third is the concentration of too many vehicles using internal combustion engines, which causes air pollution, and the fourth is that along with the development of society, the technological trend is a condition. necessary to contribute to the promotion of production. Therefore, since the 70s, car manufacturers have been looking for new directions in vehicles using clean energy.” When the chairperson asked the question, is the price an important issue affecting the development of electric vehicles in Vietnam? Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu said: the general car price includes production costs and taxes. For electric vehicles, there is a discount on prices due to the decreasing price of batteries. The second is in terms of tax, currently the Vietnamese government has preferential treatment for electric vehicles. Therefore, the factors of usage habits and some other factors are the issues that need attention. Maybe in about 5-10 years, the electric vehicle market will be doubled, tripled and the price will decrease. Currently Toyota has a full range of models, but it is only a matter of when to launch to match the status and development potential of the country. To do this is a matter of policy. In general, the picture of electric vehicles is a story of national challenges, and seizing the opportunities is a national problem. Outstanding advantages of electrified vehicles Toyota Cross uses environmentally friendly electrified vehicle technology Toyota Vietnam and Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) have cooperated, discussed and implemented a project to monitor and evaluate the performance of gasoline cars and hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles (Hybrid) in 4 areas. factors include Fuel Consumption, Emission Level, Safety and Driving Experience under real conditions. During the period from October 23, 2020 to December 23, 2020, with test conditions including actual roads, labs and test sites in peak hours, normal hours / ring roads , radial roads, inner city roads, one-way roads, research results show that the advantages of Hybrid cars are maximum fuel savings, low exhaust levels, smooth and powerful operation, and very smooth and quiet. In particular, Hybrid cars can save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions from 1.5 to 2 times compared to conventional cars, so they are very environmentally friendly. Why is the hybrid car line suitable for the current situation in Vietnam? Sharing about why hybrid cars are suitable for Vietnam’s current situation, Mr. Mai Ngoc Tuy, Head of Technical Service Department of Toyota Motor Vietnam said, firstly, with this model, we There is no need to change the user’s usage behavior. Because the way to use this car is like using an internal combustion engine car today. Second, there is no need to invest in infrastructure, which is extremely expensive. Third, if using hybrid cars, it will have less impact on socio-economic issues. Because if using this vehicle, the gasoline supply chain will not be affected and the problem of solving social jobs will not change.

The Colonia company had to shut down the fuel pipeline after a cyber attack. Photo: AP. Leading American fuel pipeline company Colonial shut down its entire network that supplies nearly half of the fuel to the US East Coast, following a May 8 ransomware ransomware attack. Every day, the Colonial company ships 2.5 million barrels of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products through a 850-kilometer pipeline connecting the eastern and southern coasts of the United States. The company has shut down systems to stop the threat after learning about the attack. According to sources, hackers are most likely a highly professional cybercrime group. And the malware used in the attack is ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware designed to lock systems by encrypting data and taps money to regain access. This malware has become popular in the past 5 years. The Colonial Company has invited a third-party cybersecurity company to conduct an investigation and contacted law enforcement and other federal agencies to initiate an investigation. Colonial provided no further details or said how long their fuel lines would be closed. “Cyber ​​vulnerabilities have become a systemic issue,” said Ms. Algirde Pipikaite, Head of Network Strategies at the World Economic Forum’s Cyber ​​Security Center. Without measures to protect cybersecurity, attacks are occurring more often on industrial systems such as oil and gas pipelines or water treatment plants. In 2017, Colonial shut down its gas distillation and production lines during Hurricane Harvey that hit the Gulf Coast. That contributes to tight supply and price increases in gasoline in the US.

Term 2: Solve the quality management problem, electric vehicle regulations Electric vehicle charging station at AEON Ha Dong Shopping Center (Hanoi) – photo by Thanh Tung With more than 1 million electric scooters in circulation and thousands of electric cars handed over to customers by VinFast by the end of this year, the problem of quality management, registration, and charging station standards comes from The legal regulations in the circulation of vehicles for electric vehicles are in urgent need. Register like a traditional car At the end of March 2021, VinFast’s electric bus model was completed by the Vietnam Registry Department to verify design documents, vehicle safety testing and met the conditions of current automotive technical regulations. onions for mass production. Recently, VinFast has also announced to receive orders, produce an electric car model under 9 seats under the brand name VF e34, expected to hand over the car to customers in November 2021. In fact, electric cars have appeared in the country a few years ago and now there are 14 cars (all imported complete units, the Tesla brand). With the above trend, in the near future, the domestic market will have both imported CBU electric cars and domestically produced cars. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Deputy Department of Motor Vehicle Quality – VAQ (Vietnam Registry Department), said that electric vehicles are quality controlled from the evaluation of vehicle design, safety testing to issue type certificates. and sample production. After the car is released, the circulation process, electric cars must be periodically registered as traditional cars. According to Mr. Dang Tran Khanh, Deputy Department of Motor Vehicle Inspection – VAR (Vietnam Registry Department), the biggest difference between electric cars and gasoline and oil cars is the energy source for the vehicle’s engine to operate. Therefore, the registry will apply the inspection of technical safety items according to the current national automotive technical regulations, except for the exhaust gas test, which will not be the same as gasoline or oil vehicles. “Currently, some countries like Singapore also test electric cars like conventional cars. However, the Vietnam Registry Department is consulting the experiences of countries and international automobile registration associations to take steps to research and prepare for the process of supplementing and completing the standards of cars, including cars. electricity ”, said Mr. Khanh. Which standard charging station? According to a recent study by the Research Group of the German International Cooperation Organization (GIZ), it is currently the beginning stage of the development of electric transportation in Vietnam. Imported electric vehicles including bicycles, electric scooters and four-wheeled passenger electric vehicles currently have more than 1 million vehicles. It is expected that by the end of 2021, there will be only electric cars produced domestically. About the current regulations applicable to electric cars, the representative of the Motor Vehicle Testing Center (Vietnam Registry Department) said that in-depth techniques for electric cars are electrical elements. There are a number of different research and development trends in the world. ” Electric car is still a manned car like a conventional internal combustion engine, so when the car is put into operation at present, there are no legal problems. Electric vehicle drivers, while participating in traffic in Vietnam, still comply with the current Decree 100 and the Law on Road Traffic
Decree 100 deals with the driver’s behavior more than the vehicle. And the current Law on Road Vehicle has regulations on vehicles, but in road motor vehicles, there is no regulation on engines. Therefore, the legal basis for electric vehicles is basically the same as conventional gasoline and oil vehicles, including procedures for vehicle registration and vehicle registration.
Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, Specialized Vice President of National Traffic Safety Committee ” Such as the standard of charging. Therefore, in this early stage, mainly based on the National Technical Regulation on technical safety quality and environmental protection for cars (QVN 09: 2015 / BGTVT) to test and evaluate. vehicle safety prices. At the same time, there is research to build appropriate standards for the development of electric cars in the country in the future. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi, Director of the Department of Standards (General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality), Vietnam currently has the standard TCVN 12241-3: 2018 on the secondary lithium-ion battery used for power transmission. for electric road vehicles. This International Standard specifies test procedures and acceptance criteria for the safety performance of batteries and masses of secondary lithium-ion batteries used to power road vehicles (EV). including battery electric vehicles (BEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). “However, we do not have a set of standards (required to apply) on charging stations and charging terminals. This is not even available in advanced countries. Just like the plug of household electrical appliances has not been agreed, where the power supply is 110V, where 220V, the device has a 3-pin or 2-pin plug, but the 2-pin plug is also each style. In addition, the structure of the electric vehicle charging station is also a technology secret issue, so no company wants to share it, so it has not been agreed to set which one is the standard. For example, the phone charger, until now it has been agreed, to buy any device, use the charger cord, the charger of that company, basically according to the original equipment manufacturer “, Mr. Khoi said. Just as a car powered by an internal combustion engine needs multiple gas stations, an electric vehicle (EV) also needs multiple public charging stations. The question is which technology standard charging station will Vietnam follow in order to be able to meet the maximum number of electric vehicles with different charging standards? According to Mr. Dao Cong Quyet, Head of the Public Relations Subcommittee of VAMA, there are currently 3 international charging standards for cars, including: Europe (CCS), Japan (CHAdeMO) and China (GB / T). ). If there are many electric car manufacturers, it is also necessary to have a common standard for the car manufacturers to plan to manufacture and import this type of vehicle for sale in Vietnam. Mr. Tran Quang Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Transport), said that the charging standards of many basic companies according to Europe, but most of them do not have the uniformity of the common charging standard between the companies. Currently, road motor vehicles in Vietnam are basically all according to European standards. On the issue of waste disposal for electric vehicles, Mr. Ha informed that most countries have strict and strict regulations on waste product management. As for the discarded products containing harmful substances such as batteries and batteries, Vietnam has also had regulations but there are no sanctions. “When electric vehicles thrive, the problem of completing regulations on waste management and treatment such as batteries, batteries will be very hot. There should be clear sanctions “, Mr. Ha suggested.

At the Beijing 2020 Motor Show in September last year, Honda unveiled the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version that only consumes 1.1 liters of gasoline / 100 km of the CR-V in the Chinese market. . Until now, Honda Breeze’s turn to save gas – CR-V’s “eggless twin” – has a plug-in hybrid version named e: PHEV in the 2021 Shanghai Motor Show. It was also the first PHEV model of the GAC Honda joint venture in China. Meanwhile, CR-V is the product of the joint venture Dongfeng Honda. The highlight of the Honda Breeze e: the new PHEV 2021 lies in the plug-in hybrid powertrain, including the 2.0-liter Atkinson Cycle petrol engine with a capacity of 2.0L, natural air intake and 2 electric motors. Currently, Honda has not announced the operating parameters of this transmission system. Only know that, Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 can run all the way 85 km with just an electric motor and consumes an average of 1.3 liters / 100 km, less than a motorcycle. Developed on the basis of the Honda CR-V, the SUV Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 measures 4,718 mm in length, 1,861 mm in width, 1,679 mm in height, and 2,660 mm in wheelbase. Compared with the Honda CR-V, Breeze has a slightly longer 133 mm. Not only longer, Breeze e: PHEV 2021 also has a slightly different exterior design, especially at the front of the car. Here, we will see the Honda Accord style design rather than the CR-V. Applying Solid Wing Face design language, Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 has a thick chrome-plated bar on the grille connected to the slim headlight cluster. Inside this headlamp cluster is the bulb with an impressive gem-like design and integrated LED daytime positioning lights. Below is a fairly large center air cavity with a honeycomb mesh design and slender horizontal fog lights. Surrounding the front fog lights are chrome spokes extending to the sides. Contrary to the front design, the frame of the Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 is quite similar to the CR-V. However, this fuel-efficient model is equipped with a chrome brace underneath the door, which feels like it connects to the front fog lamp rim and extends to the rear bumper. In addition, the Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 is also equipped with a 5-spoke design with 2-color paint. Behind, the Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 has a simpler design than the CR-V with the rear lights without a chrome-plated brace in the middle. Instead, the rear lights of this model are surrounded by glossy black edges. The rear bumper also has a similar glossy black brace and two trapezoidal exhaust ends. Stepping inside the Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021, the driver is greeted with an interior space that is almost identical to that of the CR-V. This model is also equipped with an independent touch screen located on the dashboard, below 2 central air-conditioning doors. Below the screen are buttons and mechanical knobs to adjust the air conditioner. Even the seat, steering wheel and center console of the Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 are the same as the CR-V. However, this C-sized crossover uses Korean-style gear switches such as Hyundai and Kia. Meanwhile, the Honda CR-V still uses the traditional gear lever. Below the center console of the Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 is a fairly large storage compartment and comes with a hood. Unfortunately, the current price of the Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021 has not been announced. Just know that, the car will hit the Chinese market in the second half of this year. Video: Details Honda Breeze e: PHEV 2021.

On April 15, Sinopec announced in Beijing that it will build 5,000 smart charging stations before 2025. At the same time, the world’s first fully smart charging station jointly built by Sinopec and NIO has also been officially put into operation.

However, cooperation with traditional energy giants has not stopped Weilai’s stock price from falling.The new energy vehicle company, which has a market value of more than US$50 billion, continued its decline on Wednesday, closing down 3.67% on Thursday.The other two Chinese new energy automobile companies listed on the US stock market, Ideal and Xiaopeng, also fell sharply on Thursday. Ideal Motors closed down 6.73% and Xiaopeng Motors closed down 4.53%.

Not only did the capital market fail to respond positively to the cooperation between Sinopec and NIO, many netizens also hesitated about Sinopec’s plan to build charging stations in gas stations. Worried about safety hazards when batteries are placed in gas stations .

Build no less than 5000 mixed stations in the next 5 years

According to a CCTV financial report, on April 15th, Sinopec, the largest domestic oil product sales company, announced in Beijing that 5000 smart charging stations will be built before 2025 At the same time, the world’s first fully intelligent power swap station jointly built by Sinopec and NIO was officially put into operation.

This latest fully intelligent switching station is located in Beijing’s southeast Fourth Ring Road, covering an area of ​​60 square meters. Users do not need to get off the car, and can complete the parking and battery swap business with one click in the car.

Image source: CCTV Finance

According to the Securities Times, this swap station is the second generation of Weilai swap station, which can hold up to 13 batteries. The time for a single power exchange is 4 minutes and 30 seconds, and the daily service capacity can reach up to 312 times. Compared with the first-generation power station, the efficiency is increased by more than 3 times.In addition, the second-generation power station can also support the automatic parking of the vehicle. The user does not need to get off the vehicle, and the vehicle can be automatically replaced by one-key start. .

At present, Sinopec has more than 30,000 gas stations in China, and some of these stations will coordinate the layout of charging and swapping networks with new energy vehicle companies.

Image Source:CCTV Finance

Zhang Yuzhuo, Chairman of Sinopec, said in an interview with CCTV Finance: “ The power exchange can be introduced at Sinopec’s gas stations. In this way, our plan is to build no less than 5,000 mixed stations during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. The battery should be standardized, and the chassis of the car should also be standardized. In this way, when a gas station is built, all electric vehicles can be replaced. ”

In addition, Sinopec and NIO will conduct all-round cooperation in the fields of charging and swapping layout, new materials and smart vehicles.

Li Bin, the founder of NIO, said: “Next we have more plans to deploy NIO to replace power stations at Sinopec gas stations. In places like Beijing, Shanghai, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta where we have a relatively large number of users, there is another At high speed.”

According to the Economic Observer Network, in addition to NIO, on April 15th, Sinopec also signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with another new energy company, Aodong New Energy. The two parties will fully combine their respective technologies and expertise to conduct research, exploration and promotion. Full-scenario commercial application models such as smart charging will carry out pragmatic cooperation in the research and development, construction, and promotion and application of charging and swapping of electric vehicles.

According to reports, Aodong New Energy has been in the field of battery swapping for more than 20 years. It has mature solutions and practical applications in electric vehicle swap services, battery lifecycle management, and commercial operation of swap stations. It has implemented swap stations in more than 20 cities. Large-scale commercial operations .

Upsurge in the field of power exchange

According to the Securities Times, NIO is the first new energy car company to promote the battery swap model on a large scale, and it is mainly aimed at the private car application market and can only serve NIO owners. This mode requires investment in the construction of replacement stations and the purchase of a large number of batteries. Different companies have different battery pack standards. The construction of the NIO car swap station has not been smooth sailing, and its model has also been questioned in the early stages. Weilai had planned to build 1,100 replacement power stations in 2020, and actually completed about 200 .

At present, the number of domestic power exchange stations is still small. Statistics released by the China Business Industry Research Institute show that As of December 2020, there are a total of 555 power replacement stations in China.Aodong New Energy ranked first in the number of replacement power stations, with a total of 286; Weilai ranked second with a total of 175; Hangzhou Baitan ranked third with a total of 94 .

In addition to Weilai, there are many players in the domestic power exchange field. Among them, BAIC New Energy takes the lead in implementing power exchange. In March of this year, BAIC Blue Valley (600733) stated on the investor interaction platform that BAIC New Energy will build more than 50 new power stations in 2020, and have built more than 100 power stations in Beijing, Hainan and other places.

Recently, many car companies have launched new battery swap models, but most of them are geared towards the to B market. In March of this year, SAIC Group released the Roewe Ei5 quick-change version. The taxi operating company Dazhong Transportation and Jiangnan Travel became the first users of the Roewe Ei5 quick-change version. In the same month, Geely’s battery swap model, the Maple Leaf 80V, was officially launched, mainly for the online car-hailing market.

In the context of China’s goal of achieving carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, considering factors such as grid load and efficiency,The recent upsurge in the field of power exchange is not surprising.

According to CCTV Finance, Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Energy Administration and many other ministries and commissions have repeatedly pointed out that it is necessary to actively support the innovation of the charging and replacement business model to help achieve carbon peak and carbon neutral .ItemThe charging mode of the former new energy electric vehicles is mainly based on the decentralized recharge of residents’ own charging piles. As the contradiction between the increasing number of electric vehicles and the scarcity of parking spaces becomes increasingly prominent, the charging mode will gradually shift to a centralized power supplement based on fast charging and battery swapping modes, which is conducive to the safe operation of the power grid. .

Professor Xia Qing of Tsinghua University said in an interview with CCTV Finance: “The advantage of the power swap mode is that the impact on the distribution network is relatively small. I can concentrate on one place and add the power grid. If it is distributed, it will be more difficult to control. Because the two modes are compared, the cost of the point-of-switch mode is much lower.”

According to industry insiders, The power exchange mode will separate the car and electricity, which will not only allow consumers to reduce the loss of battery depreciation, but also make the battery itself more fully utilized. It can be used as an energy storage device to participate in the consumption of new energy such as photovoltaic and wind power .

“The power swap mode may form a relatively large energy storage power station from small power batteries in a power swapping station. In addition, the cascade utilization of power batteries formed after the power batteries are retired may also extend the power battery business format to the energy storage battery business format. “Chen Haisheng, chairman of the Zhongguancun Energy Storage Industry Technology Alliance, said.

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However, electric cars are not perfect and they come with their own pollution problems. Typically, their batteries contain ingredients such as lithium, which require a considerable amount of energy to source and extract.

However, making batteries is only part of the life cycle of electric vehicles. A 2014 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at the entire emissions life cycle of an electric vehicle, from mining the metals needed for batteries to producing the electricity needed. to power them, then compare this to the average emissions of a gasoline car. The team found that when electric cars are charged with coal-fired electricity, they actually do more harm to the environment than conventional gasoline cars.

Buying an electric car is much more affordable than a gas or diesel from an environmental perspective. Illustration

But that is not a problem because today, in most countries around the world, the national grid is “clean” enough for electric cars to beat competitors running on gasoline.

There are very few countries in the world where the grid is entirely or mostly coal. China is one of them. In 2019, an estimated 58% of the country’s electricity supply comes from coal. China’s grid is improving, however, with more investments in renewables – for example, it has twice the capacity of wind power as the US and builds more solar panels than any other country. Every year, according to Nature.

Mr. Gordon Bauer, an electric vehicle researcher at the International Council for Clean Transport in San Francisco, USA, said the current improved grid model, with more renewable energy and less fossil fuels. , is a global model and helps improve the environmental quality of electric vehicles. “As the grid becomes” greener “, the use of electric vehicles will be more perfect,” he said.

In a study published this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, Colin Sheppard, a researcher in energy and transport systems engineering at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, Work with Gordon Bauer to model a hypothetical future scenario where all cars are powered by electricity. “We want to understand the impact of energy, infrastructure and emissions if all passenger vehicles are electrified,” Sheppard told Live Science.

For example, Mr. Sheppard calculated that if all private vehicles in the United States were powered by electricity, the annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the country would be 46% (0.5 gigatons of CO2) compared to cars. run on conventional gas.

This reduction could be further increased if the vehicles were subjected to so-called “controlled charging”, a technique also known as “smart charging”, in which the vehicles are recharged into Timing is selected to minimize the financial cost of electricity generation. (For example, charging at night is generally less expensive than during the day; this strategy also favors plants that produce more energy efficiently to generate cheaper electricity.) If all privately owned electric cars were charged in the same way, emissions savings could be increased by up to 49% annually.

In addition, electric vehicles are said to also emit CO2, but not during use, but when generating electricity – this is why many people believe that this car is not completely pure. Even the president of Toyota once harshly said that electric cars are being overblown.

In fact, electrochemical vehicles including Hybrid (HEV), Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) still emit CO2 even when used (because there is still an internal combustion engine) and possibly when generating electricity, depending on how it is generated. electricity. While pure electric vehicles can only generate CO2 in the production process, not when used.

Depending on the source of electricity generation is hydroelectricity, wind power or thermal power, nuclear power … that the amount of CO2 generation will be different. If hydroelectricity, CO2 level is almost zero, while thermal power is too much CO2.

Research by Bloomberg NEF in Thailand shows that electric cars generate 60% of the CO2 equivalent of a gasoline equivalent vehicle. This source of CO2 comes entirely from production, because Thailand generates electricity mainly from natural gas. While internal combustion engine vehicles produce CO2 in an 80/20 ratio between use and production.

For example, if a gasoline car generates 100 g CO2 / km 80 g from use and 20 g from gas production. While a corresponding electric car model only generates 60 g of CO2 from use. As such, electric cars are still significantly cleaner than gasoline cars.

For countries with clean electricity generation sources such as Norway, up to 95% of electrical energy comes from hydroelectricity, CO2 emissions are even lower. The future of electric vehicles is becoming clearer as more automakers are involved in the production and research of electric vehicles. Users often do not care too much about CO2 emissions in production, but realize that when used, it will help where cars circulate with less pollution.

Ultimately, the conclusion is that buying an electric car is much more affordable than a gas or diesel car from an environmental perspective.

Thu Ha (Th)

When the car has generated the smell of rotten eggs (H2S), the main cause usually comes from a malfunctioning car exhaust converter. Because then, sulfur gas will be spilled into gasoline and create extremely toxic H2S (at concentrations above 25 ppm can be fatal). But due to a problem with the flue gas converter at that time, re-filtering the H2S was completely impossible, leading to the vehicle’s exhaust emitting the smell of rotten eggs.

The smell of burning oil

The smell of burning oil is often caused by a direct leak from the combustion chamber, which makes the combustion not optimal. From there, it will make users feel an unpleasant smell like burning oil or more smoke.

Smell of diesel engine

This is a typical case of diesel engine vehicles. Since the burning of a diesel engine as well as the engine power of a diesel-fueled vehicle is usually higher than that of a gasoline, you will feel a stronger diesel smell when you drive on gasoline.

The smell of gasoline in the exhaust gas

If there is a smell of raw gasoline in the smoke, it means there is a problem in the car’s carburetor. At that time, more gasoline will enter the carburetor than usual, leading to the fact that gasoline and oxygen do not follow a predetermined ratio and causing the combustion in the chamber to not go as planned. From there, in the exhaust of the car, there will be a stagnant smell of gasoline because the combustion is not completely efficient.