بسطة خير تدعم 600 بائع جائل في المناطق
PROVENCAL, La. (KALB) - Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office reported that an Amazon delivery driver needed rescue after their car became stranded on a muddy road near Provencal on Saturday, March 15. Authorities said the received the call at about 12:50 p.m. that afternoon. The driver said he was delivering packages when his GPS took him down a dirt road where he almost flipped his car. NPSO said they received a call from a stranded Amazon delivery driver. (NPSO) 911 operators were able to pinpoint his location to near Lime Kiln Road near Provencal. Authorities said the road he was driving on was not maintained by the parish. A deputy was sent out to help, but was unable to reach the stranded driver due to the road conditions. A local wrecker service was contacted, but faced the same issue. Deputies then contacted Provencal Police Department, who drove out a side-by-side. PPD and NPSO were able to reach the stranded driver using the side-by-side, but determined that the car could not be moved until conditions improved. So, they decided to take the driver and the packages to safety. After the rescue, authorities said another Amazon driver was called in to deliver the packages. NPSO and PPD rescued an Amazon driver on March 15. (NPSO) NPSO thanked Provencal Police Chief Eric Upchurch for his help and his quick response which ensured the safe delivery of the packages. Click here to report a typo. Please provide the title of the article in your email. Copyright 2025 KALB. All rights reserved.
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Battery cost drops and govt drive help Kingdom achieve EV goals
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'Battery cost reduction serves as a key enabler for Saudi Arabia to achieve its EV adoption targets and build a competitive regional automotive industry, reinforced by the broader global trend of declining battery prices. It will also be driven by both the government's push and pull from the market,' said Salem. He added: 'Saudi Arabia's $9 billion investment across the EV value chain, with Ceer launching vehicles by 2026 and a partnership with Lucid Motors to produce 155,000 EVs per year, underscores its commitment to becoming a regional EV manufacturing hub, reducing production costs and enhancing affordable EV availability.' The Kingdom is also expanding its EV infrastructure, aiming to have 5,000 fast chargers nationwide by 2030, making adoption more practical for consumers. The crucial cost factor In March, a report released by the International Energy Agency said that the global battery market is advancing rapidly as demand rises sharply and prices continue to decline. The IEA further stated that electric car sales increased by 25 percent year on year in 2024 to reach 17 million, while the average price of a battery pack for an electric car dropped below $100 per kilowatt-hour, a key threshold for competing on cost with conventional models. 'The ongoing reduction in EV battery costs is already making certain electric vehicle segments cost-competitive with internal combustion engines,' said Christopher Decker, partner, energy and natural resources at Oliver Wyman – India, Middle East and Africa. He added: 'This growing affordability will help lay the foundation for EV infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, which is essential for scaling up and ultimately decarbonizing the broader light-vehicle fleet.' Battery cost reduction serves as a key enabler for Saudi Arabia to achieve its EV adoption targets. Joseph Salem, partner and travel, transportation and hospitality practice lead at Arthur D. Little, Middle East Paul Sullivan, an energy and environment expert at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, US, said that the Kingdom could advance its technical capabilities to make EVs more popular and affordable. 'Saudi Arabia lives in its own auto market but also the world auto market. It must adjust to both. But it has the benefit of large cash flows and stocks to invest in new technologies and industries,' said Sullivan. Citing a Goldman Sachs study, Arthur D. Little's Salem said that battery costs fell by over 85 percent in lithium pricing from 2022 to 2024, reducing global EV costs and helping automakers close the price gap with ICE vehicles. Hel added that battery pack prices are expected to drop nearly 50 percent by 2026, making EVs' total cost of ownership comparable to ICE vehicles in select major markets, including Saudi Arabia. 'With battery prices projected to reach $80 per kWh by 2026, EVs are becoming more affordable, making them increasingly attractive to Saudi consumers, where price is a key factor for a sizeable section of the customer base,' added Salem. Advancing innovation Experts who spoke to Arab News also praised recent innovations in Saudi Arabia, including a new lithium extraction technique developed by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. In January, researchers at KAUST presented their innovative technology in a study published in the Journal of Science, which describes a method for direct lithium extraction from brine in oilfields and seawater. Lithium, a critical mineral for batteries, is present in these sources at very low concentrations, making it difficult to extract in useful quantities. However, this new technology makes this otherwise inaccessible element extractable on an industrial scale. 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Decker said that KAUST's development of the new lithium extraction technique is a promising step toward integrating Saudi Arabia's mining sector into the global lithium value chain. Salem praised KAUST's innovative efforts, noting that the breakthrough could extract up to 10,000 times more lithium from oilfield brine and seawater. This would reduce reliance on global markets and help secure a stable, cost-effective supply for domestic battery production and EV manufacturing. The Arthur D. Little official further added that this new technology could open up potential lithium export opportunities and position the Kingdom as a global hub for critical battery materials, driving economic diversification. 'This innovation aligns with Saudi Arabia's industrial strategy to localize the entire battery value chain — from critical minerals to EVs — and to build a new high-tech export sector,' said Salem. 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He added: 'Every industry must deal with and respond to threats of substitution, supplier power, buyer power, and threats of new entry. Saudi Arabia could play these five forces for success in the future. Economics and business do not stand still for long.' Salem said that the Kingdom's lithium extraction technology, if combined with the right ecosystem, could offer a chance to reduce reliance on China for selected components and materials, strengthening local supply chains. 'China's policy shift is a wake-up call — it exposes global vulnerabilities but also creates a window for Saudi Arabia to assert strategic autonomy and emerge as a regional battery and EV manufacturing hub,' said Salem. In early 2025, China's Ministry of Commerce proposed new export restrictions targeting critical battery technologies, including lithium extraction and cathode material production. 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3 hours ago
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Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Norris maintains upper hand on Piastri in Austrian GP practice
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