The Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill aimed to ax electric vehicle and renewable energy tax credits, but it appears to be more lengthy and complex than what President Donald Trump had hoped for. EV tax credit may be heading for a swift end, but renewable energy tax credits have Biden-era incentives built in that will keep them active longer than the Trump administration had initially assumed. It works within a complicated system for phasing out the investment tax credit and production tax credit available to wind and solar projects. There could be many projects that can qualify for federal financing, but it’s now more complex to figure out which ones would be approved.
The federal electric vehicle tax credits have been offering up to $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used EVs. The credits were meant to last until 2032 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, but this new legislation moves that end date up significantly. The One Big Beautiful Bill will eliminate these credits after September 30, 2025.
The Environmental Protection Agency continues to take an aggressive stance on all of it, ever since EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin earlier this year. In the latest “Call it a Comeback” newsletter from the EPA, the agency takes pride in taking a sledgehammer to the “green new scam” as One Big Beautiful Bill came together. This has been tied to the Biden administration’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. Instead, at the start of “America 250,” the EPA site says that “one of the very best ways our country can celebrate U.S. independence is to totally unshackle the full potential of American energy dominance. This is crucial to ensuring we Power the Great American Comeback.”
The EPA recently placed 139 employees on administrative leave and launched an investigation into their signing of an open letter criticizing agency leadership. Hundreds of employees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a “Declaration of Dissent”, accusing EPA officials of politicizing the agency and undermining its core mission to “protect human health and the environment.”
Biogas happy with One Big Beautiful Bill Act The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed into law has undercut clean energy, but it has been giving more support to biogas. The American Biogas Council commended the Trump administration for “acknowledging the enormous potential of recycling decomposable waste – from farms, food systems, and wastewater treatment plants – to produce reliable American-made energy that both generates electricity and fuels the transportation sector.”
It extends the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit an extra two years, through the end of 2029. It came from the Inflation Reduction Act and incentivizes the production of fuels created from non-petroleum sources like landfill gas and organic waste. One part was added in the reconciliation bill that prevents the credit from being used for fuels produced from feedstocks sourced outside North America.
Section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit will be terminated on Jan. 1, 2028, five years earlier than originally enacted. However, previous versions of the reconciliation bill terminated the credit for hydrogen production even earlier.
Chinese automaker BYD continues to dominate the global EV market, with Tesla feeling the pinch during a particularly hard-hit year. The Chinese company has led a price war in the China market this year, which has impacted Tesla and Chinese automakers invested in the EV space. For BYD, it means more market dominance.
Tesla has an even larger problem on its hands. On Saturday from his X social media platform, Tesla CEO Elon Musk declared the formation of the “America Party“, to “give back” the people of the U.S. their freedom and challenge what he called the nation’s “one-party system”. Tesla shares have been down 8% so far today in reaction; with an overall disruption to the company’s sales this year tied in large part to Musk’s visible presence in the Trump 2024 campaign, and his role since Trump took office again this year.
In the first half of the year, BYD sold 2,145,954 new energy vehicles (NEVs), up 33.04 percent year-over-year. Passenger NEVs sold 2,113,271 units in the first half of the year, up 31.49 percent year-over-year. Commercial NEVs totaled 32,683 units, up 459.83 percent year-over-year. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) totaled 1,023,381 units, up 40.93 percent year-over-year. Passenger plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) came in at 1,089,890 units, up 23.71 percent year-over-year. BYD sold 464,266 units overseas in the first half of the year, up 128.25 percent year-over-year.
Tesla’s deliveries through the first half of the year came in at 720,803, marking a drop of more than 13% compared to the 830,766 deliveries Tesla managed through the first half of 2024. Deliveries in 2023 were 889,015, showing that 2025’s deliveries were a full 19% lower than they were two years ago.
The Model 3 and Model Y continued to dominate Tesla’s sales numbers, accounting for 373,728 of Q2’s 384,122 deliveries. For the remaining 10,394 unites, those are in the category shared by the Model S, Model X, and the Cybertruck. It wasn’t too long ago that Tesla was selling 250,000 Cybertrucks a year, but at the current rate, it might only reach 40,000 units sold this year.
BYD’s fleet is more diverse than Tesla’s with PHEVs and a broad portfolio of commercial EVs. The Electric Semi Truck will add to the portfolio for Tesla, but BYD has been heavily involved with commercial electric trucks for years through buses and commercial trucks and delivery vehicles. These are now being delivered, or manufactured and delivered, in Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. Its strongest commercial presence is in Singapore, Brazil and the U.S. In Europe, BYD is expanding its reach in the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Italy, and Norway, with the company’s electric buses now operating in over 100 cities, according to chinabuses.org.
BYD’s power battery and energy storage battery installations for the first half of the year totaled about 134.526 GWh, up 85.41 percent year-on-year. BYD got out of the internal combustion engine manufacturing business three years ago, so having enough batteries have been vital the company’s growth strategy.
Clean vehicle and energy incentives cut: As the Trump administration’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ reached completion right before the national holiday, it became clear that the investments made in electric vehicle tax credits, and tax credits for wind and solar energy, that were put in place three years ago in the Inflation Reduction Act, will be going away. It will hurt incentives for EVs, renewable energy, and efficient appliances. It also opens up federal land and water for oil and gas drilling and increases its profitability, while creating new federal support for coal. Other recent moves to invest more in poor and minority communities living near high-pollution zone are also being cut in the new bill.
Statements on federal budget passage: The Zero Emission Transportation Association’s Executive Director, Albert Gore, issued a statement in response to the final passage of the budget reconciliation package. Gore’s main concern is dealing with lack of support for advanced battery development for electric vehicles. ZETA will continue to advocate for the growth of this industry and the benefits that come with a robust, domestic supply chain, he said.
RNG Coalition’s Sr. Director of Federal Government Affairs, Geoff Dietz, released a statement in response to the passage of the federal budget reconciliation package.”The newly-passed One Big Beautiful Big Act contains key provisions that are vital to the sustained growth of renewable natural gas (RNG) in the United States. In particular, we welcome Congressional support for the extension of the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit. The credit will play a critical role in directing investment toward low-carbon fuels, based on lifecycle emissions performance, Dietz said.
Ford CEO on China: Speaking during a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 27, Ford CEO Jim Farley said he’s been stunned by several trips he’s made to China over the past year.
“It’s the most humbling thing I have ever seen. Seventy percent of all EVs in the world, electric vehicles, are made in China,” Farley said, according to Business Insider. “They have far superior in-vehicle technology.”
Ford has to take on the challenges. “We are in a global competition with China, and it’s not just EVs. And if we lose this, we do not have a future Ford,” Farley said.
More grants in California: Caltrans has awarded $26.5 million in planning grants to 65 local projects around the state of California focused on enhancing climate resilience, improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians, and boosting disaster preparedness. These grants are part of the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant program, which has distributed over $292 million to 750 different projects since 2015. “These selected projects will greatly improve mobility statewide by supporting multimodal transportation and help our under-resourced communities become more climate resilient,” said Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy.
U.S. Senate Republicans have updated the Trump administration’s tax and budget bill to end the $7,500 tax credit earlier than the previous version of the bill. It was going be ending 180 days after passage of the law, which is expected to be by July 4, but the new Senate version will end it by Sept. 30. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which passed the House last month, would also accelerate the phase-out of incentives for solar, wind, and energy storage projects, while adding additional taxes if they use any materials from China.
In a surprise move, the Senate revised the budget bill to extend the eligibility window for the 45V hydrogen production tax credits. The updated draft from the Senate Budget Committee brings the construction start deadline from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027. It grants developers two additional years to qualify for the incentive, which offers up to $3 per kilogram.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program’s $1 billion in electric vehicle charging funds has been reactivated by a federal judge. That comes after a Jan. 29 executive order set up the framework, and a Feb. 6 Department of Transportation (DOT) decision froze the funds. U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington Judge Tana Lin sided with 16 states, the District of Columbia, and a coalition of environmental groups, ordering the release of federal dollars under the NEVI funding program. The federal justice ruled that the Trump administration’s decision to withhold NEVI funding lacked legal authority, and the plaintiffs demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits. She also noted that the balance of equities and public interest weighed in favor of granting preliminary relief. The ruling will be taking effect this week, and the Trump administration is expected to appeal it.
New Jersey awards grants: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) awarded $983,950 to reduce vehicle air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The eMobility planning grants have been awarded to Avenues in Motion: $145,450 for projects in Morristown and Phillipsburg; Cross County Connection TMA: $400,000 for projects spanning Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic and Cape May counties; EZ Ride: $200,000 for projects in Plainfield and Orange; and Greater Mercer TMA: $238,500 for projects in East Windsor/Hightstown, Toms River and Lakewood. The eMobility planning grant program will help these four transportation management associations (TMA) work with partner communities improve transportation by alleviating traffic congestion and connecting residents to jobs and other destinations. Additional funding will be available for associations that can include electric shared-use transportation in their planning.
European EV sales: Czech Republic-based Škoda did well in European electric vehicle sales in April, with its Elroq leading the field at 6,630 registrations and another one of its vehicles making the top 10. That comes from the European Alternative Fuels Observatory. Parent company Volkswagen was pleased, taking three of the spots on the sales list. The Renault 5 / Alpine A290 took the second position with 5,633 units sold in April. Volkswagen took the next three spots — ID.3 (5,459), ID.7 (5,332), and ID.4 (5,076). The Kia EV3 was next at 4,752, the BMW iX1 followed at 4,291. Škoda Enyaq sold 4,238 units and came in Number 8 on the list. The Citroën ë-C3 sold 3,541, while the Tesla Model Y rounded out the top ten at 3,303 units sold in April. Volkswagen owns the Skoda brand, and outside of the Czech Republic, Skodas are made in Slovakia, India, Russia and China, predominantly in Volkswagen plants.
Tesla robotaxi ride safety being examined: The 22 June Tesla robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas, initially appeared successful with videos flooding the internet from happy passengers. But as the videos continued, problems started appearing — enough that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had opened an investigation into the service. Video footage from at least 11 rides showed incidents such as a Tesla robotaxi failing to make a left turn and instead drove into a lane meant for oncoming traffic, then corrected itself by driving across a double yellow line. Other videos may have shown the electric, self-driving cars exceeding the speed limit, braking for no discernible reason and dropping passengers off in the middle of an intersection. Tesla staff have been riding along on these trips, to take over under emergency conditions. They’re seated on the front passenger side.
After long-delayed Tesla robotaxis finally launch in Austin, TX, and five Waymos are found burned to the ground and covered in graffiti, the question comes up. Will self-driving vehicles be allowed to stay on our roads?
The answer is apparently yes, but it will continue to take much longer than had been expected.
Tesla launched a limited version of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas on Sunday to mark a significant milestone in the company’s goal to become the autonomous driving leader. Social media postings have shown pictures of the self-driving vehicles with a “RoboTaxi” insignia on a side door of the test vehicles. It’s expected that 12 to 20 of these self-driving Model Ys will be in the test fleet for now.
These autonomous vehicles are equipped with an advanced version of the company’s Full Self-Driving software. The vehicles feature a camera-based sensor suite empowered by AI, which is different from many competitors that use additional sensors like Lidar and radar. While fully autonomous, Tesla has opted to include a safety monitor or Tesla employee in the front passenger seat for the immediate future. The driver’s seat will remain empty during rides.
CEO Elon Musk said that the vehicles will stick to specific geo-fenced neighborhoods as the company takes a cautious approach. Even though the electric vehicle maker for years has been manufacturing all its vehicles with the capacity to be switched over to fully autonomous vehicles, it’s been taking a cautious approach lately.
Automakers have been careful since a pedestrian was hit and killed in Tempe, Arizona, in March 2018. That incident was caused during an Uber autonomous vehicle test run. General Motors put its Cruise autonomous ride service on hold since high-profile collisions in its Chevrolet Bolt-based electric autonomous cars led California to revoke Cruise’s testing permits in late 2023, which halted Cruise operations.
Most recently, five Waymo vehicles were set on fire in downtown Los Angeles during anti-ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protests on Sunday, June 8. Waymo, the autonomous ride-hailing service owned by Alphabet (Google), suspended its operations in downtown Los Angeles after the incidents. The Waymo vehicles, which are Jaguar I-PACE electric SUVs, were vandalized, with windows smashed, tires slashed, and anti-ICE slogans spray-painted on them.
On June 9, the company said it suspended some service “out of an abundance of caution.” The company said in a statement that it has “no reason to believe” it was specifically targeted. Waymo suspended service in the protest area until it will be deemed safe, a Waymo spokesperson added.
Waymo applied for a permit to test its robotaxis in New York City under human supervision, according to The Rideshare Guy. New York State’s current regulations do not allow commercial autonomous vehicle operations, so the company will continue to collect data with human drivers starting next month. Waymo previously ran tests in NYC in 2021 under the same parameters. New York City currently lacks any permits for commercial autonomous rideshare, with state law also barring such services.
Tesla wants to join the market Musk called the project launch in Austin the “culmination of a decade of hard work” in a post on his social-media site X. Teslas were first seen this weekend in a neighborhood called South Congress with no one in the driver’s seat and one person in the passenger seat. The rides are being offered for a flat fee of $4.20, Musk said on X.
A new Texas law will take effect on September 1 requiring autonomous-vehicle operators to get approval from the Texas Dept. of Motor Vehicles before operating on public streets without a human driver. The state can revoke permits to autonomous vehicle operators they deem a public danger. It’s being placed at “Level 4” autonomous-driving capability, which means the vehicle can operate with no human driver under specified conditions. Level 5 is the top level, meaning a vehicle can drive itself anywhere, under any conditions.
Austin is becoming a hotbed of autonomous vehicle deployment, as the New York Times reported recently. In addition to Waymo and now Tesla, the city has seen the deployment of autonomous vehicles from Amazon’s Zoox, Volkswagen, and the startup Avride.
Cutting EV tax credits: The Trump administration and Republican Congressional leaders are taking steps to end the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, Automotive News reports. Congressional committee heads will have to work out whether the cutoff date comes at the end of 2026 or earlier than that. It’s been part of a sweeping tax and budget proposal in the House and Senate. It will be part of a broad look at similar legislative actions like cutting federal incentives tied to renewable energy and to electric vehicles. The $4,000 tax credit for used EVs is also being looked into.
China’s control of rare-earth minerals: During the tariff trade war between the U.S. and China, things got worse with rare-earth materials, of which China sources 92% to the global market. After President Donald Trump slapped a 145% tariff structure on China, that country lashed back with its own tariff increase, as well as curbing the sale of strategic U.S. technology including semiconductor chips, and restricting the export of rare earth elements. Automakers across the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Germany and India have warned the shortages may force factories to halt production. Electric vehicles rely on actuators and permanent rare-earth magnets, among other materials. Vehicles with internal-combustion engines are also heavily reliant on rare-earth materials. Now there are many incentives in place for the U.S. and other countries to find alternatives to rare-earth minerals that come from China.
Demand for electric vehicles in the U.S. declined in April for the first time since February 2024. Registrations reached 97,833 units, a 4.4% year-over-year decline, according to S&P Global Mobility data. Concern over the possibility of tax credits going away, and a drop in support for Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his car company, seem to be part of it.
Tesla’s U.S. EV registrations dropped below 40,000 units in April, marking a 16% decline. While Chevrolet is still far behind as the second best-selling EV maker in America, its did sell 9,160 units in April, a 215% year-over-growth. Its new electric Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado models saw strong demand.
All mainstream General Motors brands are going well, with Cadillac and GMC also clocking serious year-over-year growth. BMW and Nissan also saw sales growth in April EV sales, while several automakers saw a downturn — Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz, and of course, Tesla.
Largest energy storage system: The California Energy Commission (CEC) last week approved the Darden Clean Energy Project (DCEP), the first to be permitted under the state’s Opt-In Certification program. CEC says it will be the largest battery energy storage system in the world, highlighting California’s leadership in clean energy innovation and infrastructure. It will be built on 9,500 acres of land in western Fresno County that is no longer able to support agricultural production. The project includes a 1,150-megawatt (MW) solar facility with approximately 3.1 million panels and up to 1,150 MW (4,600 megawatt-hours) of battery storage – enough to power 850,000 homes for four hours. The project owner is IP Darden I, LLC, a subsidiary of Intersect Power. Authorized under Assembly Bill 205, the Opt-In Certification program provides a consolidated state permitting option for eligible clean energy projects, supporting California’s transition to 100 percent zero-carbon retail electric sales by 2045. You can learn more on this YouTube Shorts video.
Trump stops CA emission rules: On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed into law three Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions nullifying certain federal and state-level vehicle emissions standards finalized under the Biden administration. The three measures block California’s mandates to phase out gas-powered cars and clean up diesel trucks. With Trump’s signatures, 17 states will no longer be able to enforce California’s standards mandating electric vehicle sales by 2035. Trump also repealed California’s plan to require a rising number of zero-emissions heavy-duty truck sales. California immediately struck back with a lawsuit and a vow to continue setting standards. Ten other states that are enforcing California’s emissions rules joined the lawsuit — Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued an executive order that reaffirms the state’s commitment to phasing out gas and diesel-powered vehicles; and he directed the California Air Resources Board to craft another mandate for cars and trucks — to either bolster its existing mandates or replace them in case they lose in court.
Biofuels increase from EPA: The Trump administration on Friday proposed to increase the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the nation’s fuel mix over the next two years, driven by a surge in biomass-based diesel mandates from the Renewable Fuel Standard. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed total biofuel blending volumes at 24.02 billion gallons in 2026 and 24.46 billion gallons in 2027, up from 22.33 billion gallons in 2025. It ties into efforts by the Trump administration to reduce foreign oil imports.
Schneider Electric wins sustainability award: In Corporate Knights’ inaugural Europe 50 ranking, the top company, Schneider Electric, also achieved the highest marks in the 2025 Global 100 ranking for global sustainability efforts. The French company is the only one to have topped the Global 100 twice (the other time back in 2021), and it has played a unique role in electrification efforts across a wide variety of sectors, from manufacturing light switches to pioneering new software and clean energy solutions for data centers and smart cities. Today, 74% of its annual revenue comes from sustainable sources, and nearly 80% of its sizable investment portfolio has been directed into sustainable solutions.
The Morning Midas is one of three major incidents in recent years involving fires started aboard Pure Car Carrier (PCC) cargo ships likely caused by electric vehicle batteries.
A salvage team is expected to arrive early this week to deal with the vessel carrying about 3,000 vehicles, including about 750 electrified vehicles likely made by Chinese automakers. The Coast Guard said that 70 of these are reported to be fully electric vehicles and 681 are partial hybrid electric vehicles. The manufacturers and models have not yet been identified.
The fire broke out on June 3 on the Pacific Ocean near Alaska, the US Coast Guard said on Wednesday. It was en route to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, a hub for Mexico vehicle shipments. Imports from China dominate the electric vehicle market in Latin America. More than 60 percent of electric vehicles sold in Mexico in 2023 and 2024 were from China, according to the International Energy Agency.
The Fremantle Highway, a Japanese-owned car carrier, caught fire on July 25, 2023, off the coast of the Netherlands. One crew member died, and seven others were injured as they jumped overboard to escape the fire. The fire, which originated on the upper decks, involved a large number of vehicles, including electric vehicles. The vessel was eventually towed to Eemshaven, Netherlands, where 1,000 vehicles were salvaged from lower decks. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, but early reports suggested a potential role for electric vehicles, according to gCaptain.
In February 2022, the MOL (a Japanese transportation company) vessel Felicity Ace carrying 4,000 Volkswagen Group vehicles burned out of control and eventually sank in the Atlantic after having left port in Germany. MOL later filed a lawsuit against Porsche (part of the VW Group) blaming the fire on an electric vehicle battery in the car, according to a report in the Nikkei Asia. All 22 crew members were evacuated safely after the fire, and no injuries or pollution were reported. The ship and its cargo, including thousands of luxury cars, were lost when it sank. While investigations are still being carried out, the likely cause of these incidents has been going on for years. The Chevrolet Bolt recall, fires involving Porsche Taycans, Tesla vehicles, particularly Model S and Model X, have experienced documented instances of battery fires. Nissan had to recall nearly 24,000 Leaf EVs due to a fire risk, specifically when using DC fast chargers. The issue stems from excessive lithium deposits within the battery cells, increasing electrical resistance and potentially causing overheating and, in some cases, fires.
January 2025 saw a series of alarming incidents involving EV and lithium battery fires across the U.S., according to the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services. The most notable incident occurred at the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in California, where a fire broke out on January 16, 2025, leading to the evacuation of 1,200 residents and the closure of Highway 1 for three days. The fire, which burned for two days, released toxic metals like nickel, cobalt, and manganese into the surrounding environment.
EV-related fires on ships are challenging to extinguish because of the heat generated and risk of re-ignition, which could persist for days. The Felicity Ace fire was likely started by an EVs lithium-ion battery pack in one or more EV. While the exact cause is still under investigation, reports from various sources point to the possibility of a faulty battery or thermal runaway within an EV battery causing the fire. Most EVs have lithium-ion batteries that can overheat and cause fires that spread rapidly and produce toxic gases, making them difficult and dangerous to extinguish.
Alternative EV batteries are picking up pace. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is taking off at BYD, Tesla’s major global competitor for EV sales. In 2020, the Chinese automaker launched its Blade Battery. BYD highlighted a video of the Blade Battery successfully passing a nail penetration test, which is seen as the most rigorous way to test the thermal runaway of batteries due to its sheer difficulty. They’re far less likely to catch fire than the previous BYD batteries.
Another advantage for lithium iron phosphate batteries are known for their long lifespan and are often rated to last for 5,000 to 10,000 cycles before losing significant capacity. This translates to approximately 10 to 15 years of use, depending on factors like depth of discharge and charging habits.
The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y come with LFP batteries, as do a few EVs put out by Ford, Kia, and from a handful of other global brands. All the BYD models get Blade batteries.
Another battery technology gaining support from automakers is solid-state batteries. Solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one. This solid electrolyte acts as both the medium for ion transport and the separator between the cathode and anode. These advanced batteries are being hailed for their potential to deliver significantly higher energy density, faster charging times, improved safety, and a longer operational lifespan compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries.
However, solid-state batteries remain largely in the research and pilot stage, with several technical and economic barriers preventing widespread commercialization. Toyota plans release solid-state EVs as early as 2027. The company claims its prototypes can deliver over 621 miles of range and recharge in just 10 minutes—an ambitious leap forward that’s still undergoing real-world testing. Toyota has extended its launch date of these solid-state battery EVs in the past.
U.S.-based QuantumScape is developing lithium-metal solid-state batteries with a ceramic electrolyte. Laboratory results have been promising. Solid Power, supported by automotive giants BMW and Ford, launched pilot production of 100 amp-hour cells designed for vehicle integration and testing. Other major battery makers like CATL, LG Energy Solution, and Samsung SDI, are exploring hybrid designs that combine solid and liquid electrolytes, aiming to create a smoother transition path from current lithium-ion technology to fully solid-state systems.
But for now, lithium-ion battery EVs makes for the lion’s share of global sales. It can be discouraging for those thinking about owning and driving an EV, with safety a top priority issue.
June 12 Tesla launch: Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s social media battle with President Donald Trump hurt Tesla stock prices late last week, but it may not be impacting the upcoming media launch day. Tesla will be announcing its robotaxi service in Austin on June 12, with a phased rollout starting with a small number of vehicles and gradually increasing to a larger fleet, according to Bloomberg. The service will initially be supervised, with human drivers in the vehicles, and will be expanded to include more fully autonomous vehicles over time, according to CNBC. Market analysts aren’t concerned that the Trump administration may take retaliatory measures against Musk and Tesla that could really offset its autonomous vehicle and ride-sharing, robotaxi plans.
EDTA on House budget: Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) President Genevieve Cullen is hoping that the U.S. Senate version of the reconciliation bill for the budget can fix the House version. It might be a gift for China and a burden to the U.S. in its present House form, the association says. Cullen spoke to the issues in a statement: “The reconciliation bill passed by the House calls for a big step backward for U.S. leadership in energy innovation. “Federal investment in electric transportation technologies and next-generation infrastructure and grids has helped to propel our global competitiveness in the race for advanced transportation. The abrupt change of course is a golden opportunity for our competitors, especially China, and threatens billions of dollars of private investment in U.S. manufacturing. “Tax incentives for new and used clean cars, trucks, alternative fuel infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, along with clean technology deployment programs, are an effective and comprehensive effort to dominate this century’s energy field. The return on federal investment is economic growth, an expanding workforce, consumer choice and cleaner communities. “Whiplashing policy swings are a setback for our energy future and for American businesses, consumers and communities. We urge the Senate to get the U.S. back into the race.”
House bill may also hurt ports: The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has expressed concerns over other budget provisions in the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The association is worried that the proposed funding cuts could hurt domestic manufacturing and port modernization projects. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito, AAPA President & CEO Cary Davis expressed concerns over Sections 42102 and 42104 of the bill. These parts of the bill would rescind funds from the Clean Ports Program and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant program. The Clean Ports Program had initially been given $3 billion in funding by Congress; one of the goals is to assist ports in acquiring new cargo-handling equipment and infrastructure upgrades.
Flying electric car: San Mateo, Calif-based Alef Aeronautics has been developing flying cars for about a decade, and the company is getting ready to launch the first-ever electric flying car. Alef also claims that flying car uses less energy than a Tesla or any other electric vehicle. According to the company’s latest update, the flying car has now secured over 3,400 pre-orders, valued at around $1 billion in total, which came from its October 2022 prototype unveiling. The “Model A,” will be travel up to 220 miles with a 110-mile flight range, the company said.
International Energy Agency (IEA) recently published a report, Energy and AI, which dug into a data-driven global analysis on the growing connections between energy and artificial intelligence (AI). That included tapping into experts in the tech sector, energy industry, and international alliances. The study projects that electricity demand from data centers worldwide is set to more than double by 2030 to around 945 terawatt-hours (TWh). AI will be the most significant driver of this increase, with electricity demand from AI-optimized data centers projected to more than quadruple by 2030.
Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet have developed strategies about the fast-growing demand for the cloud infrastructure. These and other companies are also taking nuclear power very seriously as a source to produce enough electricity to meet this demand. Some of these major corporations are also investing in nuclear power plants — restoring mainly existing facilities in the U.S. to meet safety and environmental demands; and to realistically plan for what do with nuclear waste.
Nuclear energy now provides about 9% of the world’s electricity from about 440 power reactors, according to World Nuclear Association. It makes up about a quarter of the world’s low-carbon electricity, and it’s the second largest source for low-carbon power. Nuclear provides nearly 20% of the U.S.’s electricity, according to the Dept. of Energy. It’s also the nation’s largest source of clean energy, making up about half the renewable energy used to run electricity power plants.
When millions of people across the Iberian peninsula were left without power last month, it fueled debate over the need to bring in more nuclear power to Europe as reported in The Guardian. That power outage, primarily in parts of Spain and Portugal within the peninsula, was the largest blackout in decades. The U.S. has seen its share of major blackouts and short-term power outages in the past few years, with most of it blamed on the demands made by climate change and chaotic weather fluctuations and extremes, and rising demand for power consumption from air conditioning units, electronic devices, and eventually around new demand from cloud, AI, and quantum computing projects taking off at large scale.
There could be 92 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2040, based on a PwC analysis. That would be 20 times more than the estimated 4.5 million EVs in 2023. That will take a lot more charging power. Even with that increasing demand, it could be significant but manageable with the right planning and control measures, according to PwC. But that wouldn’t take into account the fast-growing data cloud storage demand in the U.S. and other countries.
Clean Air Task Force says that the U.S. federal government earns an “incomplete” rating on nuclear energy. President Trump recently issued four executive orders focused on unlocking advanced nuclear energy domestically and abroad. The U.S. will struggle to deploy and build new projects at the scale necessary to tackle energy security and leadership in nuclear technology, CATF says. That comes down to three main reasons: “Orderbook” reactor deployment may be necessary for future projects, but the financial risk and finding revenue certainty isn’t being addressed; the U.S. House recently voted to diminish crucial tax credits that reduce the costs of new plants by up to 40%; and the House recently voted to restrict the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, which is essential to finance the first wave of new plants.
CATF agrees with the administration — and the previous Biden administration — that advanced nuclear energy should be supported. The organization will also continue to advocate for a bolder, more cohesive strategy to make sure government is delivers, safe, clean, and reliable nuclear energy at an affordable cost.
Nuclear power has a large segment of opponents in the U.S., who will cite debacles such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima; and several projects in the U.S. that have stalled out or run out of funding to go online. It will be part of getting these power plant projects approved and funded. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have supported nuclear energy with their own set of requirements, but it is likely to gain enough support to go forward.
Washington blocking CA rules: President Donald Trump is ready to sign an executive order that would roll back California’s clean clean car and truck rules and waivers. It signifies the Trump administration’s commitment to rolling back the state’s zero emission vehicle mandates. The Senate recently backed the House by rejecting three California regulations that had been supported by the Biden administration. Currently, 16 other states and the District of Columbia have adopted California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, which include ZEV standards. A coalition of 11 states recently launched an Affordable Clean Cars Coalition to expand access to ZEVs — primarily electric vehicles — by protecting their state residents from they call attacks by the federal government and to continue supporting advancements in clean cars and trucks.
AVs in Washington: The U.S. Senate is looking into the question of whether federal safety standards can be established for autonomous vehicles. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) recently introduced the Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act of 2025, which is designed to expedite the integration of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Lummis’ goal is to set a national framework to support development and deployment of the technology. Separately, the Dept. of Transportation has unveiled a new Automated Vehicle Framework. Its objective is to harmonize state regulations and eliminate unnecessary barriers to innovation.
What’s Happening in Funding? Cited above, you’ll see a reference to a Clean Air Task Force (CATF) analysis of Washington nuclear policies. CATF is a nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid global development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. This is accomplished through research and analysis, public advocacy leadership, and partnership with the private sector. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Check out its Clean Transportation Funding Tracker that follows available incentives and other funding opportunities to decarbonize on-road, maritime, and aviation transportation sectors.
Federal mandates and incentives on clean cars and trucks continue to face opposition in Washington. The Senate backed the House by rejecting three California regulations that had been supported by the Biden administration. That includes banning the sale of gasoline-powered cars in 2035; phasing out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles with zero-emission trucks that would have to make up 40% to 75% of sales by 2035; and the third would have allowed for revamping a testing program to ensure heavy-duty vehicles comply with emissions standards and set stricter standards to limit pollution from nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which pose public health risks, according to Associated Press. The California truck rules are named California’s Advanced Clean Trucks and Heavy-Duty Omnibus regulations.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign resolutions supporting these actions that will nullify the California Air Resources Board rules and waivers, and which will be prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing similar measures in the future. Once these resolutions pass through the executive branch, they’re expected to face several lawsuits that will probably take several months to resolve.
A coalition of 11 states has launched an Affordable Clean Cars Coalition to expand access to zero emission vehicles — primarily electric vehicles — by protecting their state residents from they call attacks by the federal government and to continue supporting advancements in clean cars and trucks, according to Electrek.
The new coalition of governors supporting these efforts include: Gavin Newsom, California; Jared Polis, Colorado; ;Matt Meyer, Delaware; Maura Healey, Massachusetts; Wes Moore, Maryland; Phil Murphy, New Jersey; Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico; Kathy Hochul, New York; Tina Kotek, Oregon; Dan McKee, Rhode Island; and Bob Ferguson, Washington.
The coalition says that it represents over 100 million Americans and around 30% of the US car market.
Republican House members have passed a version of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that could, if passed into law, cut subsidies for battery manufacturing and remove incentives for purchasing electric vehicles. It would phase out the Clean Vehicle Credit that was expanded under the Biden administration through the Inflation Reduction Act. Currently, buyers of qualifying electric vehicles can get $7,500 off the price with restrictions based on vehicle price and household income, according to Car and Driver. The new bill would officially end the clean-vehicle credit program on December 31, 2026. Some automakers will see it end by Dec. 31, 2025, as the bill stipulates that any automaker that’s sold more than 200,000 of the qualifying vehicles won’t have access to the tax incentives after that date.
Another part of this bill is that hybrid vehicles would become subject to a new $100 registration fee, while electric vehicles would add a $250 annual fee. Combined with the removal of clean-vehicle credits, the new registration fees would help to significantly raise the cost of electrified vehicle ownership.
Dieselgate sentencing: Nearly a decade after Volkswagen’s “dieselgate” scandal broke, a German court just issued verdicts in a criminal trial targeting senior staff at VW’s main brand. Four former Volkswagen AG managers were convicted by a German court for their roles in the diesel-emission scandal, involving the manipulation of emissions data from millions of cars.
Charging signage: In a Southern California parking garage last week, a sign from Chargepoint read, “EV Charging: To avoid breaking the port connector when removing it, all vehicle doors must be unlocked.” That sign was not far away from a white Rivian pickup customized with a utility truck storage bin installed on the bed; though the sign was for all EVs using their charging ports.
BYD grows in Europe: Chinese EV manufacturer BYD has registered more battery electric vehicles than Tesla in the European car market for the first time ever, in April. Tesla has dominated the region’s electric car market for the better part of a decade, while BYD has only started selling cars in Europe in late 2022. It was a close call — with BYD at 7,231 registrations in April and Tesla at 7,165. BYD came in 10th and Tesla at 11th in the overall sales in Europe for that month, according to Jato Dynamics’ sales data.
New grant program:Climate United NEXT, a pre-development grant program, was launched earlier this year to help nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) accelerate early-stage clean energy projects through planning to project financing. Through grant funding for planning, technical assistance, and community engagement, communities will identify solutions that meet their unique needs and lay the groundwork for projects including solar, green buildings, and electric transportation. The program’s goals are to help communities successfully deploy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollution, and lower energy costs.
It’s a national public-private investment fund removing financial barriers to clean energy projects so every American benefits from good-paying jobs, lower energy bills, domestic manufacturing, and cleaner air. The Climate United coalition is formed by three expert organizations — Calvert Impact, Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), and Self-Help. The first deadline to apply was in January. Climate United will be starting this Fall with projects focused on benefiting Native communities. In 2025, the organization will have additional rounds focused on other underserved market segments; and intends to provide up to $30 million in grant funding over the next five years to equip small- and mid-sized organizations to unlock public and private capital for climate projects.
On Thursday, the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, said that it would have to start raising prices later this month due to the high cost of tariffs.
“Walmart should not blame tariffs for raising prices and should instead absorb additional costs,” President Donald Trump said in a social media post on May 17. “Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, “EAT THE TARIFFS,” and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!,” Trump said in his post on Truth Social.
On May 12th, the U.S. and China agreed to reduce tariffs introduced after “Liberation Day” to 10% for 90 days. This means that U.S. tariffs on most Chinese shipments were reduced to 30%. Walmart is taking all of this into account, along with tariffs placed by the U.S. on the rest of the world, as it strategizes over prices increases.
Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, initially considered displaying the impact of tariffs on product prices, but later decided against it. Reports indicated that Amazon would show the tariff cost separately from the total price of products, particularly for inexpensive China-made items. Amazon backed off this plan after hearing loud protests from the Trump administration.
While President Trump would like to see tariffs motivate major companies to move back the U.S. and bring more jobs here, including manufacturing companies and their supply chains, Walmart and Amazon represent a more commonly accepted worldview in today’s global economy, market analysts say.
The U.S. has been seeing foreign companies set up auto manufacturing plants in the U.S. for years which are sometimes called “transplants,” while U.S. automakers tend to maintain their production plants domestically with most of the growth happening in other countries. They don’t have plans to bring back the level of vehicle manufacturing seen in the U.S. through the 1980s.
Companies like Walmart, Amazon, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and Apple, are considered leaders in the global supply chain. The decisions they’ll be making in sustainability, transportation, freight movement, energy, and materials, will have a major impact on hitting net zero targets.
A little over a decade ago, when Doug McMillon became CEO of Walmart, he knew that his company had to be transformed. Amazon was upending retail. Walmart’s same-store sales were in decline; and profits were in trouble. That’s completely turned around with the company bringing in $680 billion in revenue last year through its 2.1 million workers and online sales, making it the largest company in the world for both revenue and workforce measures. In the U.S. it takes in a tenth of all retail spending, excluding cars, and a quarter of the spending on groceries.
McMillon began his career at Walmart as a teen in the 1980s loading trucks in an Arkansas warehouse. He eventually became the CEO of Sam’s Club and Walmart International before becoming CEO of the company in 2014. Back when he started in the ‘80s, Walmart warehouses were small, noisy, and chaotic places to work. Today, the company’s newest Walmart warehouses are described as, “vast hangars filled with conveyor belts, computer screens and robotic arms that silently pick and pack products. Artificial-intelligence (AI) tools ensure pallets are loaded onto trucks in such a way that they can be unloaded in stores with ease,” according to The Economist.
Here are a few other indicators the company is doing very well:
Walmart’s American e-commerce unit made over $100 billion in sales in 2024, according to research firm eMarketer. It’s a distant second to Amazon, with its $480 billion in e-commerce sales in the U.S. last year. Walmart is seeing growth. Its online sales are growing at around 20% a year, twice as fast as Amazon’s. The company is also doing very will in grocery deliveries, where it’s now taking the market lead.
E-commerce is a strong segment for Walmart with its Walmart+ membership that’s similar to Amazon’s Prime membership offering. Combined with Sam’s Club, its Costco-like members-only stores, Walmart made $3.8 billion from membership programs in 2024, double the figure five years earlier. Walmart is also producing revenue in advertising targeted at shoppers in-store and online.
Since 2019, Walmart has doubled its capital expenditure, reaching $24 billion last year. Some of that investment is going into advanced system technologies, including Sparky, an AI assistant that helps customers find products, and Wally, which helps its merchandising teams choose items to sell.
Getting through to companies like Walmart Walmart represents a real challenge for truck makers investing in electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and for partner companies bringing in the charging infrastructure.
Earlier this year, Walmart issued its ESG report. While the company had set 2040 as its target for zero operational emissions, it may have to be moved out. Among the factors getting in the way is that, “timely emergence of cost-effective technologies for low-carbon heavy tractor transportation (which does not appear likely until the 2030s).”
Class 8 electric trucks are still too expensive for Walmart, the company said in the report. In 2020, the company announced a plan to achieve zero-carbon operations by 2040. Part of that plan was electrifying all of its vehicles, including long-haul trucks, by 2040. Walmart executive have been honest about having this challenge in place in recent years. Like several other major companies, they will be taking a “wait-and-see” approach to making these investments.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in partnership with Utility Dive, just published a study based on surveying 135 leaders from utilities, oil & gas companies, heavy industry, renewable energy firms, and power generation and distribution businesses located in North America, Asia, and the UK. These executives reported that they are confident the world will reach net zero by 2050, even in today’s shifting political and regulatory climate.
Why are these executives optimistic about reaching this major goal? The growth of renewables, increased use of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), and AI were most often cited as reasons for optimism. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries also said that, internally, advances in autonomous vehicles, electrification (in vehicles and through renewable energy), and heat management, are seeing real progress.
IEA Global EV Outlook: Following another year of robust growth, global sales of electric vehicles are on track to surpass 20 million in 2025, accounting for over a quarter of cars sold worldwide, according to the new edition International Energy Agency’s annual Global EV Outlook. In the United States, growth in electric car sales slowed down significantly in 2024, increasing by just 10% compared to 40% in 2023. In spite of this, electric car sales did boost the overall car market, as sales of conventional cars stagnated.
As for incentives, In 2023, provisions were introduced on leased electric cars to reclassify them as commercial vehicles, thereby making them eligible for the tax credit without having to meet requirements on local manufacturing. As a result, by 2024, nearly half of all EVs sold were leased, more than double the share seen 3 years earlier. In addition to the federal tax credit, in 2024, 27 states offered additional incentives, rebates and exemptions promoting electric car adoption, according to Global EV Outlook.
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has put its loan programs and grant funding on hold for now, which is also true of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT).
For advanced, clean vehicle technology, the last one that’s been posted this year from the DOE through the Fiscal Year 2025 Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Program Wide funding is focused on battery technology, including thermal technologies for zero-emission vehicles. This funding opportunity is going to award up to $88 million for projects that will seek innovative transportation solutions for on- and off-road vehicles. Submission deadline for concept papers was April 1, 2025; and submission deadline for full applications will be June 18, 2025.
The EPA stopped accepting applications to the 2024 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebate Program on January 14th, 2025. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorized the EPA to offer rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission models. The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act national grants, designed to offer funding assistance to accelerate the upgrade, retrofit, and turnover of the legacy diesel fleet, are closed for now, too, but the EPA.
It’s not clear how much will be available in funds through the DOT. The 5-year National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Funding by State that was funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and scheduled from fiscal year 2022 through FY 2026, at first appears to still be in place. The agency has a chart broken out by state with actual and estimated funding by state, with $885 million estimated to go out this year and $4.155 billon in 2026.
However, the Federal Highway Administration said in February it would suspend the approval of grants under the NEVI program. The funding, included in the bipartisan infrastructure law passed under former President Joe Biden, was meant to allocate $5 billion over five years to install chargers in every state. That suspension came from a January 29 signed Executive Order calling for the elimination of the federal government’s nonexistent “electric vehicle mandate.”
The suspension of funding new charging stations will likely mean the U.S. will have at least 200,000 high-speed chargers in place by 2030, said Mark Morelli, CEO of Vontier Corp., which manufactures EV chargers and fuel dispensers. That’s half of earlier expectations of about 400,000, according to Transport Topics.
On May 6, 2025, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy issued a statement about approving 180 grants to “get America building again.” The funding is primarily focused on improvements made to bridges, airports, railroad structures, and highways. Under the Low or No Emission (Bus) Grants, all of them have already been granted through 2024, without any new grants coming up in this category.
In April the Trump administration froze $250 million in grants to a nonprofit helping companies replace diesel trucks at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It’s part of a broad federal effort to cut back $20 billion in green energy funding. The program by Climate United, announced last October, would offer affordable leases for new electric heavy-duty trucks operated by small fleets and individual truckers serving the ports.
Climate United is a national public-private investment fund removing financial barriers to clean energy projects so every American benefits from good-paying jobs, lower energy bills, domestic manufacturing, and cleaner air. The grant, which would have funded about 500 electric trucks, remains frozen by Citibank, which holds the funds, as a legal dispute plays out between the EPA, the bank and Climate United, a nonprofit based in Maryland, according to a published report.
U.S. Dept. of Energy Secretary Chris Wright in early May said that his agency doesn’t plan to move forward with billions of dollars worth of Biden-era loans as the Trump administration reviews the department’s $400 billion-strong green bank. Wright criticized Biden for issuing billions of dollars in loans and grants between the time that Trump was elected in November through the inauguration day.
As discussed two weeks ago at ACT Expo 2025, it looks like fleets, transportation planners, and clean vehicle and infrastructure partners have to look outside federal government funding programs for now. Green Auto Market will continue reporting on it, including resources for funding through state, local government, nonprofit organization, and for-profit company available loans and grants in clean transportation and energy.
There’s a lot to look into, with a May 7 lawsuit filed by states against the DOT being one of them. New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 16 other attorneys general filed suit against the DOT and Secretary Duffy for illegally cutting off critical funding to support states’ plans to build a nationwide electric vehicle charging network. Joining Attorney General James in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
They’re challenging the previously mentioned January 29 Executive Order signed by President Trump calling for the elimination of the federal government’s nonexistent “electric vehicle mandate.”
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) may be a good source to tap into for that state’s incentive programs. In April, NYSERDA increasing incentives in its Charge Ready NY 2.0 program from $2,000 to $3,000 per port to reduce equipment installation costs for Level 2 chargers at multifamily buildings and workplaces. Incentives for chargers located in disadvantaged communities have been increased to $4,000 per port. according to Utility Dive.
Other states are making current offers, and it’s likely more funding will become available. Please contact Editor Jon LeSage at jlesage378@gmail.com if you know of any funding resources through state, local government, nonprofit organization, and for-profit company available loans and grants in clean transportation and energy. Plus, any new developments with federal funding would be good to know about, too.
China tariffs relaxed but not for EV imports: Under a temporary truce on tariffs reached over the weekend, the U.S. will cut extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports last month from 145% to 30% for the next three months, the two sides said, while Chinese duties on U.S. imports will fall to 10% from 125%. Reuters also reported that China had already been saddled with 25% U.S. tariffs that Trump had imposed on many industrial goods during his first term, with lower rates on some consumer goods. Today’s announcement leaves these duties unchanged, along with tariffs of 100% on electric vehicles and 50% on solar products imposed by former Democratic President Joe Biden. We’ll have to wait and see how these tariffs might drive up prices for shoppers overall, said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. The U.S. has not been importing much in the way of made-in-China electric vehicles. In 2023, the U.S. imported approximately $388.8 million worth of EVs from China, which was only about 2% of total U.S. EV imports, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.
ZETA statement on House’s battery and mineral supply chain provision: The Zero Emission Transportation Association’s Executive Director, Albert Gore, issued the following statement in response to bill text of the House Ways & Means Committee provisions of the budget reconciliation package:
“The U.S. battery and mineral supply chain — and the fast-growing EV manufacturing industry it feeds into — has created more than 240,000 jobs in every corner of the United States. Businesses throughout the auto industry, from critical mineral and material developers to battery manufacturers and automakers, are making investments supported by the certainty offered by our federal government. In turn, these investments are creating new economic opportunities in local communities, from Reno, Nevada, to Casa Grande, Arizona, to Savannah, Georgia.
“We are concerned that, as written, this budget reconciliation text would significantly reduce federal investments in American job growth that are currently working very well in strengthening the domestic battery and mineral supply chain. At a moment when our industry needs certainty more than ever, this legislation could slam the brakes on America’s progress towards global competitiveness in manufacturing, while ceding leadership to other countries. We look forward to working with Members of Congress in both chambers to ensure that this critical supply chain continues to be built in the United States.”
House committees have begun holding markups for the various pieces of the reconciliation package on the federal budget reconciliation package. The House Ways and Means Committee is tasked with developing legislation that will increase the federal budget deficits by no more than $4.5 trillion over a 10-year period (2025-2034), while other committees are responsible for reducing spending by at least $1.5 trillion.
CARB reverses ACF regulation: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has agreed to formally repeal aspects of its Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation, which follows an earlier reversal of California policies that clarifies the state will not enforce the 100% zero emission vehicle mandate for model year 2036. Following legal challenges from a coalition of 17 states led by Nebraska and trucking industry groups, CARB has agreed to fully repeal those portions of the rule and has further clarified it will not enforce the 100% zero-emission sales mandate for model year 2036, until and unless CARB obtains a waiver from U.S. EPA, according to ACT News.
