Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn’t interested in creating a partnership using the Uber platform for its planned robotaxi launch, said Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi. “I’ve had conversations with him at this point,” The Uber CEO said Friday. “They want to build it alone, so to some extent in Austin, we and Waymo will be competing with Tesla when they launch,” he said, referring to Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous-vehicle unit. “Life is long, but we would love to partner with them.”
Tesla said its autonomous taxi service, named Cybercab, is set to debut in a pilot in Texas this June. Khosrowshahi had put in a lot of time and energy advocating for a partnership model with Tesla, highlighting that many Uber drivers already use Tesla vehicles and would be eager to integrate Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities with Uber’s platform.
Robot batteries: Hyundai Motor Co. and its Kia subsidiary today announced an agreement to partner with Samsung SDI to develop a significant ancillary business: high-performance batteries specifically for robots. The aim will be increasing energy density, output and usage time significantly. The collaboration will combine Hyundai Motor, Kia and Samsung SDI’s resources and technical expertise to develop batteries optimized for robots and integrate them into various service robots.
Rivian R2: The Rivian R2 is on track for launch in the first half of 2026, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said late last week. The company said its managed to reduce costs for the R2 by 50%. The company is aiming at make the R2 a high-volume crossover to go from nice to major player in automotive.
Wildfire damage: Following the recent wildfires in Los Angeles County, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just hit a major milestone in the agency’s largest ever wildfire hazardous waste cleanup. President Trump signed an Executive Order directing EPA to complete this hazardous materials mission within 30 days, with the agency reaching 75% of its target by last week. As of this report last week, 892 electric vehicles and bulk energy storage systems destroyed by the fire were removed. Fourteen lithium-ion battery teams have been leading efforts to recover from this part of the disaster.
Roadie delivery services: Roadie has expanded its delivery solutions and offerings for customers and drivers alike through RoadieXD, a cross-docking solution enabling retailers to offer their customers efficient same-day delivery for items of all sizes, including oversized and bulky goods. It was created for drivers with larger vehicles such as cargo vans and box trucks. It’s one of the few successful platform-based networks connecting truck owners to customers. The crowdsourced delivery platform in the U.S. that connects businesses of all sizes with a network of independent drivers to provide flexible, efficient, and reliable deliveries. In 2021, UPS acquired Roadie to expand into same-day delivery solutions. Roadie operates as a standalone entity, according to The Rideshare Guy.
E15 gasoline: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said late Fridayit will maintain a fuel policy change initiated under President Biden aimed at increasing sales of corn-based ethanol, despite oil industry warnings it could raise gasoline costs and cause fuel supply disruptions. The federal agency said it will stick with April 28 as the implementation date for ending special treatment that waives conventional E10 gasoline from fuel volatility limits in as many as eight Midwestern states. The change effectively places E10, which contains 10% ethanol, on the same regulatory footing as higher-ethanol E15 gasoline and allow both varieties to use the same raw gasoline blendstock, in a shift meant to allow both fuel blends to be sold widely during the summer, where the existing policy often keeps E15 out of the market.
Fossil-fuel subsidies are needed in the U.S., but not nearly as much as in many other countries. A new study from Our World in Data details countries that have the heaviest amounts of subsidies provided to fossil-fuel suppliers.
While the Trump administration is now working out how possible tariffs could be enacted with Canada, Mexico, China, and a new proposal just came up on adding 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, fossil-fuel subsidies will likely continue as is. Automakers, suppliers, and infrastructure providers are anxiously waiting to learn more about whether grants will be going forward and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program (see below for more).
Americans consumed 137.05 billion gallons of gasoline in 2023, compared to 142 billion gallons in 2007, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But it could it have been at much higher consumption level in 2023. The population has been increasing as have the number of vehicles since 2007. There were 254.4 million registered vehicles on American roads in 2007 versus 296 million in 2024, according to the Federal Highway Administration. That gasoline consumption decrease has come from more fuel efficient vehicles being sold, along with the amount of battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and hybrid vehicles on our roads. Alternative fuels such as renewable natural gas and renewable diesel are making their way to fleets as well, along with electric and hydrogen-powered trucks.
Those numbers — gasoline and diesel consumed, natural gas and coal used to power the electricity grid, and other segments like petrochemicals — have not been reduced enough in the U.S. and globally to make much-needed improvements in air quality and climate change. There’s still a long way to go.
Like corn growers and other industry segments, oil companies and their partners — oil refineries, fueling stations, natural gas suppliers, and more — are seeing government subsidies all over the world to reduce the distribution costs and to keep the prices stable for end users. The chart above from Our World in Data shows you countries that have the heaviest amounts of subsidies provided to fossil-fuel suppliers. It’s well over a trillion dollars a year in global subsidies.
Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan have the highest levels of subsidies. The U.S. is much lower. For example, these subsidies average out to $28.16 per capita versus $83.60 per capita in Canada. That might have something to do with the U.S. having an ample supply of oil and gas domestically, and a good deal of it coming from Canada. Gasoline and diesel prices stay relatively stable in the U.S,, though that could be volatile for a while if the U.S. goes through with the Trump administration’s threatened tariffs on Canadian imports.
Nikola BK: A recent report says that hydrogen-electric truck maker Nikola Motors is getting close to bankruptcy. That comes from an article from The Wall Street Journal. Nikola has been working with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman to explore options. These may include a sale or a restructuring in bankruptcy. A company representative has stated that the company is still assessing its financial position and liquidity needs.
Jeep Super Bowl ad: Harrison Ford told the Super Bowl audience yesterday that “we get to write our own stories” and that freedom in American is “Yes. Or No. Or maybe.” The ad includes scenes of Jeep electric vehicles as well as those with internal combustion engines. “Freedom is the roar of one man’s engine. And the silence of another’s,” the actor says. “We won’t always agree on which way to go, but our differences can be our strength.” Near the end of the TV commercial, Ford gets into an electric Jeep Wrangler and says, “Choose what makes you happy,” quickly adding: “This Jeep makes me happy…. even though my name is Ford.”
Trump halts NEVI program: The Trump administration on Thursday said it would halt a program intended to build the infrastructure needed for the future of transportation in America. In a memo from the Federal Highway Safety Administration, states were ordered to halt spending on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program intended to build fast EV chargers along highways nationwide. The program calls for 500,000 charging stations nationwide, and was funded with $7.5 billion under the 2021 infrastructure law to make that happen. That total was split into $5 billion for a highway-based program, and $2.5 billion for rural and underserved communities, with states submitting proposals for use of the available funds.
The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) has asked the Trump administration to restore the NEVI program, which the organization called “an effective and important element of a truly strategic energy policy that promotes U.S. innovation, domestic investment, and energy security.”
RNG Coalition challenges GHG Protocol: Following the withdrawal of guidance on the use of renewable natural gas (RNG) certificates in the GHG Protocol, over 130 companies and trade associations from around the world have today issued a public joint letter to the governance bodies of the GHG Protocol calling for the key role of market-based instruments to be recognized in the Protocol’s Scope 1 inventory. Their message to the GHG Protocol is simple: Let Green Gas Count. Led by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition), Eurogas, the European Biogas Association (EBA), and the World Biogas Association (WBA), the signatories represent economic operators globally responsible for the production, trading and consumption of renewable gaseous fuels and their derivatives. They underline the urgent need for a climate reporting framework that provides rules and certainty for investment in their sectors. Renewable gases and their derivatives are necessary to decarbonize industry, transport and buildings. To facilitate their rapid deployment, a market-based approach is required to overcome any economic, technical and environmental barriers and inefficiencies arising from the requirement of a physical (local) connection, the group says. GHG Protocol is a 20-year partnership between World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The organization works with governments, industry associations, NGOs, businesses and other organizations.
What’s up with that new Honda logo? Have you noticed that Honda has a new logo out there? It’s not the slightly modified ‘H’ that will be appearing on a few upcoming electric models that we’ve heard about, including the Honda O Series models. It’s a clean-and-simple spelling out of the Honda name on the back of its all-electric 2024 Honda Prologue, which the company has not talked about in media announcements and photos. It appears on a black bar above the license plate.
The Prologue is an all-electric SUV that’s built on the same platform as the Chevrolet Blazer EV. The Prologue is assembled in Mexico using GM powertrain components and Ultium batteries. The 2024 Prologue is eligible for the federal electric vehicle tax credit of $7,500.
Honda has been moving its production plants into Marysville and East Liberty, Ohio in recent years, and it also has facilities in Lincoln, Alabama and in Greensburg, Indiana. The company moved about 50 employees from its Torrance, Calif., headquarters over to Ohio in 2017. Honda corporate tends to be more quiet about its brand imaging, manufacturing plants, and model changes, than does its Japanese competitor, Toyota.
Honda’s 2024 sales data, released earlier this month, said that 33,017 Prologue EVs were sold in 2024 in the U.S. It beat the gasoline-powered Honda Passport by about 500 units; that was impressive, given that the Prologue wasn’t available for sale and delivery until about the middle of 2024.
Photo source: CBS 42, (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
The U.S. has had lower and more stable gasoline prices than other countries in recent years due to its high domestic production, and from getting much of its oil from Canada. That should be changing with the steep tariffs that the Trump administration announced Saturday and that which should start Tuesday. It includes a 25% duty on all imports from Mexico and most goods from Canada (with a 10% exemption for energy-related items such as crude oil), and an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods imported into the U.S. That 10% tariff exemption on Canadian energy-related supply isn’t expected to cushion the tariff blow with this NAFTA partner.
The U.S. imports about 4 million barrels per day (bpd) of Canadian oil, 70% of which is processed by refiners in the Midwest. It also imports over 450,000 bpd of Mexican oil, mainly sent to refiners concentrated around the U.S. Gulf Coast. Tariffs on those imports mean higher costs for making finished fuels like gasoline, much of which is likely to be passed along to U.S. consumers, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
In 2022, 52% of oil imports came from Canada and 10% from Mexico, the two largest import countries. In that same year, 12% of U.S. petroleum exports (including crude oil) went to Mexico and 9% went to Canada, followed by 7% to China, 6% to South Korea, and 6% to The Netherlands, reports EIA.
The EIA, and AAA Fuel Prices, report that gasoline and diesel prices typically go up in February on a seasonal basis, rising up even more in the summer months. As of Sunday, the national average price at gas stations for gasoline is $3.098 per gallon and $3.154 a year ago; diesel comes in at $3.660 per gallon on Sunday and $3.938 a year ago, according to AAA Fuel Prices. Monthly reports from EIA show gas prices at $3.328 for February 2024 and $3.542 for March 2024.
Tesla may feel the pinch The tariff will likely bring tensions and conflicts between the U.S. and some of its partner countries. Canada is expected to be particularly heated with the close connection the U.S. and Canada have in transporting and refining oil between the nations; and in selling oil to each other.
Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s former finance minister and current Liberal Party leadership contender, has proposed a bold countermeasure: slapping 100% tariffs on select American goods, including Teslas, in direct response to President Trump’s threatened tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, reports Business Today.
Freeland also admitted her personal concerns about Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s campaign contributions to Donal Trump and the leadership role he’ll be playing in making U.S. administrative agencies more cost effective. Tesla vehicles sold in Canada are mainly manufactured in the U.S. and China. Imposing tariffs is expected to hike Tesla vehicle products for buyers in Canada, which could benefit EV competitors. Tesla Model Y and Model 3 have played a dominant role in Canadian EV sales.
Automakers are feeling quite anxious about the tariffs halting vehicle production in North America, and raising their costs substantially. Flavio Volpe, CEO of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, says the tariff rate coming Feb. 4 is “15-per-cent higher than anybody’s profit margin,” according to Automotive News.
Transformative Pathways for U.S. Industry: Unlocking American Innovation This U.S. Dept. of Energy study identifies and explores transformative pathways and how they can be potentially pursued together to chart a course to an industrial transformation. It looks at industrial sectors in various industries along with agriculture to study the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, power sources, efficiency, and other issues shaping the near future for each of them. Key findings include: For GHG emissions by industrial subsection, the two leading emitters have been agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; and chemical products.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting includes animal production and aquaculture; crop production; forestry and logging; fishing, hunting, and trapping; and support activities for agriculture and forestry.
The analysis of the chemical sector primarily focused on nine high-volume, energy- and emissions-intensive basic chemicals: ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene-toluene-xylene (BTX), chlor-alkali (co-production of chlorine and sodium hydroxide), soda ash, ethanol, methanol, and ammonia. Together, these chemicals account for roughly 40% of total U.S. chemicals subsector greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. The remaining 60% of subsector emissions come from the production of hundreds of other chemicals. This analysis considers cross-cutting measures to decarbonize these chemicals but does not evaluate process-level decarbonization pathways.
For the oil and gas sector, most energy use is for motor drives to run drilling equipment, pumps, and compressors, whereas within mining, energy use varies significantly from site to site. Approaches to address fugitive methane emissions are a critical need in oil and gas, as methane has high global warming potential, and a substantial leakage of methane exists throughout all stages of oil and gas extraction and from underground coal mining. Additional methane is leaked from wastewater treatment plants and from dairy, poultry, and swine farms. Captured methane could be used for energy, offsetting natural gas demand.
For those interested in tracking this sector, you can go to Oil & Gas Watch Database. It’s mission is: ‘Spotlighting the Environmental Impact of Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Expansion.’
Tracking Elon Musk’s Politics and Power Another information resource is a fairly new tracker, with this one taking a careful look at what Musk is doing in his role with the Trump administration, as head of X, Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink, and other significant activities. This Tech Policy Press tracker was first published on August 11, 2024, and is updated intermittently.
