Plug-in vehicle sales last month were up 14.9% over February 2024 in the U.S.; that breaks down to 94,464 battery electric vehicles and 21,956 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Overall, 227,805 plug-in vehicles have been sold in 2025.

Over 1.5M PEVs were sold in 2024, an increase of over 7% from 2023 sales. BEVs generally account for 80% of the PEV sales in the U.S. That data is compiled by Argonne’s Systems Assessment Center and reported to the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Program Office.  

Tesla has probably lost U.S. sales to General Motors this year and some of last year, but both companies won’t be reporting 2025 numbers until quarterly reports are released. Ford, Hyundai, Kia and Honda have all reported growth in EV sales in their monthly reports. Ford EVs were up 15% year-over-year in February. American Honda sold nearly 3,000 Prologues and 1,500 Acura ZDXs last month. Hyundai and Kia’s are doing well, with the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and EV9 seeing year-over-year gains. The Volkswagen ID.4 was the third best-selling EV in the U.S. in January after the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, according to Rho Motion.

While the US Clean Vehicle Tax Credit is yet to be removed, Congress is not considering bills that would take away EV tax credits, says Rho Motion.

Global EV sales are also doing well, up 30% in the January through February 2025 time period, reaching 2.4 million units sold. Much of that is coming from China, making up 1.4 million of that total. BEVs saw 46% growth in Chinese EV sales, while PHEVs grew 22%.

Musk feeling the backlash: Police are investigating how and why an assailant wearing black clothing set fire to two Teslas at a Las Vegas showroom on March 18. The phrase “RESIST” was spray-painted on the Tesla showroom entrance in red letters, police said. The FBI said it’s investigating the March 18 attack as a possible act of terrorism given what appear to be political overtones, according to Automotive News.

There have also been peaceful protests around the country tied to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s heading of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Washington. In addition to those protests, there have been fires set against Tesla Superchargers in Boston and shots fired at an Oregon showroom, in addition to other attacks this month, according to local news reports.

Sacramento event on clean transportation policy: CALSTART’s 12th Annual California Summit will be held on Monday, March 24, 2025, in Sacramento from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. This event will bring together leaders from the clean transportation industry, California lawmakers, and key decision-makers to discuss what strategic actions are needed to sustain the growth of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and infrastructure across California and beyond. A key focus will be on how transportation is being decarbonized and tailpipe emissions reduced and eventually eliminated to support cleaner air and economic benefits to local communities. What solutions are available during a time when clean transportation and climate policies are going through a shift at the federal level?

What’s happening to electric vehicle giant Tesla? Will China’s BYD solidify its EV market share dominance this year like last year? Is it all about the controversial role CEO Elon Musk has taken in the Trump administration?

The 2025 sales numbers have been poor for Tesla, as you can see in this chart. U.S. sales numbers won’t come out from Tesla until April for the first quarter.

Automotive News reports that Tesla’s stock has eroded by $700 billion as sales slide globally in the wake of what it calls the ‘Trump bump.’

Tesla was the world’s biggest producer of battery electric vehicles in 2024, but sales dropped to 1.79 million, the first time the company has endured a sales decline since 2011 after years of rapid growth that made it the world’s most valuable carmaker, according to The Guardian. The Tesla Model Y was the biggest selling EV in the world in January at 66,536 units sold in globally. Number two was the BYD Song / Seal U at 47,502 units sold, according to CleanTechnica. The Tesla Model 3 came in at No. 4 on the list, with 27,772 units sold.

In 2024, Cox Automotive estimates that Tesla sold 38,965 Cybertrucks. The company said the Cybertruck became profitable for the first time with a positive gross margin during Q3 2024.

According to recent data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Tesla sales across the European Union, European Free Trade Association, and the United Kingdom declined to 9,945 in February from 18,161 in January 2024.

Some possible reasons for Tesla’s sales decline:

Politics: California is Tesla’s largest U.S. market, and tends to be more liberal politically. Its California sales dropped almost 8% in the fourth quarter of 2024, and 12% for the year. His backing of a right-wing party in Germany seems to be hurting him. Ahead of Germany’s February election, Musk advocated for the far-right Alternative for Germany party and said at a virtual event for the party that there’s “too much of a focus on past guilt” in that country. There are also signs of him being condemned by a number of environmental and political groups, and celebrities, in the U.S. and Europe, according to social media posts, which is hurting sales.

Chinese competition: Though Tesla also saw a steep dive in February sales, compared to a year earlier, observers say that’s more likely explained by increased competition from inexpensive Chinese competitors. BYD’s Seagull is a popular, inexpensive EV with a starting price of around $9,500, and a range of up to 252 miles. 

Changing market: Rising competition and the decision by some consumers to wait for a new Tesla model could be playing a role in the dip in sales abroad. GM said that 2024 was its best year for EV sales ever, selling about 114,000 EVs, a 50% gain over 2023. Ford said that for least year, each of its EVs (the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning and E-Transit) set sales records. Hyundai and its Kia brand have also seen EV sales surge.

And in other news……..

Rivian rolling out R2 SUV soon: Rivian has high hopes for its upcoming midsize R2 electric SUV. Starting at about $45,000, the R2 is about half the cost of its current R1S large SUV and R1T pickup models. The company says that it will be the launch pad for taking the brand to overseas sales.

CFO Claire McDonough said Rivian is “working around the clock” to expand its Normal, IL, manufacturing plant for the upcoming R2. The sourcing for R2 is now about 95% complete, and production is scheduled to start in the first half of 2026. It will be followed by the smaller R3 and sporty R3X crossover. That part will happen at its new Georgia plant. That facility will start production in 2028, McDonough said.

NACFE paper on the ‘messy middle’: The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) has released a white paper, Navigating the Messy Middle: The Move to More Sustainable Trucking.

“I liken the Messy Middle to a smorgasbord where fleets have a wide variety of options,” says Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director. “It can seem like an overwhelming number of choices, and we wrote this white paper to bring some clarity to the current situation.”

NACFE first began using the term Messy Middle in 2018 to describe the time between now and when trucking gets to a zero-emission future. In addition, the defining the Messy Middle, the white paper provides a brief overview of the various powertrain options available to fleets today.

The new leader of the ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ or DOGE, thinks he can cut $2 trillion from the current $6.75T federal budget.

Elon Musk, now officially a “special government employee” serving the White House, also has a few other jobs. He’s CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, executive chairman and CTO of X Corp. (X, formerly known as Twitter), owner of Neuralink, and head of xAI, which produces the Grok AI-powered assistant. Don’t forget the Starlink satellite network, which is operated by SpaceX.

Musk has been known to be tough with employees on budget cuts, as has been experienced by Tesla factory workers who previously tried to unionize. When Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, he laid off more than 6,000 employees — about 80% of the company’s staff.

He just had his fourth child with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, for a total of 14 who range in age from just born to twins Griffin and Vivian who were born in 2004; and whose mother is ex-wife Justine Wilson. Musk’s 4-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii, often called Lil X, went to the White House with him on Feb. 11 to meet with the president, as you can see in the photo above.

How could he possibly find time to do all of it? For one thing, other executives have been running his companies for years and they work very long hours, as does Musk. Most recently, he’s been assembling a team to carry out duties at DOGE; and that number has ranged from 40 to 100, according to Musk’s comments.

Questions and concerns have been floating across the internet and in Washington, D.C., about whether Musk will be getting any special deals for his companies due to campaign donations (about $250 million) and playing a high-level role in the Trump administration. One controversy that recently surfaced was that Musk posted comments on X criticizing Verizon for subpar work on a new communications system for the Federal Aviation Administration. He pitched his Starlink tech service as at least a temporary solution, according to Politico.

As for the latest developments beyond cutting staff from federal agencies, here are a few interesting ones……………

Latest on robotaxis: Tesla applied late last year for a permit with California regulators to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service, similar to what Waymo has been doing in San Francisco and Los Angeles through its Waymo One app. The automaker currently has the approval to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver in California, but this application that was submitted to California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) late last year, is seeking a transportation charter-party carrier permit. The company’s still waiting for the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a permit for autonomous vehicle testing or operations, which would be needed for Tesla to offer a robotaxi service in California, according to Bloomberg news.

Musk in January said Tesla would begin offering “autonomous ride-hailing for money” in Austin this June. Musk showed off Tesla’s Cybercab concept last October, which could be used for driverless rides in California; and he turned down an offer recently from the Uber CEO to jointly operate a robotaxi service.

Tesla is very committed to rolling out it fully autonomous vehicles as soon as it gains regulatory approval from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, state governments, and any other necessary government agencies. That will continue to be the subject of scrutiny over whether any special favors are granted to Musk by the feds.

Financial performance: Tesla’s revenue grew to nearly $98.68 billion in 2024, a slight percentage increase from the previous year. Net income for 2024 was $7.1 billion, a 53% decline from 2023.

The company sold 1,789,226 vehicles in 2024, which was a 1.1% decrease from 2023, said Axios.com. In the fourth quarter, the automaker produced approximately 459,000 vehicles, delivered over 495,000 vehicles and deployed 11.0 GWh of energy storage products – a record for both deliveries and deployments, the company said.

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling model in 2024, selling 1.09 million copies worldwide. The U.S. is Tesla’s largest sales market. Tesla sold 63,238 units of its electric cars in January in China, down 11.5% from the 71.447 cars sold in the same month last year. The futuristic Cybertruck was the best-selling electric pickup truck in the U.S. in 2024. However, sales were lower than expected due to the truck’s high price and slowing demand. Tesla sold 38,965 Cybertrucks last year, and the average transaction price in September was $116,706.

What’s up with Starlink? SpaceX, a space launch provider which Musk led prior to starting up with Tesla, has been staying very active; one analyst puts SpaceX’s sales at $13.3 billion in 2024, a more than 50% increase over the previous year. Its Starlink satellite network has been doing very well as a source of low-cost internet services ending up in remote locations. The company hopes to have about 42,000 satellites out in orbit eventually; as of February, on astronomer reported tracking 7,086 Starlink satellites in orbit.

Musk is always offering solutions from Starlink — such as the Verizon offer. Starlink assisted Ukraine in its defense system communications earlier in its war with Russia. That will probably be placed on hold as Trump continues engaging in verbal battles with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Protesters come to SpaceX HQ: Hundreds of protestors with signs on Saturday said Musk was “undermining democracy” with his actions as an unelected official. That took place outside SpaceX’s corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., in the Los Angeles area. They had plenty to say about the world’s wealthiest man, and his new boss, President Trump. Protesters and others want to see if Musk and Trump can stay in agreement on key issues. Musk may not get what he wants from the Trump administration on carbon-free energy and anything that could support his EV sales and solar power, batteries, and energy storage.

(Editor’s note: The word out there is that Musk is not the wealthiest individual in the world — just the wealthiest of those reporting their income).

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 Friday it 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.

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.

President Donald Trump’s strong interest in exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) has carried over from his first term. It’s a critical part of what the Trump administration says makes up the heart of the U.S. economy, and it provides an edge in the geopolitical battle for dominating energy markets.

There were no surprise announcements from the Trump administration last week — electric vehicle tax credits won’t be supported, offshore oil and gas drilling will increase, renewable energy won’t be supported, and the U.S. will go back to staying away from the UN’s climate change initiative. The focus will be on global energy exports.

“We have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have: the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on earth,” Trump said during his inauguration speech.  “And we are going to use it…and export American energy all over the world.”

Trump will have to watch out for overpromising on LNG. He’ll have to wait to see if market demand will justify moving forward on building any of the nearly two dozen new export terminals in the U.S. President Biden had put that on hold a year ago, but that decision was overturned by a federal judge in July.

Demand continues to rise in Europe as Russia’s supply of gas through Ukraine has been cut off due to the war. Exxon has four LNG projects under development and expects to start commissioning the production units in the US and Qatar first, by the end of this year, according to a senior Exxon Mobil Corp. executive. Other US export projects will also start picking up production, but most of the new supply won’t arrive until 2027.

In 2023, the U.S. used 1.27 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas for transportation, which is about 4% of the total natural gas consumed in America. Most of the natural gas used for transportation that year came from renewable natural gas, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration. Another significant indicator from that year: LNG exports accounted for 57% of the U.S.’s total natural gas exports.

U.S. exports of LNG have grown quite a bit over the past eight years, in part because of the rise of fracking and also because of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which hurt Russia’s pipeline exports of natural gas to Europe.

LNG has gone mainstream for most commercial trucks, with some of it being bio-LNG. The list of trucks using LNG includes Volvo FH, FH Aero, FM, and FMX; Peterbilt Model 386 and 579, Freightliner M2 112, Raley’s, and Kenworth T800.

Read more on Trump’s executive orders on energy policies from ACT News.

How Europe is doing: The alternative fuel market in November 2024 shows a continued dominance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with cars at 15.0% and vans at 5.2% market share, according to European Alternative Fuels Observatory. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) maintain a moderate share of 8% in the car segment, while fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) remain absent in both categories. Propane-powered vehicles account for 2.9% of cars and 1.0% of vans, whereas compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles register no market share, the agency said.

ACT Expo keynoters: Jennifer Rumsey, Chair & CEO, Cummins Inc., Lars Stenqvist, CTO, Volvo Group, and Jim Walenczak, Vice President, PACCAR Inc, General Manager, Kenworth Truck Company, are the first keynote speakers announced for Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo 2025. Held April 28 to May 1, 2025, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California, these three speakers will each be on stage on that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This year’s ACT Expo will provide fleets with the tools, insights, and strategies needed to achieve organizational goals in clean transportation, emissions, while building both economic and environmental sustainability.

Wouldn’t it have been miraculous if drones and robots had put out the L.A. wildfires soon after they’d started? Peter Diamandis, executive chairman of the X Prize Foundation, sure thinks so.

In April 2023, X Prize launched an $11 million XPRIZE Wildfire, a global incentive competition whose goal it is to detect a fire at ignition and put it out within 10 minutes. Today, 50 teams from 10 nations are moving forward on developing the technology that could win them the X Prize and enable it to all come together. A winner is expected in early 2026. It will be discussed and other relevant and pressing issues at the Abundance360 Summit in March of this year for those who are interested. 

Diamandis wished it had been done earlier, and it could be preventable. On January 15 in his email newsletter, he wrote, “My family and I evacuated our home last Tuesday and luckily, our home is safe (for now), but the atmosphere in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades remains toxic as Teslas and flat-screen TVs melt and go up in smoke.”
 
The Palisades fire, on the western side of Los Angeles, was 52% contained, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton fire, near Pasadena, is 81% contained, as of about 6:30 Pacific time this morning according the New York Times. Winds are expected to increase this afternoon, creating a “particularly dangerous situation.”

Another good from Diamandis: “I also believe the future of fire insurance will soon change. Rather than paying you to rebuild your home after it burns down, the best insurers will use exponential tech to protect and prevent your home from ever burning in the first place. That’s a policy I’d prefer to have.”

He’s not the only futurist to warn us that advanced technologies like drones and robotics have become a necessity. Just talking about the impact of climate change doesn’t tell the whole story anymore. The words ‘remediation’ and ‘mitigation’ are becoming front and center. Climate change remediation involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. Mitigation reduce the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere. The U.S. and other countries will need to invest more in emergency response and prevention tactics and technologies to prepare for wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and more.  

Canoo files for BK: Electric van maker Canoo announced on Jan. 17 that it will be ceasing operations “immediately” and that it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware. The EV startup estimates in its filing that its assets are worth $126 million and that it owes over $164 million to its creditors, according to TechCrunch and The Verge. The U.S. will be appointing a bankruptcy trustee to oversee liquidation of the company’s assets and the distribution of proceeds to creditor, Canoo said. The startup EV maker had asked for support from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Loan Programs Office and from foreign investors, but neither came through. It’s the latest sign of problems developing for the company with Oklahoma operations idling and several executives leaving in recent weeks — including all of its founders.

What will come of Nissan and Honda merger?: With Nissan and Honda announcing its merger last month, what will come next? The merger could help the companies compete with other automakers in the electric vehicle (EV) market tapping into Nissan’s experience in building batteries and EVs, and Honda’s success in hybrid powertrains. A joint holding company is being formed, with each brand retained but a merger of the two global automakers taking place. Honda said it will initially lead the new executive management.

Some analysts wonder if the JV will be able to produce competitive, profitable EVs and hybrids, with both companies being known for staying behind global market leaders in designing, developing, manufacturing, and marketing new model lineups. Nissan is currently marketing its Ariya all-electric crossover SUV. Car and Driver recent placed the Accord and Civic on its top 10 models to now this year. At CES earlier this month, Honda debuted two prototypes in its new 0 Series line of battery electric vehicles. Honda also showed another EV — an updated version of its Afeela 1 sedan, in a JV project with consumer electronics giant Sony.

Don’t forget about my Substack page: If you’re looking for something to read, check out Discovery: Jon LeSage’s Substack. It started with publishing my book in September, but then I got hooked. It was also fascinating to see a few big names out there — in writing, journalism, novels, music, technology innovations, politics, economics, and more — joining up in Substack. For a writer like me, it’s a thrill just to be there. They also make it easier to keep your commentaries organized and sent out to readers, along with promoting it on social media. If you’re hooked on writing and sending it out to the world, go see Substack and consider trying it out. It’s all free, and you can put out subscriber only version as well.

News briefs:
1. Check out U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Transformative Pathways for U.S. Industry with fascinating analysis of industrial transformation.
2. Learn more about how National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will continue to support medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle charging by tapping into its ARIES platform and decades of electrification research.
3. With the changing executive branch in Washington DC, California Air Resources Board (CARB) sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrawing the state’s request for a Clean Air Act waiver for its Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) Regulation. CARB thinks it would be prudent to do so given its experience during the previous Trump administration.
4. The U.S. Department of Energy released an update to the 45VH2-GREET model, which has been adopted by the Department of the Treasury for the purposes of calculating well-to-gate emissions of hydrogen production facilities for the clean hydrogen production tax credit established in Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C section 45V [45V tax credit]).
5. Hyundai Motor America says that it’s been awarded The Clean Transport Award at the annual Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA, being recognized for its groundbreaking advancements in hydrogen mobility and clean logistics.
6. The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a federal coalition focused on advocating for the advancement of the electric vehicle supply chain, released its 2025 Policy Platform to support electric vehicle adoption. It’s also organized around building a robust domestic supply chain, and creating American jobs. Built on four pillars supporting all elements of the EV value chain, ZETA’s Policy Platform will reinforce the industry’s continued strong domestic growth, the coalition said.

Greenland is not a place you’d want to build a resort destination for American tourists. So why would soon-to-be President Donald Trump want to acquire the island from Denmark? It’s the world’s largest island, with almost 80% of it is covered by ice caps and glaciers. For the ice-free area, only a very small part of it is arable.

Greenland holds rare earth minerals that America wants — but which it largely relies on China to get. Greenland has about a quarter of the world’s rare earth minerals used in many of today’s technologies — from smartphones to MRI machines, as well as electric vehicles and military jets.

US and Danish officials lobbied the developer of Greenland’s largest rare earths deposit last year not to sell its project to Chinese-linked firms. Greg Barnes, CEO of privately held Tanbreez Mining said that the company has been in regular talks with Washington as it reviews funding options to develop the island’s critical minerals.

Trump initially made the surprise suggestion during his first presidency in August 2019 that the U.S. should buy Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. It drew an immediate rejection from the leaders in Greenland and Denmark.

It also has its strategic advantages on the military and national security front. It offers the shortest route from North America to Europe.

The U.S. already has military presence on the island. British online newspaper, The Independent, reports that the Danish government has been speaking privately with members of President-elect Trump’s team about potentially increasing U.S. military presence there.

Greenland is about 630 miles from the Arctic Sea. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Arctic region holds an estimated 90 billion barrels of oil, 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, according to its July 2023 report. Another USGS report says that it could have up to 160 billion barrels of oil and 30% of the world’s undiscovered natural gas.

These reserves are currently under the jurisdiction of eight countries: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the U.S. These countries have exclusive rights to seabed resources up to 200 miles beyond their coast, in an area called an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

There are several barriers for any one of these countries taking control over any of these fossil fuel reserves including oil spills being very difficult to clean up in this zone with unique animal and plant species; and because the Arctic is mostly sea there is no international treaty protecting its environment from economic development, as there is for the Antarctic.

So the U.S., Russia, Norway, or another country could make a strong move toward securing the oil and gas reserves in that region.

Kimberly Taylor retires: About a week ago, CALSTART Director Kimberly Taylor announced her retirement after 14 years with the renowned nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting businesses and government in developing clean, efficient transportation solutions. Taylor started out at National Renewable Energy Lab, and then moved over to the Dept. of Energy’s Clean Cities program before coming to CALSTART. Her LinkedIn announcement had a long list of comments from friends and colleagues in the field. While retiring at the end of 2024, Taylor says that she’ll, “continue to enthusiastically advocate for and celebrate the technologies and people who are driven to make the world a better place.”

Musk providing Starlink in Los Angeles: Tesla Cybertruck buyers will have to wait longer for delivery as CEO Elon Musk diverts some of them to support victims of the California wildfires. “Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days,” Musk said on X. “We need those trucks as mobile base stations to provide power to Starlink Internet terminals in areas of L.A. without connectivity.”

“The press will of course accuse me of grandstanding, but if this helps save even one house or maybe even someone’s life, we should still do it,” Musk said.

Tesla and SpaceX personnel were also providing drinks and snacks in affected areas. “We are going to position Cybertrucks with Starlinks and free wifi in a grid pattern in the areas that most need it,” he said.

What happened at CES 2025: Honda’s futuristic electric vehicles and Nvidia’s technology for autonomous driving got a lot of attention at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. There was also a few missing major automakers at the biggest tech-gadget and electronics show of the year.

Honda debuted two prototypes in its new 0 Series line of battery electric vehicles. The Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV can be seen in the photo above. Both models are still in the prototype stage, but they’re scheduled to launch in North America in 2026.

Honda also showed another EV — an updated version of its Afeela 1 sedan, in a joint venture project with consumer electronics giant Sony. Sony will provide a full-screen dash powered by Sony software, including the ability to play PS5 games, among other in-car entertainment features.

Nvidia continues to count on autonomous vehicles becoming the norm in the next few years CEO Jensen Huang to Yahoo Finance he expects its technology for autonomous driving will generate $5 billion in annual sales for the AI chipmakers. For this year, Huang unveiled Nvidia’s Cosmos platform for developers to simulate its self-driving vehicle software.

“If it’s already a $5 billion business for us, imagine how big it’s going to be when we have 100 million new [self-driving] cars per year,” Huang said.

Nvidia also announced new partnerships with Toyota to power computing and autonomous tech, and autonomous trucking company Aurora Innovation (AUR), which will use its specialized chips for self-driving vehicle systems. Toyota did not say which upcoming vehicles would use Nvidia tech, while the Aurora deal also brings in Germany’s Continental, which will manufacture the driverless trucks.

John Deere grabbed attention by showing off its autonomous machinery at CES. That includes functions for tillage, orchard spraying, landscaping, and construction.  Jahmy Hindman, senior vice president and chief technology officer at John Deere said that it’s very much about addressing labor availability challenges in agriculture, construction, and landscaping.

BMW unveiled its latest infotainment software and digital driver cockpit. Hyundai unveiled its Hyundai Mobis division with its Holographic Windshield Display, powered by augmented reality.

While automakers like Ford have many times used CES as the launch pad for its latest technology, that automaker didn’t have an appearance at this year’s show. That was also true of GM, Stellantis, and Mercedes.

Several Chinese automakers filled that void, with Zeekr, the EV brand owned by China’s Geely Holdings, being visible. Wey, a premium brand owned by Great Wall Motor, and Xpeng also had booths.

Brian Moody, senior editor for Kelley Blue Book, told TechCrunch that it has to do with the long product cycles vehicles are under. He also thinks that some automakers have been rethinking their presence at shows like CES and whether its worth the expenditure.

EV tax credits: Electric vehicles qualifying for tax credits went up to 27 vehicles this year from 22 last year, but the future of tax credits may be affected by President Donald Trump returning for his second term as president. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act had set the template for the current state of EV tax credits, with domestic assembly and battery sourcing being a strict guideline. The Trump administration can change how it’s being enforced by the Internal Revenue Service.

EVs from Cadillac, Chevrolet, Honda, Acura, Ford and Tesla continue to be eligible for the full $7,500 credit this year, as does the plug-in hybrid version of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, according to the IRS. Some EVs and PHEVs from Volkswagen, Audi, Ford, Lincoln, Jeep and Rivian that qualified in 2024 dropped off the list as of Jan. 1. However those leasing an EV can find a less stringent set of battery sourcing and assembly rules, according to Automotive News.

Hyundai and its two other brands, Genesis and Kia, did make the list this year after not qualifying last year. The brands anticipate eligibility for the full $7,500 purchase credit on the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9, the 2025 Genesis Electrified GV70 and the 2026 Kia EV6 and EV9 crossovers this year as U.S. battery and vehicle assembly sites come online.

Clean energy in Chicago: As of January 1, Chicago can now produce 700,000 megawatt hours of electricity to power Chicago’s more than 400 municipal buildings every year. Every single one of them — including 98 fire stations, two international airports, and two of the largest water treatment plants on the planet — is running on renewable energy, thanks largely to Illinois’ newest and largest solar farm, according to Grist. The move is projected to cut the carbon footprint of the country’s third-largest city by approximately 290,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year — the equivalent of taking 62,000 cars off the road, according to the city.

Hyzon liquidating assets: Hydrogen fuel cell truck maker Hyzon will be leaving the market, according to its board of directors. Employees had been issued a warning December, but the board unanimously voted to dissolve the company and liquidate its assets, pending shareholder approval. The company in the past look like it could be a supplier of hydrogen-powered refuse trucks, tow trucks, severe-duty trucks, and transit buses.

Biofuels and bioenergy have been going through a constructive transformation in recent years similar to other clean fuels and energy. Like hydrogen, the source of the biofuels and energy is diversifying as is end-user applications. Production capacity has been increasing.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that the capacity to produce biofuels increased 7% in the United States during 2023, reaching 24 billion gallons per year at the start of 2024, led by a 44% increase in renewable diesel and other biofuels. The other biofuels includes renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel (also known as sustainable aviation fuel), and renewable naphtha and gasoline. With continuing state and federal tax incentives, and regulatory policies, plant expansions, and projected new plant construction, EIA expects U.S. biofuels production capacity to continue increasing.

Ethanol that gets blended into gasoline at 10-to-15 percent is still dominated by corn, with the U.S. Dept. of Energy reporting that 94% is produced from the starch in corn grain. Cellulosic ethanol, which comes from either waste, coproduces of another industry (wood, crop residues) or dedicated crops such as switchgrass, is seeing an increase in consumption as ethanol-blended fuel use increases around the world.

The number of fuel stations in the U.S. offering E-15 was 4,495 in 2023, up from 2,839 in 2014, according to USDA Economic Research Service – U.S. Bioenergy Statistics. Biodiesel at fuel stations increased from 782 stations in 2014 to 1,700 in 2023.

As you can see from these two tables created by the USDA Economic Research Service, ethanol used in fuel and renewable diesel have been seeing increases in production and consumption over the past decade. Renewable diesel has seen dramatic gains, similar to renewable natural gas, as the the supply and consumption continue to grow, backed by government mandates and technology improvements in the production and distribution channels.

Here are a few other news developments in this sector:

• The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced their intent to issue funding to support high-impact research and development (R&D) projects in two priority areas: sustainable propane and renewable chemicals and algal system cultivation and preprocessing. The intended Sustainable Propane and Renewable Chemicals (SPARC) funding opportunity would support R&D of domestic chemicals and fuels from biomass and waste resources to help secure domestic supply chains, support the growth of rural economies, and grow the nation’s competitiveness in the biotechnology and biomanufacturing industry. It could include up to $23 million in federal funding.
• The intended Maximizing Algal System Yield (MASY) funding opportunity would support applied algal system R&D to improve the affordable production of biofuels and bioproducts. While algal systems can be highly productive, there are technical barriers that limit the expansion of algae as a domestic bioenergy feedstock. The MASY funding opportunity will address these challenges by focusing on algal system cultivation and preprocessing R&D to advance affordable and reliable development of innovative algae technologies that can support algae developers bring these new bioproducts to market. The potential MASY NOFO could include up to $10 million in federal funding and is expected to be released in January 2025.
• Renewable natural gas (RNG) could scale up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by utilizing established gas-to-liquid (GTL) technologies, according to Biofuels Digest. These technologies could include SynCOR autothermal reforming and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis. This approach combines proven processes with innovative adaptations, creating a high-carbon-efficiency pathway for SAF production. It could also mean another significant market for RNG to serve with new mandates globally driving adoption of SAF.
• Gevo, a Colorado-based renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, has worked with LG Chem to extend their joint development agreement. The agreement extension enables LG Chem to assess existing assets for deploying Gevo’s Ethanol-to-Olefins (ETO) technology while accelerating commercialization activities, considering project scale and end-product markets. Gevo’s patented ETO technology can target carbon-neutral or carbon-negative drop-in replacements for traditional petroleum-based building blocks. These are core olefins, that can be used for renewable fuels and chemicals, including sustainable aviation fuel and bio-propylene. ETO technology is just one of multiple patented technologies that Gevo is bringing to bear on the challenges of developing cost-effective bio-based renewable fuels and chemicals.
• A marine research engine at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing scientists with valuable insights into biofuel design for large ocean-going vessels (OGVs) in a multi-lab project focused on reducing total life-cycle carbon emissions from this vital transportation sector. Scientists at DOE’s national laboratories knew their work on biofuels for marine use would be needed to meet the revised target. Their efforts are concentrated on large OGVs like cargo and container ships, which account for more than 80% of all transported goods and 3% of global GHG emissions. 
• Major oil and gas companies have ramped up investments in the biofuels sector, betting on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with 43 projects expected to be up and running by 2030, consultancy Rystad said in a report. The energy research firm indicates that investments by industry giants such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, TotalEnergies, and Eni could add 286,000 barrels per day (bpd) of production capacity.

California ZEV law under scrutiny: On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will review whether the oil industry has the standing to challenge the existence of California’s zero emission vehicle standards, which are stricter than the federal fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions rules. The case filed by oil companies, other fuel producers and 17 other states, argued that the federal government exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act when it granted California a waiver to set its own tougher auto emissions standards. The justices rejected the fuel industry’s request to consider whether it was unlawful for the Biden administration to grant California the federal waiver. The Supreme Court will be examine whether the fuel companies that appealed a lower court ruling have the standing to sue.
This case will be considered as the Trump team plans to cut electric vehicle tax credits, roll back emissions standards, and limit funding for EV charging deployment; and as the Biden administration may soon allow California and at least 11 other states to set new emissions standards that would allow for the sale of primarily EVs by 2035, according to reports.

CA approves $1.4B for charging and fueling: The California Energy Commission (CEC) on Dec. 11 approved a $1.4 billion investment plan that accelerates progress on the state’s electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen refueling goals. These investments will help deploy infrastructure for light, medium, and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) across California, expanding the most extensive charging and hydrogen refueling network in the country. The plan details how the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program will spend $1.4 billion in state funding over the next four years, with at least 50 percent targeted to benefit priority populations. The funding is part of the $48 billion California Climate Commitment, which includes more than $10 billion for ZEVs and ZEV infrastructure. It ties into the state also receiving billions from the Biden-Harris Administration for clean transportation.
 
AirNow mobile app update: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has updated the AirNow mobile app to allow users to receive optional push notifications of their local Air Quality Index forecasts for the next day. State and local air agencies issue AQI forecasts as a public service to help people plan their outdoor activities. The agencies provide them to EPA, which shares them on the AirNow app and Airnow.gov website. Until now, AirNow users had to remember to check the app or website to see their forecasts; with the updates to the AirNow mobile app, people can opt to be notified when the daily forecast reaches an AQI category of their choosing. You can find more information on AirNow with links to Apple and Android apps at this link.

Volvo and DHL partnering on AVs: Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) and DHL Supply Chain recently announced their first step in performing autonomous freight operations in the U.S., utilizing a purpose-built, production-ready Volvo VNL Autonomous powered by the Aurora Driver. Drivers will be onboard during an initial phase to monitor performance and integration into the logistics networks. “Early adopters play a pivotal role in accelerating the deployment and acceptance of autonomous technology, enabling us to validate both safety and operational performance,” said Sasko Cuklev, head of On-Road Solutions at Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “Our collaboration with DHL Supply Chain exemplifies the potential of autonomy as a complementary mode of transport that increases freight capacity and optimizes supply chain efficiencies.”