Tesla reported its first quarter sales, its first quarterly report since the company has been taking much pressure from CEO Elon Musk’s new role on the Trump administration. For Q1 2025, the electric vehicle maker reported 336,681 global vehicle deliveries, a 13% decrease compared to the previous year. It was below analyst expectations and marks the company’s lowest quarterly delivery figure since the first quarter of 2022. Along with negative impact from Musk’s rule hading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), multiple sources also attributed the drop to an overall decline in consumer demand.

Tesla has also taken action on reducing pricing on its Cybertruck during a climate of disappointing sales. The company just launched the Cybertruck Long Range with a starting price of $72,235 (before federal tax incentives and including destination fees). It drops well below the original All-Wheel-Drive trim level, which starts at $82,235. Sales were up for the Cybertruck in Q1 over last year, but Ford did even better. The Cybertruck hit 6,406 sold in Q1 compared to the 7,187 Ford F-150 Lightnings.

Kelly Blue Book Electric Vehicle Sales Report said that Tesla’s decline happened even as overall electric vehicle sales rose a healthy 10.6% to 294,250 cars and trucks in the U.S.. General Motors took second place in last quarter’s EV sales, and new models from Honda and Acura, and to a lesser extent Dodge and Jeep, helped maintain the segment.

How Tariffs Might Impact EVs: For the 90-day suspension on most of the reciprocal tariffs announced on Wednesday by President Donald Trump, it doesn’t include a suspension of 25% tariffs on imported autos and auto parts into the U.S., according to Detroit Free Press. Tariffs on imported aluminum and steel are also expected to have an impact on automakers and car buyers in the U.S. Electric vehicles could definitely feel the brunt of it, according to Green Car Reports. As for EVs made in Mexico, that list includes Ford Mustang Mach-E, Cadillac Optiq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Honda Prologue, and Jeep Wagoneer S. In Canada, the Dodge Charger Daytona EV makes that list, too. Both countries are seeing a number of hybrid models built there, which will also feel the impact of the tariffs.

RNG at ACT Expo: For those attending ACT Expo in Anaheim, you can show up a day early on Sunday, April 27 to get the inside scoop on the RNG advantage for fleets. That’s coming from the Transport Projects’s RNG Sunday Summit @ACT Expo. Attendees can also see the in-depth Fuel Portfolio for Fleets Workshop detailing the emergence of RNG and the benefits it delivers to fleets on Monday, April 28. Find out why RNG is becoming the alternative fuel of choice for fleet applications and connect with the industry leaders and experts that can show you how over at the Anaheim Convention Center for ACT Expo April 28-May 1, 2025.

Service offering to Green Auto Market readers: Editor and Publisher Jon LeSage is now offering services to the clean transportation community. These offerings include grant and RFP writing, communication materials, marketing and media materials, distribution of promotional and marketing materials to GAM readers, research services, audience surveys and in-depth interviews, and a GAM Market Report: EV Market Demand and Ownership in a Changing Environment. You can reach me at jlesage378@gmail.com, and I can send you more information on these services, a price sheet, and details on paying through my PayPal account. Thanks for your interest and support!

Learning more about Recurrent Auto: Recurrent Reports are available from Recurrent Auto to empower shoppers to check the expected range, and remaining warranty and tax credit eligibility for EV inventory on dealer websites. It’s provides an opportunity for dealers to reach out to car shoppers savvy to EVs and who want to purchase their first one or a newer model. Utilizing Recurrent’s Buying Center lets you make offers on a community of 30,000+ top-quality electric cars that are connected to the Recurrent platform. On that platform, EV owners can share basic info on their EV, share their name and number so Recurrent can reach out to dealers on their behalf, and they can upload photos to improve their chances of getting better offers. It’s being used daily by CarMax, Adesa, Edmunds, Cars Commerce, DGDG, and Easterns Automotive Group, according to Recurrent Auto.

China continues to have the lion’s share of electric vehicle sales in the global market, and this year is seeing a few new technology options coming to market. Range-extender electric vehicles have been gaining a demand increase and are part of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) seeing an 81% growth rate last year in that country.

Some of the range-extenders were introduced to the U.S. market years ago, such as the BMW i3 with the range-extender option, the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Prime, and Jeep Wrangler 4xe. China’s version of range-extender electric vehicles have yet to come to Western markets in mass volumes.

Bloomberg reported that extended-range electric vehicles have become the fastest-growing propulsion system for vehicles in China. Chinese automaker Li Auto is a leader in that field, with most of its vehicles having the technology. The Li6 was launched in China in April 2024, and became very popular.

London-based forecast and analysis firm Rho Motion reported that China had nearly two thirds of new global plug-in vehicle sales last year. At about 11 million units sold, it was a 40% increase over 2023. The BYD Song (available both in battery electric vehicle — BEV — and PHEV versions) led the market at about 660,000 units sold in China last year.

The Chinese market benefited from its car trade-in program, which was extended into 2025. Those trading in for an battery electric, or plug-in hybrid, receive 20,000 yuan ($2,755), while those trading in for a gasoline car get 15,000 yuan ($2,067). 

One aspect of China’s market that’s not entirely clear is how many hybrid vehicles, without plug-ins, are being sold there. Those figures don’t appear to be available. Toyota has been selling its Corolla Hybrid and Levin Hybrid in China, which may be around 100,000 units sold in total in that market per year.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are included in the China’s ‘new energy vehicle’ category along with battery electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported that by the end of 2023 a total of 18,096 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles had been sold in country, 36.19% of the targeted 50,000 vehicles by 2025.

Other technology innovations coming to market have included anticipation for BYD’s first 1,000-kW ultrafast charging stations rolling out in early April. Its smart driving technology features, branded as ‘God’s Eye’ or ‘DiPilot’, have been rolling out through automated parking, adaptive cruise control, and advanced braking assistance.

On the BYD Vs. Tesla front, the Chinese maker continues to lead the way. BYD sold 4.3 million vehicles in 2024, including 1.76 million battery electric vehicles and 2.54 million hybrid electric vehicles. Tesla sold 1.79 million battery electric vehicles last year.

BYD dominates the Chinese market, with its sales surging 164% in February 2025, while Tesla’s deliveries in China slumped. 

Chinese EV maker Nio started up in 2014, went public in 2018, and has been getting a lot of attention from investors and auto market analysts over the years. Times have been rough lately with its risk level flagged in a fourth quarter earnings report that came out March 21. It’s seen weak car deliveries in recent months, as deliveries of the first model from its sub-brand Onvo, the L60 SUV (sport utility vehicle), have been lower than expected, according to CnEVPost.

Sales have been solid, though. Nio delivered 15,039 vehicles in March, up 26.7% over February and 14% higher than a year earlier. The Nio brand and its Onvo sub-brand saw rebounds in March over February.

Leaving Tesla for competitors: Lucid Motors’ interim CEO Marc Winteroff told Fox Business that the company has seen a “dramatic uptick over the past two months” in orders from former Tesla drivers. Over that time, 50% of orders were from former Tesla owners. Lucid has been ramping up deliveries of its first electric SUV, the Gravity. Winteroff said that deliveries will resume by the end of April. Tesla owners have been looking switch over to other EV makers since CEO Elon Musk started campaigning for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and especially since he was appointed head of the new Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and started making deep staff cuts at federal agencies.

Hyundai IONIQ line continues to thrive: The Hyundai IONIQ 6 has been awarded the 2025 Best Value electric vehicle by Cars.com. The South Korean automaker says that a few of its features helped earn the award. One of them is its IONNA joint venture with eight OEMs to develop a new, high-powered charging network with at least 30,000 chargers. Beginning in Q1 2025, Hyundai is providing complimentary NACS adapters North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports for electric vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. Hyundai EVs with the free NACS ports will gain access to more than 20,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. This will double the size of the DC fast charging network available to Hyundai EV customers. Evolve+, Hyundai’s electric vehicle subscription service, provides flexibility and affordability to consumers that want to drive Hyundai’s newest electric vehicles without committing to a purchase or lease. The IONIQ 6 electric sedan and the IONIQ 5 electric crossover SUV models have been winning lots of awards; with the 6 taking World Car of the Year in 2023, and the 5 taking that award in 2022.

Will the EV tax credits started under the Biden administrations continue into the Trump years? Those EV tax credits, now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, were significantly expanded and updated under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, impacting vehicles purchased from 2023 to 2032. It looks like the Trump administration and Republican leaders in the House and Senate are looking at ways to cut the EV tax credits.

However, it might be similar to the EV tax credits from the Obama administration carried over to the first Trump administration. The Trump administration attempted to eliminate the tax credit for electric vehicles all the way through to their 2020 budget, though the provision never passed. The Clean Vehicle Credit could last even longer, unless Republican legislators can work with the president on ending it.

This time, it’s looking more likely to be altered with the Republican Party having the White House, Congress and Senate majorities. For now, car buyers will continue to tap into them as much as possible.

Consumer fear of missing out on EV rebates carried over to used EV sales, which reached record levels in Q4. Year end numbers showed an increase of 62.6% percent over 2023 numbers, and the used EV market share hit a record setting 1.9%.

In total, 6,529,191 PHEVs and BEVs have been sold since 2010 in the U.S. through February 2025, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. There’s enough of a long-term EV fleet out there that market analysts can evaluate more used vehicle price trends and market dynamics than they were able to do a decade ago.

October used EV sales increased 64% year over year, November sales increased 10% from October and 61% over 2023, and December sales grew 13% from November and 72% from 2023. Feedback from dealer partners concurs that this has been the case, according to Liz Najman, researcher at Recurrent.

The average listing price for used EVs was $38,057 in February 2025, reflecting a 1.8% increase month-over-month and a 1.6% increase year over year says Cox Automotive. Twelve brands had listing prices below those of their internal combustion engine (ICE+) models. Affordable options remain available, with 39% of units sold priced under $25,000.

Tesla still has a strong presence in the used EV market, according to Cox Automotive. In February, used electric vehicle sales declined by 4.7%, reaching 24,875 units in the U.S. Despite this decline, there was a year-over-year growth of 34.2%. 

Tesla maintained its dominant position in the used EV market with a substantial 39.9% sales share, despite a 9.2% decline in month-over-month sales volume, according to Cox Automotive.

The 2023 Nissan Ariya won Recurrent’s Best Used Electric Car of 2025. It promises to be a reliable and steadfast car, with an accurate dashboard, very little range degradation, and most of its battery warranty left. It does particularly well in terms of winter weather performance, where it holds on to 83% of its max range at freezing temps, Recurrent said.    

With a surge in EV leasing, consumers can expect a flood of used electric vehicles coming off lease, potentially offering good deals for buyers in the near future, especially in 2026, says Inside EVs.

Tesla and Rivian charging do well in study: Charging networks operated by Tesla and Rivian tended to have fewer problems than non-automaker efforts. That finding comes from a recent Consumer Reports survey of electric vehicle owners. — as covered in Green Car Reports. Respondents reported problems at Tesla charging stations 4% of the time, and 5% of the time at Rivian-operated chargers.

The challenges are much higher for other charging networks. Survey respondents said they experienced problems 48% of the time at Shell Recharge stations, 43% of the time at EVgo stations, and 41% of the time at Blink stations.

Consumer Reports data includes information from about 5,700 total charging sessions, from 1,230 EV and plug-in hybrid owners.

Trump tariffs and EV purchases: An S&P Global Mobility study from December provides some insight into what’s happening lately on the international automotive front as the Trump administration starts implements executive orders such as tariffs. If a 25% tariff in imports from Canada and Mexico were put in place, these key trading partners in the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) negotiated during the first Trump administration, will have a major impact on the market. Approximately one out of every four vehicles sold in the US comes directly from Canada or Mexico. These tariffs would also disrupt North American auto supply chains, as parts and components from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico flow freely between the three countries for their manufacturing plants.

Regarding electric vehicle purchases, one area that was discussed in the Trump presidential campaign, and with his new agency chiefs, is getting away from the electric vehicle tax credits, and the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles. One particular area of concern is the “lease loophole” in the Inflation Reduction Act, according to the S&P Global Mobility study.

That loophole allows car shoppers to consider leasing electric vehicles at more affordable rates, even if they don’t qualify for purchase tax credits.

“If this loophole is targeted for elimination, or if overall incentives are reduced, it could make BEVs even less accessible, especially as manufacturers may not have the same incentive to drive down prices or ramp up production,” the study said.

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 now 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.