Back
So far, 2025 has been a mixed bag for EV sales in the U.S. A record 607,089 EVs left the lot in the first six months of the year, Cox Automotive reports, but sales in the second quarter were still lower than in Q2 2024.
A big part of that Q2 decline has to do with Tesla, which remains the U.S.’s top EV seller but has suffered stateside and around the world thanks to CEO Elon Musk’s stint in the White House. This week, Tesla reported its profits dropped 16% in Q2 compared to the same period last year. Tesla doesn’t report its sales, but it delivered nearly 60,000 fewer vehicles in Q2 compared to a year ago.
General Motors, meanwhile, had better news to share. It sold 46,280 EVs in Q2, more than double its sales in the same period last year. That’s still a far cry from Tesla’s 380,000-plus deliveries, but it was enough to make GM the No. 2 EV brand in the U.S. And slower EV sales across the industry aren’t deterring GM CEO Mary Barra, who said the company sees EV production as its “North Star.”
Rivian reported a delivery decline in the second quarter but still plans to build new headquarters and an EV factory in Georgia. Smaller EV company Lucid says it delivered a record 3,309 cars in Q2.
Be prepared, though, for a rollercoaster in the next few months now that the “Big, Beautiful Bill” has sent EV tax credits to an early grave. Cox Automotive predicts EV sales will hit a new record in Q3 as buyers race to use federal incentives before they expire at the end of September. After that? “A collapse in Q4, as the electric vehicle market adjusts to its new reality.”
Trump calls off loan for major transmission line
The Trump administration this week canceled a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for the Grain Belt Express, putting its future in jeopardy, Canary Media’s Jeff St. John reports.
The planned transmission line, which was granted its loan guarantee under the Biden administration, is meant to bring wind and solar power generated in the Great Plains to cities further east. It has been in the works for more than a decade, and construction on its first phase was slated to start next year.
While the Grain Belt Express had support from utility regulators and large electricity consumers along the line’s route, Missouri Republicans turned against it in recent weeks. The state’s Republican attorney general launched an investigation into the project earlier this month, and Sen. Josh Hawley said he made a direct appeal to President Trump to pull back federal support.
Can the EPA revoke all its emissions rules at once?
The U.S. EPA is planning to demolish the bedrock of many of its climate change-fighting regulations, The New York Times reports. The agency is reportedly preparing a rule that would rescind the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which scientifically established that greenhouse gases harm human health. That finding underpins many of the EPA’s landmark emissions rules, including regulations targeting pollution from cars, factories, and power plants. If the finding is revoked, it would immediately end all those limits and make it harder for future presidential administrations to reinstate them.
The draft of the rule change doesn’t dispute that climate pollutants like carbon dioxide and methane drive global warming or put people’s health at risk, according to the Times. Instead, it claims the endangerment finding oversteps the EPA’s authority. The new rule is almost certain to face legal challenges if it’s finalized.
A “shadow ban” on renewables? Democrats, advocates, and industry groups push back on the Trump administration’s decision to heighten reviews for proposed solar and wind projects on federal land, saying it could lead to a clean energy “shadow ban.” (E&E News)
Shaving solar costs: Solar industry veteran Andrew Birch says cutting non-equipment costs like permitting and project management can reduce the price of rooftop solar installations as federal incentives expire. (Canary Media)
Reeling in the deep: The U.S. government’s step toward issuing The Metals Co. deep-sea mining permits conflicts with an international treaty, leaving the startup’s partners abroad wary of continuing to work together. (New York Times)
Can SMRs succeed? Nuclear industry leaders say there’s enough momentum and funding behind small modular reactor development to propel the sector beyond its past failures. (Canary Media)
Data center downgrade: OpenAI’s Stargate project softens its ambitious plans and is now only looking to build one small data center this year, which could have fallout for energy developers who would have powered the projects. (Wall Street Journal)
Carbon capture’s secret supporters: The oil and gas industry has played a big role in crafting an Ohio carbon-capture bill that could help keep fossil fuel operations running. (Canary Media)
Rates on the rise: U.S. utilities have requested or secured a record $29 billion in rate increases in the first half of the year, more than double the total reached halfway through 2024. (Latitude Media)
.svg)
