Author: Ivan Popov

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued guidance urging staff at its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to avoid using terms such as “climate change,” “green” and “decarbonization,” according to an internal email obtained by POLITICO on Friday. The directive, sent by Rachel Overbey, acting director of external affairs at EERE, instructs staff to ensure team members are aware of the updated list and to avoid terminology that may be “misaligned with the Administration’s perspectives and priorities.” The guidance applies to both internal and public-facing documents, including federal funding requests, reports, and briefings. See also: U.S. DOE…

Highland Electric Fleets has been selected as the official provider of electric school buses for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, with 500 vehicles set to transport athletes, officials and staff between venues. The buses will be repurposed from existing school fleets across Los Angeles districts during school holidays rather than purchased new. Highland will manage charging, routing and depot operations throughout the Games, and the vehicles’ batteries will also serve as backup power sources with vehicle-to-grid capabilities during idle periods. “This is one of the largest deployments of electric school buses ever assembled for a global sporting event,” Highland…

Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, which allows vehicles to autonomously navigate parking lots to pick up their owners, is set to receive upgrades that improve its performance in multi-level parking garages, CEO Elon Musk indicated. The enhancement is expected as part of the company’s upcoming Full Self-Driving (Supervised) version 14 (FSD v14) update. The announcement came in response to a Tesla owner’s post on X (formerly Twitter), noting that while Smart Summon works well in surface parking lots, it struggles in multi-level structures. “Extreme first world problem but an altitude sensor would be incredible to add to Tesla for this purpose…

Isuzu Motors and Toyota Motor will jointly develop next-generation fuel cell buses, with production set to begin in Japan in the 2026 financial year at the Utsunomiya plant operated by J-Bus, a 50:50 joint venture between Isuzu and Hino. The new model will be built on the flat-floor battery electric bus (BEV) platform introduced by Isuzu and Hino in 2024 and will be equipped with Toyota’s fuel cell system. By integrating parts shared between BEV and fuel cell buses, the companies aim to reduce costs and scale up the rollout of zero-emission buses. Details of the production run have not…

Tesla has staged a sharp recovery in Sweden’s electric vehicle market, with the Model Y returning to the top of the sales charts after months of decline. The surge marks a significant turnaround for the U.S. carmaker, which has faced a challenging year in the country. According to data from Car.info, Model Y registrations in September rose by 492% compared with August, nearly five times higher than the previous month. Despite the rebound, year-over-year figures remain weaker, indicating Tesla has not fully regained its earlier momentum. The Model Y had fallen to fourth place in Sweden’s EV rankings earlier this…

Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles in the United States have jumped by about 30% since early summer as consumers rush to take advantage of federal tax credits that expire at the end of September, according to CARFAX data. The surge contrasts with the broader U.S. auto market, which has remained relatively steady. CARFAX said the looming end of incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act has spurred buyers to act before the Sept. 30 deadline. The program provides credits of up to $7,500 for new EVs and certain plug-in hybrids, and $4,000 for qualifying used models. Despite the sharp rise…

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi showcased its high-end electric vehicle, the SU7 Ultra, for the first time in Japan at a launch event in Tokyo’s Akihabara on Thursday, according to Kyodo News. The exhibit will run until September 28, though the timeline for the model’s release in Japan has not yet been decided. The company also announced plans to broaden its Xiaomi retail store network across major Japanese cities as part of its strategy to boost its market presence. Zheng Yan, Vice President of Xiaomi Technology Japan, told local media that, similar to its strategy in China, the company intends to…

A year after portable battery company Moxion Power shut down following its high-profile bankruptcy, the startup’s co-founder Paul Huelskamp has launched a new venture, Anode Technology Company, with $9 million in seed funding led by venture firm Eclipse. Moxion, which had raised more than $110 million to replace diesel generators at events and construction sites, laid off over 400 staff in 2024 before liquidating its assets. Anode, founded by Huelskamp and several former Moxion employees, is seeking to pursue a similar mission while avoiding past mistakes. “We started Anode with that goal to kind of finish what we started,” Huelskamp,…

German bus and truck maker MAN has signed a memorandum of understanding with Azerbaijan’s Improtex Trucks & Buses to jointly assemble its Lion’s City E electric buses in the country, with the first locally assembled units expected in 2026. The agreement follows MAN’s xKD model, under which buses will be delivered partially assembled along with additional components, while final assembly takes place in Azerbaijan. MAN’s parent company Traton will provide on-site support, including employee training and quality management. Over time, the partnership aims to increase “local value creation” by producing certain components within the country. “With this agreement, we are…

Tesla’s efforts to expand its robotaxi service in the United States have reached Plano, Texas, where new validation vehicles were observed this week. The city, approximately 20 miles north of downtown Dallas, joins Phoenix and other U.S. locations as a testing ground for the company’s autonomous ride-hailing ambitions. The vehicles, Tesla Model Ys outfitted with LiDAR hardware and sensors, are part of ground validation testing. Tesla uses this stage to confirm that its camera-based vision system accurately perceives the surrounding environment, complementing the sensor suite. https://twitter.com/InnovatingCoin/status/1970623158492234189 Tesla has previously conducted similar tests in cities including Phoenix, where the company later…

Ford has released its BlueCruise 1.4 software update, increasing hands-free driving time for F-150 Lightning owners. The update is available for all 2022-2025 F-150 Lightning models equipped with the system, with 2025 vehicles shipped from the factory already featuring the latest software. The update enhances the driving experience by making hands-free operation more natural and stable. According to Ford’s internal testing, drivers can remain in hands-free mode on highways up to eight times longer compared with the original BlueCruise 1.0. Compared with BlueCruise 1.2, hands-free time increases approximately fivefold. https://twitter.com/jimfarley98/status/1970512175413301419 BlueCruise 1.4 also improves lane-centering performance, reducing side-to-side deviations by…

Andretti Formula E has confirmed that Felipe Drugovich will join the team for the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, partnering with Season 9 Drivers’ World Champion Jake Dennis for the final season of GEN3 Evo. The 25-year-old Brazilian driver brings extensive international experience, highlighted by his dominant 2022 FIA Formula 2 campaign, which included five wins, 11 podiums, and a 101-point margin over his closest rival. Drugovich has also served as a reserve driver for the Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team since 2022, participated in multiple Free Practice 1 sessions, and competed in endurance racing with Cadillac Racing…