Rivian (RIVN) will use wind energy to power up to 75% of its Illinois factory
Rivian (RIVN) signed a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) today to source 50 MW of clean electricity from Apex Clean Energy’s proposed Goose Creek Wind Farm. The EV marker will use the wind energy purchase and its other renewable energy initiatives to power up to 75% of its Normal, Illinois, manufacturing facility.
Rivian says it “exists to create products and services that help our planet transition to carbon-neutral energy and transportation” The company is known for making adventure-oriented electric vehicles. But Rivian also claims, “in order to create the change we seek, we go beyond what is expected of us.”
To put its money where its mouth is, so to say, Rivian launched a fund called Forever that invests 1% of its equity in focusing on high-impact climate initiatives, emphasizing the preservation and restoration of wildlands, waterways, and oceans.
The EV maker mentions that the industry and consumers cannot continue down the path they have created over the past century, noting:
On our current path, we will fully exhaust this stored energy in only a few more generations and, in the process, carbonize our atmosphere and damage natural ecosystems to such a degree that life as we know it will not be possible.
Building zero-emission electric vehicles is a priority, with transportation leading the US economy (27%) in toxic greenhouse gas emissions. However, burning fossil fuels for electricity is a close second since it produces around 25%.
Rivian’s Normal, Illinois, factory is equipped to produce up to 150,000 EVs annually, yet the company only expects to produce 25,000 this year. There’s a lot of wasted energy and GHG emissions as Rivian scales production capabilities at the facility as a result.
To help offset this and create the change Rivian seeks in the auto industry, the EV maker’s first large-scale clean energy purchase will help utilize wind energy to reduce its carbon impact.
Rivian utilizing wind energy at Illinois EV facility
In a press release Monday, Rivian announced it has signed into a PPA for 50 MW of electricity with Apex Clean Energy.
The wind energy will be supplied from the renewable energy company’s proposed Goose Creek Wind Farm, which is within an hour’s drive from Rivian’s Ilinois plant.
Andrew Peterman, Rivian Director of Renewable Energy, summed it up perfectly, saying:
About a third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, with nearly another third from electricity generation. We have a tremendous opportunity at Rivian to help tackle emissions beyond the tailpipe to support decarbonization of manufacturing and charging of electric vehicles.
Rivian says the wind energy PPA, in addition to other clean energy sourcing and on-site generation, will power up to 75% of its manufacturing facility.
Apex is in the midst of securing local permits and approvals for the project. The Goose Creek project is planned to house up to 50 wind turbines across around 20,000 acres of land. When the project is complete (expected to be operational in 2024), it will be capable of producing 300 MW of clean energy annually, enough to power 99,000 US homes.
Meanwhile, Rivian strives to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
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Environment
Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]
![Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/Uber-Middle-East-WeRide.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Just over a year after Uber announced a strategic partnership in the Middle East with autonomous vehicle specialist WeRide, the companies have officially begun offering the public robotaxi rides without a driver or safety operator present on board.
Today’s latest milestone involving robotaxi operations in the Middle East dates back to September 2024, when Uber and WeRide initially announced a strategic partnership to bring autonomous rides to the UAE.
Three months later, the partner officially launched autonomous rides in Abu Dhabi, but with a safety operator present in the vehicle. At the time, Uber and WeRide said the supervised rides were “laying the groundwork” for a true driverless commercial operations planned for 2025.
That day has come.
WeRide and Uber have confirmed that commercial robotaxi operations are officially underway in Abu Dhabi without any safety operators on board – a first for the Middle East.
Uber rolls out Middle East robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi
Uber shared details of its latest milestone late this evening or in the afternoon in the Middle East, depending on where you are.
Beginning today (Wednesday) customers in Abu Dhabi can select an UberX or Uber Comfort ride that enables them to be matched with a fully autonomous WeRide robotaxi without a driver inside. Riders in the Middle East can also increase their chances of hailing one of these driverless rides by select the “Autonomous” option in the Uber app.
In order to qualify, the prosepctive rider’s route must be part of WeRide’s operating territory in Abu Dhabi and a dedicated WeRide GXR Robotaxi vehicle (seen in the featured image above) must be available.
Similar to Uber’s partnership with Waymo in Austin and Atlanta, the global rideshare network will oversee fleet operations for WeRide vehicles, handling end-to end rider support. It has tapped Tawasul Transport to facilitate vehicle cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging, and depot management. WeRide will remain responsible for vehicle testing.
As you may recall last spring, Uber and WeRide announced an expansion to their strategic partnership beyond the Middle East (although Dubai will be the city for its next robotaxi rollout). Over the next five years, Uber and WeRide intend to deploy true driverless public rides in 15 additional cities, some of which will be in Europe.
As promised, here’s some b-roll footage from Uber showing how riders in Abu Dhabi can order a WeRide robotaxi:
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Metro Detroit is about to get a big boost of fast EV chargers, with more than 40 new ChargePoint ports set to come online across multiple sites owned by the Dabaja Brothers Development Group.
The first ultra-fast charging site just opened in Canton, Michigan. It’s owned and operated by Dabaja Brothers, who plan to follow it with additional ChargePoint-equipped locations in Dearborn and Livonia.
“We started this project because we saw a gap in our community – there was almost nowhere to charge an EV in Canton, and a similar lack of charging across metro Detroit,” said Yousef Dabaja, owner/operator at Dabaja Brothers.
Each metro Detroit site will feature ChargePoint Express Plus fast charging stations, which can deliver up to 500 kW to a single port, can fast-charge two vehicles at the same time, and are compatible with all EVs. The stations feature a proprietary cooling system to deliver peak charging speeds for sustained periods, ensuring that charging speed remains consistent.
The stations operate on the new ChargePoint Platform, which enables operators to monitor performance, adjust pricing, troubleshoot issues, and gain real-time insights to keep chargers running smoothly.
Rick Wilmer, CEO at ChargePoint, said, “This initiative will rapidly infill the ‘fast charging deserts’ across the Detroit area, allowing drivers to quickly recharge their vehicles when and where they need to.”
Read more: ChargePoint just gave its EV charging software a major AI upgrade
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Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging and Starbucks have officially opened their first DC fast charging hub together, off the I-5 in Red Bluff, California.
The 400 kW Mercedes-Benz chargers are capable of adding up to 300 miles in 10 minutes, depending on the EV, and every stall has both NACS and CCS cables – they’re fully open DC fast chargers.
Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, a joint venture between subsidiaries of Mercedes-Benz Group and renewable energy producer MN8 Energy, first announced in July 2024 that it would install DC fast chargers at Starbucks stores along Interstate 5, the main 1,400-mile north-south interstate highway on the US West Coast from Canada to Mexico. Ultimately, Mercedes plans to install fast chargers at 100 Starbucks stores across the US.
Mercedes-Benz HPC opened its first North American charging site at Mercedes-Benz USA’s headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia, in November 2023 as part of an initial $1 billion charging network investment. As of the end of 2024, Mercedes had deployed over 150 operational fast chargers in the US, but it hasn’t disclosed an official number of how many chargers are currently online.
Andrew Cornelia, CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, is leaving the company at the end of the month to become global head of electrification & sustainability at Uber.
Read more: Mercedes-Benz is deploying 400 kW US-made EV fast chargers with CCS and NACS cables
If you’re looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, it’s free to use!
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