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Just a few days after sharing specifications of its Launch Edition solar EV, Aptera Motors has backtracked on a previous comment stating that its upcoming vehicles will not come with DC fast charging capabilities. Aptera has now let its community of loyal fans know it hears them, vowing to equip all its solar EVs, including the aforementioned Launch Edition with the capability to charge on Tesla’s supercharger network.

During a livestream webinar Friday, the Aptera team including cofounders Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony, walked the public through the specifications of the startup’s unified, preconfigured Launch Edition solar EV.

While there was much to be excited about, including 400 mile range, all-wheel drive, and the potential to be the most aerodynamic production vehicle ever made, there were some points in the presentation that were not as encouraging.

For instance, the Launch Edition alone remains at least twelve months away and Aptera cofounders shared the company requires an additional $50 million in capital just to reach its first gate of scaled production, still in need of the necessary tooling and machinery.

While this is not the most stellar news to hear from a startup, the internet’s ire appeared to be much more focused on one simple tidbit that was left out of Aptera’s initial presentation – there was no mention of DC fast charging rates.

When the Aptera cofounders opened the webinar up to questions, naturally one of the first to arise was in regard to DC fast charging. Fambro and Anthony explained that Aptera was still exploring the possibility of DC fast charging capabilities in the future and could certainly one day add it. However, they were sure to share that the feature would not be present in the Launch Edition. By gathering additional range from the sun, Aptera’s team said they didn’t feel DC charging was necessary.

Well, the company’s following of potential customers and savvy EV enthusiasts disagreed.

How quickly that tune has changed at Aptera HQ, as the solar EV specialist has relayed that it hears you readers loud and clear and has made DC fast charging standard on all its vehicles.

Check out the video below.

Aptera DC charging
Source: YouTube/Aptera

Aptera commits to DC charging, hopes Tesla will allow it

Since Friday’s launch presentation, Aptera has followed up with a release complete with its own YouTube video, explaining it will in fact add DC charging capabilities to its solar EVs. Here’s a blurb:

We will be able to offer between 40 and 60 kW of DC Fast Charging with our Launch Edition vehicles. Once testing is complete, we will provide an update on our max charge rates. We will also be working on a 100 kW version for release down the road. Our DC Fast Charging system is designed to work with the Super Charger Network, so if Tesla agrees to open their network up to Aptera owners, your Launch Edition vehicle will be ready to go. Tesla’s Supercharging network has 60% more North American Charging Standard posts than all of the CCS-equipped networks combined, so it could be a huge selling point for future Aptera owners. 

We must give Aptera an A+ in taking customer feedback seriously and giving many EV enthusiasts what they want. If you’ll remember, this is the same group of Aptera fans that gathered together over 40,000 signatures to implore Congress to make Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug the go-charger for all EVs, including the Aptera SEVs.

As a result, Aptera vowed to make Tesla’s NACS plug the standard on its vehicles, hence why Friday’s news of no DC fast charging came as such a surprise for many, especially those holding reservations. While future Aptera drivers will (hopefully) be able to gain decent range from level 2 capabilities on the Tesla network, DC fast charging sounds a lot sweeter… and faster.

See the quote above? That last sentence is a big one.

Faster charge rates are one thing, but gaining access to the world’s largest fast charging network means even more, especially for activities like camping and road trips. Its tough to try and sell a solar EV that is supposed to one day drive 1,000 miles on a single charge, but not give it access to Tesla superchargers. Per Aptera’s release:

Aptera was always meant to be a true road-trip vehicle, and now with the Fast-Charging standard, we can’t wait to see where you take your Launch Edition vehicles. We are truly humbled and motivated by all of you who support Aptera. Together, we will shift transportation toward solar sustainability through continuous innovation and improvements. 

Aptera’s next step will be getting official approval from Tesla for its solar EVs to use their DC fast charging capabilities on the Supercharger network. Oh, and there’s still that whole raise $50 million in additional funding just to start production on the to-do list as well. One step at at time!

For now, you can watch the Aptera cofounders remove the foot from their mouths and explain how the DC fast charging technology was developed and will be implemented in ALL solar EVs going forward.

Are you all happy? You probably should be. Could be a big win for Aptera (and Tesla) going forward.

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Trump is fixated on Greenland — a vast Arctic island with massive resource potential

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Trump is fixated on Greenland — a vast Arctic island with massive resource potential

An aircraft alledgedly carrying US businessman Donald Trump Jr. arrives in Nuuk, Greenland on January 7, 2025.

Emil Stach | Afp | Getty Images

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump‘s pursuit to acquire Greenland could well be motivated by critical minerals, with mining executives and researchers describing the island’s massive resource potential as an “enormous opportunity.”

Trump’s years-long bid to take control of the world’s largest island has kicked into overdrive in recent weeks.

Ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump said U.S. ownership of the autonomous Danish territory is an “absolute necessity” for purposes related to “national security and freedom throughout the world.”

Trump has since doubled down on those comments, refusing to rule out the use of military or economic force to make Greenland a part of the U.S.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has told Trump that the Arctic island is “not for sale” and urged the international community to respect the territory’s aspirations for independence. Alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Egede has also recently called for talks with Trump to resolve the situation.

Asked about Trump’s fixation on making Greenland a part of the U.S., the president-elect’s incoming national security advisor, Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., was unequivocal.

“This is about critical minerals. This is about natural resources,” Waltz told Fox News in an interview on Jan. 9.

“This is about reintroducing America in the Western Hemisphere,” Waltz said. “You can call it Monroe Doctrine 2.0, but this is all part of the ‘America First‘ agenda.”

Greenland is going to become more and more topical; it is going to become more and more front and center because of the climate change discussion, the critical metals discussion and the geopolitical discussion.

Roderick McIllree

Executive director of 80 Mile

Critical minerals refer to a subset of materials considered essential to the energy transition. These minerals, which tend to have a high risk of supply chain disruption, include metals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements.

Critical minerals and rare earth elements are vital components in emerging green technologies, such as wind turbines and electric vehicles, energy storage technologies and national security applications.

China is the undisputed leader of the critical minerals supply chain, accounting for roughly 60% of the world’s production of rare earth minerals and materials. U.S. officials have previously warned that this poses a strategic challenge amid the pivot to low-carbon energy sources.

In this aerial view melting icebergs crowd the Ilulissat Icefjord on July 16, 2024 near Ilulissat, Greenland.

Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Jakob Kløve Keiding, senior consultant at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), said a 2023 survey of Greenland’s resource potential evaluated a total of 38 raw materials on the island, the vast majority of which have a relatively high or moderate potential.

These materials include the rare earth metals graphite, niobium, platinum group metals, molybdenum, tantalum and titanium.

“Overall, we can say that there is a huge potential for critical raw materials [in Greenland],” Keiding told CNBC via telephone.

“Many of these are of great importance for the EU economy and, of course, it is not limited to just Europe. Many of these are also on the list of American [critical raw materials],” he added.

‘Greenland is not for sale’

Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenland member of the Danish parliament from the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, described Trump’s comments about Greenland as “disrespectful” and reaffirmed the prime minister’s message by saying the territory is not for sale.

“I’m not concerned. I think that some people in Greenland are quite concerned, but I think it is important for us to say that Greenland is not for sale, never has been for sale [and] never will be for sale,” Chemnitz told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro on Monday.

Chemnitz said Greenlandic lawmakers would need to have “clear and very specific goals on how to collaborate with the U.S.”

American investors are 'welcome' in Greenland — but it's not for sale, politician says

Closer ties between Greenland and the U.S. moving forward, for instance, could help to facilitate investment in the island’s mining industry, she added.

“If we look at extraction, for example, of rare earths. This is something that we have been willing to do for a very long time. We’ve been looking for American investors, [but] we haven’t found them, so they are quite welcome,” Chemnitz said.

The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence in northwest Greenland at the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base.

‘A race for what’s left’

Roderick McIllree, executive director of U.K.-based mining company 80 Mile, said he’s been working in Greenland for just over 20 years on projects ranging from resource discovery to feasibility.

“I think that what we’re seeing in Greenland is really a race for what’s left,” McIllree told CNBC via video call.

“A lot of independent state surveys are pointing to Greenland and its natural shelf boundaries as potentially hosting 20% to 25% of the last remaining extractable resources on the planet. Now, if that’s right, that’s an enormous opportunity for Greenland.”

The Old Colonial Harbour of Nuuk, Greenland is pictured on August 30, 2024. Greenland, an icy land whose rugged landscapes are bewitching, wants to attract more tourists, a paradox for a territory that is particularly vulnerable to global warming and whose geographical isolation means that many people have to take planes to get there.

James Brooks | Afp | Getty Images

‘Significant strategic interest’

In March last year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Nuuk, Greenland to inaugurate an EU office in the island’s capital.

The move, which came several months before Donald Trump Jnr.’s recent trip to the same city, was designed to firm up Europe’s presence in the territory as well as the broader Arctic region.

Von der Leyen announced two cooperation agreements totaling almost 94 million euros ($95.9 million) at the time, which she said would be used to invest in clean energy, critical raw materials and skills in Greenland.

(L-R) President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute B Egede and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sign an agreement on the opening of the European Commission’s new office in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2024.

Leiff Josefsen | Afp | Getty Images

“I’m a geologist by background and I know that Greenland is very well endowed with natural resources,” Paul Lusty, head of battery raw materials research at Fastmarkets, told CNBC via video call.

“There has been a lot of interest in rare earths in Greenland, for example, and clearly, they can be of significant strategic interest to the U.S.,” Lusty said.

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Kia access to Tesla Superchargers delayed, had been expected this week

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Kia access to Tesla Superchargers delayed, had been expected this week

Hot on the heels of Kia being added to Tesla’s “coming soon” page for Supercharger access, we’re now learning that Supercharger support won’t actually come nearly as soon as expected for Kia – with a delay of weeks or months before Kia owners can plug in at North America’s largest fast charging network.

Earlier today, Kia and several other brands were added to Tesla’s coming soon page, suggesting that access could be imminent.

This squared with a previous September announcement that access would come in January – with a planned date of January 15, just two days away from now.

But today, PC Magazine reported that Kia’s access will be delayed to sometime in Spring.

Specifically, Kia has updated a press release on its website which previously stated a launch date of January 15. The press release now says “Access to the DC fast chargers is planned for the first quarter of 2025.”

That means it could be any time in the next three months, assuming there are no further delays.

PC Magazine quoted James Bell, Kia’s head of PR, as stating that “a delay has occurred and we are working with the appropriate teams to confirm new availability/date.” We also reached out to Bell to see if we could get any more information, but hadn’t heard back as of press time.

It’s unclear whether this delay will affect other brands, like Hyundai and Genesis.

Kia and Hyundai (and Hyundai sub-brand Genesis) share a platform for their electric vehicles, and have been the first to offer vehicles with native NACS ports on 2025 models, as opposed to using adapters like all other brands have so far. Older Kia/Hyundai vehicles without a native NACS port will still be able to use an adapter once cars gain access to the network.

We reached out to Hyundai to find out whether they’ve been hit by the same delay, but haven’t heard back yet. We’ll update if we do.

In 2022, Tesla announced it would open its charging network, lured by big money promised in President Biden’s federal EV charging grants.

For a while it seemed like a bit of a hail mary, as many thought that most of the industry was already committed to the SAE CCS standard for fast charging.

But then, in 2023, Ford announced it would adopt Tesla’s “NACS” connector, and all the dominos started to fall. Soon enough, basically the entire industry had announced a shift to Tesla’s charging standard.

But these things take time, and the industry had to work on redesigning vehicles, building adapters, organizing software handshakes, and building out an official standard. Now, several brands can already use Superchargers, with more to come.

The rollout seemed to be slowing down for a time, after Tesla CEO Elon Musk abruptly fired the entire Supercharging team which had been responsible for successfully executing this coup that could see Tesla gaining a lasting lead in EV charging, with those firings causing total chaos and jeopardizing the transition.

Earlier today, when so many brands were added to the “coming soon” page, it seemed like perhaps the dust had settled on the chaotic charging situation caused my Musk’s instability. But perhaps this Kia news is indication that there’s still some trouble that needs to be worked through.


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Biden pushes through $635M in EV charger grants before Trump’s return

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Biden pushes through 5M in EV charger grants before Trump's return

The Biden administration awarded $635 million in EV charger grants just 10 days before Donald Trump takes office, leaving just $700,000 of the $2.5 billion from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law unallocated.

The grants from Biden’s zero-emission refueling infrastructure programs will fund 49 projects that will deploy more than 11,500 EV charging ports and alternative fuel infrastructure along corridors and in communities across 27 states, four federally recognized tribes, and the District of Columbia.

$368 million will be allocated for 42 projects that expand EV charging infrastructure within communities across the US, while $268 million will go toward seven projects that build out the national fast charging network along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors.

The grants, which were announced on Friday, are made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program and a 10% set-aside from the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement, “These investments will help states and communities build out a network of EV chargers in the coming years so that one day, finding a charge on a road trip will be as easy as filling up at a gas station.”

There are currently nearly 70,000 public EV charging stations across the US, with over 197,000 charging ports, according to the DOE’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. The Biden administration set a goal of building out 500,000 publicly available EV chargers by 2030.

Since the election, the Biden administration has been rushing to distribute clean energy funding in response to Trump’s threats to claw it back. Once the funds are allocated, reclaiming them will be nearly impossible.

Read more: Wisconsin’s first 3 NEVI-funded EV fast charging stations are open


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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