The US House of Representatives and Senate voted to restore tariffs on solar panels made in four Southeast Asian countries. President Joe Biden just vetoed that legislation. And good thing, because that legislation would have seriously injured the young US solar industry.
May 16: President Joe Biden has vetoed legislation passed by the US Senate and House to restore tariffs on solar panels. It was only Biden’s third veto in his presidency. He stated today on the White House’s briefing room page:
The [solar tariff waiver] rule implements a temporary, 24-month bridge to make sure that when these new [US] factories are operational, we have a thriving solar installation industry ready to deploy American-made solar products to homes, businesses, and communities across the Nation. Given the progress we are making on American solar, I do not intend to extend the tariff suspension at the conclusion of the 2-year period in June 2024.
Passage of this resolution bets against American innovation. It would undermine these efforts and create deep uncertainty for American businesses and workers in the solar industry.
Therefore, I am vetoing this resolution.
Congress overriding Biden’s veto appears unlikely, as it would need two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate.
George Hershman, CEO of SOLV Energy, the US’s largest utility-scale solar contractor, said in response to the veto:
President Biden’s veto of this harmful resolution is a victory for U.S. solar companies and the growing solar workforce. Repealing the two-year moratorium of new solar tariffs would have created business uncertainty, placed tens of thousands of clean energy jobs at risk, and stalled solar projects across the country.
And Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said:
President Biden’s veto has helped preserve our nation’s clean energy progress and prevented a bill from becoming law that would have eliminated 30,000 American jobs, including 4,000 solar manufacturing jobs.
All sides of this debate can agree that we need to deploy American energy and manufacture those components and technologies in America. Every metric shows that the Biden administration’s policies are working to achieve both goals, and we thank the President for taking this action and protecting the livelihoods of 255,000 solar and storage workers nationwide.
May 3: The US Senate today voted to restore tariffs on solar panels. The vote was 56-41, with nine Democrats voting in favor. President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation.
Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said:
Any legislation that threatens 30,000 American jobs and weakens our nation’s energy security to this degree should be dead on arrival.
Energy workers across the country are looking to President Biden to protect their livelihoods. We urge the President to quickly and decisively veto this damaging resolution.
April 28: The 221-202 bipartisan vote sends the measure to the Democratic-controlled Senate – 12 Democrats voted for it, and 8 Republicans voted against it. President Joe Biden has said he will veto the legislation.
In 2022, President Joe Biden waived tariffs on solar products made in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam while the US Department of Commerce (DOC) conducted an investigation into whether those imports were circumventing duties on goods made in China, thus violating US law. The DOC is expected to issue its decision next week.
The majority of legislators voted for this measure to boost US solar manufacturers who say they can’t compete with cheaper solar products made in Asia. But while that’s well intended, it’s very poorly executed, due to timing.
The bottom line is, US solar manufacturing is growing, and it does need legislative support – the Inflation Reduction Act does that. But US solar manufacturing is nowhere near robust enough to supply the huge and growing domestic demand for solar products. That’s why Biden waived the tariff – to keep the supply chain going while US domestic manufacturing ramps up.
The reinstated tariffs are going to boost costs for US solar developers and slow down the supply chain, and thus solar developments needed to fight climate change. We don’t have time to delay the fight against climate change.
While this might seem protective to US solar manufacturing, it’s harmful to US solar installation, which currently employs many more Americans than manufacturing does.
In short, the House made a bad decision that could seriously harm the US solar industry.
George Hershman, CEO of SOLV Energy, the US’s largest utility-scale solar provider, said in an email statement today:
This resolution could put companies on the hook to pay more than a billion dollars in retroactive tariffs and jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs across the country. President Biden’s pause on new solar tariffs provided a much-needed bridge for companies to deploy clean energy and keep American workers on the payroll as the US builds out a dramatic ramp-up in our domestic solar manufacturing sector.
And Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), also issued a statement:
Today the House of Representatives failed America’s 255,000 solar workers and put the near-term impact of the IRA at risk. The legislation will impose $1 billion in retroactive tariffs and cause 30,000 Americans to lose their jobs this year.
The two-year solar tariff moratorium was imposed as a strategic bridge to stand up U.S.-based manufacturing capacity while allowing developers to keep building projects and move us toward our clean energy goals. Companies are making massive investments in manufacturing facilities across the country thanks to the IRA, and all this legislation serves to do is undercut American businesses as they invest billions in capital and seek to employ thousands of workers.
We are urging senators to see through this political charade and examine the facts at hand.
The US cannot produce enough solar panels and cells to meet demand, and the remaining 14 months of this moratorium gives us time to close the gap. The United States can get there and become a global leader in clean energy manufacturing and development. Overturning the moratorium at this stage puts that future at risk.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them. Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Air taxi startup Vertical Aerospace achieved a world’s first this week, completing the first flight between two airports through public airspace for an eVTOL at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire, England.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world’s largest military airshow, held every July and serving as a public showcase for the latest advancements in aviation technology. It’s fitting, then, that RIAT served as setting for the Vertical VX4 prototype’s first piloted public flight.
The eVTOL aircraft flew 17 miles from the company’s Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport to RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station used by the US Air Force. The Vertical VX4 reached speeds of 115 mph, and an altitude of 1800 ft, and also marked the first landing at a public location for an aircraft of this type.
The Vertical Aerospace entry was the only battery-electric aircraft present at RIAT 2025, and the flight served as a demonstration of the company’s broader strategy to unlock new hybrid-electric applications for defense, logistics, and special/close support missions where the eVTOL’s (relatively) quiet operations could give it a tactical advantage.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
“RIAT is a global stage for the most advanced, mission-ready aerospace technology, and we’re proud to showcase how electric aviation will support the future of defense,” says Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. “Our hybrid-electric roadmap unlocks new capabilities for military operations, and Vertical’s RIAT presence reinforces our commitment to playing a meaningful role in the future of military and special mission aviation.”
Vertical’s VX4 debuted last year, with a 20% increase in the power-to-weight ratio that enables a top cruising speed of 150 mph and transports four passengers plus a pilot up to 100 miles on a single charge.
The inaugural VX4 flight was witnessed by several thousand UK aircraft enthusiasts, and showed how an eVTOL aircraft could integrate with real-world airport operations, building momentum toward more regular, certified deployment.
Electrek’s Take
Archer, BETA, EHang, Joby, XPeng – the list of eVTOL manufacturers seems to be as long as the list of new electric car brands that didn’t exist back when I first started working with EVs back in ::gulp:: the 1990s. The future of regional point-to-point air travel certainly seems to be vertical, and electric.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Say what you will about Elon Musk, but Tesla has changed the way that millions of people buy cars and, by extension, car insurance. Now, Honda is taking a page from Tesla’s successful playbook and launching its own in-house insurance business. Enter: Honda Insurance Solutions.
Honda Insurance Solutions is being launched as a fully licensed insurance agency serving the insurance needs of Acura and Honda customers, but it’s not stopping at competitive pricing and coverage options for Honda cars and motorcycles. Honda Insurance Solutions promises to go several steps beyond Tesla’s offering with coverage for trailers, RVs, homes, and even pets.
“Honda Insurance Solutions offers customers access to coverage through a brand they know and trust,” says Petar Vucurevic, President, American Honda Insurance Solutions, LLC and Senior Vice President, American Honda Finance Corporation. “Insurance is a key touchpoint in the vehicle ownership journey, and we aim to deliver a superior experience tailored to the unique needs of each customer, while promoting safer driving and increased peace of mind on the road.”
The company says the launch of its new insurance business is just part of Honda’s broader digital vehicle sales platform strategy, with future plans to integrate insurance offerings into new products.
What Honda is doing right now is deepening relationships with its existing customers and finding ways to make money on products it hasn’t sold them – whether that’s the Harley parked in the garage next to their Prologue or the garage itself.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Nobody ever says “this is business” before doing something nice, and the recently reborn Lion Electric company is keeping that streak alive by doing the unthinkable to cut costs: they’re going to void the warranties on hundreds of electric school buses.
In a letter issued to exiting Lion Electric customers last week, Deloitte Restructuring announced that the warranties on all Lion vehicles purchased outside of the company’s home Province of Quebec are null and void – leaving dozens of school districts in the lurch with stranded assets that won’t get fixed, and can’t be sold to generate funds for replacements.
“We are working with alternate vendors at the expense of the school district to help keep our electric buses functional and on the road,” explains Dr. Richard Decman, Superintendent of Herscher CUSD No. 2 district in Herscher, Illinois. “Currently, six of our 25 (Lion) electric buses need some type of repair.”
Student Transportation News reports that Lion buses represent fully half of Herscher’s overall fleet of 50 buses, and that the district has received nearly $10 million for the purchase of 25 electric buses and the related charging stations from various state and utility incentive programs.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Herscher isn’t the only district having problems with Lion buses. “All four Lion buses that we own are currently parked and not being used,” Coleen Souza, interim transportation director of Winthrop Public Schools, told Clean Trucking. “Two of them are in need of repairs which would cost us money which we are not willing to invest in because the buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs.”
More of the same in Maine, where Yarmouth School Department bought two Lion Electric buses in 2023 with the state covering the costs. According to Superintendent Andrew Dolloff, the buses almost never worked. “We’ve had some sporadic service over the past two years, but as soon as the tech leaves, the buses produce error codes again,” explained Dolloff. ” and “Then the technician quits or is released, and we wait a few months for the next response.”
Dolloff added that Yarmouth’s electric buses did not operate during the 2024-25 school year.
Lion’s new owners are seemingly uninterested in their customers’ plight – which might be easily dismissed if those new owners, Groupe MACH, weren’t also the old owners of Lion Electric.
That’s right, kids. Quebec-based real estate company Groupe MACH, which stepped in to “save” Lion Electric earlier this summer, along with Ontario-based Mirella & Lino Saputo Foundation, bought $90 million of equity in Lion Electric back in 2023. And, while the MACH people may not have been the ones who ultimately made the call about voiding the warranties (that decision was made by the Deloitte bankruptcy team), it is absolutely Group MACH who have, to date, not announced plans to continue to honor those warranties, either.
Make of that what you will.
Deloitte Lion letter
SOURCES: School Transportation News, Clean Trucking, Deloitte.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.