Canoo’s Artemis crew vehicles arrive at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Artemis program and the preparations for the Artemis 2 mission are in full swing. Flight hardware is arriving at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to construct the giant SLS rocket, and crewed hardware is also being delivered. The Artemis astronauts’ first ride on launch day is now in procession of Canoo’s fully electric crew transport vehicles.
Artemis, NASA’s program aimed at returning humanity to the Moon and establishing a permanent presence, began with the launch of CAPSTONE on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket in June 2022. This mission paved the way for testing the orbit that the Orion spacecraft would follow during lunar missions. Last November, NASA launched its first Space Launch System rocket with an Orion capsule, which traveled around the Moon and returned. This mission was a full test of the rocket before the first crewed flight is scheduled for late 2024 to early 2025.
One crucial aspect of launching crew into space is transporting them to the launch pad. Throughout NASA’s history, variations of Astrovans have been used to transport crews for Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle missions. The most iconic of these was a modified Airstream motorhome used during the Shuttle era, capable of carrying the entire crew, with suit technicians, to LC-39A or B for launch.
For Artemis, the iconic Airstream’s shiny metal exteriors have been replaced by Canoo’s full glass roofs and electric motors. NASA has announced that it has received a fleet of three Canoo electric SUVs, which have been modified to transport Artemis crew and technicians from KSC’s Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to LC-39B.
We are thrilled to be a part of the Artemis missions and to deliver NASA’s first zero-emission built for mission crew transportation vehicles. It’s a very proud day for Canoo and all of our partners who worked so hard to ensure we perform our part to transport the astronauts for the first nine miles of every launch.
Tony Aquila, Chairman and CEO, Canoo
Canoo was awarded the contract in April 2022, making it one of the fastest turnarounds for the Artemis Program from contract to delivery. The early delivery of these vehicles, well ahead of the Artemis 2 mission, will allow NASA teams to practice the drive to the launch pad and familiarize themselves with all the procedures involved in moving the crew.
The nine-mile journey will be the crew’s final trip on Earth before being launched towards the Moon for a duration of up to a month. The Canoo vehicles are equipped to transport astronauts fully suited in NASA’s Orion Crew Survival System, an updated version of the iconic orange flight suits worn by Shuttle crews.
Canoo’s vehicle will be NASA’s first crew transport van to be powered entirely by batteries, although it is not the first electric crew vehicle. That distinction belongs to Tesla, which operates a fleet of Model Xs for SpaceX’s crews flying on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. These vehicles are used by NASA, International Space Station partners, and commercial customers like Axiom and the Inspiration4 mission.
Unfortunately, the third component of the crew transport trident, Boeing’s “Astrovan II,” which will be used for crewed Starliner flights, is a modified Airstream Atlas and will use a traditional engine. However, the future lies in electric vehicles, and when humanity returns to the Moon, the world will witness their journey to the launch pad powered solely by electricity.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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