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President Joe Biden and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy Jennifer Granholm will announce on Friday seven regional “hydrogen hubs” which are collectively eligible for up to $7 billion in federal funding, according to senior White House administration officials.

The hydrogen hubs are being funded from money included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Biden signed into law in November of 2021.

Hydrogen is the simplest element and the most abundant on earth, but it seldom exists on its own, so generally has to be split from other atoms (as in the case of water, or H2O). This can be done with an electrolyzer powered by electricity. Hydrogen can also be produced from natural gas in a process called steam methane reforming.

Hydrogen is currently used to make fertilizer and in various industrial processes, particularly in the petrochemical industry. But because hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide when burned for fuel, it is part of the Biden administration’s strategy for reducing greenhouse gases in industries like long-haul trucking, maritime cargo shipping, and airplane travel. Hydrogen is also seen as a potential energy storage vehicle to balance out the intermittency inherent in renewable energy sources, like wind and solar.

That said, hydrogen is only a good tool for reducing CO2 emissions if it can be produced with minimal emissions itself — today, that often does not happen. The new hubs will be focused on that goal.

The seven hydrogen hubs stretch across 16 states and are organized according to geographic regions that have a particular strength when it comes to developing and growing the hydrogen industry in the United States. The hubs are not single facilities, but refer to a collection of linked assets that will work together to develop the domestic hydrogen economy in the United States.

The $7 billion in federal funding will catalyze an estimated $43 billion in private sector investment, according to comments made by senior White House administration officials on a call with reporters on Thursday afternoon.

The federal funding will be dispersed as the regional hubs meet incremental stage-gate milestones, senior White House administrators said. But the manufacturing hubs are all going to spur job creation, a theme Biden has repeatedly advertised as a co-benefit of developing the clean economy.

The seven selectees are as follows:

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub: The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub encompasses parts of West Virginia, Southeast Ohio, and southwest Pennsylvania and will use the large quantities of natural gas in the region. It’s located in the industrial heartland and will provide hydrogen for industrial applications across the United States. It’s also at a transportation crossroads, which will allow the hydrogen to be readily transported.

California Hydrogen Hub: The California Hydrogen Hub spans from Southern California to Northern California and encompasses three ports: Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland. Ports are very important because hydrogen is considered a prime candidate for decarbonizing the shipping industry. Also, hydrogen will be key in heavy-duty trucking and trucks transport goods from ports.

Gulf State Hydrogen Hub: The Gulf State Hydrogen Hub will be centered in Houston, Texas, and will cover most of the Gulf Coast and southeast Texas. Texas has large quantities of energy to use in producing hydrogen.

Heartland Hydrogen Hub: The Heartland Hydrogen Hub is hosted in Minnesota and includes a significant presence in North Dakota and South Dakota, and takes advantage of the uses the very inexpensive and abundant wind resources to make clean hydrogen. The hydrogen generated in the Heartland Hydrogen Hub will be at least partly used for agricultural purposes, as hydrogen is a key component in making fertilizer.

Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub: The Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub spans parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey and will take advantage of repurposed infrastructure along the Delaware River.

Midwest Hydrogen Hub: The Midwest Hydrogen Hub is in Illinois, northwestern Indiana and southwestern Michigan and will produce hydrogen from, among other sources, nuclear power. Also, the Midwest Hydrogen Hub is located at a transportation crossroads for the United States, which made it appealing.

Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub: The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub encompasses eastern Washington, northeastern Oregon and some parts of Montana and will produce hydrogen for making fertilizer. It will likely connect with the California Hydrogen Hub.

The hydrogen hubs that use natural gas to produce hydrogen will use carbon capture technology, senior administration officials said. The hydrogen hubs that use renewable clean energy will use a combination of new, clean energy sources and some will use existing sources of clean energy at the region.

Also, the hydrogen tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act will be a key component to the economic viability of these hubs. The guidance on how that tax credit will be adjudicated is not yet out yet, but is expected by the end of the year.

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Gogoro goes affordable with new Ezzy battery-swapping scooter

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Gogoro goes affordable with new Ezzy battery-swapping scooter

Taiwanese smart-scooter pioneer Gogoro is taking a step into more accessible territory with its newest model, the Ezzy. The company hopes to leverage its massive lead in battery-swapping technology while also bringing its smart scooters to a broader audience by lowering its price point.

Designed as a no-frills, budget-friendly ride that doesn’t skimp on modern conveniences, Ezzy is priced around NT$59,980 (around US $2,000). Once you add in the government subsidies from its native Taiwan, that price drops below NT$30,000 (around US $1,000). For Gogoro, this is the smartscooter distilled to its essential core: practical, connected, and ready for daily life.

The Ezzy looks like it is trying to build on Gogoro’s success with its 2024 Jego launch, the company’s previous forray into lower cost electric scooters. The Jego was a massive success and wound up resulting in around 40% of the company’s sales. Now the Ezzy looks to keep the good vibes rolling in a sleek, compact, and intuitive package.

The scooter features a rounded, minimalist body with a durable front panel and straightforward controls. Practicality is the guiding principle: a 68 cm (27 inch) long seat, spacious footwell, and a 28 liter (7.4 gallon) under-seat storage compartment, which the company says is large enough for two helmets – if they’re a 3/4 and a half helmet. Put it all together, and the features sound like they should make the Ezzy ideal for urban errands or weekend jaunts. Add in a built-in cupholder and flip-out footrests, and you’ve got a scooter designed to seamlessly slot into everyday routines with one or two riders aboard.

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The design is cute, but it’s under the panels where Gogoro usually tries to set itself apart. Ezzy is powered by a new hub motor capable of speeds up to 68 km/h (42 mph), high enough for city traffic while keeping maintenance low. The last time I was scootering around in Taipei, those speeds felt like plenty on the congested streets.

And while Gogoro’s scooters have long been impressive, the most important part of the company’s offerings isn’t even its rides, it’s how they’re powered. Ezzy integrates directly into Gogoro’s famed battery-swapping network, which includes thousands of swap stations around Taiwan.

Riders can skip charging downtime by swapping depleted packs at GoStation kiosks, which regularly see hundreds of thousands of battery swaps every day.

Electrek’s Take

In terms of performance, Ezzy strikes a balance. It’s not built for speed demons, but it likely won’t bog down in traffic either. It’s not overflowing with gadgets, yet includes thoughtful features that matter – cup holder, flip-out footrests, and room for two helmets. At around US $2,000 retail before subsidies, it’s clearly aimed at broadening access to smart two-wheeling in dense cities. And since the combustion engine scooters still dominate cities in most countries, making electric alternatives more affordable is a key part of displacing those heavy polluters.

This feels less like a normal launch and more like a strategic pivot for Gogoro. While the company’s premium Smartscooters – like the sports car-inspired Pulse or high-performance SuperSport – are impressive, they’re also spendy and niche. Ezzy, by contrast, looks like what Gogoro might want every city overpopulated by cars to embrace: a stylish, comfortable, and economical electric scooter that’s accessible to the masses.

It’s still early days and Gogoro hasn’t confirmed availability beyond Taiwan, but enthusiasm for affordable, swappable-battery electric scooters is growing. If Ezzy finds even moderate success in its initial market, it could pave the way for Gogoro to expand its smart ecosystem deeper into urban centers worldwide.

In short, Ezzy may not be a headline-grabbing performance machine, but that’s exactly the point. Sometimes progress happens not with fireworks, but with smart, thoughtful moves that make electric mobility more attainable for everyone. And that’s an evolution worth riding along with.

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750W e-bikes in Europe? Discussions underway to update e-bike laws

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750W e-bikes in Europe? Discussions underway to update e-bike laws

The e-bike industry in the West has long been a tale of two territories. North Americans enjoy higher speeds and power limits for their electric bicycles while Europeans are held to much stricter (i.e. slower and lower) speed and power limits. However, things might change based on current discussions on rewriting European e-bike regulations.

New power levels are not totally without precedent, either. The UK briefly considered doubling its own e-bike power limit from 250 watts (approximately 1/3 horsepower) to 500 watts, though the move was ultimately abandoned.

But this time, the call for more power is coming from within the house – i.e., Germany. The Germans are the undisputed leaders and trend setters in the European e-bike market, accounting for around two million sales of e-bikes per year. Home to leading e-bike drive makers like Bosch, the country has yet another advantage when it comes to making – or regulating – waves in the industry.

And while there aren’t any pending law changes, the largest German trade organization ZIV (Zweirad-Industrie-Verband), which is highly influential in achieving such changes, is now discussing what it believes could be pertinent updates to current EU electric bike regulations.

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Some of the new regulations involve creating rules maxing out power at levels such as 400% or 600% of the human pedaling input. But a key component of the proposed plan includes changing the present day power limit of e-bikes from 250W of continuous power at the motor to 750W of peak power at the drive wheel.

The difference includes some nuance, since continuous power is often considered more of a nominal figure, meaning nearly every e-bike motor in Europe wears a “250W” or less sticker despite often outputting a higher level of peak power. Even Bosch, which has to walk the tight and narrow as a leader in the European e-bike drive market, shared that its newest models of motors are capable of peak power ratings in the 600W level. That’s still far from the commonly 1,000W to 1,300W peak power seen in US e-bike motors, but offers a nice boost over an actual 250W motor.

Other new regulations up for discussion include proposals to limit fully-loaded cargo e-bike weights to either 250 kg (550 lb) for two-wheelers or 300 kg (660 lb) for e-bikes with more than two wheels. As road.cc explained, ZIV also noted that, “separate framework conditions and parameters must be defined for cargo bikes weighing more than 300 kg (see EN 17860-4:2025) as they differ significantly from EPACs and bicycles in their dynamics, design and operation.” Such heavy-duty cargo e-bikes, which often more closely resemble small delivery vans than large cargo bikes, are becoming more common in the industry and have raised concerns about cargo e-bike bloat, especially in dedicated cycling paths.

It’s too early to say whether European e-bike regulations will actually change, but the fact that key industry voices with the power to influence policy are openly advocating for it suggests that new rules for the European market are a real possibility.

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China overhauls EV charging: 100,000 ultra-fast public stations by 2027

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China overhauls EV charging: 100,000 ultra-fast public stations by 2027

China just laid out a plan to roll out over 100,000 ultra-fast EV charging stations by 2027 – and they’ll all be open to the public.

The National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) joint notice, issued on Monday, asks local authorities to put together construction plans for highway service areas and prioritize the ones that see 40% or more usage during holiday travel rushes.

The NDRC notes that China’s ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure needs upgrading as more 800V EVs hit the road. Those high-voltage platforms can handle super-fast charging in as little as 10 to 30 minutes, but only if the charging hardware is up to speed.

China had 31.4 million EVs on the road at the end of 2024 – nearly 9% of the country’s total vehicle fleet. But charging access is still catching up. As of May 2025, there were 14.4 million charging points, or roughly 1 for every 2.2 EVs.

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To keep the grid running smoothly, China wants new chargers to be smart, with dynamic pricing to incentivize off-peak charging and solar and storage to power the charging stations.

To make the business side work, the government is pushing for 10-year leases for charging station operators, and it’s backing the buildout with local government bonds.

The NDRC emphasized that the DC fast chargers built will be open to the public. This is a big deal because a lot of fast chargers in China aren’t. For example, BYD’s new megawatt chargers aren’t open to third-party vehicles.

As of September 2024, China had expanded its charging infrastructure to 11.4 million EV chargers, but only 3.3 million were public.

Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles


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