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US behemoth food company Mars is looking to put 300 “heavy-duty” electric trucks into operation in Europe by 2030, in what it is calling the largest electrification of freight trucking in Europe ever.

Running routes to and fro various company locations, this kind of trucking is primed for electrification, and a company the scale of Mars, which owns 50 global brands, transforming its freight into EVs could have a massive impact on emissions.

The deal is a collaboration with Swedish-owned Einride and launched in Germany last week, with routes in the UK and the Netherlands coming this year. “This sets a precedent for other players in the freight industry to follow, showcasing the mass potential of electrification at scale,” said Robert Falck, CEO and founder at Einride.

Technically the company will start hauling pet food from its Pet Nutrition factory in Verden, Germany, to its logistics center in Mindin, about 91 kilometers (about 56.5 miles) one way. Both locations come equipped with charging points, so a truck can easily do the full roundtrip with the option to charge on either side if needed.

To get things started, Einride provided Mars with two Mercedes-Benz eActros 300s and two charging stations with four charging points operated by Einride’s Saga operating system. The version of the electric truck has three battery packs with 105 kWh each, totaling 315 kWh, which should supply enough range to cover about 300 kilometers/186 miles with an average load. Next up is a route from its chocolate factory in Viersen to other sites, as well as routes in the UK and the Netherlands.

For its part, Mars is investing $1 billion over the next three years to help reach its zero-emissions target by 2050, with the target to cut carbon in half by 2030 across its full value chain. It, too, is investing about “a mid-six-figure euro amount in the installation,” Electrive reports.

The first two eActros 300s will soon be joined by more vehicles, although Mars didn’t specify if those will be Daimler Trucks, in that Einride sources its vehicles from several manufacturers. These fully-electric operations will be complemented with an autonomous pilot project, implemented in 2025. 

By switching to the 300 electric trucks, Mars says it will reduce CO2 emissions by 20,000 tonnes per year, corresponding to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from Mars Logistik in Europe of around 10% per year.

Electrek’s Take

This type of trucking is primed to make the electric transition. For one, fleet trucks typically have a set route, making mileage easier to plan, and trucks can return to the depot in the evenings for overnight charging using their own infrastructure.

The shift from solely focusing on electrifying smaller trucks for last-mile delivery is moving to this kind of medium-duty hauling, with a new model from Mack Trucks recently out, other players such as Japan’s Hino and Isuzu working on new models.

Of course, the upfront costs for a company to convert to electric trucks is a tough sell, but a company like Mars bankroll it. Soon, the EU (and in California at least), regulations will leave companies with no choice but to make the switch. And doing so has the potential to clean up billions of tons of CO2 emissions a year.

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Lucid expands EV rentals overseas with the Gravity SUV on the way

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November 13, 2025

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Lucid Motors (LCID) is expanding its EV rental business overseas thanks to a new deal with Sixt in Saudi Arabia.

Lucid is growing its EV rental business overseas

The Lucid Air is now available to rent in Saudi Arabia through Sixt, with the new Gravity SUV set to join the fleet soon.

Lucid announced the partnership on social media on Thursday, saying the deal will “make it easy to access luxury mobility.”

No other details of the deal were released, but the move is part of Lucid’s growing presence in The Kingdom. Lucid secured an agreement with Saudi Arabia in 2022 to sell up to 100,000 electric vehicles. The following year, it opened its first overseas manufacturing plant (AMP-2) in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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In the initial phase, Lucid is still shipping vehicles from its Casa Grande, Arizona (AMP-1) plant for final assembly at the Saudi facility. Shipments have mostly been Air models thus far.

Lucid-EV-rentals-overseas
Faisal Sultan, president of Lucid Middle East, alongside the Gravity SUV for the Sixt fleet (Source: Lucid Motors Middle East)

Lucid plans to fully assemble vehicles at the plant, which is expected to begin next year. Once up and running, the plant will add 150,000 vehicles to Lucid’s annual production capacity.

On the company’s third-quarter earnings call, interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said Lucid produced over 1,000 vehicles for final assembly in Saudi Arabia, in addition to the 3,891 it built in Arizona.

Winterhoff added that Lucid is delivering vehicles to Saudi Arabia under the arrangement. With Gravity output ramping up, Lucid expects higher deliveries in 2026.

On Sixt’s website, the Lucid Air Touring is available to rent from the Riyadh Airport for about 1,228 riyals ($327) per day with 1,000 km included. Upgrading to 3,000 km costs an extra 245 riyals ($65) a day.

In comparison, the Tesla Model 3 is listed at 662 riyals ($176) per day and also includes 1,000 km. For 3,000 km, it costs an extra 132 riyals ($35) per day.

Lucid announced a similar deal with Sixt last year to add the Air to its EV fleet in Germany. The Lucid Air Pure, Touring, and Grand Touring are available to rent, starting at 999 euros ($1,161) per month.


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What now for peak oil? Unpacking a surprise twist in the fossil fuel feud

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November 13, 2025

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What now for peak oil? Unpacking a surprise twist in the fossil fuel feud

A worker inspects the outdoor gas pipes at the underground gas storage facility operated by Gas Storage CZ AS, in Haje, Czech Republic, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The International Energy Agency’s latest outlook signals that oil demand could keep growing through to the middle of the century, reflecting a sharp tonal shift from the world’s energy watchdog and raising further questions about the future of fossil fuels.

In its flagship World Energy Outlook, the Paris-based agency on Wednesday laid out a scenario in which demand for oil climbs to 113 million barrels per day by 2050, up 13% from 2024 levels.

The IEA had previously estimated a peak in global fossil fuel demand before the end of this decade and said that, in order to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, there should be no new investments in coal, oil and gas projects.

The concept of peak oil refers to the point at which global crude production reaches its highest point, before subsequently entering an irreversible decline.

The IEA’s end-of-decade peak oil forecast kick-started a long-running war of words with OPEC, an influential group of oil exporting countries, which accused the IEA of fearmongering and risking the destabilization of the global economy. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, meanwhile, labeled the IEA’s peak oil demand assumption as “nonsensical.”

The IEA’s latest forecast of increasing oil demand was outlined in its “Current Policies Scenario” — one of a number of scenarios outlined by the IEA. This one assumes no new policies or regulations beyond those already in place.

The CPS was dropped five years ago amid energy market turmoil during the coronavirus pandemic, and its reintroduction follows pressure from the Trump administration.

Earlier this month, the IEA said that now that the world has passed through the pandemic and global energy crisis, “there is merit in revisiting the CPS.”

The agency said increasing oil demand would be primarily driven by demand for petrochemical products and jet fuel, alongside a slowdown in the growth of electric vehicles.

Gregory Brew, an analyst at Eurasia Group’s Energy, Climate and Resources team, said the IEA’s retreat on peak oil demand signified “a major shift” from the group’s position over the last five years.

“The justifications offered for the shift include policy changes in the U.S., where slow EV penetration indicates robust oil [consumption], but is also tied to expected increases in petrochemical and aviation fuel in East and Southeast Asia,” Brew told CNBC by email.

“It’s unlikely the agency is adjusting based on political pressure — though there has been some of that, with the Trump administration criticizing the group’s supposed bias in favor of renewable energy — and the shift reflects a broader skepticism that oil demand is set to peak any time soon,” he added.

A misguided notion?

In an apparent thawing of tensions between two major players in the energy industry, OPEC welcomed what it described as the IEA’s “rendezvous with reality.”

In a statement published on its website, OPEC said: “We hope that the IEA’s World Energy Outlook represents a return to the fold of analysis grounded in energy realities and that we have passed the peak in the misguided notion of ‘peak oil.'”

Alongside its CPS, the IEA also laid out projections under its so-called “Stated Policies Scenario” (STEPS), which reflects the prevailing direction of travel for the global energy system.

In this assumption, the IEA said it expects oil demand to peak at 102 million barrels per day around 2030, before gradually declining. Global electric car sales are much stronger under this scenario compared to the CPS.

The IEA said its multiple scenarios explore a range of consequences from various policy choices and should not be considered forecasts.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) conference in Paris, France, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. The conference gathers key figures of the international nuclear sector from Nov. 4-6.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Grant Hauber, an energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), said the IEA’s CPS appears to be the U.S. administration “capitulation” scenario, which sees some sort of flattening of current energy market trends.

“This leads to what almost appears to be a false dawn of LNG demand that could provide encouragement to those investing in the U.S. LNG export boom. CPS ‘creates’ enough global LNG demand to justify build-outs through 2035,” Hauber said.

“However, one only need look at the STEPS scenario to see how fragile that outlook is. Demand-Supply matching evaporates quickly over that same timeframe leading to LNG surplus. This occurs even with STEPS’ more moderated additions of renewables, efficiency and electrification measures,” he added.

Climate crisis

In all of the IEA’s scenarios, the energy watchdog predicted that global temperatures will rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Scientists have repeatedly warned that global average temperatures must not increase by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid the worst of the climate crisis.

This threshold is recognized as a crucial long-term target because tipping points become more likely beyond this level. Tipping points can lead to dramatic shifts or potentially irreversible changes to some of Earth’s largest systems.

Extreme temperatures are fueled by the climate crisis, the chief driver of which is the burning of fossil fuels.

Lars Nitter Havro, head of energy macro at Rystad Energy, said the IEA’s reintroduction of its CPS represents “a tonal shift,” but shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a “wholesale reversal” on peak oil.

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ChargePoint just gave its EV charging software a major AI upgrade

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5 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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ChargePoint just gave its EV charging software a major AI upgrade

ChargePoint software

Image: ChargePoint

ChargePoint just rolled out a huge AI update to its EV charger software, and it’s a big deal for anyone managing EV chargers, whether it’s a handful of stations or a sprawling network.

The newly re-engineered ChargePoint Platform is designed to support any charging infrastructure, while simplifying the process of monitoring, controlling, and optimizing operations. It’s now being deployed by customers like Verizon, which says the system’s new AI tools have already made analyzing charging data faster and more intuitive.

“Features like the AI data assistant, enhanced search, and instant session details have made data analysis faster and more intuitive,” said Mitch Johnson, Verizon’s senior manager of global real estate, energy, and sustainability.

Smarter, faster, more open

ChargePoint says its updated platform was re-engineered from the ground up to manage everything from EV fleets and workplace charging to public fast-charging hubs. Key new features include AI-driven analytics that can predict maintenance needs and optimize energy use in real-time, along with a redesigned dashboard that provides operators with live insights on charger health and usage.

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The ChargePoint Platform can now manage any OCPP-compliant charger, regardless of make or model. The platform’s real-time load balancing and dynamic pricing tools help reduce energy costs during peak hours. It also has a new Waitlist feature that helps prevent queues from clogging up by automatically notifying drivers when a spot becomes available.

ChargePoint says the refreshed platform can scale easily and includes enhanced data security, new mobile-friendly controls, and accessibility features for global teams. The update is rolling out to customers now.

Read more: ChargePoint + Eaton’s Express Grid amps up DC fast charging

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