EPA’s Heavy Duty “Phase 3” truck rule has been finalized, and surprisingly enough it comes in stronger (albeit slightly) than the rule that was originally proposed last year.
The final rule has just come out, so there’s plenty to comb through, but the EPA went over some key points in a press call yesterday.
Transportation is the largest-polluting sector in America, and heavy duty vehicles make a disproportionate amount of that pollution. Light duty vehicles still produce the majority – about 60% of transportation emissions are from light-duty vehicles – but heavy duty vehicles are responsible for about a quarter of transportation emissions, despite only being 5% of vehicles.
This underlines the importance of regulating these vehicles, and the outsize gains that we can get from doing so.
New rule saves 1 billion tons CO2 and $13 billion/yr
The main numbers for the finalized rule are that it will save $13 billion per year in annualized net benefits for society, avoid a billion tons worth of greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce air pollution for the 72 million Americans who live within 200 meters of a heavy duty truck route (a group that is disproportionately from disadvantaged communities). The rules cover model years 2027-2032.
The cost and health savings make these rules a rare win-win-win. Businesses save money on costs (approx. $3.5b annually, between $3-10k per vehicle depending on type), health and environmental savings benefit everybody, and the industry gets nudged towards a future that it needs to accept anyway. Or, well… not that rare, considering most positive environmental moves offer these sorts of benefits.
Like the light-duty rules, the heavy-duty rules are “technology neutral,” in that they don’t mandate manufacturers use specific technologies, but rather meet certain pollution guidelines that will require significant improvements in engine technologies used. This means hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and fuel cell vehicles are all on the table.
The rule actually got stronger for once
And the most remarkable thing about the rules is that they actually got (very slightly) stronger between the proposed and final rule, due to the 175,000 comments EPA said were left during the comment period.
EPA originally stated that the proposed rule would reduce carbon by 1.8 billion tons, but had to re-do the baseline of these calculations due to California’s strong truck rules, which will reduce overall emissions by a huge chunk (both in California and other states). Now, EPA says that the proposed rule would have reduced carbon by 998 million tons under the revised baseline, or 1 billion tons for the final rule. So, only improved by .2%, but still a tiny improvement, as opposed to going in the other direction.
This is not a common occurrence – we pointed out last week that the opposite happened with light-duty rules, and that this seems to be depressingly common lately. Whenever a new rule comes out, no matter how well-reasoned and attainable, industry lobbies for it to be loosened (and not just in the US, see: Europe, Australia), and usually compromises go their way, not the public’s way.
The changes between the proposed rule and the final one include a softening of the rules from 2027-2030 to give companies more time to arrange charging infrastructure, but also stronger emissions limits in 2031 and 2032 for most vehicle classes. For example, certain medium-heavy vocational vehicles will have 40% stronger limits in 2032 in the final rule as compared to Phase 2 regulation, rather than 35% in the proposed rule.
EPA didn’t break down every change between the proposed and final rule on the press call, because this rule covers so many different classes of vehicle. But overall, this is an improvement compared to the changes in the light duty rules – those only got weaker, whereas these got stronger, just with a little more flexibility in adoption timelines.
Broadly positive reaction to the heavy duty truck rule
Reaction has been broadly positive to the adoption of these phase 3 rules. The American Lung Association celebrated the rules, which along with the EPA’s previous NOx rule brings $22b in health savings per year, and pointed out the rarity of rules getting stronger during the rulemaking process. It also noted that Americans support strong truck regulations by extremely wide margins. Praise also came from the Sierra Club, the Hip Hop Council (who focused on the environmental justice aspect of these rules), and even from industry representatives.
Some industry sources did oppose these rules, or ask for them to be scaled back, such as various oil companies and some truck makers (for example Daimler Trucks and Volvo Trucks, both of which publicly supported the rule but privately called for its delay, despite being leaders in electrified trucks). But several large groups supported them.
In the runup to adoption of the rule, 100+ businesses called for a strong truck standard. This included a newly-formed industry group called the Heavy Duty Leadership Group, which called for rapid approval of a strong EPA rule, and each of its four participants – Ford, Cummins, BorgWarner and Eaton made statements praising the final rule that EPA adopted today. Even military leaders had good things to say about the new rule, through SAFE, an organization that advocates a break from oil from an energy and national security perspective.
How the Biden Administration has helped electrification from every angle
One strength of the rules is how comprehensive they are, especially when considering parallel regulations and incentives created by the administration. Many have pointed to individual EPA rules and stated that they are too narrow, or don’t properly acknowledge the full picture of how electrification would work. But when taken as a whole, the actions done by the EPA and the Biden administration cover almost every conceivable angle of the electrification of transportation.
So… that takes care of just about everything, right?
Electrek’s Take
As we always say, we’d never mind stronger rules than those that get implemented. We need to electrify transportation, and soon, and we simply aren’t doing enough to fight climate change.
And that’s the most impressive part about this rule. I lamented in the Take for the light-duty rule that regulations seem to always get compromised in favor of polluters, never in favor of the public interest. But this time, that didn’t happen – it’s a compromise, and the polluters did get a little bit of what they wanted, but the public also got even better final regulations than we originally were going to get, and it balanced out to a very slightly better rule in the end.
Like the Lung Association said (understatedly): “this does not always happen.” And yet, today, it did.
We can all be glad for that – and the 72 million Americans who live within 200 meters of a truck route, especially, will get to breathe a lot more cleanly in the coming years.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Forget fumbling with cables or hunting for batteries – TILER is making electric bike charging as seamless as parking your ride. The Dutch startup recently introduced its much-anticipated TILER Compact system, a plug-and-play wireless charger engineered to transform the user experience for e-bike riders.
At the heart of the new system is a clever combo: a charging kickstand that mounts directly to almost any e‑bike, and a thin charging mat that you simply park over. Once you drop the kickstand and it lands on the mat, the bike begins charging automatically via inductive transfer – no cable required. According to TILER, a 500 Wh battery will fully charge in about 3.5 hours, delivering comparable performance to traditional wired chargers.
It’s an elegantly simple concept (albeit a bit chunky) with a convenient upside: less clutter, fewer broken cables, and no more need to bend over while feeling around for a dark little hole.
TILER claims its system works with about 75% of existing e‑bike platforms, including those from Bosch, Yamaha, Bafang, and other big bames. The kit uses a modest 150 W wireless power output, which means charging speeds remain practical while keeping the system lightweight (the tile weighs just 2 kg, and it’s also stationary).
Advertisement – scroll for more content
TILER has already deployed over 200 charging points across Western Europe, primarily serving bike-share, delivery, hospitality, and hotel fleets. A recent case study in Munich showed how a cargo-bike operator saved approximately €1,250 per month in labor costs, avoided thousands in spare batteries, and cut battery damage by 20%. The takeaway? Less maintenance, more uptime.
Now shifting to prosumer markets, TILER says the Compact system will hit pre-orders soon, with a €250 price tag (roughly US $290) for the kickstand plus tile bundle. To get in line, a €29 refundable deposit is currently required, though they say it is refundable at any point until you receive your charger. Don’t get too excited just yet though, there’s a bit of a wait. Deliveries are expected in summer 2026, and for now are covering mostly European markets.
The concept isn’t entirely new. We’ve seen the idea pop up before, including in a patent from BMW for charging electric motorcycles. And the efficacy is there. Skeptics may wonder if wireless charging is slower or less efficient, but TILER says no. Its system retains over 85% efficiency, nearly matching wired charging speeds, and even pauses at 80% to protect battery health, then resumes as needed. The tile is even IP67-rated, safe for outdoor use, and about as bulky as a thick magazine.
Electrek’s Take
I love the concept. It makes perfect sense for shared e-bikes, especially since they’re often returning to a dock anyway. As long as people can be trained to park with the kickstand on the tile, it seems like a no-brainer.
And to be honest, I even like the idea for consumers. I know it sounds like a first-world problem, but bending over to plug something in at floor height is pretty annoying, not to mention a great way to throw out your back if you’re not exactly a spring chicken anymore. Having your e-bike start charging simply by parking it in the right place is a really cool feature! I don’t know if it’s $300 cool, but it’s pretty cool!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Tesla has launched a new software update for its vehicles that includes the anticipated integration of Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car yet.
Today, Tesla started pushing the update to the fleet, but there’s a significant caveat.
The automaker wrote in the release notes (2025.26):
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Grok (Beta) (US, AMD)
Grok now available directly in your Tesla
Requires Premium Connectivity or a WiFi connection
Grok is currently in Beta & does not issue commands to your car – existing voice commands remain unchanged.
First off, it is only available in vehicles in the US equipped with the AMD infotainment computer, which means cars produced since mid-2021.
But more importantly, Tesla says that it doesn’t send commands to the car under the current version. Therefore, it is simply like having Grok on your phone, but on the onboard computer instead.
Tesla showed an example:
There are a few other features in the 2025.26 software update, but they are not major.
For Tesla vehicles equipped with ambient lighting strips inside the car, the light strip can now sync to music:
Accent lights now respond to music & you can also choose to match the lights to the album’s color for a more immersive effect
Toybox > Light Sync
Here’s the new setting:
The audio setting can now be saved under multiple presets to match listening preferences for different people or circumstances:
The software update also includes the capacity to zoom or adjust the playback speed of the Dashcam Viewer.
Cybertruck also gets the updated Dashcam Viewer app with a grid view for easier access and review of recordings:
Tesla also updated the charging info in its navigation system to be able to search which locations require valet service or pay-to-park access.
Upon arrival, drivers will receive a notification with access codes, parking restrictions, level or floor information, and restroom availability:
Finally, there’s a new onboarding guide directly on the center display to help people who are experiencing a Tesla vehicle for the first time.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla is really playing catch-up here. Right now, this update is essentially nothing. If you already have Grok, it’s no more different than having it on your phone or through the vehicle’s browser, since it has no capacity to interact with any function inside the vehicle.
Most other automakers are integrating LLMs inside vehicles with the capacity to interact with the vehicle. In China, this is becoming standard even in entry-level cars.
In the Xiaomi YU7, the vehicle’s AI can not only interact with the car, but it also sees what the car sees through its camera, and it can tell you about what it sees:
Tesla is clearly far behind on that front as many automakers are integrating with other LLMs like ChatGPT and in-house LLMs, like Xiaomi’s.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Robinhood stock hit an all-time high Friday as the financial services platform continued to rip higher this year, along with bitcoin and other crypto stocks.
Robinhood, up more than 160% in 2025, hit an intraday high above $101 before pulling back and closing slightly lower.
The reversal came after a Bloomberg report that JPMorgan plans to start charging fintechs for access to customer bank data, a move that could raise costs across the industry.
For fintech firms that rely on thin margins to offer free or low-cost services to customers, even slight disruptions to their cost structure can have major ripple effects. PayPal and Affirm both ended the day nearly 6% lower following the report.
Despite its stellar year, the online broker is facing several headwinds, with a regulatory probe in Florida, pushback over new staking fees and growing friction with one of the world’s most high-profile artificial intelligence companies.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a formal investigation into Robinhood Crypto on Thursday, alleging the platform misled users by claiming to offer the lowest-cost crypto trading.
“Robinhood has long claimed to be the best bargain, but we believe those representations were deceptive,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
The probe centers on Robinhood’s use of payment for order flow — a common practice where market makers pay to execute trades — which the AG said can result in worse pricing for customers.
Robinhood Crypto General Counsel Lucas Moskowitz told CNBC its disclosures are “best-in-class” and that it delivers the lowest average cost.
“We disclose pricing information to customers during the lifecycle of a trade that clearly outlines the spread or the fees associated with the transaction, and the revenue Robinhood receives,” added Moskowitz.
Robinhood is also facing opposition to a new 25% cut of staking rewards for U.S. users, set to begin October 1. In Europe, the platform will take a smaller 15% cut.
Staking allows crypto holders to earn yield by locking up their tokens to help secure blockchain networks like ethereum, but platforms often take a percentage of those rewards as commission.
Robinhood’s 25% cut puts it in line with Coinbase, which charges between 25.25% and 35% depending on the token. The cut is notably higher than Gemini’s flat 15% fee.
It marks a shift for the company, which had previously steered clear of staking amid regulatory uncertainty.
Under President Joe Biden‘s administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission cracked down on U.S. platforms offering staking services, arguing they constituted unregistered securities.
With President Donald Trump in the White House, the agency has reversed course on several crypto enforcement actions, dropping cases against major players like Coinbase and Binance and signaling a more permissive stance.
Even as enforcement actions ease, Robinhood is under fresh scrutiny for its tokenized stock push, which is a growing part of its international strategy.
The company now offers blockchain-based assets in Europe that give users synthetic exposure to private firms like OpenAI and SpaceX through special purpose vehicles, or SPVs.
An SPV is a separate entity that acquires shares in a company. Users then buy tokens of the SPV and don’t have shareholder privileges or voting rights directly in the company.
OpenAI has publicly objected, warning the tokens do not represent real equity and were issued without its approval. In an interview with CNBC International, CEO Vlad Tenev acknowledged the tokens aren’t technically equity shares, but said that misses the broader point.
“What’s important is that retail customers have an opportunity to get exposure to this asset,” he said, pointing to the disruptive nature of AI and the historically limited access to pre-IPO companies.
“It is true that these are not technically equity,” Tenev added, noting that institutional investors often gain similar exposure through structured financial instruments.
The Bank of Lithuania — Robinhood’s lead regulator in the EU — told CNBC on Monday that it is “awaiting clarifications” following OpenAI’s statement.
“Only after receiving and evaluating this information will we be able to assess the legality and compliance of these specific instruments,” a spokesperson said, adding that information for investors must be “clear, fair, and non-misleading.”
Tenev responded that Robinhood is “happy to continue to answer questions from our regulators,” and said the company built its tokenized stock program to withstand scrutiny.
“Since this is a new thing, regulators are going to want to look at it,” he said. “And we expect to be scrutinized as a large, innovative player in this space.”
SEC Chair Paul Atkins recently called the model “an innovation” on CNBC’s Squawk Box, offering some validation as Robinhood leans further into its synthetic equity strategy — even as legal clarity remains in flux across jurisdictions.
Despite the regulatory noise, many investors remain focused on Robinhood’s upside, and particularly the political tailwinds.
The company is positioning itself as a key beneficiary of Trump’s newly signed megabill, which includes $1,000 government-seeded investment accounts for newborns. Robinhood said it’s already prototyping an app for the ‘Trump Accounts‘ initiative.