‘Realistic’ green policies good for the U.S., Aramco CEO says, with Trump to return to White House
Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco, speaks at the 2024 CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, on March 18, 2024.
F. Carter Smith | Bloomberg | Getty Images
“Realistic” green transition standards will benefit the U.S. energy industry, the CEO of the world’s largest oil producer said Tuesday, as the White House prepares to welcome President-elect Donald Trump in January.
Asked to comment on the possibility of a U.S. administration that views hydrocarbons more favorably, Saudi state-controlled Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said, “I think you know, policy makers definitely will help with their policies and standards … the energy to expand. That’s why, you know, I think it’s always good for the industry in the U.S. to have more realistic standards for them to achieve their goals.”
He was speaking at a panel moderated by CNBC’s Dan Murphy during the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Riyadh.
Aramco — aligned with the broader Saudi ministry and with several of Riyadh’s allies in the OPEC+ oil producers’ coalition — has repeatedly advocated an approach to the global energy transition that still utilizes fossil fuels amid the growth of renewables, in a bid to avoid supply shortages. Critics have meanwhile questioned Riyadh’s commitment to the fight against global warming.
Aramco itself aims to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions across its assets by 2050 and paused long-touted plans to increase its maximum oil production capacity earlier this year. Scope 1 and 2 emissions cover direct and indirect emissions from sources that a company owns and controls or from its purchases and uses.
“I think the unrealistic views you know, when you look at the transition and policy makers, you know, always they would like to achieve a speedy transition, they put [out] certain mandates,” Nasser said Tuesday. “But mandates or policies will not take care of the economics.”
Questions linger whether hydrogen, a nascent source of renewable energy, is economically viable for mass consumption — although production costs are projected to decline within years. Trump has meanwhile previously denounced hydrogen-fueled vehicles, claiming they “tend to blow up.”
The U.S. president-elect’s broader climate policies are now in focus, with activists dismayed by the possibility that the Republican politician will once more withdraw Washington from the 2015 Paris Agreement — a critical framework that targets reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. This would mark a U-turn of the pro-climate action administration of outgoing President Joe Biden, whose legacy bill — the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — support green projects.
Speaking to CNBC last month, current U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said that a potential Trump decision to undo these initiatives would impact jobs in areas governed by the Republican Party and amount to “political malpractice.”
“I think in the U.S., they will do what’s right for them to expand and accelerate their industry,” Nasser said Tuesday of Washington’s transition plans.
Trump put fossil fuels at the top of his campaign agenda, pledging to “end Biden’s delays in federal drilling permits and leases that are needed to unleash American oil and natural gas production.” In mid-November, the president-elect picked oil and gas industry veteran Chris Wright, a stalwart defender of fossil fuels, to lead the Department of Energy.
U.S. oil production has bolstered throughout Biden’s presidency, hitting a U.S. and global record of 12.9 million barrels per day in 2023, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in March.
Tesla’s retro-futuristic diner with Superchargers and giant movie screens is ready to open, and I have to admit, it looks pretty sick.
This project has been in the works for a long time.
In 2018, Elon Musk said that Tesla planned to open an “old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in Los Angeles.” It was yet another “Is he joking?” kind of Elon Musk idea, but he wasn’t kidding.
A few months later, Tesla applied for building permits for “a restaurant and Supercharger station” at a location in Santa Monica. However, the project stalled for a long time, apparently due to local regulations.
Nevertheless, Tesla still moved forward with a Supercharger at the location, but it had to move the diner project to Hollywood. In 2022, Tesla filed the construction plans with the city, giving us the first look at what the automaker intends to build.
In 2023, the automaker broke ground on the site of the diner.
7 years after being originally announced, the project appears now ready to open:
Musk said that he ate at the diner last night and claimed that it is “one of the coolest spots in LA.” He didn’t say when it will open, but Tesla vehicles have been spotted at Supercharger and people appear to be testing the dinning experience inside.
A Tesla Optimus Robot can be seen inside the diner on a test rack. It looks like Tesla might use one for some tasks inside the diner.
Earlier this year, Tesla integrated the diner into its mobile app – hinting at some interaction through the app – possibly ordering from it.
Electrek’s Take
I think it looks pretty cool. I am a fan of the design and concept.
However, considering the state of the Tesla community, I don’t think I’d like the vibes. That said, it looks like Tesla isn’t prominently pushing its branding on the diner.
You can come and charge there, but it looks like Tesla is also aiming to get a wider clientele just for dining.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Hyundai’s electric minivan is finally out in the open. The Staria EV was caught without camo near Hyundai’s R&D center in Korea, giving us a closer look at the electric minivan undisguised.
Hyundai’s electric minivan drops camo ahead of debut
The Staria arrived in 2021 as the successor to the Starex, Hyundai’s multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). Although the Staria has received several updates throughout the years, 2026 will be its biggest by far.
Hyundai will launch the Staria EV, its first electric minivan. Like the current model, the 2026 Staria will be available in several different configurations, including cargo, passenger, and even a camper version.
We’ve seen the Staria EV out in public a few times already. Last month, we got a glimpse of it while driving on public roads in Korea.
Despite the camouflage, new EV-like design elements were visible, including updated LED headlights and a full-length light bar. Although it’s still unclear, the electric version appears to be roughly the same size as the current Staria from the side, but slightly wider from the front.
New images posted on the South Korean forum Clien reveal a test car, expected to be Hyundai’s Staria electric minivan, without camo.
Like most Hyundai test cars, the prototype has a black front and a grey body. It still features a similar look to other prototypes we’ve seen, but you can clearly see the new facelift.
Earlier this year, a Staria EV was spotted in a parking lot in Korea, featuring a similar look. The electric version is nearly identical to the Staria Lounge, but with an added charge port and closed-off grille.
The Hyundai Staria EV is expected to make its global debut later this year. Technical details have yet to be revealed, but it’s expected to feature either a 76 kWh or 84 kWh battery, providing a range of around 350 km (217 miles) to 400 km (249 miles).
Hyundai’s electric SUV arrives after Kia introduced its first electric van, the PV5, which launched in Europe and Korea earlier this year.
In Europe, the Kia Passenger PV5 model is available with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh and 71.2 kWh, providing WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo version has a WLTP range of 181 miles or 247 miles.
Source: TheKoreanCarBlog, Clien
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike