California’s EV rules are a-okay, EPA sources say
The US government is ready to approve California’s emissions rules which would end gas-only car sales within the state by 2035, according to a report by the Washington Post.
The Post spoke with anonymous sources stating that California’s “Advanced Clean Cars 2” light-duty emissions rules, which were finalized in 2022, are going to be approved by the federal government in the coming days.
California has requested waivers for several other emissions rules – and has received some of them in recent years – but the sources did not comment on whether any other pending rules, like those for heavy duty trucks, would be approved at the same time.
WaPo reached out to the EPA by email, and a spokesman declined to comment on the rumor. WaPo quoted spokesman Nick Conger as saying “EPA continues to review California’s waiver requests closely to make sure its decisions are durable and grounded in the law.”
The history of California’s emissions rules
For decades now, California has had a special “waiver” given by the federal government, allowing it to set its own emissions rules as long as they are stricter than the rules for the US overall.
This is due to heavy smog problems in California – especially in the areas around Los Angeles, its largest city and home to the nation’s largest container port; and in the central valley, which is the most agriculturally productive land in the country. Both of these places have geography that traps smog from the millions of cars driving on their roads every day and results in particularly bad air quality.
And so, since the 1960s when the California Air Resources Board was created (by then-Governor Ronald Reagan), California has generally exercised its state’s right to set its own emissions rules. Other states are allowed to follow these rules, but only if they copy them exactly.
The new set of rules has been in the works since 2020, and will have the effect of ensuring that there are no new gas-only vehicles sold in the state by 2035 (though there can be 20% plug-in hybrids, but those hybrids have to fit certain requirements to ensure they actually get used properly).
California intentionally chose this less-ambitious 2035 timeline because it thought it would make it easier for other states to follow along. And as a result, 11 other states have signaled that they will adopt the standards.
The new emissions rules are expected to save Californians $13 billion in health costs, avoid thousands of deaths, cut auto emissions by half, and result in almost a billion fewer barrels of petroleum being burned. Other states will see similar improvements in health and money savings.
EPA grants new California waiver – with another clean air fight looming
All of this is contingent on the EPA signing off on the regulation, which it reportedly is ready to do in the coming days.
The approval isn’t unexpected, but comes quite late during President Biden’s term, which has been marked by significant improvements in emissions rules and EV policy, leading to a boom in domestic manufacturing jobs and investment.
While a procedural step like this normally would not be particularly notable, there are some complicating factors here.
First, since it is late in the current Congressional term, the incoming Congress could attempt to reverse it through use of the Congressional Review Act, which republicans have made use of often in recent years to try to stop regulations that might improve Americans’ health. However, since the waiver is not actually a federal regulation, the Congressional Review Act doesn’t apply.
The larger threat is that, unfortunately for America, the next occupant of the White House is convicted felon Donald Trump, who finally received more votes than his opponent on his third attempt (despite committing treason in 2021, for which there is a clear legal remedy). Mr. Trump has stated quite forcefully that he wants to reverse President Biden’s clean air policies, thus saddling Americans with dirtier air, higher costs and poorer health, and sending EV jobs to China to ensure that this new boom in American manufacturing is unable to flourish.
Mr. Trump previously squatted in the White House between 2017-2021, after having attained the 2nd most votes in the 2016 election. During that period, he attempted to poison Americans by worsening California’s emissions rules – but in keeping with his pattern of incompetence, he failed to do so.
The primary actual outcome of the last fight with California was to de-harmonize federal and California standards. While California has mostly gone it alone since the 60s, there was a brief period in the 2010s where California and federal rules were harmonized – but industry lobbying resulted in a shattering of that harmony, giving companies a more difficult regulatory environment.
Industry learned their lesson, but republicans still aiming for dirty air
As a result, this time around, industry has decided to lobby against shattering emissions standards, recognizing the chaos that was caused the last time an ignoramus got involved in setting auto regulations.
Despite the desires of the industry in question, Mr. Trump has signaled that he wants to “rip up” California’s waiver again – even though the law does not specify a method to revoke a waiver once it is granted, as EPA will reportedly do in the coming days.
So it is yet to be seen if he will take the more reasonable approach desired by big auto, doctors, nurses, scientists, environmental groups, other businesses, people who have lungs, and so on; or if he will instead do what big oil, the industry he asked for a $1 billion bribe from and which kills millions of people around the world every year wants him to do. Make your bets now.
Further complicating the issue is that this time, Mr. Trump has a corrupt kangaroo court at his backing, who just today said that it will consider a challenge against California’s emissions rules by big oil. This illegitimate court has routinely ignored the law to legislate from the bench, so it’s entirely possible that it will try to say that California, which has been legally allowed to set its own emissions rules for 60 years, shouldn’t be allowed to do the thing that the law explicitly says it can do.
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Texas lawmakers have officially requested that Tesla delay its planned Robotaxi launch in Austin by a few months due to a new law being implemented.
It’s a Godsend for Elon Musk.
As we previously reported, Tesla’s planned Robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas, now “tentatively” scheduled for June 22, is a moving of the goal post for Tesla.
CEO Elon Musk himself has previously described what Tesla plans to launch as “not really self-driving”, but the CEO is using the new strategy as a way to claim a win in autonomous driving after years of missed deadlines and failed promises.
Since last year, Musk has discussed launching the service in Austin this summer. For the last few months, he had indicated that it would happen in June, with the June 22nd date being officially shared last week.
For Musk to claim his win, Tesla would need to stick to the deadline, which would be a first for Tesla when it comes to its autonomous driving roadmap.
However, Texas lawmakers have just given Tesla an out.
A group of seven Austin-based lawmakers in the Texas Senate and House have signed a letter asking Tesla to delay its launch until September:
As members of the Austin delegation in the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, we are formally requesting that Tesla delay autonomous robotaxi operations until the new law takes effect on September I, 2025. We believe this is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla’s operations. If Tesla opts to proceed with the June 22, 2025, launch date, we request that you respond to this letter with detailed information demonstrating that Tesla will be compliant with the new law upon the launch of driverless operations in Austin.
Texas has had very few regulations affecting autonomous driving, and the new law maintains this status quo. However, it also introduces requirements for following federal guidelines, and the latest version of the bill references SAE autonomous driving levels.
It doesn’t sound like the lawmakers are forcing Tesla to delay the launch for now. They are more politely asking to delay until the new framework is in place.
here’s the full letter from the Texas lawmakers:
Electrek’s Take
This appears to be a Godsend for Tesla and Musk. Even with the significantly reduced scope of the program compared to what Tesla has promised for years, and the fact that Waymo has been doing exactly what Tesla is trying to accomplish for years, it appears that Tesla is having difficulties delivering on that.
As we previously reported, testing without a safety driver has been extremely limited based on sightings, and it appears that Tesla has simply relocated the “safety driver” to the passenger seat with a kill switch for optics.
Now, Tesla can claim that it has to delay the launch to please the regulators rather than because it is not ready.
There’s also NHTSA, which put a deadline for today for Tesla to answer a bunch of questions about its planned Robotaxi launch in Austin. So, that could also play a role.
Now, let’s see if Tesla takes the out or decides to move forward. For everyone’s sake, I hope they take the out.
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Rove, a company founded to improve the EV charging experience by building “full service” EV charging centers with access to amenities you can use while charging, has just broken ground on its 2nd charging center, to be open in October/November of this year.
Rove’s first charging center opened last October, and features 40 DC charging stalls, with 28 V4 NACS/Tesla Superchargers and 12 CCS (2 of the CCS chargers also include a CHAdeMO cable, for the few cars out there that still need one of those). 2 of the CCS chargers are 350kW, with the rest capable of 184kW.
The concept doesn’t end there though – in addition to being able to charge every type of EV out there (well, except this writer’s Tesla Roadster, which has no DC charging capability), it also includes a lot of amenities that EV drivers don’t often get at their charging stops.
While lots of charging stations are located in areas like malls with nearby shops to go to, the actual charging area itself is usually just the chargers and nothing else, without the convenience items that you often find at a gas station.
So, Rove includes all of those and more. It’s got air for your tires, a car vacuum, windshield cleaner stations, a canopy to keep you and your car shaded (and to generate electricity for the site with solar panels), and… get this… trash cans!
In addition, there’s also a 24/7 lounge on site, with security, clean bathrooms, indoor and outdoor seating (and standing tables, so you can stretch your legs after a drive), and wifi.
And, finally, Rove has partnered with upscale SoCal grocery chain Gelson’s to provide a grocery store experience – somewhere between the gas station convenience store and a full, fancy Gelson’s.
The chain calls these smaller stores “ReCharge by Gelson’s,” and they include an area for hot food (pizza and sandwiches), frozen food (like single-serving ice cream treats, an absolute necessity on the road, at least according to me), and even fresh sushi. The store also includes several convenience items, such that visitors can conceivably combine a charging stop with a small grocery shopping trip at the same time. Or, for those who live in the nearby apartments, it’s another walkable grocery stop.
The Santa Ana site has been operating for the better part of a year now, and has hosted several community events as well – which has been a great place to go EV spotting, as each time I’ve been there, I’ve seen an incredible variety of cars (including some of the newest EVs – that’s Southern California for you).
Now, Rove is making moves to open its second station in nearby Costa Mesa, with much the same setup of its first station.
The new site is at 2666 Harbor Blvd in Costa Mesa, about a mile South of the 405, between Adams and Merrimac. It’s a bit further from the freeway than the Santa Ana site, which is only a couple hundred yards away, but Harbor Blvd is a large street with a lot of traffic, and nearby several freeways (the 405, 55 and 73).
The building is shared with a Goodwill, so you might perhaps be able to even go clothes shopping at this one, if you’re all full up on groceries.
Costa Mesa will include mostly the same setup of chargers and amenities as the Santa Ana site, except it won’t have the car wash and small turf-covered dog area that they have in Santa Ana. It will also have solar and battery storage on site, just like Santa Ana.
While the last charger took about a year to open after its groundbreaking, Rove thinks it can get this site ready much more quickly. It expects to have it open somewhere around October/November, a pretty quick timeline given groundbreaking just happened today in June.
The groundbreaking was attended by Rove CEO Bill Reid and representatives from Gelson’s and the city of Costa Mesa, who posed for the ceremonial “shovel photo.”
We also got a short tour of the site showing us… well, nothing yet except some holes where cables will go and the inside of a building. But hey, at least the building is already up, and doesn’t need to be built like the last one did.
Rove is planning several other sites around Southern California, with locations identified in Corona, Torrance and Long Beach so far. Each will have slightly different amenities (like larger parking spots in Corona, to accommodate up to class 6 vehicles), and will open gradually over the coming years (the company is still a fairly small team, so give them time).
Electrek’s Take
I love what Rove is doing, and I think there’s a lot of room for locations like this in the EV charging space, and I think Rove is doing it as right as anyone else is. That’s why I like to cover them whenever they come up.
There’s a lot of talk about EV charging being difficult, but for those of us who have taken EVs on roadtrips, it’s often a pleasant experience anyway. As long as there are clean chargers with something to do nearby, you really don’t feel restricted by the time you spend charging.
For example, I went on a 2,200 mile roadtrip with no prep, and never felt like I had to wait on my car to charge. This is because I stopped at some excellent charging stops (shoutout to my favorite charging stop at the Supercharger in Harrisburg, Oregon, run by Olsen Run Winery) which really improved the process.
The thing is, EV charging could be such an opportunity for businesses to offer services to captive customers who are happy to have something to do, and often won’t mind spending a few bucks anyway. There are some businesses who have already learned to take advantage of this, but it’s been a bit of a patchwork so far.
Rove shows how a business could provide all of these services under one roof. And we think this concept would work in a wide variety of areas. Gas stations already have something similar, with Buc-ee’s style travel stops, and people enjoy stopping at those even though they’re not waiting for their car to fill up. So why not offer something similar for EVs, and kill off all the complaints about EV charging being somehow inferior or weird or different?
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Environment
Nissan confirms its first EV with ‘game-changer’ solid-state batteries is still on track
Nissan is betting big on solid-state batteries to help power up a comeback. The automaker says the next-gen battery tech will be a “game-changer for EVs,” promising more range, faster charging, and lower costs. Nissan just confirmed its first EV with solid-state batteries is on track, but it may trail Toyota and Volkswagen to market.
When will Nissan launch its first solid-state battery EV?
After showcasing its all-solid-state battery pilot line at its Yokohama plant last year, Nissan is moving forward with the new tech.
In 2021, Nissan announced plans to launch its first EV with solid-state batteries by early 2029. The company said at the time that it was involved in “wide-ranging research and development,” including at the molecular level.
According to the latest update, it could be here slightly ahead of schedule. Nissan’s director of product planning in Europe, Christop Ambland, confirmed with Auto Express, saying, “Yes, we will be ready for SSB (solid-state batteries) in 2028.”
Ambland added that Nissan “can’t rush the process” and wants to ensure the new battery tech is “reliable, and ready to meet our customers’ expectations.”
Nissan believes, like many, that solid-state EV batteries can increase energy density by up to 30% compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, at a much lower cost.
It also said they offer the potential to cut charging times by one-third. In October, Nissan unveiled the Hyper Force EV concept, an electric supercar (that looks a bit like the GT-R meshed with a Tesla Cybertruck), boasting over 1,300 hp (1,000 kW).
Nissan hinted the new battery tech could be used to power its upcoming electric sports cars, like an electric GT-R. Although it’s blurred the Hyper Force concept wore a GT-R logo up front.
It will initially be used for EVs, but Nissan could also utilize the new tech for its plug-in hybrids. Amberland hinted, “We are not sure where the technology could lead, but we are actively exploring all potential applications.”
Toyota, Volkswagen, and Stellantis are aiming to release their first solid-state battery-powered electric vehicles around 2027.
BYD and CATL, which are already dominating global EV battery sales, plan to launch their first EVs with solid-state batteries around 2027. It looks like Nissan could be late to the party once again.
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