Cummins acquires hybrid heavy mining equipment experts First Mode
Cummins has its eye on hybrid powertrains to help decarbonize the transport, construction, and mining spaces the operates in. To that end, the company has acquired the hybrid equipment experts First Mode, and plans to make the first commercially available retrofit hybrid system for mining equipment a reality not just soon – but now.
The Cummins brand is almost synonymous with diesel in the US, but they’re making big moves in the ZEV space, too, with their Accelera brand and, now, with their purchase of First Mode.
The acquisition includes the rights to all of First Mode’s tech in the mining and rail space, where the company has developed a full IP portfolio of “energy agnostic” (my words) electric drive powertrains that can draw power from internal combustion engines, hydrogen fuel cells, or batteries. And, because the First Mode Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) retrofit is designed as a modular platform, it allows equipment fleets to either back out of the electric drive conversion or take them a step further, going to fully battery electric operation with same (relative) ease.
That sort of flexibility will help Cummins meet customers where they’re at – whether they’re OEMs, or fleet managers at multibillion-dollar mining operations.
“This acquisition is an important step forward in our goal to lead our Power Systems customers through the energy transition,” explains Jenny Bush, President of Power Systems at Cummins. “With First Mode’s hybrid retrofit technology, we are accelerating our ability to provide decarbonization solutions that meet miners’ need to drive down operating costs today.”
We’ve seen this before
If the notion of converting heavy equipment from diesel to electric sounds familiar, that means you’ve been paying attention. The heavy mining equipment experts at Liebherr recently converted a pair of their massive R 9400 excavators from diesel to battery electric power for use at a Fortescue mine.
That project was successful enough to move millions of tons of Earth in just a few months – leading to a $4 billion order from the global mining leader for even more electric equipment.
“The modular design of Liebherr equipment makes it possible to repower existing diesel excavators to new zero emission configurations, such as electric powertrains,” explains Oliver Weiss, Executive Vice President of R&D, Engineering, and Manufacturing for Liebherr Mining. “This means that the diesel equipment customers buy today is also future-proofed for many years to come. The fact that we can ease the transition from traditional to decarbonized mining fleets for our customers is one of the key strategies of the Liebherr Zero Emission Mining Program.”
For their part, Cummins’ executives seem just as excited by the promise of offering electrified mining equipment that can utilize existing assets, dramatically extending their life while reducing the up-front costs usually associated with electrification.
“Cummins’ dedication to partnering with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and miners ensures that these technologies are developed and tested in real-world environments,” Jenny Bush adds. “With hybrid retrofit kits, modular component upgrades and scalable solutions, we are bringing miners the flexibility and confidence they need to decarbonize operations while adapting to evolving technologies and infrastructure.”
Cummins believes its trusted relationships with OEMs across various industries combined with their vast global service and parts network will give their hybrid retrofit packages a competitive edge, delivering technical support that similar, startup outfits simply can’t.
SOURCE | IMAGES: First Mode, via Cummins.
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Signage is seen at the United States Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., August 29, 2020.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged the founder of a U.S.-based cryptocurrency payments firm with operating what they allege was a sophisticated international money laundering scheme that moved over half a billion dollars on behalf of sanctioned Russian banks and other entities.
Iurii Gugnin, a 38-year-old Russian national living in Manhattan, was arrested and arraigned Monday and ordered held without bail pending trial.
Gugnin faces a 22-count indictment accusing him of wire and bank fraud, violating U.S. sanctions and export controls, money laundering, and failing to implement legally required anti-money laundering protocols.
“The defendant is charged with turning a cryptocurrency company into a covert pipeline for dirty money, moving over half a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system to aid sanctioned Russian banks and help Russian end-users acquire sensitive U.S. technology,” Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Gugnin used his companies — Evita Investments and Evita Pay — to process about $530 million in payments while concealing the origins and purposes of the funds. Between June 2023 and January 2025, he allegedly funneled the money through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, primarily using tether, a widely used, dollar-pegged stablecoin.
Clients included individuals and businesses linked to sanctioned Russian institutions such as Sberbank, VTB Bank, Sovcombank, Tinkoff, and the state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom.
To carry out the scheme, Gugnin allegedly misrepresented the scope of his business, falsified compliance documentation, and lied to banks and digital asset platforms about his ties to Russia. Prosecutors say he masked the source of funds through shell accounts and doctored more than 80 invoices, digitally erasing the identities of Russian counterparties.
Investigators also cite internet searches indicating he knew he was under scrutiny, including queries like “how to know if there is an investigation against you” and “money laundering penalties US.”
The Justice Department said Gugnin maintained direct ties to members of Russia’s intelligence service and officials in Iran — countries that do not extradite to the U.S.
He is also accused of helping the export of sensitive U.S. technology to Russian clients, including an anti-terrorism-controlled server.
Gugnin was profiled last fall in a Wall Street Journal article about high-net-worth renters in Manhattan, where he reportedly paid $19,000 per month for an apartment.
If convicted on bank fraud charges, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, but if convicted on all counts, Gugnin could be given a consecutive maximum sentence significantly longer than his lifetime.
Despite China’s recent warning, BYD is ramping up the pressure on rivals with another ultra-affordable electric vehicle. BYD launched the Seal 06 EV, starting at just over $15,000, as the price war in China appears to be getting out of hand.
Meet the BYD Seal 06 EV
The new Seal 06 EV arrives after the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) issued a warning last week, stating an automaker’s recent price cuts are “triggering a new round of price war panic.”
Although the statement didn’t single out BYD, it’s pretty obvious who they are referring to. BYD cut prices (again) on May 23 by up to 34% across 22 of its most popular models. Its cheapest electric car, the Seagull EV, now starts at just 55,800 yuan ($7,800).
BYD is now turning up the heat with another low-cost EV rolling out. The Seal 06 EV officially launched in China, starting at just 109,800 yuan, or about $15,300.
It’s available in three trims with two BYD Blade LFP battery pack options: 46.08 kWh or 56.64 kWh, providing a CLTC range of 470 km (292 miles) and 545 km (339 miles).
The electric sedan measures 4,720 mm in length, 1,880 mm in width, and 1,495 mm in height, approximately the same size as the Tesla Model 3 (4,720 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width, and 1,443 mm in height).
Like most new BYD vehicles we’ve seen, the new Seal 06 EV is equipped with its God’s Eye ADAS and DiPilot 100 smart cockpit system. However, unlike some of the more premium models, the Seal 06 uses a camera system rather than LiDAR.
The new EV joins BYD’s Seal lineup of vehicles, which includes the hybrid Seal 06 DM-i and the popular electric Seal sedan models.
Inside features a similar setup to BYD’s other new vehicles with a 15.6″ rotating center infotainment and a smaller driver display screen.
Although the Seal 06 EV starts at 109,800 yuan ($15,300), BYD promises “with over 33 hard-core standard features, the entry-level version is high-end.”
It features a few added amenities not typically found in entry-level cars, including heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, and a surround sound stereo system. It even has a built-in refrigerator that can heat and cool.
Will it compete with Tesla’s Model 3 in the Chinese market? Although it features less range, the Seal 06 EV is half the cost. The base Model 3 RWD starts at 235,500 yuan ($32,800) in China with a CLTC range of 634 km (394 miles). Which one would you buy? Let us know in the comments.
After slashing prices again last month, another low-cost, but well-equipped BYD EV is arriving in China. Will the Seal 06 EV pressure others, like Tesla, to follow suit? We will find out shortly.
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The US solar industry is still booming, but looming policy threats could pull the plug on that momentum.
According to the new US Solar Market Insight report from SEIA and Wood Mackenzie, the industry installed 10.8 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity-generating solar in Q1 2025, with solar and storage making up a whopping 82% of all new capacity added to the grid.
And US solar manufacturing is also on a roll: The first quarter saw 8.6 GW of new module manufacturing capacity come online, the third-largest quarterly increase on record.
That growth came from eight new or expanded factories in Texas, Ohio, and Arizona. Meanwhile, US solar cell production doubled to 2 GW, thanks to a new factory in South Carolina.
But the industry’s rapid expansion is under threat. New tariffs and the “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed by the House that would gut clean energy tax incentives are injecting serious uncertainty into the market. SEIA warns that if the Senate doesn’t act to fix the legislation, the consequences will be severe: factory closures, energy shortages, job losses, and higher electricity bills.
“Solar and storage continue to dominate America’s energy economy, adding more new capacity to the grid than any technology using increasingly American-made equipment,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “But our success is at risk.”
According to SEIA, if Congress doesn’t change course, 330,000 jobs could disappear, along with 331 planned or operating factories and $286 billion in local investment. Americans could also see $51 billion in higher power bills.
Tariff uncertainty is already rattling the industry. Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) on Southeast Asian solar cells and modules, plus other tariff shifts, are adding to the instability. Meanwhile, proposed changes to clean energy tax credits would undercut long-term planning for manufacturers and developers alike.
“The 10.8 GW of solar capacity installed in Q1 2025 represents a significant portion of new US electricity generation,” said Zoë Gaston, principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “However, our analysis suggests that the US solar market has yet to reach its full potential.”
And it’s not just analysts raising red flags. SEIA and Wood Mackenzie have downgraded their five-year outlook for every solar segment except community solar. Residential solar is expected to drop 14% compared to previous projections, and utility-scale solar is down 6%. If the clean energy tax credits are rolled back, that outlook could fall even further.
One major point of tension is politics. Texas led the nation in new solar capacity in Q1 2025, and Florida overtook California to land in second place. Eight of the top 10 states for solar installations in the quarter voted for Donald Trump in 2024.
That means the places most at risk if the House bill isn’t fixed are represented by Republicans.
SEIA says that if clean energy tax incentives are gutted, US energy production will drop by 173 terawatt-hours (TWh), and the country will not be able to compete with China in the global race to power AI.
The bottom line: The US solar industry is scaling up fast, but policy missteps could slam on the brakes just when momentum is peaking.
Read more: Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ bill will cause a US energy shortage – SEIA
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