President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act ends long-standing federal support for solar and wind power, while creating a friendly environment for oil, gas and coal production.
The House of Representatives passed Trump’s megabill Thursday ahead of a White House-imposed deadline, after the Senate narrowly approved the controversial legislation Tuesday.
Trump has made his priorities on energy production clear. The U.S. will rely on oil, gas, coal and nuclear to meet its growing energy needs, the president said last weekend, bashing wind and solar power.
“I don’t want windmills destroying our place,” Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired June 29. “I don’t want these solar things where they go for miles and they cover up a half a mountain that are ugly as hell.”
The president’s embrace of fossil fuels and hostility to renewable energy is reflected in his signature domestic policy law. It delivers most of the oil and gas sector’s top priorities, according to the industry’s lobby group, while ending tax credits that have played a crucial role in the growth of solar and wind power.
Oil, gas and coal are winners
The law opens up federal lands and waters to oil and gas drilling after the Biden administration enacted curbs, mandating 30 lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over 15 years, more than 30 every year on lands across nine states and giving the industry access to Alaska.
The law also slashes the royalties that producers pay the government for pumping oil and gas on federal lands, encouraging higher output.
“This bill will be the most transformational legislation that we’ve seen in decades in terms of access to both federal lands and federal waters,” Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, n industry lobbying group, told CNBC. “It includes almost all of our priorities.”
The law also spurs oil companies to use a carbon capture tax credit to produce more crude. The tax credit was designed to support nascent technology that captures carbon emissions and stores them underground. Under Trump’s bill, producers would receive an increased tax benefit for injecting those emissions into wells to produce more oil.
The law ends the hydrogen tax credit in 2028, later than previous versions of the bill. Chevron, Exxon and others are investing in projects to produce hydrogen fuel.
“I have a number of members who plan on investing significantly in hydrogen and so the extension to the end of 2028 was a welcome priority that was fulfilled,” Sommers said.
The coal industry is also a big winner from the law, which mandates at least 4 million additional acres of federal land be made available for mining. The law also cuts the royalties that coal companies pay the government for mining on federal land, and allows the use of an advanced manufacturing tax credit for mining metallurgical coal used to make steel.
Solar and wind are losers
The law phases out clean electricity investment and production tax credits for wind and solar that have played a crucial role in the growth of the renewable energy industry. The investment credit has been in place since 2005 and the production credit since 1992. The Inflation Reduction Act extended the life of both until at least 2032.
Solar and wind farms that enter service after 2027 would no longer be eligible for the credits. There is an exception, however, for projects that start construction within 12 months of the bill becoming law.
The phaseout is more gradual than previous versions of the legislation, which had a hard deadline of December 31, 2027. That gave all solar and wind projects just 2.5 years to come online in order to take advantage of the credits.
“Despite limited improvements, this legislation undermines the very foundation of America’s manufacturing comeback and global energy leadership,” Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said in a statement when the bill passed the Senate.
A related tax credit for using U.S.-made components in solar and wind farms ends for projects that enter service after 2027. A carveout allows projects that start construction within one year of the law’s enactment to claim the credit. The credit was designed to spur demand at U.S. factories in order to break the nation’s dependence on equipment from China.
“If nothing changes, factories start to close,” Michael Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers Association, told CNBC. “Factories that are on the drawing board that probably penciled [favorably] two weeks ago, maybe don’t pencil now. We’ll see investment slow down in the sector going forward.”
Porsche is rolling out three new Taycan Black Edition models. The 2026 Porsche Taycan Black Edition brings more than just a sporty new look. All three are equipped with Porsche’s Performance Battery Plus, delivering more power and a longer driving range.
Meet the 2026 Porsche Taycan Black Edition
With the new electric Macan stealing the show, Porsche is introducing new Taycan variants for the 2026 model year.
Porsche has already introduced significant upgrades for the 2025 model year, adding more driving range, faster charging, higher performance, and a sleek new design.
The new Black Edition variants will be available for the 2026 Porsche Taycan, Taycan 4, and Taycan 4S models.
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Featuring its SportDesign package, the new models include high-gloss black exterior accents on the window trims and mirrors.
Other standard design elements include a rear light strip with an illuminated, blacked-out Porsche logo. Inside, the new variants include Porsche’s black interior accent package, storage package, and black brushed illuminated door sill guards.
2026 Porsche Taycan Black Edition (Source: Porsche)
All three Black Edition models are equipped with the larger Performance Battery Plus, which is typically offered as an option.
With a gross energy capacity of 105 kWh, Porsche says the new variants offer a longer driving range and more power. The 2025 Taycan, with the Performance Battery Plus pack, offers an EPA-estimated range of 318 miles.
On the European WLTP scale, the 2025 Porsche Taycan with the Performance Plus battery is rated with up to 679 km (421 miles) range.
2026 Porsche Taycan Black Edition (Source: Porsche)
The new Black Edition models are loaded with added features. Highlights include Lane Change Assist, Surround View, including Active Parking Assist, 21″ wheels with center caps featuring the full-color Porsche crest, and HD-Matrix Design LED headlights. There are even puddle light projectors that show the Porsche logo when the doors open.
2026 Porsche Taycan Black Edition interior (Source: Porsche)
On the inside, the premium features continue. The Black Edition interior features 14-way comfort seats with a memory function, a Porsche crest on the headrests, and a BOSE Surround Sound System, including Dolby Atmos, to create an immersive sound experience.
You’ll also get Porsche Electric Sport Sound, a Storage package, and the Porsche crest stitched into the leather trim. To top it off, there’s an added “Black Edition” badge in the center console, exclusive to the new variants.
Although it’s called the Black Edition, you can choose from several different colors, such as Jet Black Metallic, Volcano Grey Metallic, Dolomite Silver Metallic, and Ice Grey Metallic, at no extra cost.
Porsche will reveal prices for the 2026 Taycan Black Edition models “in due course.” Deliveries in the US are expected to begin in Fall 2025.
What do you think of the new blacked-out Taycan variants? Do you dig it? Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
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Aventon is giving its popular fat tire e-bike a serious upgrade. The company just unveiled the Aventure M, a new mid-drive version of its best-selling Aventure model. With more torque, smarter shifting, and a boost in connectivity and control, Aventon says this is the “most advanced” bike it has ever produced.
The new Aventure M swaps out the rear hub motor for a 100 Nm mid-drive motor, offering more efficient power delivery and a more natural ride feel thanks to its double-sided torque sensor. And in case that 100 Nm doesn’t exactly place it for you, just know that we’re talking about more power (or more accurately, torque) than nearly any other e-bike in this class.
The Aventon A100 motor, which is rated at 750W and runs on a 36V system, takes full advantage of its Class 3 category with pedal assist speeds up to 28 mph (45 km/h) and a throttle top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). The throttle is sold separately, probably as a nod to being even more compliant with California’s new stricter laws regarding Class 1 and Class 3 e-bikes, which can’t have mounted throttles.
Aventon also gives riders the option to set the bike to Class 1 or 2 limits using the companion app. We’ve always been pretty impressed with Aventon’s app, as it’s quite easy to use and makes it simple to control those types of modifications to the bike.
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That app pairs with Aventon’s newly developed ACU (Aventon Control Unit), a custom IoT system that adds a wide range of smart features. Riders get GPS tracking, theft detection, geofencing, remote locking, and over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates. Aventon even built in a passcode-locked on-switch for added security, as well as a physical rear-wheel lock and alarm.
We’ve previously seen Aventon use that OTA update system to give its e-bike more power via a boost feature, so the company doesn’t appear shy about pushing out new features when they’re ready.
But it’s not just about motor placement and connectivity. The Aventure M introduces electronic shifting, powered by a 10-speed Shimano CUES drivetrain and paddle shifters. Riders can shift manually or let the system take over with Auto Shift, Aventon’s torque and cadence-sensing automatic shifting mode. A new Uphill Start Assist feature gives riders an extra torque boost when starting from a stop on steep grades –perfect for off-road adventures or fully loaded cargo rides.
As for range, Aventon claims up to 85 miles (137 km) from the removable 36V 20Ah (720 Wh) battery, which itself weighs around 8.7 lbs (3.9 kg). That figure is in the lowest power level, and real-world range will depend heavily on terrain and assist level, but riders can likely expect something in the 40–60 mile (65-100 km) ballpark under typical pedaling usage when enjoying moderately higher power levels, and a bit less if leaning hard into that optional throttle.
Rounding out the build are 4-inch wide fat tires, a suspension seatpost, and an 80 mm front suspension fork. The total weight of the bike is around 73 lbs (33 kg), which is actually surprisingly reasonable for a full-featured fat tire e-bike with a mid-drive, believe it or not. Hey, these are heavy bikes when you stuff all that power, range, and tech in there.
The price at launch is US $2,899, which places the Aventure M above the hub motor version of the company’s existing Aventure model but below some other mid-drive fat tire options on the market. Aventon is clearly positioning this as a higher-performance alternative that’s still (hopefully) accessible to the average rider. It’s available now online and through Aventon’s network of over 1,800 partner dealers across the U.S.
Electrek’s Take
It’s about time we saw a major direct-to-consumer brand bring a smart tech, mid-drive fat tire e-bike to market that doesn’t require taking out a second mortgage. The Aventure M feels like a natural progression for Aventon – taking what made the Aventure 2 so popular and layering on meaningful performance and tech upgrades. The mid-drive motor brings real climbing power and smoother pedal assist, and features like auto shifting and built-in GPS tracking give this bike some serious smart credentials.
Of course, at nearly $3,000, this isn’t exactly budget territory anymore. But considering the Aventure M includes high-end components, a full-fat-tire adventure build, and an impressive level of integration, it still looks like a solid value for someone who wants their e-bike to go above and beyond the basic level of componentry and features. If the real-world range holds up and the automatic shifting works smoothly, this could easily become a category leader for anyone wanting an all-terrain e-bike that feels as refined as it is rugged. Aventon of course didn’t reinvent the wheel here — they just made a smarter, better one. I look forward to getting on one soon for a review and letting you know what I think of the ride.
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Move over, ordinary scooters – there’s a new contender packed with features that seem to rival the latest in automotive tech. Omoway, a fresh face in the electric two-wheeler space founded by former Xpeng execs, has just unveiled the Omo X, a scooter full of premium tech features that blur the lines between e-scooter and self-driving EV.
At its recent launch in Jakarta, the Omo X didn’t just sit pretty center stage, it actually drove itself onto the stage using its “Halo Pilot” system, which apparently comes complete with adaptive cruise control, remote summon, self-parking, and even automatic reversing and self-balancing at low speeds. This is legit autonomous behavior previously reserved for cars, now shrunk down and smoothed out for a two-wheeler.
Under the hood – or rather, behind the sleek bodywork – Omoway’s Halo architecture delivers collision warning, emergency-brake assist, blind spot monitoring, and V2V communication.
The frame is modular, too. It can be reconfigured in step-through, straddle, or touring posture to suit casual riders, commuters, and motorcycle wannabes alike. That kind of flexibility isn’t just a marketing gimmick, but rather it looks purpose-built to capture diverse motorcycle-heavy markets like Indonesia, which counts over 120 million two-wheelers and is quickly transitioning to electric models, with sales surging nearly 400% in 2024, though adoption remains early-stage.
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We don’t have full specs or pricing yet, but early reports point to a launch in early 2026, with a projected price around €3,500 (roughly $3,800), positioning it above entry-level but below premium e-moto territory. That puts Omoway in a unique space: not asking riders to settle for barebones utility, but also not charging premium-badge luxury pricing either.
So what’s the trade-off?
On the plus side, the Omo X is the boldest statement we’ve seen from a fresh OEM in years. It’s tech-rich, head-turning, and seems built to evolve with software updates. The remote summon and AI-assisted features could genuinely simplify urban mobility, and tricks like automatically driving itself to a charging station sound legitimately useful.
But bleeding-edge autonomous tech like that also threatens to weigh it down, somewhat literally, but more so conceptually. Even “normal” modern electric scooters can face headwinds in production, and they aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel with self-driving or self-balancing. Omoway’s vision here will have to carry extra sensors, actuators, and redundant systems to support those smart functions. With added costs and complexity, will riders in developing markets pay a premium, carry extra maintenance risk, or worry about obsolescence? Much hinges on Omoway’s software support and local service networks.
Then there’s the question of necessity. Southeast Asian scooter culture prizes simplicity, affordability, and ruggedness – features not always associated with cutting-edge tech bundles. And in regions like North America or Europe, where EV scooter culture is small yet growing and infrastructure isn’t universal, adoption may hinge on support for charging, service, and safety standards.
Still, this is a bold move from a brand that isn’t afraid to think big will always be refreshing. With a seed round backed by Sequoia and ZhenFund, plus a team sourced from Xpeng and automotive-grade supply chains, Omoway clearly has both the ambition and capacity to scale. And while Indonesia may have been the launchpad, global markets aren’t off the table.
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