Virginia’s republican governor launches idiotic culture war against clean air
Virginia’s republican governor says he wants to violate Virginia law to pull the state out of the California Air Resources Board’s clean car regulations, consigning his state to a costly and burdensome future full of pollution and high fuel prices.
California currently sets its own clean car regulations, which it’s allowed to do under the Clean Air Act. The reason for this is because California had clean air regulations before the federal government did, so as long as its regulations exceed the national regulations, it’s given a waiver so it can set its own.
In 2022, California finalized a relatively conservative goal targeting 80%+ all-electric car sales by 2035 (the regulation will allow up to 20% PHEVs), called “Advanced Clean Cars II” (ACC2). The regulation was intentionally made softer than what California itself could achieve, such that other states that aren’t as far ahead on EV adoption as California is would still be able to adopt it.
The reason for this is because other states are allowed to follow those regulations instead of the federal ones, as long as they adopt the regulations fully.
As a result, there are currently several so-called “CARB states,” or section 177 states, which adopt California’s clean car regulations.
Virginia is one of these states, although the state’s republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, said today that he intends to ensure that the state’s clean air regulations will lapse by the end of this year, despite Virginia law stating otherwise.
Strangely, as part of his politically-charged and immaturely-written release announcing this decision, Youngkin saw it fit to include an opinion of the Virginia Attorney General stating that he is allowed to make this unilateral decision attacking Virginians’ rights to breathe clean air.
Why did he have to include this? Because, despite his claim about CARB being “unelected,” the elected Virginia state legislature did indeed pass a law in 2021 making Virginia a CARB state. And the very same Attorney General confirmed in 2022 that Virginia law would adopt California’s regulations. Republicans in VA legislature tried to pass a law to poison Virginians with higher auto emissions, but failed to do so. As a result, Virginia still remains a CARB state, and the US Department of Energy confirms that Virginia adopted the ACC2 regulation in January.
So, despite Virginia law not changing since then, the state’s republican attorney general seems to think something is different now. We wonder if an upcoming election, where a convicted felon has told oil companies he’ll take $1 billion in bribes to turn dirty air into part of his ignorant culture war, might have something to do with that. Either way, Youngkin’s effort today will surely waste plenty of time and taxpayer money in court.
Beyond the flip-flopping of the VA attorney general, Youngkin’s release contains other false statements. For example, Youngkin decries that these regulations are being decided “3,000 miles away,” when they were in fact voted on by Virginia’s legislature itself (which is actually 0.2 miles away from the Governor’s Office – here’s walking directions for you, Glenn).
He also claims that EVs will cost the state more money, which is simply wrong. Each EV brings an average of $10,000 in health savings. This is why these sorts of regulations save states money – the International Council on Clean Transportation says Virginia will save $814 million in yearly health costs by adopting ACC2 and the American Lung Association says VA will gain $30 billion in long-term health benefits from widespread EV adoption. Not to mention tax credit availability, fuel and maintenance savings, and really cheap deals on EVs right now.
Youngkin claims that he seeks to torpedo the law in order to help Virginia’s auto dealers, but in fact the Virginia Auto Dealer Association was supportive of VA’s 2021 law and of California’s ACC2 regulation. VADA correctly recognizes that adopting ACC2 will give Virginians wider choice of high-tech new vehicles, and wants Virginia to be a leader in the move to EVs.
Unsurprisingly, Youngkin’s illegal announcement received a negative response from environmental and consumer groups, like Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, VA League of Conservation Voters (which pointed out that Youngkin also illegally left a regional effort to reduce power plant emissions), and business assocation Advanced Energy United.
So – Youngkin wants to do something that is objectively bad and costly for his state, that his own attorney general acknowledged violates the law, and that is opposed by health, business and environmental orgs – including the auto dealers themselves. And seems to think, by the way the release was written, that this will score him political points.
Meanwhile, electric cars are already making California healthier – benefits that Virginia could have in the future, if not for its republican governor trying to score political points by forcing poison on his populace (and the absurdity of the situation we’re in – that anyone would consider that a political point-scorer – should not go unnoticed).
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![Classic Jeep Grand Wagoneer gets a battery electric makeover [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/grand-wagoneer_EV_2.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Texas-based tuning firm Vigilante 4×4 is known for its wild, high-horsepower Jeep SJ Hemi restomods – but they’re more than just a hot rod shop. To prove it, they’ve developed a bespoke, all-electric skateboard chassis designed to turn the classic Jeep Grand Wagoneer into a modern, desirable electric SUV.
The scope of the Vigilante 4×4 electric chassis project is truly impressive. More than just a Jeep SJ frame with an electric drive train bolted in, the chassis is a completely fresh design that utilizes precise 3D scans of the original SJ Wagoneers, Grand Wagoneers, and J-Trucks to establish hard points, then fitted with low-slung battery packs to give the electric restomods superior weight balance, a lower center of gravity, and objectively improved ride and handling compared to its classic, ICE-powered forefathers.
The result is a purpose-built platform that delivers power to the wheels through a dual-motor system – one mounted in the front, and one at the rear – to provide a permanent, infinitely variable four-wheel drive system that offers both on-road performance and the kind of off-road capability that made the Grand Wagoneer famous in the first place.
Vigilante 4×4 electric Jeep SJ
“This isn’t a replacement for our Vigilante HEMI offerings,” reads the official copy. “It’s a total revisit of the Vigilante platform under electric power.”
The company emphasizes that its new chassis is still in the prototype stages. As such, there are no specs, there is no pricing, there are no range estimates. Despite it all, the response from Jeep enthusiasts has already been strong. “Keep in mind this is our first prototype,” a spokesperson said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done – but the journey has begun.”
Electrek’s Take
Retro done wrong – think the Dodge Charger Daytona EV or VW ID.Buzz – is a disaster. Always. If that nostalgic tone is just a little bit off, the song doesn’t work. The heartstrings don’t pull. Done right, however, the siren song of nostalgia will have you putting a second mortgage on your house to put a Singer Porsche or ICON Bronco in your garage.
It’s too soon to tell what side of that line the Vigilante 4×4 Jeep SJ will eventually fall, but one thing (at least) is certain: it’s closer to the mark than that Wagoneer S.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Vigilante 4×4, via Mopar Insiders.
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EQORE, a distributed battery storage startup based in Somerville, Massachusetts, has raised $1.7 million in seed funding to help industrial buildings tackle rising electricity costs. The round was oversubscribed and includes backing from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Henry Ford III of Ford Motor Company, and Jonathan Kraft of The Kraft Group.
The timing couldn’t be more relevant. Data centers are booming, and that demand is slamming an already stressed grid. Big, utility-scale batteries help at the grid level, but they can’t fix the bottlenecks happening on local distribution networks. That’s where onsite storage steps in — storing energy when demand is low and discharging it when demand spikes, which helps stabilize costs for both the grid and the businesses using it.
MassCEC’s head of investments, Susan Stewart, said, “What excites us the most about EQORE’s technology is the dual impact: grid support and customer savings.” She noted that commercial and industrial buildings are ideal hosts for battery storage, but haven’t gotten much attention until now. “EQORE is closing that gap.”
Investor Randolph Mann highlighted what makes the company stand out: “By uniting advanced controls with high‑resolution metering and true end‑to‑end service, EQORE finally makes commercial behind-the-meter storage effortless and financially compelling for businesses.”
EQORE comes out of MIT’s Sandbox program and delta v accelerator and is currently part of the Harvard Climate Entrepreneurs Circle incubator. CEO and cofounder Valeriia Tyshchenko, a third‑generation engineer from Ukraine and MIT graduate, said the new funding will help the company scale alongside its existing revenue.
With the seed round closed, EQORE plans to grow its team and ramp up battery deployments at energy-intensive manufacturing facilities. The company doesn’t just install batteries; it operates them. Its autonomous software shifts when a facility uses power based on market conditions and utility incentives, reshaping load in real-time without disrupting operations.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
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![Check out Hyundai's cool new off-road electric SUV concept [Images]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/Hyundai-off-road-SUV.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Hyundai took the sheets of its new off-road electric SUV, the Crater Concept, at the LA Auto Show. Here’s our first look at the compact off-roader.
Meet Hyundai’s new off-road SUV, the Crater Concept
We knew it was coming after Hyundai teased the off-road SUV earlier this week, hidden under a drape. Hyundai took the sheets off the Crater Concept at the LA Auto Show on Thursday, giving us our first real look at the rugged off-roader.
Hyundai refers to it as a compact off-road SUV that’s inspired by extreme events. The concept was brought to life at the Hyundai America Technical Center in Irvine, California.
The off-road SUV draws design elements from Hyundai’s Extra Rugged Terrain (XRT) models, such as the IONIQ 5 XRT, Santa Cruz XRT, and the new Pallisade XRT Pro.
Although it’s a concept, Hyundai said the Crater Concept is a testament to its commitment to designing future XRT vehicles that are more functional, more capable, and more emotional.
“CRATER began with a question: ‘What does freedom look like?’ This vehicle stands as our answer,” Hyundai’s global design boss, SangYup Lee said.
The off-road SUV features Hyundai’s new Art of Steel design theme, first showcased on the THREE concept at the Munich Motor Show in September.
Hyundai said the design team was guided by one clear goal: To create a rugged and capable vehicle that’s designed to go anywhere. The Crater Concept embodies that vision with added wide skid plates, 33″ off-road tires, limb risers, rocker panels, and a roof platform.
Hyundai designed the interior for “tech-savvy adventure seekers,” with a singular design centered around a high-brow crash pad that stretches across the dashboard.
The concept also swaps the traditional infotainment setup for a head-up display that spans the entire front window, which Hyundai said includes a live rearview camera.
Hyundai’s off-roader includes a new Off-Road Controller for front and rear locking differentials, as well as a terrain selector with modes including Sand, Snow, and Mud. Other off-road features include downhill brake control, trailer brake control, a compass, and an altimeter.
Although Hyundai said it was electric, it didn’t reveal any further details about the powertrain. The off-road SUV could be a battery-electric or fuel-cell-electric vehicle.
Like the new Nexo, Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the concept features “HTWO” lamps exclusive to its FCEVs.
Earlier this week, the design team at Hyundai Design North America also introduced its new design and ideation studio codenamed “The Sandbox.” The creative design studio is set to serve as a global hub for future XRT vehicles and gear.
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