‘Political malpractice’ if Trump undoes climate-geared Biden projects, outgoing U.S. energy secretary says
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks to the media on day five at the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference on November 15, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
A potential decision by Donald Trump to walk back the Biden administration’s climate-geared projects would impact jobs in areas governed by the President-elect’s own party, outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNBC, urging consistency in Washington’s green transition policies.
Referencing the White House’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement — a 2015 treaty in which nearly 200 governments made non-binding pledges to reduce greenhouse emissions — during Trump’s first mandate, Granholm said the U.S. pressed ahead with projects linked to the green transition that members of Congress wanted to undertake in their districts.
“We are now building all of these projects. We’re building batteries for electric vehicles, we’re building the vehicles, we’re building the offshore wind turbines, we’re building the solar panels. And all of those are factories. And those factories are in districts of members of Congress,” she told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on Friday at the COP29 U.N. climate conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
She estimated that 80% of the funding from U.S. President Joe Biden’s legacy bills — the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — went to U.S. districts represented by Republican leadership.
“It would be political malpractice to undo those opportunities when people are just now getting hired,” she said, stressing benefits to the manufacturing sector and noting that the business community of the world’s largest economy and oil producer now wants a clear course from Washington on its climate policy.
“This isn’t about in [the Paris Agreement], out, shifting back and forth. Let’s have a consistent practice,” she said.
When asked for a response on Granholm’s comments, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said the president-elect will “deliver” on the promises he made on the campaign trail.
International focus has now shifted on the shape of the U.S.’ future role in global climate policy, as Trump prepares to take the helm at the White House for a second mandate in January, following a sweeping victory against Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. Trump — who has yet to announce his own pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy — put hydrocarbons at the front and center of his campaigning agenda, pledging to “end Biden’s delays in federal drilling permits and leases that are needed to unleash American oil and natural gas production.”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in March said that the country already “produced more crude oil than any nation at any time” for the past six years to 2023, averaging a crude oil and condensate production of 12.9 million barrels per day that year — breaking the previous U.S. and global record of 12.3 million barrels per day recorded in 2019, during Trump’s first mandate.
Yet Granholm on Friday stressed that the clean transition is also “unleashed” and will take place regardless of who is leading the White House — and that ignoring climate change risks sacrificing Washington’s position as a frontrunner in the blooming decarbonization industry.
“Why would we take a second, a backseat to an economic competitor like China?” she asked. “They have an economic strategy, they want to be number one. So if we get out of the game, we’re just going to cede that territory all over again. It’s bad strategy for the United States and for workers and for communities across the country.”
As the world braces for the possibility of a second U.S. exit from the Paris Agreement, some climate activists note that the green transition has now gained a different global momentum than during Trump’s first turn at the White House:
“There is no denying that another Trump presidency will stall national efforts to tackle the climate crisis and protect the environment, but most U.S. state, local, and private sector leaders are committed to charging ahead,” Dan Lashof, U.S. director of the World Resources Institute, said in a Nov. 6 statement.
“Donald Trump heading back to the White House won’t be a death knell to the clean energy transition that has rapidly picked up pace these last four years.”
Granholm also identified potential support in Trump’s current entourage, which this week welcomed business tycoon Elon Musk as the president-elect’s choice to head a new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy:
“His right-hand man, Elon Musk, is somebody who has been strongly in favor of products that … address climate change. Obviously, he’s the founder of Tesla,” Granholm pointed out.
Musk’s environmental stance has come under question over the years, shifting from telling Rolling Stone magazine that “climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI” and backing carbon taxes to holding that the world needs hydrocarbon supplies as a bridge to renewable energy.
Oil prices fell sharply Tuesday after President Donald Trump said China can keep buying oil from Iran, a sign that the U.S. is easing its maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic in the wake of a ceasefire with Israel.
Global benchmark Brent fell $3.33, or 4.66%, to $68.15 per barrel by 10:18 a.m. ET. U.S. crude oil was last down $3.18, or 4.64%, to $65.33 a barrel. Prices closed 7% lower on Monday as the oil market bet that the conflict in the Middle East was winding down.
“China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the U.S., also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!”
Trump threatened in May to bar any country buying Iranian oil from doing business with the U.S. China purchases the vast majority of the 1.7 million barrels per day that Iran typically exports, according to data from Kpler.
Oil prices have tumbled to levels last seen before Israel started bombing Iran on June 13, as investors now believe the risk is low that a major supply disruption will occur the Middle East.
The U.S. decision to join Israel’s campaign and bomb three key nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend initially triggered fears that Tehran might try to choke off oil exports from the Persian Gulf in retaliation.
Instead, Tehran launched a missile attack on a U.S. airbase in Qatar that left no casualties, providing an offramp from further escalation. Trump announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran shortly afterward.
The ceasefire teetered on the brink of collapse early Tuesday as Trump accused both Iran and Israel of violating the agreement shortly after it went into effect. The president demanded that Jerusalem and Tehran adhere to the ceasefire, reserving unusually harsh words for Israel.
“I’m not happy with Israel,” Trump told reporters en route to a NATO summit in the Netherlands. “I’m not happy with Iran either but I’m really unhappy if Israel” continues its bombing campaign Tuesday.
Throughout the conflict, traders feared that Israel might target the 3.3 million bpd of crude oil that Iran produces, or that the Islamic Republic might lash out by targeting energy infrastructure in the Gulf nations, including Iraq.
Investors also watched if Iran would try to close the Strait of Hormuz linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The strait, used to transport 20% of the world’s crude, is a key route for Iranian and other Middle Eastern shipments, including Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Toyota is still planning to build a three-row electric SUV in the US, but it won’t be in Indiana as planned. In a sudden shift of plans, Toyota will build it alongside a second electric three-row SUV as it consolidates EV production in the US.
Toyota to build two new three-row EV SUVs in the US
It has been over two years now since Toyota first unveiled the three-row electric SUV, which was expected to be a key part of its comeback efforts in the US EV market.
After funneling another $1.4 billion into its Princeton, Indiana, manufacturing plant last April, Toyota said it was preparing to assemble the larger SUV at the facility. The investment was also expected to go toward an assembly line for lithium-ion batteries, supplied from its new EV battery plant in North Carolina.
As part of its efforts to streamline production in the US, Toyota now plans to build the new EV in Kentucky, alongside a new Subaru three-row electric SUV.
According to AutoNews, Toyota said the move is designed to “improve manufacturing efficiencies and better serve customers based on market demand.”
“As previously announced, Toyota plans to produce two all-new, three-row battery electric SUVs in the US. Toyota will now assemble both vehicles at Toyota Kentucky,” the company explained in a statement.
Toyota plans to ramp up Grand Highlander production in Indiana with a new assembly line dedicated to the larger SUV.
Last year, Grand Highlander sales increased by nearly 50% in the US, as demand for the smaller Highlander fell by 47%. The trend has continued this year, with Grand Highlander sales up 2% through March, while Highlander sales have declined 62.5%.
Despite consolidating production, Toyota still has several new EVs set to launch in the US soon. Its updated bZ electric SUV (previously named the bZ4X) is arriving at US dealerships later this year.
Toyota upgraded it with an increased driving range, a much better style, and an added NACS port, allowing you to recharge at Tesla Superchargers.
Next year, the smaller Toyota C-HR and off-road bZ Woodland electric SUVs will arrive. By mid-2027, Toyota plans to have seven EVs at US dealerships, including under the Lexus brand. Subaru is set to introduce three new EVs by 2026, including the new Trailseeker SUV.
Toyota also announced plans to raise vehicle prices in the US this week. The price hikes will impact Toyota and Lexus brand models built after July 1.
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A new electric hub motor just dropped at Eurobike 2025, and it’s a big deal – mainly because it’s so small. Developed through a partnership between Moving Magnet Technologies (MMT), Swiss mechatronics firm Sonceboz, and French e-bike software company eBikeLabs, the new motor aims to set a new benchmark for premium urban e-bikes.
And based on the specs alone, it just might.
The motor delivers up to 70 Nm of torque, allows for regenerative braking, and has an impressive 22:1 gear ratio. It also includes a built-in torque sensor, allowing e-bikes employing the motor to take advantage of a more natural, responsive pedaling response.
Despite the high torque rating and built-in tech, the motor weighs under 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs), which is incredibly light for a high-torque hub motor, especially one designed for urban performance and connected tech features.
Designed for single-speed e-bikes and fully integrated with eBikeLabs’ eBikeOS software platform, this is the kind of system that manufacturers building the next wave of sleek, minimalist city e-bikes are likey to seek. And with regenerative braking, anti-theft immobilization, and smart ride customization all built in, it’s a feature-rich package in a surprisingly compact form factor.
Sonceboz, known for zero-defect manufacturing in the automotive world, is leading the industrialization process at its automated Swiss production facilities. According to the team, the motor is currently in B-sample testing with a yet-unnamed premium urban bike brand, with commercial availability targeted for early 2027.
“With this hub motor, Sonceboz, MMT, and eBikeLabs aim to set a new benchmark for premium urban bikes,” said Damien Wittwer, Division Director at Sonceboz. “Our mechatronics expertise ensures high-quality, reliable production ready for the most demanding brands. We don’t just build motors—we empower you to stand out in a market that demands smarter, quieter, more integrated urban mobility.”
The collaboration makes sense. MMT brings the motor design and electromagnetic magic, Sonceboz brings the industrial firepower, and eBikeLabs provides the software layer, eBikeOS, which adds real-time diagnostics, theft alerts, ride tracking, and personalized performance tuning. The system also includes a modular SP Connect mount for phones, allowing full app integration during rides.
On a personal note, I previously tested eBikeOS from eBikeLabs on a sample bike at Micromobility Europe and came away quite impressed with the performance.
This isn’t the first time eBikeLabs has pushed into the high-end e-bike space. Their software already powers the Virvolt 2000 motor used by Shwette’s cargo e-bikes, and their partnership network includes brands like Cowboy and Vefaa. But the new motor signals a tighter integration of motor hardware and software, engineered together from day one, a rarity in the increasingly fragmented e-bike market.
If the specs hold up and the industrial ramp goes smoothly, this could be one of the most important new components in the premium city e-bike world over the next few years. With anti-theft tech baked in, seamless app integration, and impressive torque in a tiny package, it’s exactly the kind of invisible innovation that makes a good e-bike feel like magic.
And if you’re at Eurobike this week, it’s on display in two locations, both in Hall 8, Booth I21 (with Sonceboz) and Hall 12.1, Booth A21 (with eBikeLabs). Definitely worth a closer look.
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