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Fruit and vegetable allotments on the outskirts of Henley-on-Thames, England.
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From oranges and lemons grown in Spain to fish caught in the wilds of the Atlantic, many are spoiled for choice when it comes to picking the ingredients that go on our plate.

Yet, as concerns about the environment and sustainability mount, discussions about how — and where — we grow our food have become increasingly pressing.

Last month, the debate made headlines in the U.K. when the second part of The National Food Strategy, an independent review commissioned by the U.K. government, was released.

The wide-ranging report was headed up by restaurateur and entrepreneur Henry Dimbleby and mainly focused on England’s food system. It came to some sobering conclusions.

Its executive summary said the food we consume — and the way we produce it — was “doing terrible damage to our planet and to our health.”

The publication said the global food system was “the single biggest contributor to biodiversity loss, deforestation, drought, freshwater pollution and the collapse of aquatic wildlife.” It was also, the report claimed, “the second-biggest contributor to climate change, after the energy industry.”

Dimbleby’s report is one example of how the alarm is being sounded when it comes to food systems, a term the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN says encompasses everything from production and processing to distribution, consumption and disposal.

According to the FAO, food systems consume 30% of the planet’s available energy. It adds that “modern food systems are heavily dependent on fossil fuels.”

All the above certainly provides food for thought. Below, CNBC’s Sustainable Future takes a look at some of the ideas and concepts that could change the way we think about agriculture. 

Growing in cities

Around the world, a number of interesting ideas and techniques related to urban food production are beginning to gain traction and generate interest, albeit on a far smaller scale compared to more established methods. 

Take hydroponics, which the Royal Horticultural Society describes as “the science of growing plants without using soil, by feeding them on mineral nutrient salts dissolved in water.”

In London, firms like Growing Underground are using LED technology and hydroponic systems to produce greens 33-meters below the surface. The company says its crops are grown throughout the year in a pesticide free, controlled environment using renewable energy.

With a focus on the “hyper-local”, Growing Underground claims its leaves “can be in your kitchen within 4 hours of being picked and packed.”

Another business attempting to make its mark in the sector is Crate to Plate, whose operations are centered around growing lettuces, herbs and leafy greens vertically. The process takes place in containers that are 40 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8.5 feet tall.

Like Growing Underground, Crate to Plate’s facilities are based in London and use hydroponics. A key idea behind the business is that, by growing vertically, space can be maximized and resource use minimized.

On the tech front, everything from humidity and temperature to water delivery and air flow is monitored and regulated. Speed is also crucial to the company’s business model.

“We aim to deliver everything that we harvest in under 24 hours,” Sebastien Sainsbury, the company’s CEO, told CNBC recently.

“The restaurants tend to get it within 12, the retailers get it within 18 and the home delivery is guaranteed within 24 hours,” he said, explaining that deliveries were made using electric vehicles. “All the energy that the farms consume is renewable.”

Grow your own

While there is a sense of excitement regarding the potential of tech-driven, soilless operations such as the ones above, there’s also an argument to be had for going back to basics.

In the U.K., where a large chunk of the population have been working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, the popularity of allotments — pockets of land that are leased out and used to grow plants, fruits and vegetables — appears to have increased.

In September 2020 the Association for Public Service Excellence carried out an online survey of local authorities in the U.K. Among other things it asked respondents if, as a result of Covid-19, they had “experienced a noticeable increase in demand” for allotment plots. Nearly 90% said they had.

“This alone shows the public value and desire to reconnect with nature through the ownership of an allotment plot,” the APSE said. “It may also reflect the renewed interest in the public being more self-sustainable, using allotments to grow their own fruit and vegetables.”

In comments sent to CNBC via email, a spokesperson for the National Allotment Society said renting an allotment offered plot holders “the opportunity to take healthy exercise, relax, have contact with nature, and grow their own seasonal food.”

The NAS was of the belief that British allotments supported “public health, enhance social cohesion and could make a significant contribution to food security,” the spokesperson said. 

A broad church

Nicole Kennard is a PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures.

In a phone interview with CNBC, she noted how the term “urban agriculture” could refer to everything from allotments and home gardens to community gardens and urban farms.

“Obviously, not all food is going to be produced by urban agriculture, but it can play a big role in feeding local communities,” she said.

There were other positives, too, including flood and heat mitigation. “It’s … all those benefits that come with having green spaces in general but then there’s the added plus, [which] is that you’re producing food for local consumption.”

On urban farming specifically, Kennard said it provided “the opportunity to make a localized food system” that could be supported by consumers.

“You can support farms that you know, farmers that you know, that are also doing things that contribute to your community,” she said, acknowledging that these types of relationships could also be forged with other types of farms.

Looking ahead

Discussions about how and where we produce food are set to continue for a long time to come as businesses, governments and citizens try to find ways to create a sustainable system that meets the needs of everyone.

It’s perhaps no surprise then that some of the topics covered above are starting to generate interest among the investment community.

Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” in June, Morgan Stanley’s global head of sustainability research, Jessica Alsford, highlighted this shift.

“There’s certainly an argument for looking beyond the most obvious … ways to play the green theme, as you say, further down the value and the supply chain,” she said.

“I would say as well though, you need to remember that sustainability covers a number of different topics,” Alsford said. “And we’ve been getting a lot of questions from investors that want to branch out beyond the pure green theme and look at connected topics like the future of food, for example, or biodiversity.”

For Crate to Plate’s Sainsbury, knowledge sharing and collaboration will most likely have a big role to play going forward. In his interview with CNBC, he emphasized the importance of “coexisting with existing farming traditions.”

“Oddly enough, we’ve had farmers come and visit the site because farmers are quite interested in installing this kind of technology … in their farm yards … because it can supplement their income.”

“We’re not here to compete with farmers, take business away from farmers. We want to supplement what farmers grow.”

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Xiaomi received over 200,000 real orders for its Tesla killer in just 3 minutes

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2 hours ago

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June 26, 2025

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Xiaomi received over 200,000 real orders for its Tesla killer in just 3 minutes

Xiaomi YU7 hero

Xiaomi has confirmed receiving over 200,000 real orders for its Tesla killer, the YU7, in just three minutes. We are referring to actual orders, with a soon-to-be non-refundable deposit.

Today, Xiaomi launched its second vehicle, the YU7, coming just four years after establishing its EV division and less than a year after introducing its first car, the SU7.

For years, we laughed at the media calling every new EV a ‘Tesla killer’, but over the last few weeks, we have reported how the YU7 might be the first real one.

At the launch event, CEO Lei Jun was not shy about making comparisons to Tesla.

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While the CEO praised the automaker for its leading efficiency and ADAS system, Lei Jun released a series of slides that favorably compared the YU7 to the Model Y.

It started with a comparison of the entire dimensions of both vehicles (image translated via Google):

Xiaomi’s CEO then claimed that the new YU7 had a significantly quite cabin with much less road noises than Tesla’s best-selling SUV (image translated via Google):

In my first drive of the YU7, I did note that the cabin was ultra quiet and demonstrated it briefly in my Youtube video about the new electric SUV:

The double-panned acoustic glass all around helps with that, but the vehicle’s suspension is also optimized for noise, as well as active noise cancellation throughout the car.

Xiaomi also claimed that the vehicle, especially its electro-shading sunroof, was able to keep the cabin much cooler in extreme heat than Tesla’s Model Y (image translated via Google):

Lei Jun even shared a tweet that he posted about challenging Tesla Model Y’s best-selling crown and then truly went on the attack with pricing.

Ahead of today’s event Xiaomi had already shared a lot of information about the YU7, but pricing was the last significant piece of the puzzle.

The CEO decided to release with a direct comparison of each variant to Tesla’s own Model Y variant, and it was pretty brutal.

The base YU7 starts at just 253,500 RMB (equivalent to $35,300 USD) – 10,000 RMB less than Tesla, and it offers more than 200 extra km in range (image translated via Google):

As for the YU7 Pro, it starts at 279,900 RMB (equivalent to $39,000 USD), more than 30,000 RMB less than Tesla’s Model Y Long Range and it also compares quite favorably on the main features, including range (image translated via Google):

Finally, the YU7 Max was announced at 329,900 RMB (equivalent to $46,000 USD), 25,000 RMB less than Model Y Performance, and the specs are not even close:

With these incredibly favorable comparisons to Tesla’s best-selling SUV, it’s not surprising that Xiaomi has received record demand for the YU7.

It reported having received over 200,000 orders for the new electric vehicle within 3 minutes of opening orders at 10PM local time on Thursday.

It’s also important to note that these orders represent a genuine show of interest. This is not a Cybertruck situation where Tesla claimed to have over 1 million reservations, but ended up only selling about 50,000 units.

People ordering the vehicle need to place a 5,000 RMB (~700$) deposit, which only remains refundable for a few days before the order becomes locked in.

Xiaomi has already started production of the YU7 and made units available for delivery (with configurations limited to those pre-arranged by their designers) for almost immediate delivery.

Electrek’s Take

It’s hard to overestimate just how much this shook up the industry. At an average sale price of $40,000, that’s about $8 billion in sales that Xiaomi booked in 3 minutes.

I would expect the tally to increase past 400,000 in the coming days, and it will likely lock up a significant portion of potential buyers in the segment, particularly Model Y, for an extended period.

Tesla was already experiencing problems in China and had to offer record incentives to maintain its sales, but it will now face even greater challenges in the second half of the year.

I expect that Tesla will quickly launch its lower priced stripped down Model Y to try to help demand following this beating.

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BYD denies rumors of cutting EV production, says sales are still growing steadily

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June 26, 2025

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BYD denies rumors of cutting EV production, says sales are still growing steadily

BYD-cutting-EV-production

BYD says there’s no slowdown, despite the rumors. After several sources claimed that BYD was cutting EV production in China due to slowing sales, the company is pushing back, saying output is stable and sales are still growing.

Why is BYD cutting EV production in China?

With nearly 382,476 new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold globally in May, BYD is coming off its best sales month of 2025.

Like most carmakers in China, BYD reports monthly NEV sales, which include fully electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

BYD’s sales are up 39% through the first five months of the year, with over 1.76 million NEVs sold worldwide. Not including its commercial vehicles, BYD’s passenger vehicle sales are up 37% through May, with over 1.73 million units sold.

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Its battery-electric vehicles (EVs) are leading the growth, with sales up 40% through the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

After a few sources claimed the growth was not enough and the company was already cutting EV production over slowing sales, BYD is shutting down the rumors.

BYD-cutting-EV-production
BYD Seagull EV testing with God’s Eye C smart driving system (Source: BYD)

Two people close to the matter told Reuters on Wednesday that BYD had slowed output at several factories in China. They added that the company was also reportedly delaying plans to add lines to expand output.

The sources claimed that BYD has cut night shifts and reduced capacity at some plants by at least a third as it faces rising inventory. One of them reported that at least four BYD plants are now operating at a slower pace.

BYD-cutting-EV-production
(Source: BYD)

On Thursday, a seperate source, close to BYD, told CnEVPost that the rumors are not true. According to the person familiar with the matter, BYD’s production remains stable and sales are still growing steadily. The source added that dealer inventory is at reasonable level.

If true, the claims could have been pretty significant, given BYD’s aggressive price cuts last month. On May 23, BYD slashed prices by up to 34% on 22 of its vehicles.

BYD-luxury-EV-Ferrari
BYD Yangwang U8 SUV (left) and U7 luxury EV sedan (right) Source: Yangwang

BYD still expects to sell around 5.5 million vehicles this year, a nearly 30% increase from 2024. Last year, BYD sold over 4.72 million NEVs, up 41% from 2023. However, its annual growth rate has slowed over the past few years.

According to data from CnEVPost, BYD’s annual sales growth rate has declined from 218% in 2021 to 208% in 2022 and 62% in 2023.

BYD-EVs-Europe
BYD “Xi’an” car carrier loading Dolphin Surf EVs for Europe (Source: BYD)

The Reuters report cited a survey from the China Automotive Dealer Association last month found that BYD dealers held one of the highest inventory levels, with an average of 3.21 months. In comparison, the industry-wide average was 1.38 months.

Despite this, BYD is still gaining market share in China. The source told CnEVPost that BYD’s share of the auto market has risen from 15% to 17% in just the past few months

Electrek’s Take

With an intensifying EV price war and a wave of low-cost domestic cars flooding the market, Chinese automakers, including BYD, are now looking overseas to drive growth.

BYD is coming off its sixth consecutive month with record overseas sales in May, having sold over 89,000 NEVs outside of China.

After it topped Tesla in monthly vehicle registrations in Europe and the UK this year, BYD launched its most affordable EV earlier this month. The Dolphin Surf is the European version of its top-selling Seagull EV, which can be bought for under $8,000 in China right now.

BYD’s Dolphin Surf arrives as one of the most affordable vehicles in the UK, starting at just £18,650 (about $25,000).

During the launch event, BYD’s special advisor for Europe, Alfredo Altavilla, called (via Autocar) the Dolphin Surf “the missing piece in the A/B-segment.”

According to Altavilla, BYD is launching vehicles in Europe at a faster rate than any other carmaker. “I have zero problem in saying I don’t think there has ever been such a product offensive done in Europe as the one BYD is doing,” he said during the event.

BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe this year to around 186,000 units. By 2029, S&P Global Mobility forecasts BYD’s sales could reach around 400,000 in Europe. Between its new plants in Hungary and Turkey, BYD is expected to have a combined annual production capacity of over 500,000 units.

And Europe is just one global market. BYD is already a leading EV brand in overseas markets like Brazil, Thailand, Australia, and several other key markets.

Even if the sources’ claims that BYD is cutting production in China were true, the world’s leading EV maker is still expected to see significant growth overseas over the next few years.

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Bill Gates-backed rectangular turbine pilot could upend wind power

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3 hours ago

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June 26, 2025

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Bill Gates-backed rectangular turbine pilot could upend wind power

rectangular turbine pilot
Image: Airloom

Airloom Energy just broke ground on a rectangular wind turbine pilot site near Rock River, Wyoming, and it has the potential to change how wind power gets built in the US.

Backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Airloom is developing a new kind of wind turbine that promises to be cheaper, faster to install, and more efficient than today’s towering three-blade giants. The Wyoming site will host the company’s first utility-scale turbine as part of a plan to prove the tech works in the real world.

This comes at a time when the grid could use some more innovation. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) says half the US could face energy shortfalls by 2035. And with AI and data centers driving up demand, Gartner warns that 40% of facilities worldwide will be constrained by access to sufficient power by 2027.

“Current energy technologies can’t meet the growing complexity and demand of the next decade,” said Neal Rickner, Airloom’s CEO. “We need more flexible systems that can be built fast and at scale. That’s the only way we’ll get to real energy security and independence.”

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Airloom’s turbines are compact and modular. Instead of sweeping a circular area like traditional turbines, the turbines in the pilot sweep a rectangular area – a design that lets them capture more wind in less space. That makes them a better fit for areas with limited land or strict height limits, like airports or military bases.

They’re also built with small, mass-produced parts made in the US, so they’re cheaper to ship and easier to install. While traditional wind projects can take up to five years to build, Airloom says its turbines can be up and running in under a year.

The Wyoming pilot site is meant to prove the turbines’ performance, validate the cost savings, and build out maintenance and deployment strategies ahead of commercial projects starting in 2027. Airloom is also exploring other use cases like defense, disaster relief, and offshore wind.

The company raised $7.5 million in seed funding last October, with support from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Crosscut Ventures, and others. It also received $5 million in matching funds from the State of Wyoming and a $1.25 million contract from the Department of Defense.

Paul Judge, former head of product management at GE Onshore Wind and now an advisor to Airloom, called the pilot a big moment: “This pilot is more than a test site; it’s the beginning of a fundamentally new approach to resilient renewable energy generation: wind energy that’s faster to deploy, land-efficient, and built for the energy challenges ahead.”

Read more: New DOE report finds 90% of wind turbine materials are recyclable

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