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Right now, the FAA is taking public comments for SpaceX’s environmental review of the upcoming Starship Orbital launch. While I generally support space exploration and hope SpaceX succeeds, it’s important to consider the environmental impacts of space activities and find ways to reasonably minimize the environmental impacts.

The Use of Methane For Rockets Is Mostly Defensible

From an environmental perspective, a rocket should be powered by hydrogen. Burning hydrogen combines hydrogen with oxygen from the atmosphere, producing only water vapor in the exhaust. The water vapor harmlessly diffuses in the atmosphere, and doesn’t contribute to climate change or any other environmental harms. Hydrogen rockets are also a proven technology that took the United States to the moon, so it’s entirely possible to use hydrogen for space launches.

But hydrogen does have some serious drawbacks.

Being a small molecule, it’s very difficult and expensive to make sure a rocket doesn’t simply leak its fuel out. Every weld must be absolutely perfect. Every seam must be carefully sealed. All joints and fittings from tanks to engines must have perfect seals. All of that need for perfection means a lot more work, expense, and even danger.

The second problem with hydrogen is that it makes metal more brittle. This again drives up the cost of safely building a hydrogen rocket. Other problems include the low energy density compared to other fuels, temperature control, expense, and complexity of the systems needed to handle it properly. It’s also not easy to produce on Mars, so it wouldn’t be suitable for a Mars colony.

Methane (the purest form of “natural” gas) is the next best thing. It does produce carbon dioxide when it’s burned, but that’s basically all it produces (other than water vapor, like any combustion reaction). Unlike RP-1 or other rocket fuels, it does contribute some to greenhouse gases, but doesn’t spew out other pollutants.

Given the costs of hydrogen and the fact that methane is only a little worse, going with methane was the obvious choice, even if not perfect for the environment.

All The Methane Has To Come From Somewhere, Though

While assessing environmental impacts, the FAA didn’t factor one thing in: the source of the natural gas that would feed SpaceX’s Starbase.

The obvious thing they’ll need natural gas for is the rockets. For those unfamiliar, natural gas is mostly methane, and while it’s good enough for things like furnaces and power plants, the gas that’s normally in pipes just isn’t pure enough for use in rockets. So SpaceX needs a facility to take natural gas in, purify it, and then cool it down until it changes to a liquid state. Then, it’ll be ready to pump into a rocket’s tank and use for launches.

But they didn’t mention the source of all this natural gas in the report. Theoretically, they could truck the natural gas in using tanker trailers, but that would be expensive, cumbersome, and would take a LOT of trucks. The other, more reasonable, option would be to reactivate a natural gas pipeline that runs through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The pipeline, which was abandoned in 2016, is currently holding fiberoptic cables for a local educational institution.

So, SpaceX may still be able to use the pipeline, or it may have to build a new one.

The other thing that hasn’t been considered in the report is that the gas has to get put in the pipeline from somewhere, and the areas near Brownsville just don’t produce enough gas to feed the needs of  SpaceX at Starbase, so more gas will be needed from at least 80 miles away. That means more wells, more pipelines, and more environmental impact that isn’t currently being considered.

SpaceX Is Also Building a 250-Megawatt Gas Power Plant

Getting methane for rockets would probably be something the nearby wells could supply, with minimal gas needs from elsewhere in the state, and that would be reasonable. But, add the needed fuel for a 250-megawatt power plant that runs on natural gas, and you end up in the situation described above. There just isn’t enough local gas to power the rockets plus a big power plant.

According to TechCrunch and ESG Hound (both linked above), the power plant will be needed to power a desalination plant to provide for Starbase’s water needs, as well as to provide for the base’s other electrical needs.

Desalination makes sense, given the limited water supplies in the area and the abundance of salt water, but the equipment to do that isn’t picky about where its electrons come from. Whether it comes from natural gas, or comes from wind and solar, as long as the power keeps coming in, they’ll be able to produce the needed water.

So, Why Isn’t SpaceX Using Renewables?

Given that the company is already planning on piping in gas, and getting more gas is relatively cheap, it’s probably the cheapest solution overall.

But, really, south Texas has great solar resources.

Image provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Public Domain.

Sure, it’s not as red hot as it is in El Paso, but Brownsville still has better quality sunlight for solar power production than most of the country. There’s not much in the way of excuse to not build a big solar power plant with storage to supply the desalination plant’s needs, as well as other needs at Starbase. You probably couldn’t build a plant that big right next to Starbase, but you could find some vacant land in the region to supply enough power.

Brownsville only has 223 sunny days per year, which could make an issue, but there’s no reason to not go further away in Texas for power. El Paso and other parts of far west Texas, as close as Big Bend, have over 300 sunny days per year.

Getting the power from the vacant land to Starbase, whether from nearby or farther away, is an issue, but so is the issue of building pipelines. If you can build pipelines, then you can build power lines. Plus, power lines don’t leak and cause other environmental harms the way that gas lines do.

The cost of doing 250 megawatts of solar is probably higher than 250 megawatts of gas, but it doesn’t make sense to be trying to save the species with Tesla and then turn around and burn natural gas for SpaceX’s space colonization efforts.

 

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BMW hits pause on EV production in the US, but don’t expect prices to rise yet

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BMW hits pause on EV production in the US, but don't expect prices to rise yet

BMW told dealers it plans to freeze EV production in the US in May as it deals with the uncertainty surrounding the new auto tariffs. Despite the pause, BMW said it won’t raise prices on most imported vehicles. At least, for now.

Why is BMW pausing EV production in the US?

After celebrating the assembly of its seven millionth vehicle in the US this week, BMW, like most major automakers, is bracing for a shakeup under the Trump Administration.

According to Automotive News, BMW told its dealers on April 29 that it will “postpone” EV production in the US in May. The note didn’t specify a reason, but it’s more than likely due to Trump’s 25% tariff on vehicle imports.

The luxury automaker has had more success than most of its peers with four electric vehicles: the i4, i5, i7, and iX. However, all four are built in Germany.

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In the first three months of 2025, BMW sold 13,538 EVs, up 26% from Q1 2024. The i4 was BMW’s top seller with sales surging 57% to 7,125, followed by the iX at 3,626. In comparison, Mercedes-Benz sold just 3,472 electric vehicles in the US in the first quarter, down 58% year-over-year (YOY).

BMW-EV-production-US
2025 BMW i4 M50 xDrive (Source: BMW)

Sebastian Mackensen, President & CEO of BMW of North America, said the company “remains in a strong position in the US, where the majority of the vehicles we sell in this market are also assembled.”

BMW also told dealers in the memo that it will not raise prices on most imported vehicles through June. The only exception is the 2 Series and M2 performance coupe.

BMW-EV-production-US
2026 BMW iX xDrive60 (Source: BMW)

The news comes after most major automakers, including GM, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Stellantis, withdrew their financial guidance this week due to the uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariffs.

Earlier today, Ford CEO Jim Farley told CNN, “We’re all trying to figure this out to do the right thing for the country,” adding, “It’s going to take a little time.” In the meantime, expect to see more drastic measures being taken.

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Ford is still offering big discounts including employee pricing and free EV chargers

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Ford is still offering big discounts including employee pricing and free EV chargers

After extending several promotions this week, Ford is offering significant discounts that could save you thousands. In addition to employee pricing on most Ford and Lincoln vehicles, the company is offering a free home charger with the purchase of an EV. Here’s how you can snag some discounts.

Ford launched its “From America, For America” campaign earlier this month, offering employee prices for all on most 2024 and 2025 models.

The promo was initially expected to end on June 2, but CEO Jim Farley told CNN in an interview on Wednesday that the company is extending it through July 4. Although the campaign now runs another month, Farley said he can’t promise prices won’t go up when the offer expires.

As for how much of a discount, it will depend on the vehicle’s cost. Under the employee pricing plan, the 2025 Mustang Mach-E, with an MSRP of $36,495, costs just $34,599. The 2025 F-150 Lightning, with an MSRP of $62,995, is nearly $5,000 off, at just $58,183.

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“We want to keep our prices competitive and low,” Farley explained. Like most automakers, Ford is bracing for the impact of the new auto tariffs in the US.

Ford-employee-prices
2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)

Outside of Tesla, Ford builds a greater percentage of vehicles in the US than any other major automaker. According to Farley, “This is an opportunity for Ford.” He explained that Ford has “a different footprint, a different exposure for tariffs.”

Ford imports around 21% of the vehicles it sells in the US. Crosstown rival GM imports around 46%. According to S&P Global Mobility, Ford made around 2 million cars in the US last year. It also built around 391,000 in Mexico and 54,000 in Canada.

Ford-employee-prices
Ford Mustang Mach-E (left) and F-150 Lightning (right) (Source: Ford)

For EV buyers, Ford is also extending its Power Promise program, which offers a free Level 2 home charger (plus standard installation) with the purchase of an F-150 Lightning or Mustang Mach-E.

Other benefits include 24/7 live electric vehicle support, roadside assistance, and an 8-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty. The promo now runs through July 6.

Ready to take advantage of the savings? We can help you get started. You can use our links below to find deals on the Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E at a dealer near you.

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Waymo and Toyota partner to go after Tesla with personal self-driving vehicles

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Waymo and Toyota partner to go after Tesla with personal self-driving vehicles

Waymo and Toyota have announced a partnership aimed at competing with Tesla in the development of personally owned self-driving vehicles.

Waymo is already widely regarded as the market leader in autonomous driving, as it currently provides approximately 250,000 autonomous paid rides per week in the few markets where it operates.

Tesla is playing catch-up as it plans to offer the same service Waymo offers, starting in Austin in June, with 10 to 20 vehicles.

However, there’s an area of autonomous driving where Tesla is still seen as the market leader: personally owned self-driving vehicles.

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While Tesla has yet to deliver on its promise of unsupervised self-driving capability in its consumer vehicles, it uses the same technology in those as it plans to do in its internal fleet in Austin, albeit with more Austin-specific training and some teleoperation assists.

Some see this as an opportunity for Tesla to take the lead in personally owned autonomous vehicles if it can solve self-driving on its current hardware, which is a big if.

It already has smoothly integrated sensors that don’t clash with the designs of its vehicles, which is something that car buyers care about, but it’s not a big deal for an autonomous ride-hailing fleet, which is what Waymo has focused on so far.

Now, Waymo and Toyota have announced that they are exploring collaboration on autonomous vehicles :

Toyota Motor Corporation (“Toyota”) and Waymo reached a preliminary agreement to explore a collaboration focused on accelerating the development and deployment of autonomous driving technologies. Woven by Toyota will also join the potential collaboration as Toyota’s strategic enabler, contributing its strengths in advanced software and mobility innovation. This potential partnership is built on a shared vision of improving road safety and delivering increased mobility for all.

More specifically, the collaboration will focus on “next-generation personally owned vehicles (POVs)”:

Toyota and Waymo aim to combine their respective strengths to develop a new autonomous vehicle platform. In parallel, the companies will explore how to leverage Waymo’s autonomous technology and Toyota’s vehicle expertise to enhance next-generation personally owned vehicles (POVs). The scope of the collaboration will continue to evolve through ongoing discussions.

This would point to Waymo integrating its technology into Toyota’s vehicles for consumers.

While it’s still early, Waymo appears to be doing something Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, claimed Tesla would be doing soon: announcing deals to integrate its ‘Full Self-Driving’ technology in vehicles built by other automakers.

For more than a year, Musk has said that Tesla has been in discussions with other automakers about licensing its self-driving technology, which is still in development; however, no progress has been disclosed about those discussions yet.

Waymo also announced a similar partnership with Hyundai last year, though this one is expected to first focus on Waymo using Hyundai vehicles for its own autonomous ride-hailing fleet.

Electrek’s Take

This is a big deal. The world’s leader in autonomous vehicles is partnering with the world’s largest automaker.

It’s still early in the collaboration, as per the press release, but it does sound like Waymo is going to develop a hardware suite that can be fitted into Toyota’s consumer vehicles.

This would go after Musk’s argument that Waymo can’t compete with Tesla due to the high cost of its autonomous vehicles.

Waymo’s counterargument is that it hasn’t focused on cost because safety is the priority, and the cost of the vehicles doesn’t matter as much if they are to be used in an internal ride-hailing fleet.

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