Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD), a spinout from Cambridge University in the UK, has secured $32 million in Series C financing to expand its operations in the UK, North America, Taiwan and Europe.
The investment was led by an unnamed strategic investor and included participation from British Patient Capital as well as existing investors Parkwalk, BGF, Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), Foresight Group and IQ Capital.
The company develops energy-efficient power semiconductors using gallium nitride (GaN) for electric vehicles and data centers. Gallium nitride-based devices offer faster switching speeds, lower energy consumption and more compact designs than traditional silicon-based devices.
CGD says its monolithic ICeGaN technology, which simplifies the implementation of GaN into existing and progressive designs, delivers efficiency levels exceeding 99%, enabling energy savings of up to 50% in a range of high-power applications.
The company has worked with French public research and training organization IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) to develop a demonstration confirming the suitability of its ICeGaN 650 V gallium nitride integrated circuits (ICs) in a multi-level, 800 VDC inverter.
“This funding round validates our technology and vision to revolutionize the power electronics industry with efficient GaN solutions and make sustainable power electronics possible. We’re now poised to accelerate our growth. We look forward to collaborating with our strategic investor to penetrate the automotive market.”
The Polestar 3 electric SUV will get an upgraded chipset for its second model year, the automaker confirmed Thursday in a press release.
Due to arrive in showrooms later in the 2025 calendar year, the 2026 Polestar 3 is the first of the brand’s EVs to receive the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processor, a more powerful successor to the Drive AGX Xavier processor the SUV launched with.
2026 Polestar 3 charging
In addition to being installed in newly built vehicles, the more powerful processor will be offered as a free upgrade to existing Polestar 3 owners. Parent brand Volvo earlier this week confirmed it’s doing the same thing for owners of the EX90 electric SUV, which shares the SPA2 architecture with the Polestar 3.
Overall, it’s unusual for an automaker to update hardware post-sale rather than just software.
Volvo has said the added computing power of the Drive AGX Orin, which will also be used in that brand’s upcoming ES90 electric sedan, will support AI-based features, more sophisticated safety tech, an array of onboard sensors, and a more efficient battery management system. That will likely be the case for the Polestar 3 and any future Polestar models that use this chipset as well.
2026 Polestar 3 Plug & Charge
The 2025 Polestar 3 is built in Charleston, South Carolina, and it arrived as a sportier, two-row counterpart to the three-row Volvo EX90 with which it shares a platform. All versions have a 111-kwh battery pack, with up to 350 miles of range in base single-motor rear-wheel-drive form.
Polestar hasn’t yet given a timeline for when it will update existing 2025 models, but it says it will contact customers when the new chips are available. Installation will take place at Polestar-authorized service centers which, in keeping with the brand’s hybrid business model, is handled by franchised dealerships even though Polestar doesn’t sell car cars through them.
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Author news@greencarreports.com (Stephen Edelstein)
#Polestar #powerful #brain #models
On his first day in office, Trump froze spending from the Inflation Reduction Act and 2021 infrastructure law, pausing the programs that have lent money to major automakers to build EV facilities and have backed the first new U.S. aluminum smelter in decades. Federal judges have ordered the administration to unfreeze those funds, though money is reportedly still inaccessible for many recipients.
More concerning for manufacturers is the specter of Trump and congressional Republicans revoking Inflation Reduction Act tax credits that incentivize domestic manufacturing as well as the purchase of U.S.-made clean energy products.
In recent months a number of manufacturers have scrapped plans to build U.S. factories as the fate of these incentives remains murky.
Solar firm Heliene paused plans to build a $200 million solar-cell facility in the U.S. in late December. In January, Kore Power, a U.S.-based energy storage startup, backed out of building a new $1.2 billion factory in Arizona, in part because the $850 million low-cost loan it was approved for by the Biden administration may now fail to materialize. One week later, in early February, battery firm Freyr Battery canceled plans to build a $2.6 billion factory near Atlanta.
Some analysts have argued that these federal tax credits could be protected from repeal because of the benefits they accrue to Republican districts. A handful of Republican lawmakers have spoken out in favor of preserving them. But to date, the Trump administration’s approach to Biden-era clean energy policies can best be described not as careful and considered — but as aggressive and unpredictable.
Tesla spent over a year investigating the issue at the behest of a non-U.S. regulatory agency
In the U.S. Tesla’s latest recall affects the 2023 Model 3 and Model Y
Tesla’s NHTSA recall filing leaves unanswered questions for global markets
Tesla has acknowledged over 300,000 of its EVs could lose power steering.
On Thursday, Tesla’s Daniel Donovan, Technical Publications Manager, filed an acknowledgement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that stated the automaker will be conducting a recall. The recall, posted a day before by the agency, involved 376,241 Tesla EVs.
Specifically, the recall involved the 2023 Model 3 sedan and 2023 Model Y crossover.
Tesla estimates only 1% of the vehicles included in the recall have the defect.
Those vehicles were manufactured in the U.S. prior to software release 2023.38.4. Model 3s affected were produced between February 28, 2023 and October 11, 2023 while Model Ys were assembled between February 24, 2023 and October 11, 2023.
These vehicles are equipped with electronic power-assist steering (EPAS) systems that, prior to software version 2023.38.4, could experience a code error that leads to overstressed motor drive components. Tesla said that if this occurs above 0 mph, steering effort will not be affected though alerts will appear on the vehicle’s dash-mounted screen. Once the vehicle reaches 0 mph, the steering system will revert to a manual system without assist. It’s unclear how long and under what conditions the reversion to manual steering would persist.
Tesla acknowledged this could increase the risk of a collision. Tesla will recall all vehicles in all markets affected by this situation, but failed to mention how many vehicles that would include outside the U.S. or detail those vehicles.
Tesla said software release 2023.38.4 and beyond resolve the issue, and that as of January 23, 2025, some 99% of affected vehicles in the U.S. have installed the release or later software versions. Tesla did not mention how many vehicles outside the U.S. have been updated or any information pertaining to those vehicles. U.S. vehicles in production rolled off the assembly line with the updated software as of October 11, 2023.
The recall notice said an unidentified regulatory authority in a non-U.S. market area opened an investigation into complaints related to the loss of power steering by the described conditions. Tesla spent over a year performing technical reviews with this unidentified authority before issuing a recall for vehicles affected on January 16, 2025. The automaker didn’t file the report with the NHTSA until February.
Tesla admitted in the filing that it has identified over 3,012 warranty claims and 570 field reports in the U.S., but does not expand on any claims or reports outside the U.S. market, which is where the original investigation started. Tesla claimed it’s unaware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to the condition.
Tesla’s already issued a large recall in 2025 and seven Cybertruck recalls in 2024 alone. The automaker’s sales fell in 2024 while its share of the U.S. EV market fell below 50%.
The Trump administration is shutting down EV chargers at all federal government buildings and is also expected to sell off the General Services Administration‘s (GSA) newly bought EVs.
GSA, which manages all federal government-owned buildings, also operates the federal buildings’ EV chargers. Federally owned EVs and federal employee-owned personal EVs are charged on those 8,000 charging ports.
The Vergereports it’s been told by a source that plans will be officially announced internally next week, and it’s seen an email that GSA has already sent to regional offices about the plans:
“As GSA has worked to align with the current administration, we have received direction that all GSA-owned charging stations are not mission-critical.”
The GSA is working on the timing of canceling current network contracts that keep the EV chargers operational. Once those contracts are canceled, the stations will be taken out of service and “turned off at the breaker,” the email reads. Other chargers will be turned off starting next week.
“Neither Government Owned Vehicles nor Privately Owned Vehicles will be able to charge at these charging stations once they’re out of service.”
Colorado Public Radio first reported yesterday that it had seen the email that was sent to the Denver Federal Center, which has 22 EV charging stations at 11 locations.
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The Trump/Elon Musk administration has taken the GSA’s fleet electrification webpage offline entirely. (An archived version is available here.)
The Verge‘s source also said that the GSA will offload the EVs it bought during the Biden administration, although it’s unknown whether they’ll be sold or stored.
Read more: Trump just canceled the federal NEVI EV charger program
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Author Michelle Lewis
#Trump #shut #charging #ports #federal #govt #buildings
Saudi energy firm Aramco and mining and metals company Ma’aden have signed an agreement to form a joint venture in Saudi Arabia to potentially start lithium production by 2027.
The proposed JV aims to extract lithium from high-concentration deposits and advance direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies to help meet growing demand domestically and globally. Lithium demand in Saudi Arabia alone is expected to grow twenty-fold between 2024 and 2030, supporting an estimated 500,000 EV batteries and 110 GW of renewables, Aramco stated.
As part of its operations, Aramco has identified several areas with a high lithium concentration of up to 400 parts per million.
Nasir K. Al-Naimi, Upstream President
“The proposed JV will enable extraction of energy transition minerals,” said Nasir K. Al-Naimi, Aramco Upstream President. “We expect that this partnership will leverage the world’s leading upstream enterprise to apply significant low-cost advantages, industry experience, technological innovation, accumulated subsurface knowledge and an integrated supply chain ecosystem, with a view to meeting the Kingdom and potentially the world’s projected lithium demand.”
On Thursday, Faraday Future provided a status update on its FX sub-brand, which was announced in September 2024 and further detailed at CES 2025 in January.
The company once again reaffirmed plans for an affordable EV called the FX 5 that will cost between $20,000 and $30,000 and a larger model called the FX 6 priced between $30,000 and $50,000.
Faraday Future FX 6 prototype
On Thursday, Faraday Future released images of two FX 6 prototypes that are said to be on their way to U.S. customs as part of a journey to the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles.
As first outlined in an investor presentation, the pair will be offered with fully electric and gasoline extended-range powertrains, Faraday says. The company has also said it’s taking an asset-light approach to the FX sub-brand—similar to the now-defunct Fisker.
Faraday Future FX Super One prototype
At CES, Faraday also confirmed plans for a third FX model, a minivan called the Super One. The automaker said this model is intended to “cater to both leaders and visionary groups, represented by celebrities, stars, and high-profile business professionals.” That’s a somewhat different demographic than the mass-market FX 5 and FX 6, then, but overlapping with Faraday’s only current product—the $309,000 FF 91 electric SUV.
Faraday Future FX 6 prototype
Faraday has shown camouflaged prototypes of the FX 6 and Super One in press materials. The FX 6 appears to be a crossover, while the Super One has a typical minivan profile. Should the Super One reach production, it could serve as a more upscale alternative to the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, which we recently named Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2025.
Faraday said it is currently conducting testing for U.S. regulator homologation, and it aims to stage a full reveal of the Super One in the second quarter of this year. It also hopes to start pre-production of at least one new model by the end of the year, pending acquisition of necessary funding. The company says it’s secured $60 million in new commitments since September 2024, but that’s still just a drop in the bucket when it comes to launching a new vehicle.
Scaling up production to mass-market levels could also prove challenging for Faraday, which has struggled to get even its low-volume flagship FF 91 to customers and appears to have delivered less than 20 vehicles over its nearly 11-year existence. The FF 91 was first shown in production-bound prototype form at CES 2017, but the first customer example wasn’t delivered until August 2023. Lower-cost FF71 and FF81 models were later in the product pipeline but never arrived.
Source link by Green Car Reports
Author news@greencarreports.com (Stephen Edelstein)
#Faraday #Future #aims #mainstream #masses
The electric vehicle (EV) conversation typically revolves around passenger cars, but the need for electrification goes much further. Manufacturers are responsible for a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and the trucks their supply chains rely on are a bigger factor. A truly sustainable future is only possible if long-haul trucks can switch to electric powertrains.
Unfortunately, heavy-duty vehicles face unique challenges when it comes to electrification. At the same time, a green transport transition would benefit the manufacturing sector in several ways. It’s important to recognize both sides of the issue to create a roadmap for the future of sustainable freight.
Benefits of EVs in Manufacturing Transportation
Trucks contribute disproportionately
The most obvious advantage of fleet electrification is it would greatly improve overall emissions. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks account for 23% of all transportation emissions, making them the second largest contributor, behind light-duty trucks like pickups and SUVs.
These larger vehicles’ relative portion of the emissions pie may rise in the future, too. As more consumers switch to EVs and logistics activity increases in response to higher demand, large trucks’ portion of the whole will grow.
Manufacturers also would experience long-term economic benefits from sustainable freight. While electrification entails high upfront costs, it reduces fuel expenditures, which account for a significant amount of fleets’ ongoing expenses. Electricity is not free, but it’s generally less volatile than diesel prices and opens the door to on-site generation.
Similarly, EVs require less maintenance than combustion engines. Consequently, manufacturers could save costs and improve vehicle uptime by switching to electric alternatives for their fleet.
There are health factors to consider, too. Air pollution contributes to more than 7 million premature deaths worldwide annually, and vehicles are a major cause of low air quality. An industry-wide shift to EVs would improve the cleanliness of the air in some regions, letting manufacturers take part in global health progress.
Recent Advances in EV Trucks
Long-haul EV trucks have yet to catch up to consumer-grade electric cars. However, several companies have made significant strides in the development of these solutions Soithin the past few years.
Some freight carriers are shifting to EVs
Volvo recently unveiled an electric truck that can travel 600 kilometers (372 miles) before recharging, with plans to sell it in the second half of 2025. While that is still far below what most diesel alternatives can achieve before refueling, it’s an impressive benchmark for EVs. It’s also more than enough to handle last-mile deliveries, middle-mile freight and other short routes, giving manufacturers a starting point for electrification.
Some freight carriers have already begun the shift to EVs. German logistics provider DHL deployed a fleet of electric trucks in 2024. The Mercedes-Benz-manufactured vehicles have a 220-kilometer range (136 miles) and a maximum weight of 19 metric tons (40,000 pounds). Like the Volvo solution, they’re not ideal for the longest deliveries, but are sufficient for last-mile shipping.
Tesla, Volkswagen, Freightliner and others are all working on long-haul EVs, too. As more of these companies come out with electric models, the increasingly diverse market will give manufacturers a wider array of options. Adoption will become more accessible as that happens.
Remaining Obstacles to Long-Haul EV Trucks
Despite these positive trends, there are still some significant roadblocks to sustainable freight. Initial vehicle costs and limited ranges are among the most prominent.
Semi-trucks often travel several hundred miles per day. Even if this means an EV must only recharge once daily, long charging times can significantly delay delivery. For EVs to become practical in most situations, ranges must increase or recharge times decrease.
EVs are also expensive, especially on such a large scale. While government incentive programs can help, recent administration trends may make these EV-promoting breaks less common or impactful. There’s still a long-term economic argument for EV’s lower operating costs, but the initial investment remains a substantial barrier.
A widespread lack of charging infrastructure presents another challenge. There are over 192,000 public charging ports across the U.S., but most are in or near large metropolitan areas and designed for light-duty vehicles. Fast chargers are even less common. While this affects consumer adoption, too, it’s a more prevalent issue for long-haul trucks, which must frequently travel through less populated regions.
How Can Sustainable Freight Move Forward?
The current barriers facing sustainable freight are imposing, but progress is possible. Pushing for government efforts to increase charging infrastructure or offer electrification incentives may be difficult in today’s climate, but technological and strategic improvements are achievable.
Adding solar panels to long-haul electric trucks could resolve some range anxiety. Current consumer models can add another 6.4 miles by incorporating rooftop solar. Applying similar systems to truck trailers — which offer more surface area for greater charging capacity — could boost ranges as battery technology advances.
Hydrogen is another zero-emission option for trucks
Looking beyond battery-electric options may be necessary. Hydrogen fuel cells are a promising alternative, as they’re even more efficient than combustion engines. A lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure and high truck purchase costs stand in the way, but funding research and development in this area could make long-haul zero-emissions routes more attainable.
Industry-wide, dramatic changes will require additional technological advancement. Manufacturers could begin by electrifying last-mile deliveries in the meantime to reduce their emissions before technology can enable longer-travelling EVs. This slower approach may ease the cost burden, too.
EV Manufacturing Trucks Are a Lofty but Important Goal
The future of sustainable freight is uncertain, but greener manufacturing supply chains are certainly possible. It will take investment and widespread collaboration, but effort from enough parties could make zero-emissions long-haul trucks a reality. The transition will not be easy, but it’s vital for the climate, public health and organizational strength.
The post Sustainable Freight: The Future of Long-Haul EV Trucks first appeared on Clean Fleet Report.
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Author Jane Marsh
#Sustainable #Freight #Future #LongHaul #Trucks
Japan reportedly plans to try to convince Tesla to invest in Nissan after the merger with Honda fell through.
Do you think it makes sense?
Shortly after being announced, Nissan and Honda’s planned merger quickly fell apart earlier this month.
The problem appears to be that Nissan expected a merger while Honda was looking for a takeover of its fellow Japanese automaker.
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Now, it looks like Nissan has exhausted its potential lifelines in Japan and it is starting to explore potential partners outside of the country.
The Financial Times has revealed that a group has been put together to approach Tesla for a potential investment in Nissan:
A high-level Japanese group that includes a former prime minister has drawn up plans for Elon Musk’s Tesla to invest in the struggling carmaker Nissan, following the collapse of its merger talks with rival Honda.
The group includes Hiro Mizuno, a former Tesla board member, and ex-premier Yoshihide Suga.
FT’s report claims that the group believes Tesla is interested in buying Nissan’s factories in the US:
The group is hopeful Tesla will become a strategic investor since they believe the world’s largest pure electric-vehicle maker is keen to acquire Nissan’s plants in the US, according to the people. The factories would help it boost domestic manufacturing in response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Tesla has greatly slowed down its plans for new car factories over the last few years as sales have gone down and its current factories are not operating at full capacity.
Electrek’s Take
At this time, it’s unclear if this report should be taken seriously. Japan seems to be panicking a bit because it doesn’t want Nissan to fall into the ends of China as Foxconn has shown interest in taking a stake.
Tesla doesn’t need Nissan’s factories and it has made clear that it prefers to build its own than take over existing factory since its takeover of Fremon factory from Toyota and GM, and that was back in 2010.
I am sure Tesla will hear them out since Mizuno is involved, but I doubt this will go much further than that.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Unger pointed out that consumers don’t change home heating appliances as frequently as cars, a nod to the recent growth of electric vehicle sales. Contractors are also apt to move cautiously because they want to be sure that a technology will work for their business model before committing to it.
A medley of factors are causing heat pump sales to grow, according to experts Canary Media spoke to. Firstly, consumers and contractors are gaining more familiarity with the tech and having better experiences, Unger said.
Advances in heat pump technology have made it well-suited to some of the coldest climes in the U.S. Just look to Maine; heat pumps proved so popular there that the wintry state blew past its 2025 installation goal two years ahead of schedule. Certain heat pump models can work well below –22 degrees Fahrenheit. And the tech’s performance keeps getting better.
Plus, many states and local jurisdictions are pushing hard for heat pumps.
In 2023, 25 governors signed on to install 20 million of the clean heating machines by 2030. Last year, nine states — California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island — raised the stakes by pledging that heat pumps will make up at least 65% of residential heating and cooling equipment sales by the end of the decade. California’s new energy code also encourages builders to install heat pumps instead of gas heating. And the San Francisco Bay Area will make heat pumps the de facto choice when it bars new gas furnaces starting in 2029.
Federal and local incentives are also helping people afford heat pumps. Installation costs for these systems are on average $17,000 to $30,000, depending on many factors including local climate and home insulation, per Rewiring America.
The Inflation Reduction Act, the most ambitious climate legislation in history, gave Americans state-distributed home energy rebates of up to $8,000 as well as a $2,000 federal tax credit to defray the costs of getting a heat pump. But how long these incentives might last under the Trump administration is an open question.
Thanks to steady growth in heat pump sales thus far, the U.S. is now among the top countries quickly transitioning from oil and gas heating to heat pumps, said Kevin Carbonnier, building technology market expert at the nonprofit Building Decarbonization Coalition.
What will it take to drive heat pump sales even higher in the U.S.? Stakeholders need to educate consumers and provide resources to make switching as easy and compelling as possible, said Wael Kanj, senior research associate at Rewiring America. Seeing the most recent data, “We know that we’re moving in the right direction.”
