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We are only a few days into a new Trump administrationand it is already a firehose of executive orders, declarations and even pardons. A few have crossed over into the world of “the future of transportation.”
Now, let’s first be clear about the decrees. Regardless of who is president, executive orders can be political theater and often conflict directly with constitutional law. But they can be useful signals in the priorities of the person sitting in the Oval Office.
For President Trump, it’s clear that he’s not a fan of electric vehicle incentives – of any kind.
Among aspects of the executive orders he signed on the first day of his second term, Trump ordered all agencies to immediately suspend the disbursement of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act . He specifically called out funding for EV charging infrastructure from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program and the Charging and Power Infrastructure Grant Program. It’s worth noting that Tesla – led by Trump ally Elon Musk – has benefited from these programs.
We will monitor – and report on – how this plays out and which businesses are most at risk.
Oh, Canoe! What you could have been. Canoo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased all operations. We will follow this as it tightens through the bankruptcy court.
Here are some details you may not know: A few months before Canoo made Kaput, the company closed its former headquarters in Los Angeles. A few little birds told us that in the months leading up to the review, several employees moved from California to the company’s offices in Oklahoma and Texas – leaving them jobless in a new location.
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Talk about locking in a deal at the 11th hour.
Rivian and the Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a $6.6 billion loan announced in November just days before Trump’s inauguration. The company will use the loan to help expand its planned factory in Georgia, east of Atlanta, with construction beginning in 2026. The first R2 SUVs are expected to roll off the line in 2028.
The loan comes from the Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program, part of DOE’s Office of Loan Programs. ATVM is best known as the program that gave Tesla a $465 million lifeline in 2009.
Other offers that caught my eye…
ATI Motorsan Indian autonomous robotics startup, has raised $20 million in an all-equity Series B funding round co-led by Walden Catalyst Ventures and NGP Capital. It also featured existing investors including True Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, Athéra Venture Partners and Blume Ventures.
Lytefloa Canadian EV software sales startup, raised $3 million in diagram-led seed funding. Whitecap Venture Partners and Amplify Capital also participated.
Metafuelsa Swiss aviation fuel startup, raised $9 million in a round led by Celsius Industries. Other new investors include Rockcreek, Fortescue Ventures and Verve Ventures, along with existing energy impact partners and contrarian companies.
moment energyan EV battery reuse startup, raised $15 million in a Series A Round co-led by Amazon Climate Gled Fund and Voyager Ventures. IN-Q-TEL (IQT), Version One Ventures, Overture Ventures, Wovenerth Ventures, Fika Ventures, MCJ, One Small Planet and Climate Capital also participated.
Netradynewhich provides fleet owners with AI-enabled dash cams that collect vehicle data and video to improve driver safety, raised $90 million in a Series D at a pre-monyer valuation of 1 .35 billion dollars. The round was led by Point72 Private Investments with participation from Qualcomm Ventures and Pavilion Capital.
Voltpostthe LAX EV Charging Company, secured $2.6 million in grants from the U.S. Joint Energy Office and Communities Supporting Accelerator to deploy 75 chargers in the tri-state area – New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
THE National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationThe Office of Defects investigation has “enhanced” its investigation into FordHands-free advanced driver system known as Bluecruise – a step required before a recall can be issued.
TORC Roboticsthe independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, is closing its original testing location in Albuquerque and Tech Hub in Stuttgart while expanding elsewhere. The company is building an autonomous truck center in the Dallas-Forth area, specifically in the Hillwood Alliancetexas development. The company said the Texas location would be a hub for autonomous testing, customer cargo pilots and future commercialization planned for 2027.
Ubcothe electric motorcycle startup based in New Zealand, entered the session. The startup, which recently signed a deal with Australia Post to supply a new fleet of customized electric motorcycles, has ceased all operations due to a lack of available funding.
THE Federal Trade Commission issued a proposed order prohibiting GM – and its subscription-based vehicle safety and security system known as Onstar – from selling that data to consumer reporting agencies for five years. The proposed order stems from allegations that GM collected, used and sold precise geolocation data and driving behavior information on millions of vehicles without adequately notifying consumers and obtaining their consent.
Two security researchers (hackers) found a way to unblock, remotely start and track millions of Subarus. The Japanese automaker has since fixed the vulnerabilities.
Ok, space isn’t really transportation. But I will occasionally include space stories of note as there is some overlap with industries. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration had to “briefly” slow down and divert a number of planes in the airspace near Puerto Rico, where debris was seen falling after the SpaceX craft exploded during a test flight last Thursday.
Meanwhile, in other air-related matters, Amazon Cry test interrupted on its delivery drones following an accident involving two of its models.
While I was running around Las Vegas during CES 2025, I spotted a post on Lucid’s social media. The electric vehicle maker was in Vegas offering rides in its brand new Lucid Gravity SUV.
I spent about an hour with the Lucid Gravity SUV, which just happened last month. I have a longer review coming in the next few days, but here’s a preview: Lucid nails it inside. It’s spacious, it’s luxurious, and it has lots of details that reflect Lucid’s progression. It seems the company is maturing.
Here is another curious impression. When I stood outside the vehicle, it didn’t feel or look like an SUV. He didn’t feel big. And yet, as soon as I climbed inside this third-row EV, the space was hard to ignore. More to come!
What is “This Week’s Wheels”? It’s a chance to discover the different transportation products we’re testing, whether it’s an electric or hybrid car, an electric bike, or even driving in an autonomous vehicle.
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