While Tesla sees its sales shrink and cedes its status as the world’s biggest EV-maker to China’s BYD, the global EV market as a whole is growing apace. This year, more than one-quarter of vehicles sold worldwide will be full EVs or plug-in hybrids, which have big, chargeable batteries, per a new International Energy Agency report.
China is by far the biggest EV market in the world. Over 11 million EVs and plug-ins were sold there last year — more than were sold worldwide in 2022. Almost half of all cars sold in the country were electric in 2024. Europe is the next-biggest market, though sales are stagnating in the region. Stateside, the IEA expects modest growth, but that outlook is clouded by the propensity of the Trump administration and Republicans to introduce extreme new measures that could tank EV sales.
Maine keeps innovating on heat pumps
The persistent myth that heat pumps don’t work in the cold has met its match: Maine. In 2023, the very cold state not only reached its heat-pump installation goal ahead of time — it doubled down on more heat-pump adoption.
Now, Canary Media’s Sarah Shemkus reports that the clean-heat technology is central to the state’s plan to lower electricity bills for its residents — even those who aren’t planning to get a heat pump themselves. The idea is to install as many heat pumps as possible in order to save households money on heating costs and also suppress statewide power rates, which could lead to an estimated $490 million in savings on electricity rates alone over the long term.
Clean energy news to know this week
Trade war relief… for now: China and the U.S. agree to significantly reduce tariffs on one another for 90 days, easing a tense trade war that has already driven up costs for domestic manufacturers of batteries, solar panels, EVs, and other cleantech and which has cast deep uncertainty over the entire economy. (CNBC)
Batteries still face a tough road: Domestic battery manufacturing and deployments have been growing fast — but Trump’s trade wars and uncertainty around clean-energy tax credits threaten to derail progress. (Canary Media)
Fighting for IRA: A dozen House Republicans come out against this week’s budget proposal that would effectively repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, pushing for revisions to its “foreign entity of concern” and eligibility provisions as well as the preservation of tax-credit transferability. (E&E News)
Here comes the sun: The solar industry prepares a lobbying blitz following the House GOP budget proposal that would gut clean energy incentives, the sector’s latest attempt to preserve the tax credits that have helped solar installations grow rapidly. (Latitude Media)
What emergency? 15 states sue the Trump administration over its executive order declaring an“energy emergency,” arguing that no such crisis exists and that the declaration is encouraging federal agencies to unlawfully skip over proper environmental protections. (New York Times)
Empire Wind wobbles: Equinor says it will abandon its Empire Wind offshore wind project off the coast of New York if the Trump administration doesn’t lift its stop-work order. (E&E News)
Finding the words: At a recent offshore wind industry conference, speakers had lots of advice on how to make the case for President Trump’s least favorite form of energy to Republicans. (Canary Media)
The right direction: A new analysis finds that despite China’s growing power demand, the nation’s emissions have declined by 1% over the last 12 months compared with the year prior, the result of surging clean energy construction. (Carbon Brief)
