California seems eager to reassert itself, not only as one of the largest economies in the world, but one where EVs will continue to thrive.
Governor Gavin Newsom has announced California will seek to revive state-tax rebates for electric vehicles should the incoming Trump administration carry out its plans to end the existing $7,500 federal incentive on EVs.
“Consumers continue to prove the skeptics wrong – zero-emission vehicles are here to stay,” Newsom said in a statement. “We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California.”
The governor’s office added that the state’s EV incentive would likely exclude Tesla, and some other automakers, in order to promote market competition and innovation in the state, according to reports.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close advisor to president-elect Donald Trump, has given his blessings to ending federal incentives for EVs, saying the move would probably be ‘devastating’ to Tesla competitors, while only impacting his company slightly.
Musk, tweeting on X, the social-media platform he owns, said California’s plan to exclude his company from EV rebates was ‘insane’.
California, the largest economy in the U.S. and the fifth-largest in the world, recently surpassed the 2 million mark for sales of electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen-powered vehicles sold across the state.
Many analysts predict ending federal incentives would lead sales of EVs to slump in the U.S., with some expecting this would lead to an immediate drop of 27% in demand for EVs.
The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a trade group with members including the likes of Tesla, Waymo, Rivian, and Uber, has also come out in support of keeping federal incentives for both the production and sale of EVs.
The incentives have helped domestic manufacturers of EVs and their components, such as batteries, boost job opportunities across the U.S., including in many Republican-dominated states such as Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Georgia, the group says.
Eaton, Treehouse to boost home capacity for EV charging, energy storage
Power-management firm Eaton likes to point out that when it launched in 1911, it invested in a new idea -- the very first gear-driven truck axle -- just at a time when both transportation and power management were on the cusp of dramatic change.
More than 113 years later, Eaton is again seeking to lead innovation in the current energy transition.
The power-management firm just signed a deal with Treehouse, an AI, software-enabled installation platform for electrification projects. The end goal: accelerating the electrification of homes for electric-vehicle (EV) charging, energy storage, or heat pumps, while seeking more efficiency and cost savings.
“At Eaton, we’re all-in on the energy transition and we’re making it happen at scale by delivering breakout technologies and industry collaborations needed to delight customers and make it more accessible and affordable,” says Paul Ryan, general manager of Connected Solutions and EV Charging at Eaton.
The partnership will ensure consumers are provided with accurate and fast pricing, as well as access to licensed electricians to deliver code-compliant installations, the companies say.
The collaboration also integrates into Eaton’s “Home as a Grid” approach, which supports the two-way flow of electricity, enabling homeowners to produce and consume renewable energy when they need it, Eaton says.
“For more than a century, power has flowed in one direction—from centralized power plants into homes,” the company says. “Today, there’s a new reality thanks to solar, electric-vehicle charging, energy storage, digitalization, and more.”
Projects to change homes and EVs into energy hubs have multiplied recently.
Last month, Nissan joined ChargeScape, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) venture that is already backed by BMW, Ford, and Honda. ChargeScape’s software wirelessly connects EVs to power grids and utility companies, enabling consumers to receive financial incentives for temporarily pausing charging during periods of high demand. Eventually, consumers should also be able to sell the energy stored in their EVs’ battery back to the power grid.
In August, GM announced that V2G technology will become standard in all its model year 2026 models. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could introduce V2G technology for its vehicles in 2025.
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Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and EVs offer big incentives as year nears its end
It’s no secret that automakers and dealerships typically climb over each other to offer the best incentives before the year ends. But this year’s sales season is expected to be particularly competitive, with slowing sales translating to greater urgency to clear inventory.
According to research from Kelley Blue Book, the respected vehicle-valuation firm, overall incentives on new vehicle sales were up by 60% in October compared to the previous year.
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Jeep, Ram EREVs will get 690-mile range with new Stellantis platform
Stellantis, the giant automotive group, is betting big on extending the range of both its hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs).
Last month, the company, which owns the Jeep, Dodge, and Ram brands in the U.S., invested nearly $30 million into an advanced wind tunnel at its research center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The goal is to study airflow around a vehicle’s wheels and tires to further optimize its EVs and boost their range.
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