The American Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced it has given c$1.5bn in funding to 117 projects, that support decarbonizing and modernizing the bus sector. This funding stems from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and these 117 projects will be across 47 states. Furthermore, 80% of the (new) buses being funded will be run on zero-emission technology. For example, the Sacramento Regional Transportation District is receiving $76.8m to buy (up to) 29 new hydrogen fuel cell buses, associated infrastructure, and a workforce development program.
Toyota has announced it has invested in IONNA to help it build and roll out its high-powered EV charging network across North America. This will allow Toyota and Lexus (owned by Toyota) EV owners to have access to the public network of IONNA DC fast chargers, which are scheduled to begin deploying later this year. IONNA has set itself a target of installing at least 30,000 charging ports by 2030 in North America.
Audi and bp have announced they have entered into a strategic partnership for Audi’s 2026 F1 entry. Consequently, bp will be able to develop an advanced sustainable fuel, while Castrol (a bp subsidiary) will create lubricants and EV fluids for Audi’s F1 power unit. This partnership should not be a total surprise, as bp and Audi have been co-engineering bp fuels and lubricants for nearly 2 years to optimize the Audi F1 Power Unit’s performance. Audi seems to be positioning themselves well, as the FIA has stated from 2026, F1 teams must develop advanced sustainable fuel that requires a minimum 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil-derived petrol.
Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, has unveiled the most powerful Scottish EV charging hub in Dundee. This hub was installed by SSE and has 24 ultra-rapid charging bays with a total capacity of almost two and a half megawatts, this equates to 68,311 gallons of petrol. 8 of these bays will be powered charge units of up to 360 kilowatts, which can deliver up to 60 miles of range in just 3 mere minutes. The remaining 16 bays will feature 150-kilowatt charge units, sufficient to deliver just under 8 miles of range per minute. The government hopes this will inspire further private investment as it wants to install 6,000 chargers by 2026 and plans to have 24,000 charge points by 2030.
VinFast has announced it has begun production on its new EV plant in Subang, Indonesia. VinFast has so far invested $200m in this assembly plant, which will have an annual capacity of 50,000 and is pencilled in to become operational in Q4 25. This facility will focus on producing right-hand drive versions of its e-SUV models, such as the VF 3, VF 5, VF 6, and VF 7 for the Indonesian market. VinFast clearly has identified Indonesia as a key market where its EVs have gained good market share, and this plant underlines its ambition (and commitment) in the region.
Blue Bird, an American bus manufacturer, has announced it has been awarded an $80m grant by the US Department of Energy (DOE). This grant stems from its Domestic Automotive Manufacturing Conversion Grants program administered by the DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC). The goal of this program is to help modernize existing infrastructure, create(/retain) jobs, and boost domestic supply chains. Blue Bird will use this DOE grant to expand and enhance its EV manufacturing capabilities and develop its workforce. It will use a significant portion of this grant to convert its diesel-powered Fort Valley manufacturing facility into a state-of-the-art EV facility. This will result in the bus OEM being able to increase production on its iconic type-D electric school bus.
PowerCo, Volkswagen’s battery unit, has struck an agreement with QuantumScape to mass-produce solid-state batteries. VW paid $130m for the technology loyalties for its solid-state batteries. It is important to highlight that the current battery of choice for EVs is lithium-ion batteries. Solid-state batteries, in theory, give EVs longer and faster charging times (vs lithium batteries) however the roadmap to commercialization has been unclear. This is a big bet by VW on the battery technology, but it owns 17% of QuantumScape.
Smartville has announced it is partnering with the US Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) for a $10m, 5-year Long-Duration Energy Storage Demonstrations Program’s Second-Life Smart Systems project. Essentially, this project is looking into repurposing EV batteries to enhance grid resilience, support EV charging and promote clean technologies. Smartville is focusing on creating affordable and sustainable energy storage.
Deals
Hayden AI, a Californian-based AI solution provider for smart cities, has raised $90m in a Series C funding round led by The Rise Fund. This startup provides an AI platform that focuses on utilizing geospatial data collection sensor systems to create an urban operating system. This results in cities gaining insights and situational awareness to improve sustainability, traffic safety, and accessibility. For example, Washington’s Metro uses it to detect and enforce parking and moving violations that obstruct public transportation and road safety. The capital raised will be used to speed up its R&D and fuel its growth.
44.01, a carbon sequestration technology startup, has announced it has raised $37m in a Series A funding round. This round was led by Equinor Ventures and Shorooq Partners, with Air Liquide Venture Capital, Alumni Ventures, Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Climate Investment, Innovation Development Oman, Planet A Ventures, Salica Oryx Fund, Siemens Financial Services, Sumitomo Corporation, also participating. This interesting startup aims to eliminate carbon dioxide captured from the air or hard-to-abate industrial processes by turning it into rock. It then intends to take the captured carbon dioxide and dissolve it in water, thus creating an acidic solution that mobilizes cations within rock that react with the carbon dioxide and mineralizes it.