Can the green economy be stopped?
Dates to remember
- Mobility Speed Chats: digital networking event on Oct. 7. Sign up for a chance to win a free CoMotion LA ‘25 Ticket.
- CoMotion is moderating the ‘Belgium-California Dialogue on Smart & Sustainable Cities’ panel at the Smart & Resilient Cities Forum on Oct. 9 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
- CoMotion INNOVATORS application window closes on Oct. 15. Apply Now!
- CoMotion LA Salon at LA Tech Week: ‘The Future of Mobility UX’ on Oct 15 to discuss the future of the mobility experience and LA's unique opportunities. Co-hosted by CoMotion and BMW Designworks.
- CoMotion LA ‘25 & CoMotion GLOBAL: Early Bird sale ends on Oct 20 at midnight. Register now and save 30%.
Welcome to CoMotion NEWS, your weekly roundup of news and analysis of the mobility revolution. If this email was forwarded, you can sign up here for NEWS.
The past week was full of reminders that elections have consequences. Not only did the Trump administration yank $7.6 billion from clean energy projects, including more than $2 billion from California’s green hydrogen hub, but it instructed employees at the Department of Energy to stop using terms like “climate change” and “emissions.”
And yet, there are strong signs that the green economy will endure despite political resistance in Washington D.C. Even red states are racing to get their share of the $5 billion for EV chargers that the administration unsuccessfully sought to kill and EV sales skyrocketed in the weeks before the end of the EV tax credit killed by the Big Beautiful Bill. And the private sector is going to continue to invest in renewable energy no matter who is president.
In other news: Paris authorizes thousands of dockless e-bikes, Einride raises big bucks for autonomous trucking, DoorDash unveils a new delivery robot, Portland offers big subsidies for e-bikes, Uber and Lyft drivers win the right to unionize in California and what’s up with this epidemic of golf cart injuries among American boys?
What you need to know
EV sales surge before tax credit expires: The expiration of the U.S.’s $7,500 EV tax credit prompted a mad dash for EVs in Q3. The surge in EV buyers pulled Tesla out of its Trump-era slump: sales shot up 29% over the previous quarter and 7% over Q3 last year. But the boost to other EV brands was even more dramatic. GM, Hyundai and VW all reported that sales of their EV brands more than doubled in Q3. So what happens now that the tax credit is gone? We’ll see in three months…
Trump admin cancels billions of green projects in blue states: The Department of Energy cancels $7.6 billion of green energy projects, mostly aimed at projects in states that voted for Kamala Harris. The biggest loser was California’s hydrogen hub, which Gov. Gavin Newsom had a whopping $1.2 billion revoked.
TechCrunch reports there were some red state projects canceled, but the administration is hardly trying to dissuade the public from concluding that blue states are the target. For instance, in a tweet celebrating the end of the “Green New Scam,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought only highlighted 16 blue states.
…and deletes climate change: “Climate change” is one of the many “words to avoid,” according to a directive from a top official at the Department of Energy. Other verboten verbiage includes “green,” “sustainable,” “carbon footprint” and even “emissions,” since if you don’t consider greenhouse gas emissions a problem, there’s really no reason to mention them.
How the Port of Long Beach Beat Pollution
In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Dr. Noel Hacegaba, COO of the Port of Long Beach, and Heather Tomley, Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs for the Port of Long Beach, to discuss how a system as complicated as one of America’s largest ports has managed to effectively stop most port-related pollution, and how it plans to go even further.
One green program that’s still running: Several months after a federal court struck down the Trump administration’s attempt to kill the program, a Politico analysis finds that more than 40 states are vying for a slice of the $5 billion fund for charging infrastructure put in place by the Biden administration.
Paris rolls out thousands of dockless e-bikes: Two and a half years after Parisians voted to ban scooter rentals, the city launches an e-bike rental program that will allow Dott, Voi and Lime to each deploy between 3,000-6,000 e-bikes. These bikes will be dockless; it is up to the operators to make sure that their equipment isn’t being strewn across sidewalks or roads. Otherwise, even the increasingly bike-loving Parisians might revolt.
…and Portland starts paying for them: Portland kicks off a program offering steep e-bike rebates for those below 60% of the area median income. In the first few months, only students at Portland Community College are eligible, but starting in the spring any low-income resident will be eligible for a $1,600 rebate for an e-bike and up to $300 to purchase accessories, such as helmets and lights.
‘Unlock the New Mobility Playbook’ at CoMotion LA ‘25 on Nov. 12-13 and attend two days of stellar programming, engaging panels, workshops, demos, networking, energizing talks and after-hours gatherings, including:
• Public Sector Pitches Breakfast — hear from public sector innovators, about their agencies and cities’ pain points.
• Spanish Lunch — where you’ll get to meet with Spain’s top companies in infrastructure, mobility, and public safety.
• LA New Mobility Challenge — spotlighting some of the best and brightest startups making mobility more sustainable, multimodal and equitable. (There’s still time to apply!)
• OMF Summit Track — to discuss what’s next in digital infrastructure, walking tour of DTLA, and evening reception to spark ideas and build relationships.
• Keynotes from LA Metro, Port of Long Beach, PaybyPhone, Think Watts Foundation, and more.
Einride raises big bucks: Einride, the Swedish startup that develops autonomous software for long-haul trucks, raises $100 million in a new round, pushing its valuation to $1 billion. Check out the interview we did with Einride General Manager, Henrik Green back in Feb.
Philly’s transit woes continue: Shortly after raiding its capital budget to prevent massive service cuts, Philadelphia’s transit agency experiences its fifth train fire this year. In addition to demanding increased safety training, the Federal Railroad Administration suggested that the agency could make things a lot safer by replacing its oldest-in-the-nation rolling stock. But without a permanent solution to its funding crisis, that’s a very tall order.
DoorDash unveils robot for the burbs: America’s leading food delivery service unveils Dot, the food delivery robot it has spent seven years developing. The company decided to build its own robot, which can travel on streets and get up to 20 mph, after judging that some of the existing delivery bots that have proliferated on college campuses won’t work well in low-density suburban environments, where the company makes much of its money. Investors don’t appear optimistic about the technology: shares of DoorDash dipped slightly on the news.
Beware the golf cart: For all the hand-wringing about the dangers of e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s been precious little ink spilt over the threat posed by what may be America’s oldest and most popular form of microtransit: golf carts. They have become common forms of transportation in many suburban areas and retirement communities and, according to research published by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, they are linked to about 3,800 injuries in the U.S. every year. The at-risk demographic is quite specific: 90% of the injured are boys.
Uber & Lyft drivers can unionize: Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a law allowing over 800,000 Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize and engage in collective bargaining while still being classified as independent contractors. The measure was able to pass without opposition from ride-hail operators in part because Newsom and the legislature also agreed to pass a new law lowering their insurance requirements, a change that Lyft CEO David Risher said would save the company $200 million a year.
What does the future of LA mobility look like, where are the opportunities, and what barriers are in our way?
Join stakeholders from both the public and private sector to listen about and discuss the future of the mobility experience and LA's unique opportunities. Co-hosted by CoMotion and BMW Designworks, this conversation will touch upon autonomy, connectivity, urban planning, and digitization.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem.
ICYMI
Welcome to CoMotion 2.0! Our refreshed branding and website reflect our future-forward CoMotion community. Take a look.
What we’re reading
The state of charging in America: It is no longer so daunting to make a road trip across rural America in an EV. The New York Times has some very interesting maps showing the dramatic uptick in chargers over the past few years. The charging deserts are now becoming the exception to the rule.
Careers
Program Intern
We are seeking a proactive Program Intern to join our dynamic team. This is an exciting opportunity to take an active role in advancing the development of an ambitious, international portfolio of events and to interact with some of the foremost global leaders in the field of new mobility.
