As AI Energy Demands Grow, Improved Power Electronics Will Be Needed As AI becomes integrated into daily processes and data centers are built...
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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) proposed an emergency action to continue enforcing engine emissions regulations because it says federal government efforts to undo them could result in the sale of vehicles that are not certified to any standard.
As California’s lawsuit continues against the Trump administration, challenging the presidential executive order in January directing federal agencies to terminate state emissions waivers and a resulting revocation of those waivers through the Congressional Review Act (CRA) signed into law in June, CARB said it wants to provide regulatory certainty and flexibility to manufacturers. For school buses and trucks, manufacturers could meet the Omnibus Low-NOx regulation adopted in 2020 or the previous regulation that met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency levels set in 2010. The CRA this spring revoked three waivers, one of which allowed CARB to set a new level of 0.05 g/bhp-hr of NOx.
The public had five business days from Monday’s announcement to weigh in on CARB’s intent to enact its Emergency Vehicle Emissions Regulations by filing comments with the state’s Office of Administrative Law.
The emergency regulations do not address the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which the CRA also revoked an EPA waiver for.
“The amendments would confirm that, until a court resolves the uncertainty created by the federal government’s actions, certain antecedent regulations (displaced by Advanced Clean Cars II and Omnibus) remain operative (as previously adopted) with the caveat that CARB may enforce Advanced Clean Cars II and Omnibus, to the extent permitted by law, in the event a court of law holds invalid the resolution purporting to disapprove those waivers,” the proposal reads.
In other words, manufacturers would be able to continue certifying engines under either the earlier-adopted emissions standards or the more stringent standards.
CARB noted that most engine and vehicle manufacturers have already planned on or achieved compliance with the more stringent emissions requirements. But CARB also warned that manufacturers choosing to certify to previous emissions levels assume the risk of having engines out of compliance with regulations, should current legal cases brought against the Trump administration go in California’s favor.
Cummins spokeswoman Drew Blair told School Transportation News that it was premature to respond in detail to CARB’s proposal, as it was not final. But she added Cummins is following the issue closely.
“Cummins is focused on delivering products with the power and performance our customers need to get their jobs done, while also meeting emissions requirements,” she commented. “We also will continue to advocate for national standards to bring clarity to our business and customers and ensure efficient and affordable products are available to power their needs.”
Earlier this month, a group of vehicle manufacturers led by Daimler Truck North America, the parent company to Thomas Built Buses, filed a suit against CARB, claiming the agency would need to re-enact previous legislation before it could enforce earlier emissions regulations.
“In the event the vehicle manufacturer’s claims were deemed correct … then CARB must take immediate action to maintain a stable vehicle market in the state and prevent the sale of vehicles into the state that would not be certified to either set of standards …,” CARB writes. “… Otherwise, in light of these unprecedented circumstances, there may remain questions — for the first time since CARB’s program began decades ago — as to whether any California standard is in effect.”
A Daimler Truck spokesperson said Wednesday the company could not comment on CARB’s proposal.
International, the parent to IC Bus, signed onto the Daimler Truck lawsuit. An International spokesman declined comment because the litigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, CARB said Tuesday 23 percent of new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales in 2024 were zero emissions, more than double the minimum statewide requirement. The data is based on 30,026 zero-emission trucks, buses and vans reported to CARB by manufacturers. School buses are included in the reporting.
It was the fourth year in a row that ZEV sales increased. More than 57,000 ZEVs have been sold in California since 2021.
Related: California Doubles Down on Zero-Emission Vehicles with Renewed Affordability, Adoption Priorities
Related: Despite Federal Funding in Peril, California State Funding for EVs Continues
Related: CARB Uses $33M in Funding to Target Other Zero-Emissions School Travel
Related: NASDPTS Revises Illegal School Bus Passing Count After California Fixes Error
Related: California School Bus Driver Teaches Lessons of Compassion Through Music
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New research published by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Carleton University finds that the U.S. could see an estimated $1.6 billion in societal benefits every year by using electric school buses.
This first-of-its-kind data released Wednesday accounts for the cost of using diesel-burning school buses as compared to using electric school buses, measured by two metrics: Health impacts and climate effects. WRI stated that by “comparing these costs at the local level, the data provides annual societal benefit figures in dollar terms for every county in the contiguous U.S.”
People in every state would experience positive benefits from ESBs, the research suggests, but it would be most pronounced in countries operating the oldest-burning school buses, and in communities with higher proportions of people of color and in countries with larger populations and dense, urban areas.
Still, the research indicates New York, California, Florida and Texas are poised to benefit the most from ESBs. However, nearly every county nationwide stands to benefit by using electric school buses, with the study finding more than $509,000 in average annual benefits per county and some counties seeing more than $30 million in societal benefits each year. Annual benefits vary by county based on school bus fleet size, population density, electricity fuel type mix, and age of the current diesel fleet.
“For years, communities in New York have experienced outsized impacts of diesel pollution,” commented Matt Berlin, CEO of New York City School Bus Umbrella Services. “As this new data from WRI proves, school bus electrification makes sense for New Yorkers. Investing in electric school buses means making the bus ride for kids and bus attendants and drivers on the bus quieter and healthier. Beyond the bus itself, reducing pollution near schools and in the communities where we all live means we all enjoy these benefits.”
WRI stated that the research is among the first to “model and quantify the county-level health and climate impacts of using electric school buses instead of aging diesel-burning school buses.”
When looking at the the factors of population health and climate change, the research notes that about 90 percent of the nearly half-million school buses operating in the U.S. run on diesel fuel and the harmful pollutants in diesel can cause respiratory illness, cognitive impairment and cancer, as recognized by the World Health Organization.
ESBs, however, produce zero tailpipe emissions and have the lowest greenhouse gas footprint of any school bus type at the national level, even when accounting for emissions from the associated electricity generation, the research claims. It examines the effects of diesel-burning school buses in operation, as well as the production and distribution of the fuel used.
The health impacts of diesel-burning school buses were estimated by determining the excess mortality associated with exposure to PM2.5, despite federal regulations over the past 15 years that have reduced diesel emissions by approximately 90 percent. The impacts were calculated into dollar figures based on a sociological metric that reportedly looks at how much society is willing to pay for small reductions to the risk of dying from health conditions that may be caused by environmental pollution. The sociological metric is referred to as the Value of a Statistical Life.
Meanwhile, the climate impacts of diesel-burning school buses were measured by calculating the Social Cost of Carbon, an established metric for the societal damage from extreme heat, sea level rise, food insecurity and other impacts of climate change, from these buses’ carbon dioxide emissions. The study notes that because health impacts were measured only by excess mortality from PM2.5, there are likely more health benefits of electric school buses that aren’t captured in this data, including reduced exposure to ozone pollutants, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide (NOx) and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
Further Studies Needed
A technical note acknowledges several research limitations in addition to only studying excess mortality of PM2.5 and recommends additional environmental analysis and higher resolution modeling in urban areas. The study does not address environmental justice or equity benefits of ESBs and disparities in air pollution based on race, ethnicity or income, the latter which the researchers said could reveal additional ESB benefits for marginalized communities. The research also makes assumptions about brake and tire-wear emissions and relies on “not yet mature” ESB operational parameters and emissions based on data from 2020 that does not account for changes in fleet composition changes, vehicle standards and the electricity grid. Additionally, benefits per ton remain consistent between 2016 and 2020 and “may not fully capture changes in atmospheric composition or emissions.”
Once the costs of diesel school bus impacts were determined, the research calculated the same types of impacts for ESBs, including electricity generation, and compared them to that of diesel to provide a dollar figure from each county.
Brian Zepka, research manager for WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative said the research used a new modeling approach to trace air pollution back to its source, “allowing us to directly attribute which health impacts stem from diesel-burning school buses. While other approaches start with the air pollution source and estimate its impact, this approach, developed in peer-reviewed research funded by the Health Effects Institute, starts with the health impacts, like early deaths from air pollution, and traces that pollution back to its source—in this case, school buses.”
WRI noted the research “uses state-of-the-art models and county-level data to more specifically estimate where electric school buses would provide the most health and climate benefits through reduced emissions. It doesn’t look at the cost to own or operate different types of school buses, instead examining the impact on society from the use of the buses.”
Sue Gander, director of WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative, said the new research shows “undeniably” that ESBs give kids a cleaner ride to school.
“In every region of the country, North, South, East and West, communities stand to see real, significant benefits from the cleaner air and reduced emissions of electric school buses. And as this research demonstrates, everybody wins when kids get to school on a clean ride, to the tune of $1.6 billion dollars every year in health and climate benefits nationwide,” she said. “Given the outsize benefits of electrifying the most polluting diesel-burning school bus fleets, and the concentration of those buses in low income areas and areas with more people of color, this data reinforces the need to ensure that those most impacted by diesel exhaust pollution are among the first to benefit from electric school buses.”
The 10 percent of diesel-burning school buses that are the most polluting are responsible for nearly 50 percent of the total health impacts of diesel-burning school buses nationwide, the research notes. Breaking that down by per-mile health impacts from diesel school buses, while varying, results to under $10 to nearly $4,000 per 1,000 miles driven, depending on the school bus age and operating location.
While the research only focused on PM2.5-related premature mortality as the primary health end point, diesel-burning school buses also emit large amounts of NOx, which contribute to ozone formation and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure—both are linked to asthma, morbidity and additional premature deaths.
The research does not include the additional health effects or impacts of other diesel pollutants. WRI stated the research is likely underestimating the total benefits of electrification. Incorporating NOx-related outcomes in the future could show greater contrasts between diesel and electric.
Related: California Doubles Down on Zero-Emission Vehicles with Renewed Affordability, Adoption Priorities
Related: Safety Concerns of the Electric Grid?
Related: Report Highlights Shift in Federal Policy from EVs to Conventional Fuels
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A new report reaffirms California’s commitment to zero-emission vehicle adoption and deployment despite attempts by Congress and the Trump administration to remove federal waivers that provide the state authority to cut pollution levels within its borders and elsewhere.
The state currently is involved in multiple lawsuits challenging the administration’s efforts to revoke the waivers approved by the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency and others.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released the report last week in response to Gov. Gavin Executive Order N-27-25 in June that directs CARB and several other state agencies to recommend strategies that make clean transportation more affordable, reliable and accessible. The report outlines strategies to expand the adoption of Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) across all vehicle types, including school buses, as part of the state’s broader effort to combat air pollution and climate change.
The report highlights California’s leadership in clean transportation, noting that the state has already surpassed its goal of deploying 2 million ZEVs. With 56 ZEV manufacturers operating in the state and nearly 178,000 public or shared private electric vehicle chargers installed, California is setting the pace for the nation.
However, the CARB report notes that five of the 10 most polluted cities in the U.S. are in California, and millions of residents still live in areas with dangerously high ozone levels, especially in the Los Angeles area and the San Joaquin Valley.
To address these challenges, CARB recommends actions across six key areas: Private investment, incentives, infrastructure, fuel pricing, regulations, and procurement. CARB seeks to sustain the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program that utilizes credits from 200 participating companies and from utilities to subsidize clean fuels like renewable diesel and to continue taking advantage of other existing funding programs. It recommends backfilling the federal clean air vehicle tax credits that are set to expire at the end of next month and providing “reliable and consistent funding” to the agency and the California Energy Commission for ZEV deployment and infrastructure incentive programs.
Noting that infrastructure remains one of the largest barriers to ZEV adoption, the report highlights the need for increased reliability of and access to EV chargers, including timely repair. CARB also recommends streamlining permitting processes and utility energization timelines. This includes implementing flexible service connections and other strategies to eliminate delays in EV charging installation.
CARB also calls for unlocking the benefits of V2G by improving the energization process to enable vehicles to power homes and businesses or to export power to the grid during peak demand periods. This includes developing utility rates “that align EV charging and discharging with grid needs” and establishing incentives to automakers that build EVs that can provide backup power. CARB also writes that standards are needed for chargers to enable the use of vehicle-grid integration.
School buses are directly impacted by the state’s push for ZEV adoption. The report emphasizes the need for incentives and infrastructure to support the transition to zero-emission buses. For school districts, this could mean additional access to funding programs that make it easier to replace aging diesel buses with electric or even hydrogen-powered alternatives. Additionally, CARB says the focus on building reliable charging infrastructure could alleviate concerns about fueling capacity and range limitations.
For companies operating school buses, the report’s recommendations present both opportunities and challenges. The emphasis on private investment through programs like the LCFS could provide financial incentives for operators to transition their fleets. Additionally, the state’s focus on workforce development could help create a pipeline of skilled workers to maintain and operate ZEVs.
However, the transition will require careful planning. CARB states operators will need to navigate new regulations, invest in charging or fueling infrastructure and ensure their fleets meet the state’s reliability and durability standards. Collaboration with state agencies and local governments will be key to overcoming these hurdles.
The CARB report also notes 17 other states and the District of Columbia have chosen to adopt at least part of California’s vehicle standards. The demand in these states for clean transportation collectively represents 40 percent of the nation’s new light-duty vehicle market and 25 percent of the nation’s new heavy-duty vehicle market, which are three to four times that of California alone. In addition, three of these states have established complementary regulations similar to California’s LCFS to further advance the clean vehicle market.
Related: EPA Proposal Seeks to Eliminate GHG Regulations for Vehicles, Engines
Related: Update: Congress Shifts Tide in Regulatory Demands for Clean Energy
Related: CARB Uses $33M in Funding to Target Other Zero-Emissions School Travel
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Engine manufacturers using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emission control technology have new federal guidance allowing them to more gradually “derate” systems when diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) depletes.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced during the Iowa State Fair last week the new action designed to protect American farmers, truckers and other diesel equipment operators from sudden speed and power losses caused by DEF systems.
“We have heard loud and clear from small businesses across the U.S. that the current DEF system is unacceptable,” Zeldin said in a statement. “It is unacceptable that farmers, truckers, construction workers, and many other small businesses continually experience failures of diesel-powered equipment when they need it most—costing millions of dollars in lost productivity. Today, we are responding to those concerns by calling on manufacturers to take action to update their software and eliminate the unnecessary sudden loss of power and frustrating shutdowns that too many Americans have experienced.”
EPA issued the guidance urging diesel engine and off-road farm equipment manufacturers to revise DEF system software in existing vehicles and equipment to prevent these sudden shutdowns. Starting with model year 2027, all new diesel on-road trucks and motorcoaches must be engineered to avoid sudden and severe power loss after running out of DEF.
EPA said it also has a fix for derate issues in legacy diesel vehicles with SCR.
“To fix the problem for vehicles already in use, EPA’s new guidance, developed in collaboration with manufacturers, will work to ensure that the necessary software changes can be made on the existing fleet,” the press release notes. “In addition to providing certainty to manufacturers about how EPA wants this issue resolved, the agency is not requiring separate approvals beyond that provided in EPA’s guidance. This ensures that bureaucratic steps do not delay manufacturers’ ability to put solutions into the field.”
Since 2010, SCR has used on-board diagnostics sensors to detect when DEF runs out or diesel particulate filters clog and then initiate a rapid derate of the engine. Within four hours of DEF depletion, vehicles automatically slow to five miles per hour.
But the results for industries have been “catastrophic,” said EPA, as disruptions have occurred to logistics, agriculture and construction. Several diesel engine manufacturers also initiated recalls over their SCR technology. Cummins recalled 2010 to 2015 medium- and heavy-duty engines, including the ISB 6.7 for school buses, because the SCR unit catalysts degraded faster than expected.
Related: Trump’s EPA Eases Derate Rules, Boosting Bus Passenger Safety
Related: Idaho Department of Education Names School Bus Technician of the Year
Related: (STN Podcast E268) Learning Curve: EPA Surprise, Young Michigan Asst. TD Talks Leadership
Related: EPA Proposal Seeks to Eliminate GHG Regulations for Vehicles, Engines
Related: EPA Provides Update on Clean School Bus Program
“At Cummins, we recognize our responsibility in powering some of the country’s most economically vital applications, from the buses that take our kids to and from school to the trucks that deliver critical goods,” a statement from the company reads. “Collaboration with our customers is at the heart of what we do, ensuring we deliver solutions that meet their business needs while continuously innovating to improve fuel efficiency, reduce costs and enhance reliability. SCR is a widely accepted, proven technology utilized in many applications, and we are committed to working closely with the EPA and the select customers affected by SCR inducements. Together, we aim to provide regulatory certainty, greater flexibility and the dependable solutions that contribute to the American economy.”
Daimler Truck North America told School Transportation News it welcomes the new guidance.
“We are supportive of the efforts to provide more flexibility with regard to DEF inducement and are actively working on solutions to support our customers,” the statement reads.
The Engine Technology Forum and several other organizations also support the new derate guidance.
“EPA has heard from users of diesel trucks, tractors and equipment and, working with manufacturers, has responded with these adjustments to improve operational performance while ensuring emissions integrity,” Executive Director Allen Schaeffer said. “EPA’s announcement [Aug. 12] provides new guidance that allows manufacturers to adjust these systems to ensure that farmers, motor coach operators, and truckers, who all rely on diesel engines and equipment, will be able to complete critical work with sufficient lead time for scheduling maintenance and repairs.”
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While the immediate future remains uncertain on federal emissions regulations and funding, school bus OEMs say they are prepared with varied solutions going forward to meet the needs of every customer, no matter the fuel or where they operate.
That was the key takeaway from a July 13 panel at STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada. The OEM representatives on stage were Francisco Lagunas, general manager of North America Bus for Cummins; Jim Crowcroft, general sales manager for Thomas Built Buses; Katie Stok, product marketing and commercial readiness for IC Bus; Frank Girardot, the PR, marketing and government relations leader at RIDE; and Brad Beauchamp, EV product segment leader for Blue Bird. The session attempted to provide some clarity to the ever-changing funding and fuel landscape.
“The only certainty is that everything is so uncertain,” Lagunas punctuated during the “The Engines & Emissions Pathway Forward” session, facilitated by School Transportation News Editor-in-Chief Ryan Gray.
Lagunas added that Cummins is seeing an increased demand in diesel, confirming that the new B6.7 octane engine will be available in January. Though, he noted that investments in electric batteries and drive systems have not slowed down. Accelera, the zero-emissions division of Cummins, is a member of a joint venture with Daimler Truck North America and Paccar to create a U.S.-based battery cell manufacturer, Amplify Cell Technologies.
Crowcroft agreed, adding that one year has made a huge difference in industry focus. Several of the same panelists sat on a similar panel last year at STN EXPO, where he said EV was the focus of the industry.
“Now, it’s been a complete 180 [degree turn] this year,” he shared, adding that the industry has spent too much time talking about EVs and not enough time talking about the other offerings.
This year has been about being diverse, being nimble and ready to adapt to change when necessary. “What is the most practical plan?” he asked, noting that diesel technology has advanced and EV fatigue is setting in.
He shared that Thomas is not telling customers what fuel or energy type to use but instead empowering them to choose what works best for their fleets. Noting the Trump administration’s relaxation of a federal push for zero-emission vehicles, Crowcroft said there has been a sigh of relief from customers for not feeling like they have to purchase electric school buses.
He noted that with all the changes and technologies, it puts more pressure on the OEMs to keep up. He said Thomas is committed to investing in quality, citing that ahead of the 2027 GHG Phase 3 regulations targeting lower NOx (the EPA currently has it on hold pending a proposal to remove GHG regulations), school districts might want to pre-buy within the next 12 months to avoid cost increases tied to the new technology.
Beauchamp said Blue Bird has always focused on a fuel-agnostic path for its customers, and the company plans on continuing with propane being a low emission source. While he said Blue Bird had yet to see EV order cancellations as of last month, he anticipates those orders will flatten. Regardless, Blue Bird is committed to EV, noting an $80 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy last year (and double that amount in company matching funds) to build a new Type D electric school bus plant.
He noted that while the supply chain has improved coming out of COVID-19, “We’re not out of the words on it, yet,” he said.
Related: Electric School Bus Manufacturing Included in Nearly $2B Federal Energy Grant
Stok noted that the industry conversation should not be about low costs but having a supplier that delivers good quality on time. She noted that, like the other OEMs, EV is still very much part of the IC Bus product portfolio, as is diesel. However, she said the change in federal regulations will usher in changing order preferences across the industry, noting that IC is reintroducing its own gasoline school bus with the upcoming Cummins engine.
For the remainder of 2025, she said IC Bus is on track to have the highest production output from its Tulsa, Oklahoma plant. Communication is key right now, she added, and the manufacturer is working with its dealer network to listen to the customers and continue to improve.
Meanwhile, Girardot said it’s too early to predict what the future holds but BYD electric school bus company RIDE believes it holds a promise to furthering the deployment of EVs and enhancing the capabilities of vehicle to grid technology. He noted that V2G holds value and is something that communities need to consider. He highlighted success stories of V2G, such as in the Oakland Unified School District in California.
Girardot added that technician training on electric school buses is a must.
Additionally, RIDE announced a range extension on its blade battery, which took home the Best Green Technology, as judged by attendees at the STN EXPO West Trade Show Innovation Awards. Girardot added RIDE, too, received a competitive grant to expand its manufacturing facility.
Related: Transfinder, RIDE Win Big with STN EXPO Innovation Awards
Related: Another $200M Now Available for Electric School Buses in New York
Related: EPA Provides Update on Clean School Bus Program
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering the 16-year-old Obama administration ruling on greenhouse gases that formed the nation’s regulatory landscape for transportation emissions, including those for school buses.
The proposed rule rolled out by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Tuesday at an auto dealership in Indianapolis, Indiana could save more than $54 billion annually in manufacturing costs passed on to consumers, EPA said. It claims emissions regulations implemented over the past 15 years created $1 trillion in costs to manufacturing, power and industrial sectors for meeting various emissions requirements.
While the 300-page document does not mention school buses by name, it focuses on repealing GHG emission standards for various categories of vehicles, including the categories of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and engines that school buses fall under. Specifically, it seeks to remove Part 85 on control of air pollution from mobile sources, Part 86—Control of Emissions from New and In-use Highway Vehicles and Engines, Part 600—Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Exhaust Emissions of Motor Vehicles, Part 1036—Control of Emissions from New and In-use Heavy Duty Highway Engines, Part 1037—Control of Emissions from New Heavy Duty Motor Vehicles, and Part 1039—Control of Emissions from New and In-use Non-road Compression-Ignition Engines.
Already, EPA is reconsidering the implementation of its GHG Phase 3 Rule for heavy-duty trucks and buses that is set to start in 2027.
The proposed rule seeks to reinterpret the Clean Air Act, specifically Section 202(a), known as the Endangerment Finding, which concluded that carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride contribute to air pollution and endanger public health. The proposed rule argues that the Endangerment Finding is legally flawed, scientifically uncertain and economically counterproductive. EPA claims it was historically applied to address local and regional air pollution, not global climate change concerns.
This interpretation exceeded statutory authority, writes EPA, adding that Congress did not clearly authorize the EPA to regulate GHG emissions based on global climate change concerns “because that provision authorizes regulating only air pollutants that ‘cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.’”
The proposed rule also notes the U.S. Supreme Court rulings in West Virginia v. EPA and Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA that federal agencies cannot assert transformative regulatory authority without explicit congressional approval. Instead, agencies must have more than a “colorable textual basis” to decide major questions of policy.
EPA also questions “unreasonably analyzed” scientific data used to support the original “Endangerment Finding” that declared GHG to endanger public health and welfare. The proposed rule cites projections of global warming increases, health risks from heat waves, and impacts of other health events. It also notes empirical data, peer-reviewed studies and real-world developments since 2009 that “cast significant doubt on many of the critical premises, assumptions and conclusions in the Endangerment Finding.”
The proposal also claims technological limitations in addressing global climate change concerns, as “reducing GHG emissions from all vehicles and engines in the U.S. to zero would not have a scientifically measurable impact on GHG emission concentrations or global warming potential,” according to a May 27 draft report by the U.S. Department of Energy Climate Working Group.
EPA also notes President Donald Trump’s recent “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” repealed certain GHG provisions.
As for economic concerns, EPA highlighted that GHG emissions standards have increased vehicle costs, slowed fleet turnover and reduced consumer access to newer, safer and more efficient vehicles.
Public comments on EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194 are due by Sept. 21.
Related: EPA Provides Update on Clean School Bus Program
Related: Cummins Details Coming B7.2 Diesel, Gasoline Engines for School Bus Market
Related: Report Highlights Shift in Federal Policy from EVs to Conventional Fuels
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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
There has been broad agreement about the greenhouse effect for over a century.
In 1824, Joseph Fourier calculated that Earth ought to be much colder given its distance from the sun, and theorized that the atmosphere acts as a blanket, trapping heat and keeping the planet warmer than it would be otherwise.
Scientists later hypothesized that higher concentrations of greenhouse gases could raise temperatures. In 1896, Svante Arrhenius attempted to quantify this; his predictions remain on the high end of current climate models.
The basic science of the greenhouse effect is fairly simple: certain atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide trap and redirect outgoing heat; some is radiated back downward, causing heat build up and temperatures to rise.
In 2021, the IPCC concluded it is unequivocal that human emission of greenhouse gases are the primary cause of modern warming.
See a full discussion of this at Skeptical Science
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Is the greenhouse effect still debated among climate scientists? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Hydrogen has the potential to be a climate-friendly fuel since it doesn’t release carbon dioxide when used as an energy source. Currently, however, most methods for producing hydrogen involve fossil fuels, making hydrogen less of a “green” fuel over its entire life cycle.
A new process developed by MIT engineers could significantly shrink the carbon footprint associated with making hydrogen.
Last year, the team reported that they could produce hydrogen gas by combining seawater, recycled soda cans, and caffeine. The question then was whether the benchtop process could be applied at an industrial scale, and at what environmental cost.
Now, the researchers have carried out a “cradle-to-grave” life cycle assessment, taking into account every step in the process at an industrial scale. For instance, the team calculated the carbon emissions associated with acquiring and processing aluminum, reacting it with seawater to produce hydrogen, and transporting the fuel to gas stations, where drivers could tap into hydrogen tanks to power engines or fuel cell cars. They found that, from end to end, the new process could generate a fraction of the carbon emissions that is associated with conventional hydrogen production.
In a study appearing today in Cell Reports Sustainability, the team reports that for every kilogram of hydrogen produced, the process would generate 1.45 kilograms of carbon dioxide over its entire life cycle. In comparison, fossil-fuel-based processes emit 11 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of hydrogen generated.
The low-carbon footprint is on par with other proposed “green hydrogen” technologies, such as those powered by solar and wind energy.
“We’re in the ballpark of green hydrogen,” says lead author Aly Kombargi PhD ’25, who graduated this spring from MIT with a doctorate in mechanical engineering. “This work highlights aluminum’s potential as a clean energy source and offers a scalable pathway for low-emission hydrogen deployment in transportation and remote energy systems.”
The study’s MIT co-authors are Brooke Bao, Enoch Ellis, and professor of mechanical engineering Douglas Hart.
Gas bubble
Dropping an aluminum can in water won’t normally cause much of a chemical reaction. That’s because when aluminum is exposed to oxygen, it instantly forms a shield-like layer. Without this layer, aluminum exists in its pure form and can readily react when mixed with water. The reaction that occurs involves aluminum atoms that efficiently break up molecules of water, producing aluminum oxide and pure hydrogen. And it doesn’t take much of the metal to bubble up a significant amount of the gas.
“One of the main benefits of using aluminum is the energy density per unit volume,” Kombargi says. “With a very small amount of aluminum fuel, you can conceivably supply much of the power for a hydrogen-fueled vehicle.”
Last year, he and Hart developed a recipe for aluminum-based hydrogen production. They found they could puncture aluminum’s natural shield by treating it with a small amount of gallium-indium, which is a rare-metal alloy that effectively scrubs aluminum into its pure form. The researchers then mixed pellets of pure aluminum with seawater and observed that the reaction produced pure hydrogen. What’s more, the salt in the water helped to precipitate gallium-indium, which the team could subsequently recover and reuse to generate more hydrogen, in a cost-saving, sustainable cycle.
“We were explaining the science of this process in conferences, and the questions we would get were, ‘How much does this cost?’ and, ‘What’s its carbon footprint?’” Kombargi says. “So we wanted to look at the process in a comprehensive way.”
A sustainable cycle
For their new study, Kombargi and his colleagues carried out a life cycle assessment to estimate the environmental impact of aluminum-based hydrogen production, at every step of the process, from sourcing the aluminum to transporting the hydrogen after production. They set out to calculate the amount of carbon associated with generating 1 kilogram of hydrogen — an amount that they chose as a practical, consumer-level illustration.
“With a hydrogen fuel cell car using 1 kilogram of hydrogen, you can go between 60 to 100 kilometers, depending on the efficiency of the fuel cell,” Kombargi notes.
They performed the analysis using Earthster — an online life cycle assessment tool that draws data from a large repository of products and processes and their associated carbon emissions. The team considered a number of scenarios to produce hydrogen using aluminum, from starting with “primary” aluminum mined from the Earth, versus “secondary” aluminum that is recycled from soda cans and other products, and using various methods to transport the aluminum and hydrogen.
After running life cycle assessments for about a dozen scenarios, the team identified one scenario with the lowest carbon footprint. This scenario centers on recycled aluminum — a source that saves a significant amount of emissions compared with mining aluminum — and seawater — a natural resource that also saves money by recovering gallium-indium. They found that this scenario, from start to finish, would generate about 1.45 kilograms of carbon dioxide for every kilogram of hydrogen produced. The cost of the fuel produced, they calculated, would be about $9 per kilogram, which is comparable to the price of hydrogen that would be generated with other green technologies such as wind and solar energy.
The researchers envision that if the low-carbon process were ramped up to a commercial scale, it would look something like this: The production chain would start with scrap aluminum sourced from a recycling center. The aluminum would be shredded into pellets and treated with gallium-indium. Then, drivers could transport the pretreated pellets as aluminum “fuel,” rather than directly transporting hydrogen, which is potentially volatile. The pellets would be transported to a fuel station that ideally would be situated near a source of seawater, which could then be mixed with the aluminum, on demand, to produce hydrogen. A consumer could then directly pump the gas into a car with either an internal combustion engine or a fuel cell.
The entire process does produce an aluminum-based byproduct, boehmite, which is a mineral that is commonly used in fabricating semiconductors, electronic elements, and a number of industrial products. Kombargi says that if this byproduct were recovered after hydrogen production, it could be sold to manufacturers, further bringing down the cost of the process as a whole.
“There are a lot of things to consider,” Kombargi says. “But the process works, which is the most exciting part. And we show that it can be environmentally sustainable.”
The group is continuing to develop the process. They recently designed a small reactor, about the size of a water bottle, that takes in aluminum pellets and seawater to generate hydrogen, enough to power an electric bike for several hours. They previously demonstrated that the process can produce enough hydrogen to fuel a small car. The team is also exploring underwater applications, and are designing a hydrogen reactor that would take in surrounding seawater to power a small boat or underwater vehicle.
This research was supported, in part, by the MIT Portugal Program.
© Credit: Courtesy of the researchers
New Poll: American Voters Support Federal Investments in Electric Vehicles Broad, Bipartisan Support for EV Investments and Incentives that Lower Costs, Expand Access, and Help the U.S. Beat China in the Race for Auto Manufacturing WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new bipartisan national poll conducted by Meeting Street Insights and Hart Research finds broad public support …
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The Trump Administration is looking to roll back stricter emissions standards put in place by the Biden administration covering both light-duty passenger cars and heavy-duty commercial trucks. The EPA said Wednesday in a press release that it was targeting greenhouse-gas emissions standards for model years 2027-2032, as well as rules further... 
A Massachusetts university is developing technology that aims to use lasers to drastically cut emissions and energy use from Maine’s paper and pulp industry.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute recently received a $2.75 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to help ready the industrial drying technology for commercial use.
“We are all excited about this — this is potentially a groundbreaking technology,” said Jamal Yagoobi, founding director of the institute’s Center for Advanced Research in Drying.
In Maine, the paper and pulp business generates about 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, roughly half of the state’s industrial emissions. Much of these emissions come from the process of drying mashed, pressed, and rolled wood pulp to yield paper products. The emissions come mainly from three major operations across the state; three additional facilities contribute smaller amounts.
These plants’ emissions will need to be addressed if Maine is to reach its goal of going carbon neutral by 2045. Furthermore, each of these plants is located in an area with an above-average population of low-income residents, according to data assembled by Industrious Labs, an environmental organization focused on the impact of industry. And two are located in areas with a higher-than-average risk of cancer from air toxins, suggesting a correlation between their operations and the incidence of cancer in the area.
At the same, the paper and pulp industry remains economically important to Maine, said Matt Cannon, state conservation and energy director for the Maine chapter of the Sierra Club.
“It’s got real union jobs — the paper industry is still very important to our community,” he said.
Worcester Polytechnic’s drying research center has been working on ways to dry paper, pulp, and other materials using the concentrated energy found in lasers. The lasers Yagoobi’s team is using are not the lasers of the public imagination, like a red beam zapping at alien enemies. Though the lasers are quite strong — they can melt metal, Yagoobi says — they are dispersed over a larger area, spreading out the energy to evenly and gently dry the target material.
Testing on food products has shown that the technology can work. Now, researchers need to learn more about how the laser energy affects different materials to make sure the product quality is not compromised during the drying process.
“For paper, it’s important to make sure the tensile strength is not degrading,” Yagoobi said. “For food products, you want to make sure the color and sensory qualities do not degrade.”
Therefore, before the system is ready for a commercial pilot, the team has to gather a lot more data about how much laser energy is incident on different parts of the surface and how deeply the energy penetrates different materials. Once gathered, this data will be used to determine what system sizes and operating conditions are best for different materials, and to design laser modules for each intended use.
Once these details are worked out, the laser technology can be installed in new commercial-scale drying equipment or existing systems. “This particular technology will be easy to retrofit,” Yagoobi said.
Industrial sources were responsible for about 1.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States in 2023, about 28% of the country’s overall emissions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Heating processes, often powered by natural gas or other fossil fuels, are responsible for about half of those emissions, said Evan Gillespie, one of the co-founders of Industrious Labs. Many industrial drying processes require high temperatures that have traditionally been hard to reach without fossil fuels, giving the sector a reputation as hard to decarbonize, Gillespie said.
“The key challenge here is: How do you remove natural gas as a heating source inside industrial facilities?” said Richard Hart, industry director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. “The scale of what is happening in industry is enormous, and the potential for change is very powerful.”
To make the new technology effective, industry leaders and policymakers will need to commit to reinvesting in old facilities, Gillespie noted. And doing so will be well worth it by strengthening an economically important industry, keeping jobs in place, and creating important environmental benefits, he added.
“There’s often this old story of tensions between climate and jobs,” Gillespie said. “But what we’re trying to do is modernize these facilities and stabilize them so they’ll be around for decades to come.”
Paper and pulp mills produce half of Maine’s industrial CO2 emissions. Could lasers help slash their climate impact? is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.
As a major contributor to global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the transportation sector has immense potential to advance decarbonization. However, a zero-emissions global supply chain requires re-imagining reliance on a heavy-duty trucking industry that emits 810,000 tons of CO2, or 6 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, and consumes 29 billion gallons of diesel annually in the U.S. alone.
A new study by MIT researchers, presented at the recent American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2024 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, quantifies the impact of a zero-emission truck’s design range on its energy storage requirements and operational revenue. The multivariable model outlined in the paper allows fleet owners and operators to better understand the design choices that impact the economic feasibility of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks for commercial application, equipping stakeholders to make informed fleet transition decisions.
“The whole issue [of decarbonizing trucking] is like a very big, messy pie. One of the things we can do, from an academic standpoint, is quantify some of those pieces of pie with modeling, based on information and experience we’ve learned from industry stakeholders,” says ZhiYi Liang, PhD student on the renewable hydrogen team at the MIT K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research Center (GEAR) and lead author of the study. Co-authored by Bryony DuPont, visiting scholar at GEAR, and Amos Winter, the Germeshausen Professor in the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering, the paper elucidates operational and socioeconomic factors that need to be considered in efforts to decarbonize heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).
Operational and infrastructure challenges
The team’s model shows that a technical challenge lies in the amount of energy that needs to be stored on the truck to meet the range and towing performance needs of commercial trucking applications. Due to the high energy density and low cost of diesel, existing diesel drivetrains remain more competitive than alternative lithium battery-electric vehicle (Li-BEV) and hydrogen fuel-cell-electric vehicle (H2 FCEV) drivetrains. Although Li-BEV drivetrains have the highest energy efficiency of all three, they are limited to short-to-medium range routes (under 500 miles) with low freight capacity, due to the weight and volume of the onboard energy storage needed. In addition, the authors note that existing electric grid infrastructure will need significant upgrades to support large-scale deployment of Li-BEV HDVs.
While the hydrogen-powered drivetrain has a significant weight advantage that enables higher cargo capacity and routes over 750 miles, the current state of hydrogen fuel networks limits economic viability, especially once operational cost and projected revenue are taken into account. Deployment will most likely require government intervention in the form of incentives and subsidies to reduce the price of hydrogen by more than half, as well as continued investment by corporations to ensure a stable supply. Also, as H2-FCEVs are still a relatively new technology, the ongoing design of conformal onboard hydrogen storage systems — one of which is the subject of Liang’s PhD — is crucial to successful adoption into the HDV market.
The current efficiency of diesel systems is a result of technological developments and manufacturing processes established over many decades, a precedent that suggests similar strides can be made with alternative drivetrains. However, interactions with fleet owners, automotive manufacturers, and refueling network providers reveal another major hurdle in the way that each “slice of the pie” is interrelated — issues must be addressed simultaneously because of how they affect each other, from renewable fuel infrastructure to technological readiness and capital cost of new fleets, among other considerations. And first steps into an uncertain future, where no one sector is fully in control of potential outcomes, is inherently risky.
“Besides infrastructure limitations, we only have prototypes [of alternative HDVs] for fleet operator use, so the cost of procuring them is high, which means there isn’t demand for automakers to build manufacturing lines up to a scale that would make them economical to produce,” says Liang, describing just one step of a vicious cycle that is difficult to disrupt, especially for industry stakeholders trying to be competitive in a free market.
Quantifying a path to feasibility
“Folks in the industry know that some kind of energy transition needs to happen, but they may not necessarily know for certain what the most viable path forward is,” says Liang. Although there is no singular avenue to zero emissions, the new model provides a way to further quantify and assess at least one slice of pie to aid decision-making.
Other MIT-led efforts aimed at helping industry stakeholders navigate decarbonization include an interactive mapping tool developed by Danika MacDonell, Impact Fellow at the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC); alongside Florian Allroggen, executive director of MITs Zero Impact Aviation Alliance; and undergraduate researchers Micah Borrero, Helena De Figueiredo Valente, and Brooke Bao. The MCSC’s Geospatial Decision Support Tool supports strategic decision-making for fleet operators by allowing them to visualize regional freight flow densities, costs, emissions, planned and available infrastructure, and relevant regulations and incentives by region.
While current limitations reveal the need for joint problem-solving across sectors, the authors believe that stakeholders are motivated and ready to tackle climate problems together. Once-competing businesses already appear to be embracing a culture shift toward collaboration, with the recent agreement between General Motors and Hyundai to explore “future collaboration across key strategic areas,” including clean energy.
Liang believes that transitioning the transportation sector to zero emissions is just one part of an “energy revolution” that will require all sectors to work together, because “everything is connected. In order for the whole thing to make sense, we need to consider ourselves part of that pie, and the entire system needs to change,” says Liang. “You can’t make a revolution succeed by yourself.”
The authors acknowledge the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium for connecting them with industry members in the HDV ecosystem; and the MIT K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research Center and MIT Morningside Academy for Design for financial support.
© Photo: Bob Adams/Flickr
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize more than $200 million in grant funding in the coming weeks to accelerate the clean energy transition at three Great Lakes shipping ports.
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, and the Illinois International Port District were each selected for grants last month under the Biden administration’s Clean Ports Program.
The U.S. EPA said it intends to finalize grant agreements by December or January. That action will obligate the federal government to pay roughly $3 billion in grants under the program, even if President-elect Donald Trump or the next Congress tries to repeal or block further action under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The $94 million grant announced for the Cleveland port is the largest it has ever received and will help it build on work that’s already underway to electrify and decarbonize its infrastructure.
“It puts us at the forefront of decarbonization,” said William Friedman, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland’s port authority. “Now we’ll be able to start figuring out what’s the phase-in and then how do we move forward with the next round.”
The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority will get approximately $25 million for solar panels, charging infrastructure and electric cargo handling equipment, and another $95 million will go to the Illinois EPA for solar, battery storage and hydrogen-related investments at the Illinois International Port District serving greater Chicago.
The largest share of grants will go to ports along the East and West coasts. “But the program is also intended to set the foundation for transitioning the entire port industry to zero emissions,” said Jennifer Macedonia, a deputy assistant administrator for U.S. EPA. “And there are important communities around many of our inland ports as well.”
The shipping industry accounts for roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. While the bulk of that is from ships themselves, port operations typically rely on diesel power for most of their energy. And ships often burn fuel to power equipment even while they’re in port.
The EPA’s review process included ensuring that selected projects can achieve or exceed goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other pollution that can affect nearby communities, said U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Those criteria air pollutants are ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
The work is especially important for Ohio, which has lagged other Midwest states and regions in deploying strategies to reduce greenhouse gases, said Valerie Katz, deputy director for Cuyahoga Green Energy. “Our regional decarbonization efforts will reduce environmental exposure to toxic air pollutants for downstream Ohio communities.”
Funding for the Port of Cleveland will encompass work for electric cargo-handling equipment and vessels that serve the port, along with solar generation and battery storage, charging infrastructure and shore power for vessels. Project partners include Logistec USA, the commercial operator for day-to-day operations, as well as the Great Lakes Towing Company, which will build two electric tug boats.
Decarbonization is a “competitive advantage that will attract more shipping volume to our port,” said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Companies are striving to reduce their environmental footprints through their operations and value chains,” including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. “In addition, electrifying the port operations supports our region’s clean air efforts.”
That’s especially important given the port’s location near the downtown lakefront and riverfront areas, Shah said. Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River are the focus for several waterfront development projects aimed at drawing more business and visitors to Cleveland.
Funding for the Port of Detroit will go toward electric cargo-handling equipment, some vessels and railcar movers, along with charging infrastructure and solar generation. Part of the money also will be used to develop a roadmap for adding EV and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is part of the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, or MachH2, which was selected last year for $1 billion in Department of Energy funding for a hydrogen hub.
Funding for the Illinois International Port District will cover a variety of projects for its three ports, including hydrogen fueling infrastructure, solar energy and battery storage, and hydrogen and electric cargo handling equipment. Hydrogen and electric locomotives also are on EPA’s program selections list. The Illinois EPA is the lead partner for the grant work.
Like its counterpart in Cleveland, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority had already begun working on plans to move to cleaner energy sources for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. But zero-emissions equipment to move cargo is new in the U.S. shipping industry and is still generally more expensive than fossil-fueled counterparts.
“What’s great about the EPA grant is that it helps these businesses make the decision to choose this cleaner technology,” said Mark Schrupp, executive director for the Detroit port authority. Over time, costs for such equipment should come down, but the grants will help launch market growth.
Various projects among the 55 selected for grants last month have planning components and provisions for community engagement or workforce development. Planning work on emissions inventories can position other ports to move ahead with clean energy in the future, Macedonia said.
The U.S. EPA plans to move ahead swiftly to finalize grant agreements, which will have the effect of protecting the funds from a possible clawback under Trump or the next Congress.
“We will be awarding the grants in December of 2024 and January of 2025… so that money will be obligated on or before the end of this administration,” Regan said. Depending on the projects, implementation will occur over the next three to four years.
In Cleveland, that means a big chunk of work under the new grant will be taking place even as renovation of the Port of Cleveland’s Warehouse A and electrical work take place under its current projects.
“We’ll have to throw a lot here at the engineers and construction project management people to figure this out,” Friedman said. Yet the timing means it will be that much sooner for the port to move to zero emissions for its own operations.
Great Lakes ports will get a share of U.S. EPA funding to move shipping off fossil fuels is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.
Climate anxiety affects nearly half of young people aged 16-25. Students like second-year Rachel Mohammed find hope and inspiration through her involvement in innovative climate solutions, working alongside peers who share her determination. “I’ve met so many people at MIT who are dedicated to finding climate solutions in ways that I had never imagined, dreamed of, or heard of. That is what keeps me going, and I’m doing my part,” she says.
Hydrogen-fueled engines
Hydrogen offers the potential for zero or near-zero emissions, with the ability to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution by 29 percent. However, the hydrogen industry faces many challenges related to storage solutions and costs.
Mohammed leads the hydrogen team on MIT’s Electric Vehicle Team (EVT), which is dedicated to harnessing hydrogen power to build a cleaner, more sustainable future. EVT is one of several student-led build teams at the Edgerton Center focused on innovative climate solutions. Since its founding in 1992, the Edgerton Center has been a hub for MIT students to bring their ideas to life.
Hydrogen is mostly used in large vehicles like trucks and planes because it requires a lot of storage space. EVT is building their second iteration of a motorcycle based on what Mohammed calls a “goofy hypothesis” that you can use hydrogen to power a small vehicle. The team employs a hydrogen fuel cell system, which generates electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen. However, the technology faces challenges, particularly in storage, which EVT is tackling with innovative designs for smaller vehicles.
Presenting at the 2024 World Hydrogen Summit reaffirmed Mohammed’s confidence in this project. “I often encounter skepticism, with people saying it’s not practical. Seeing others actively working on similar initiatives made me realize that we can do it too,” Mohammed says.
The team’s first successful track test last October allowed them to evaluate the real-world performance of their hydrogen-powered motorcycle, marking a crucial step in proving the feasibility and efficiency of their design.
MIT’s Sustainable Engine Team (SET), founded by junior Charles Yong, uses the combustion method to generate energy with hydrogen. This is a promising technology route for high-power-density applications, like aviation, but Yong believes it hasn’t received enough attention. Yong explains, “In the hydrogen power industry, startups choose fuel cell routes instead of combustion because gas turbine industry giants are 50 years ahead. However, these giants are moving very slowly toward hydrogen due to its not-yet-fully-developed infrastructure. Working under the Edgerton Center allows us to take risks and explore advanced tech directions to demonstrate that hydrogen combustion can be readily available.”
Both EVT and SET are publishing their research and providing detailed instructions for anyone interested in replicating their results.
Running on sunshine
The Solar Electric Vehicle Team powers a car built from scratch with 100 percent solar energy.
The team’s single-occupancy car Nimbus won the American Solar Challenge two years in a row. This year, the team pushed boundaries further with Gemini, a multiple-occupancy vehicle that challenges conventional perceptions of solar-powered cars.
Senior Andre Greene explains, “the challenge comes from minimizing how much energy you waste because you work with such little energy. It’s like the equivalent power of a toaster.”
Gemini looks more like a regular car and less like a “spaceship,” as NBC’s 1st Look affectionately called Nimbus. “It more resembles what a fully solar-powered car could look like versus the single-seaters. You don’t see a lot of single-seater cars on the market, so it’s opening people’s minds,” says rising junior Tessa Uviedo, team captain.
All-electric since 2013
The MIT Motorsports team switched to an all-electric powertrain in 2013. Captain Eric Zhou takes inspiration from China, the world’s largest market for electric vehicles. “In China, there is a large government push towards electric, but there are also five or six big companies almost as large as Tesla size, building out these electric vehicles. The competition drives the majority of vehicles in China to become electric.”
The team is also switching to four-wheel drive and regenerative braking next year, which reduces the amount of energy needed to run. “This is more efficient and better for power consumption because the torque from the motors is applied straight to the tires. It’s more efficient than having a rear motor that must transfer torque to both rear tires. Also, you’re taking advantage of all four tires in terms of producing grip, while you can only rely on the back tires in a rear-wheel-drive car,” Zhou says.
Zhou adds that Motorsports wants to help prepare students for the electric vehicle industry. “A large majority of upperclassmen on the team have worked, or are working, at Tesla or Rivian.”
Former Motorsports powertrain lead Levi Gershon ’23, SM ’24 recently founded CRABI Robotics — a fully autonomous marine robotic system designed to conduct in-transit cleaning of marine vessels by removing biofouling, increasing vessels’ fuel efficiency.
An Indigenous approach to sustainable rockets
First Nations Launch, the all-Indigenous student rocket team, recently won the Grand Prize in the 2024 NASA First Nations Launch High-Power Rocket Competition. Using Indigenous methodologies, this team considers the environment in the materials and methods they employ.
“The environmental impact is always something that we consider when we’re making design decisions and operational decisions. We’ve thought about things like biodegradable composites and parachutes,” says rising junior Hailey Polson, team captain. “Aerospace has been a very wasteful industry in the past. There are huge leaps and bounds being made with forward progress in regard to reusable rockets, which is definitely lowering the environmental impact.”
Collecting climate change data with autonomous boats
Arcturus, the recent first-place winner in design at the 16th Annual RoboBoat Competition, is developing autonomous surface vehicles that can greatly aid in marine research. “The ocean is one of our greatest resources to combat climate change; thus, the accessibility of data will help scientists understand climate patterns and predict future trends. This can help people learn how to prepare for potential disasters and how to reduce each of our carbon footprints,” says Arcturus captain and rising junior Amy Shi.
“We are hoping to expand our outreach efforts to incorporate more sustainability-related programs. This can include more interactions with local students to introduce them to how engineering can make a positive impact in the climate space or other similar programs,” Shi says.
Shi emphasizes that hope is a crucial force in the battle against climate change. “There are great steps being taken every day to combat this seemingly impending doom we call the climate crisis. It’s important to not give up hope, because this hope is what’s driving the leaps and bounds of innovation happening in the climate community. The mainstream media mostly reports on the negatives, but the truth is there is a lot of positive climate news every day. Being more intentional about where you seek your climate news can really help subside this feeling of doom about our planet.”
© Photo: Adam Glanzman
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