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Mexican Tuner Shows Off Widebody Tesla Cybertruck On 26-Inch Wheels

  • This heavily modified Tesla Cybertruck also includes a gloss black wrap.
  • A large fixed rear lip spoiler has also been added, as has a new front bumper.
  • The EV retains its original charging port on the rear passenger fender flare.

Not too long ago, Mansory did what we thought was impossible: it made the Tesla Cybertruck look even worse with its hilarious ‘Elongation.’ While it’s quickly become the most talked-about modded Cybertruck, it’s far from the first and a Mexican company has already crafted its own take on the controversial electric truck.

This Tesla has been brought to life by Billion Group and sports a crazy widebody kit that makes it stand out. We’ll let you be the judge of whether it stands out for all the right reasons, or if it’s for all the wrong reasons.

Read: World’s First Widebody Tesla Cybertruck Just Got Six Inches Wilder

Billion dressed the stainless steel panels in a gloss black wrap which – to our surprise – actually suits the Cybertruck quite nicely. It has then bolted on a set of flared arches and while the company didn’t mention the dimensions, they certainly look wider than the widebody kit built by Waido.

 Mexican Tuner Shows Off Widebody Tesla Cybertruck On 26-Inch Wheels

Adding flared arches to the Cybertruck is a little more difficult than some other vehicles. The rear arch on the passenger side houses the charging port, so the tuner likely had to extend some of the cables to make it suit the bigger flares. Additionally, the two front arches house a pair of rear-facing cameras, and they, too, have been retained with this widebody kit.

Other flamboyant upgrades include a new front bumper that extends a little lower than the standard bumper. It’s also been fitted with a set of aftermarket 26-inch black wheels, a large fixed rear spoiler, and a new LED front light bar that includes the Mexican firm’s logo.

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2025 Kicks Off With A 30% Surge In Global EV And PHEV Sales

  • China is leading the charge with a 35% rise in sales through the first two months of the year.
  • Sales have also rebounded strongly in key European markets like Germany and the UK.
  • US EV and PHEV sales also spiked during January and February.

The electrified vehicle market is clearly on an upward trajectory, with sales reaching new heights in the first two months of 2025. While EVs and PHEVs still account for a smaller portion of total car sales in key global markets, the growth is undeniable.

According to data from RhoMotion, the first two months of 2025 saw a combined total of 2.4 million EVs and PHEVs sold worldwide, marking a 30% increase from the same period last year. Not surprisingly, China is leading this charge, with electrified vehicle sales there climbing by an impressive 35%, reaching 1.4 million units.

Read: Tesla Sales Crumble 45% In Europe, While EV Market Explodes 37%

Sticking with China, the data shows that sales jumped 76% in February compared to the same month last year. However, comparing February 2025 to February 2024 isn’t ideal, as Chinese New Year fell in the middle of February last year, but was at the start of the month this year. Nonetheless, sales from January and February show BEV sales have climbed 46% while PHEV sales have risen 22%.

Significant growth has also been reported across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Sales here are up 20% year-to-date. In Mexico, sales have more than doubled thanks to the arrival of new Chinese EVs, while in the US, EV and PHEV sales are up 28%. One possible explanation for the US is that shoppers are rushing to buy an EV before the $7,500 federal EV tax credit potentially gets scrapped.

 2025 Kicks Off With A 30% Surge In Global EV And PHEV Sales

European Growth

Europe, too, is seeing solid numbers, with EV sales up by 29% compared to last year. However, PHEV growth in the region has been more modest, rising just 2%. Notably, PHEV sales in France took a sharp dive (down 48%) after the government introduced a weight tax on plug-in hybrids.

“It’s been a solid start to the year for EV sales globally with a 50% bump in February compared to the previous year,” RhoMotion data manager Charles Lester said. “Much of the growth continues to come from China which are seeing a pure electric renaissance this year compared to the hybrid love affair of 2024. Despite high tariffs, their domestic brand, BYD, shows no signs of slowing down their home and international expansion.”

 2025 Kicks Off With A 30% Surge In Global EV And PHEV Sales

Trump Tariffs Go Into Effect, Canada Responds With 25% Retaliatory Tariff

  • The Trump administration has hit goods from Canada and Mexico with a 25% tariff.
  • Canada quickly responded with a 25% tariff on a variety of products including motorcycles and alcohol.
  • The Canadian government will ramp up the pressure and eventually target American-made EVs.

President Trump’s trade war has arrived and it’s already having huge repercussions as stock markets are plummeting and retaliatory tariffs are going into effect. This means businesses and consumers will lose, on both sides of the border.

Starting in the United States, the Trump administration has targeted products from Canada and Mexico with a 25% tariff. It will “remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country.”

More: Car Prices Could Surge $12,000 Under New Tariffs With EVs Taking The Biggest Hit

The White House went on to claim that Trump was “implementing tariffs on Canada and Mexico under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to combat the extraordinary threat to U.S. national security, including our public health posed by unchecked drug trafficking.” The administration also pointed to a “sustained influx of illegal aliens,”  which are “overwhelming our schools, lowering our wages, reducing our housing supply and raising rents, overcrowding our hospitals, draining our welfare system, and causing crime.”

Canada wasted no time in responding as the government said it would “not stand by as the United States imposes unwarranted and unreasonable tariffs on Canadian goods.” As part of this effort, a 25% tariff has been applied immediately to a list of goods worth $20.7 billion ($30 billion CAD).

The moment U.S. tariffs came into effect this morning, so did the Canadian response.

Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion of American products.

Starting with $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and the remaining $125 billion in 21 days’ time.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 4, 2025

The list includes 1,256 items including “orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, appliances, apparel, footwear, motorcycles, cosmetics, and certain pulp and paper products.” Also included are pasta, firearms, and maple sugar / maple syrup.

It’s a long list and it will grow to $106.7 billion ($155 billion CAD) worth of goods if the United States maintains their tariffs on Canadian goods. Targeted items would expand to include electric vehicles, trucks, and buses. Other affected products would include fruits and vegetables, electronics, aluminum, and steel.

The Canadian government went on to note all options are on the table and they’re considering “additional measures.” These could include “non-tariff options,” designed to punish the United States.

Canada called the White House’s claims non-sense as “less than 1 percent of fentanyl and illegal crossings into the United States come from Canada.” The government also noted the tariffs will have “devastating consequences for the American economy and people” as they’ll “pay more at grocery stores and gas pumps, and potentially lose thousands of jobs.”

Officials went on to note “Canada is the top customer for U.S. goods and services … buying more U.S. goods than China, Japan, France and the United Kingdom combined.” The country is also the top export market for 36 U.S. states and 43 states export over $1 billion ($1.5 billion CAD) to Canada every year.

 Trump Tariffs Go Into Effect, Canada Responds With 25% Retaliatory Tariff

Aside from the official government response, Chrystia Freeland, a Member of the House of Commons and a candidate to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, repeated her threat to hit Tesla with a 100% tariff. She also told MSNBC that Canada could go after other companies affiliated with Elon Musk such as Starlink.

Mexico’s response was muted in comparison, but President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said the country will have more to say on March 9. She also claimed that Mexico has taken major steps to address Trump’s concerns in the past 30 days.

Presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum anuncia que este domingo 9 de marzo informará sobre las medidas que tomará nuestro país sobre los aranceles impuestos

Con motivo de la imposición de aranceles a México por parte del gobierno de Estados Unidos, la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo anuncia que este domingo 9 de marzo a las 12:00 hrs en el Zócalo informará al pueblo las medidas que tomará nuestro país. Es tiempo de la unidad y de la defensa de México.

Posted by Gobierno de México on Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Car Prices Could Surge $12,000 Under New Tariffs With EVs Taking The Biggest Hit

  • A new study predicts car prices will rise significantly once Trump’s tariffs take effect.
  • Many vehicles could see price hikes of around $4,000, while EVs may rise up to $12,000.
  • Trump says the 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada takes effect March 4.

If you’re thinking about buying a new car, you might want to hit pause and consider a few things first. A new study from the Anderson Economics Group (AEG) warns that prices are set to skyrocket due to Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, which is confirmed to take effect on March 4. And while that alone would be a blow to your wallet, it’s just adding to the chaos already simmering in the automotive industry.

Read: Stellantis Chief Opposes Trump’s Tariffs, Suggests Another Way

The group based its findings on the proposed 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada and a 10% tariff against China. Using those figures, it predicts that even small crossovers will see at least a $4,000 price increase. Large SUVs with “significant content” from Mexico would go up by roughly $9,000 and trucks would see a similar bump.

Electric Vehicles: The Biggest Losers

Electric vehicles will get hit hardest though. AEG believes they’ll see an increase of $12,000 on average. Combine that with the potential death of EV subsidies and that market could stall for some time. “That kind of cost increase will lead directly — and I expect almost immediately — to a decline in sales of the models that have the biggest trade impacts,” Patrick Anderson, chief executive officer of Anderson Economic Group, told Bloomberg. “You’ll see some model and trim types just disappear,” he said.

 Car Prices Could Surge $12,000 Under New Tariffs With EVs Taking The Biggest Hit

So, why are EVs getting hit harder than your standard gas guzzler? It’s all about the materials. “All electric vehicle makers are going to feel the pressure from those [tariffs], because they use way more steel and aluminum than a conventional combustion-engine car,” Marc Busch, professor of international business diplomacy at Georgetown University told CNBC. “So I have no doubt that this will get [Musk’s] attention, and I can imagine that that would be an added political pressure benefit in terms of retaliatory strikes by the European Union, Canada and others.”

Now, Tesla’s situation is interesting. They build their US-sold vehicles in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas, but the parts? Many are sourced from China, Canada, and Mexico. For example, 15% of the Model Y’s components come from Mexico. They’re already scrambling to avoid a rise in the 25% tariff on Chinese graphite, a key material for lithium-ion batteries.

It’s worth noting that all three of the major US automakers produce vehicles in Mexico, Canada, or both. Ford manufactures the Mustang Mach-E, Bronco Sport, and Maverick in Mexico. Ram trucks are built in both Mexico and the USA, while GM’s Silverado is a product of all three nations involved.

 Car Prices Could Surge $12,000 Under New Tariffs With EVs Taking The Biggest Hit

Automakers Already Making Moves

In the meantime, automakers are doing what they can to counter the potential tariffs. Some are having suppliers build up stock. Others are storing parts in strategic locations to avoid getting hit with the tariffs. It’s clear that the automotive industry wasn’t expecting this and isn’t entirely sure what to plan for.

A union representative told Bloomberg that Ford is “racing product over the US-Canada border in anticipation of the tariffs.” In addition, it’s securing warehouse storage so that it can keep all of these parts secure and safe from the potential tariffs.

“We usually store them here (Ontariot, Canada) until we’re ready to send to the truck plants,” D’Agnolo said. “But they’re finding places in the states to store those engines so that they don’t get tariffed.” 

Tick-Tock: Tariffs Set to Hit March 4

With the tariffs set to take effect on March 4, it seems like there’s little time left to avoid the impact. Politico reported that Trump told reporters at the White House earlier today, “There’s no room left for Mexico or for Canada” to negotiate. “They’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow.”

 Car Prices Could Surge $12,000 Under New Tariffs With EVs Taking The Biggest Hit

Trump says tariffs ‘all set’ for Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday that tariffs would be placed on Canada and Mexico, and additional ones on China, beginning Tuesday, a move that could affect the cost of goods anywhere from tequila to cars to iPhones.

While at the White House, and alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the president said he would levy 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico and additional 10% tariffs on China.

“The tariffs, they’re all set. They take effect tomorrow,” Trump said.

Trump said that there was “no room left for Mexico or Canada” to make a deal with the United States to avoid the tariffs, which are meant to punish those countries for fentanyl trafficking.

“Just so you understand, vast amounts of fentanyl have poured into our country from Mexico, and as you know, also from China, where it goes to Mexico and goes to Canada,” Trump said.

The comments came during an event at the White House to tout building new semiconductor manufacturing plants in Arizona.

Trump also argued that the tariffs would encourage Canada and Mexico to build car manufacturing plants in the U.S. to avoid being hit by the tariffs.

“What they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs,” Trump said.

Stocks quickly slipped after the announcement. Tariffs are essentially taxes on foreign goods that are paid by those importing the goods.

Trump initially walked back his threat of placing tariffs on Feb. 1 on Mexico and Canada, but still placed a 10% tariff on China. He gave Mexico and Canada a month to address drug trafficking and unauthorized immigration.

Last week, Trump said that he would instead place tariffs on April 2, and then over the weekend said March 4 would be the date for tariffs.

Democrats have raised issues with tariffs, especially those from states that border Canada.

Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said during a Monday press conference that Trump’s threats of tariffs have already impacted the U.S. – Canada economic relationship.

“We depend on our trading partnerships with Canada on a broad range of products and things,” Murray said. “We are already seeing our Northern communities that rely on tourism from Canada drop significantly because of the way they’re being treated.”

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said during the press conference that the tariffs would harm farmers as well.

“This has been one of the, really, crown jewels of (the) American economy, the fact that we are able to export agriculture and have free trade back and forth,” Klobuchar said.

Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report. 

GreenPower, New Mexico to Partner on Electric School Bus Pilot Program

In an era where the future of electric school buses has grown increasingly complicated, a pilot project for school districts across the state of New Mexico run by electric school bus manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company to determine the viability and reliability of fast charging in different environments and circumstances.

New Mexico and GreenPower signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the state will seek an appropriation of $5 million to conduct the pilot program that would fund the purchase of all-electric, purpose-built school buses, installation of charging stations and other resources, and management costs.

The pilot would begin during the 2025-2026 school year and continue into the 2026-2027 school year. All school districts would be eligible to participate voluntarily, with a selection criterion to be determined by the state and GreenPower.

The MOU adds that the state will seek an additional $15 million for purchasing additional school buses to be evaluated during the pilot project, following the successful completion of two phases. It also notes that the state will work with GreenPower to expand the all-electric-commercial fleet operated by the Department of Transportation and General Services Department.

The MOU notes GreenPower’s commitment to American-made lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are used in the company’s Type D BEAST and Mega BEAST as well as Type A Nano BEAST.


Related: Man Arrested After Allegedly Stealing a School Bus in New Mexico
Related: WATCH: GreenPower Motor Company at ACT EXPO
Related: ACT Expo Heads Back to Anaheim, Agenda Released
Related: EPA Extends 2024 Clean School Bus Program Rebate Application Deadline


“New Mexico has an excellent workforce and is a great place for clean energy businesses. We look forward to this pilot project providing the schools an experience with Class 4, Type A and Type D, all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses. The pilot will determine how state and local governments in New Mexico, and the entire Southwest, can be best served as the market expands for clean commercial vehicles, vans and buses,” GreenPower President Brendan Riley stated.

The MOU was signed Monday in the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham by Riley and the Economic Development Department (EDD), which has reportedly been working with GreenPower to find a service center facility in New Mexico.

The post GreenPower, New Mexico to Partner on Electric School Bus Pilot Program appeared first on School Transportation News.

EDD and GreenPower Motor Sign Agreement for Zero-Emission Pilot Program and Bus Service Facility

By: STN

SANTA FE, N.M. —The State of New Mexico and GreenPower Motor Company (NASDAQ: GP) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) for an all-electric, purpose-built school bus pilot project to be conducted in New Mexico in school districts across the state. The MOU provides that the state will seek an appropriation of $5 million to conduct the pilot program.

The MOU was signed on Monday in the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham by GreenPower President Brendan Riley and the Economic Development Department (EDD), which has been working with the company to find a service center facility in New Mexico.

The MOU resolves the state support the program with a $5 million capital outlay appropriation for the purchase of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses, installation of charging stations, other resources, and management costs of the pilot, which would begin during the 2025-2026 school year and continue into the 2026-2027 school year.

“The EDD team has been working with GreenPower to identify a location in New Mexico to create a presence for the company in the state and encourage other EV sector supply chain entities to be part of creating a western United States manufacturing Hub,” Economic Development Secretary-Designate Rob Black said. “This MOU and the coming pilot program will showcase the state’s leadership in this industry and how our innovative business climate can help bring these cutting-edge technologies to New Mexico.”

Among the goals of the pilot is to determine viability and reliability of fast charging in different environments and circumstances. The pilot would be available to all school districts on a voluntary basis, with a selection criterion determined by the parties. “New Mexico has an excellent workforce and is a great place for clean energy businesses. We look forward to this pilot project providing the schools an experience with Class 4, Type A and Type D, all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses. The pilot will determine how state and local governments in New Mexico, and the entire Southwest, can be best served as the market expands for clean commercial vehicles, vans, and buses,” Riley said.

After the successful completion of two phases of pilot project, the MOU resolves that the state will seek an additional $15 million for purchasing additional school buses evaluated during the pilot project. The MOU also pledges that the state will work with GreenPower to expand the all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission commercial fleet at the Department of Transportation and the General Services Department.

Monday’s signing comes on the heels of last week’s announcement in Washington, DC of GreenPower signing an MOU with Impact Clean Power Technology S.A., a Poland based manufacturer of batteries that currently supplies more than 20% of the European transit market. The MOU outlined the companies’ commitment to American-made lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in the deployment of GreenPower’s medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including its Type D BEAST and Type A Nano BEAST all-electric, purpose-built school buses.

GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (NASDAQ: GP) is a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose-built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components.

The post EDD and GreenPower Motor Sign Agreement for Zero-Emission Pilot Program and Bus Service Facility appeared first on School Transportation News.

Growth Energy Comments on New Mexico Clean Transportation Fuel Program

Ms. Borchert,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide written comments in response to the New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) draft of the Clean Transportation Fuel Program (CTFP) rule. Growth Energy is the world’s largest association of biofuel producers, representing 97 U.S. plants that each year produce more than 9.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel; 123 businesses associated with the production process; and tens of thousands of biofuel supporters around the country. Together, we are working to bring better and more affordable choices at the fuel pump to consumers, improve air quality, and protect the environment for future generations. We remain committed to helping our country diversify our energy portfolio in order to grow more green energy jobs, decarbonize our nation’s energy mix, sustain family farms, and drive down the costs of transportation fuels for consumers.

We applaud New Mexico’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions through the CTFP. Growth Energy has previously provided extensive comments on similar programs in California, Washington, and Oregon, ensuring those states recognize the carbon reduction value of
increased bioethanol use. In California, biofuels have been among the largest contributors to the success of the LCFS program to date and are poised to continue to do so with appropriate updates to the program. Additionally, as mentioned in the June 28, 2024 Advisory Committee meeting, bioethanol has been a significant credit generator in the Oregon and Washington programs. Like those states, we believe the CTFP has the opportunity to utilize biofuels as a means of immediate greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in the current light-duty vehicle fleet as future technologies are further developed.

Environmental Benefits of Bioethanol
According to recent data from Environmental Health and Engineering, today’s bioethanol reduces GHG by nearly 50 percent compared to gasoline and can provide even further GHG reductions with additional readily available technologies. The potential for fuels with higher blends of ethanol to reduce GHGs are further illustrated in a national analysis showing more than 146,000 tons in GHG reduction in New Mexico alone if E10 gasoline was replaced with E15. This is the GHG reduction equivalent of removing 32,000 vehicles from New Mexico’s fleet just by using a higher ethanol-blend fuel.

Bioethanol’s other environmental benefits are also noteworthy. As has been researched by the University of California, Riverside and the University of Illinois at Chicago, the use of more bioethanol and bioethanol-blended fuel reduces harmful particulates and air toxics such as carbon monoxide, and benzene.

Use of GREET for Life Cycle Analysis Modeling
We applaud NMED for the use of the Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET model, with parameters specific to New Mexico, to calculate life-cycle emissions of fuels subject to the CTFS. ANL GREET is the most accurate tool to examine the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of all fuels and considers a wide range of carbon reduction processes and technologies that bioethanol production can utilize. It is the gold standard for measuring the emissions-reducing power of farm-based feedstocks and biofuels and incorporates up-to-date science that more accurately scores lifecycle carbon intensity (CI) for corn bioethanol and other renewable fuels.

Appropriate Land Use Change Penalties
As has been reiterated throughout the Advisory Committee’s public meeting process and in our previous comments, biofuels have been a major driver of GHG reductions in existing fuel standard programs. They have been able to be so despite onerous, and we believe unnecessary, land use change (LUC) penalties for cornstarch bioethanol of varying values, including 19.8 gCO2e/MJ in California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. This penalty was designed to mitigate purported land use change with respect to cornstarch bioethanol’s production. We believe these scores to be outdated and not based on the most up to date research. A review of more recent science indicates a decreasing trend in land use values with the newer data indicating values closer to 4 gCO2e/MJ.

Concerns over land use change for cornstarch bioethanol are unfounded. The United States is planting grain corn on roughly the same number of acres as it was in 1900. At the same time, the per acre yield has increased more than 600%. We urge NMED to reconsider the application of a 19.8 gCO2e/MJ LUC penalty for cornstarch bioethanol, consider data based on more recent research and apply a LUC penalty that is reflective of that data.

Expanding E15 and Higher Blends
Emissions reductions through the use of E15, often marketed as Unleaded 88, also come with meaningful consumer cost-savings. During the summer of 2024, drivers saved 10 to 30 cents per gallon by filling up with Unleaded 88 compared to regular, or E10. In some areas, Unleaded 88 saved drivers as much as a dollar per gallon at the pump.

Consumers have embraced E15’s reputation as a more environmentally beneficial, more affordable fuel. Since the US EPA approved E15 in 2011, at which time there were zero retailers offering it, its availability rapidly expanded to what is now more than 3,714 retail sites in 33 states. Since then, drivers in America have relied on E15 to drive 140 billion miles.

Clarifying Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Bioethanol producers constantly make improvements to their production process, increasing economic efficiency and more importantly, reducing CI. Among the newest tools bioethanol producers are utilizing to reduce CI is carbon capture utilization and sequestration (CCUS). The latest research conducted by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) Foundation shows that just the use of CCUS in bioethanol production can reduce its CI by as much as 57%, demonstrating the critical role CCUS plays in bioethanol’s path toward becoming a net-zero fuel. We applaud NMED for recognizing CCUS as a means for carbon reduction, and appreciate the inclusion of CCUS in certain Tier 2 pathways (Tier 1 fuels using innovative methods or a process that cannot be accurately represented using the simplified calculators used to calculate Tier 1 carbon intensities) novel to New Mexico.

However, given the wording of the draft rules, it could be interpreted in such a way that precludes fuels listed as Tier 2 fuels, such as alternative jet fuel, from utilizing CCUS. As alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) becomes more prevalent, SAF producers will rely on bioethanol, a Tier 1 fuel, with CCUS to reduce CI. This leaves the question of whether SAF produced with a bioethanol pathway utilizing CCUS will be approved as a Tier 2 pathway.

We encourage NMED to clarify this provision, an whether innovative methods such as CCUS can be used in other Tier 2 fuels such as alternative jet fuel. CCUS is an important tool for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producers to achieve the carbon intensity reduction necessary to meet our nation’s GHG reduction goals in the aviation sector.

Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices
With the use of the GREET model, we encourage NMED to consider allowing on-farm carbon reduction practices, commonly called climate-smart agriculture (CSA), should also be credited in the CTFS. With GREET’s Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator and the USDA’s database of CSA practices, the carbon reduction values can easily be quantified and verified.

Among these practices are the use of cover crops, low or no-till farming, precision fertilizer application, and the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizer. The previously mentioned EFI Foundation study found that those four CSA practices could result in as much as 59% CI reduction for bioethanol. NMED should ensure the inclusion of CSA practices as allowable CI reduction tools for crop-based biofuels.

Allowing Biofuels Producers to Access Crediting for Low-CI Power
Additionally, we continue to advocate for expanded crediting for low-CI power sourcing for biofuels producers through renewable energy certificates (RECs). In the draft CTFP rules, the ability to utilize RECs in a pathway is limited to certain feedstocks. We believe the ability to credit low-CI power sourcing through power purchase agreements should be available to all feedstocks and pathways.

The aforementioned EFI study indicated the use of carbon-free electricity in the bioethanol production process can reduce its CI by 6% while the use of biomass for combined heat and power (CHP) can reduce its CI by as much as 37%. The EFI study suggests biomass CHP can be implemented with minimal costs and it is ready for widespread adoption in the near term.

With bioethanol production occurring entirely outside of New Mexico, the state has an opportunity to become a national leader by encouraging, via the CTFS, the adoption of low-CI power for bioethanol producers in other jurisdictions. We encourage NMED to consider the ability of all fuel pathways to credit low-CI power sourcing in their CI score.

Other Carbon Reduction Processes and Technologies
Below are additional examples of the wide variety of feedstocks and technologies bioethanol producers have available for CI reduction. We continue to encourage NMED to provide crop-based biofuels the widest set of feasible and ready to adopt opportunities for carbon reduction.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
As producers of one of the most scalable feedstocks for SAF production, we appreciate NMED’s attention to development of this key market and the CTFP’s allowance of SAF to generate credits. We encourage NMED to work with SAF producers, biofuel feedstock producers, and airlines to seek ways to accelerate use of these important fuels to help decarbonize the aviation sector.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the draft CTFP proposal. The CTFS will be a critical tool in New Mexico’s decarbonization efforts, and we look forward to working with NMED to ensure the role of biofuels in making New Mexico’s fuel mix more sustainable and help the state achieve its progressive climate goals through the expanded use of bioethanol. Additionally, we are happy to make ourselves available for any questions NMED may have.

The post Growth Energy Comments on New Mexico Clean Transportation Fuel Program appeared first on Growth Energy.

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