Phoenix Motor Inc., known for building heavy-duty transit buses and helping electrify medium-duty vehicles, announced John Walsh is stepping in as the new president of Phoenix Motor and CEO of PhoenixEV, the company’s U.S.-based commercial electric vehicle brand.
Walsh will oversee the company’s American operations, focusing on scaling production, accelerating adoption of zero-emission solutions and expanding market share in the commercial and transit EV space. While it’s unclear why Denton Peng is stepping down as President of Phoenix Motor, he will continue to serve as the chief executive officer of Phoenix Motor Inc. leading the company’s global strategy, innovation initiatives, and international operations.
John Walsh
“We’re excited to welcome John to our team,” said Peng in a press release. “He brings a deep understanding of the transit and EV markets, along with a demonstrated ability to scale high-growth transportation companies. With more than three decades of experience and a record of operational excellence, we’re confident John will help PhoenixEV accelerate its mission to deliver clean, quiet, and intelligent mobility solutions across the U.S.”
Walsh is an experienced executive with more than 35 years of leadership experience in the transit and electric mobility industries. His most recent role was as president of EO Charging Americas, where he led large-scale commercial fleet electrification across North America.
Prior to that, he served as chief commercial officer at Proterra, overseeing record-setting electric transit bus sales and managing its transit, powered and energy business units. He also held key leadership positions as president and COO of Davey Coach, president of REV Bus Group, which included nine business units such as ENC and Collins Bus Corporation and CEO of MV-1/VPG, a specialty OEM for the paratransit market.
Walsh brings not only deep operational expertise, but also a strong track record in business development, negotiation and strategic planning, honed through decades of executive experience in the automotive and commercial transportation sectors. A graduate of Methodist University in North Carolina, he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
“I’m honored to join Phoenix Motor at such an important inflection point,” said Walsh in a statement. “PhoenixEV has a remarkable legacy in electric transportation, and with our coast-to-coast operations, industry-leading EV platforms, and deep customer relationships, we are poised for strong growth. I look forward to working with our team to strengthen execution, build backlog and deliver outstanding zero-emission products for our partners and communities.”
In his role as CEO, Phoenix Motor said Walsh will be responsible for driving the brand’s U.S. business strategy, expanding production capacity and accelerating adoption of its all-electric transit and commercial vehicles. The appointment comes as Phoenix ramps up its efforts to serve municipal, corporate and government fleet customers across the nation amid growing demand for sustainable transportation solutions.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday announced sweeping changes to rules governing diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems, aimed at preventing sudden power losses that have long frustrated farmers, truckers and bus operators.
The Trump administration says the guidance, which takes effect immediately, will ease operational disruptions and reduce safety risks while maintaining emissions standards.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled the changes during a press call from the Iowa State Fair alongside Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
“The United Motorcoach Association applauds the new guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the leadership of Administrator Lee Zeldin regarding Diesel Exhaust Fluid regulations for motorcoaches,” remarked UMA’s President and CEO Scott Michael. “EPA’s new guidance will improve safety, avoid passengers stranded on the side of the road, and unnecessary towing costs while maintaining the goal of safeguarding the environment.”
The policy allows manufacturers to reprogram existing vehicles to avoid abrupt “derates” — a rapid reduction in engine power — that can cut a vehicle’s speed to as little as 5 mph within hours of a DEF system fault.
“This is yet another common-sense policy,” Zeldin said. “We can protect the environment and grow the economy at the same time.”
Under current rules, a sensor failure in a DEF system can trigger severe speed limits within four hours, sometimes leaving vehicles stranded mid-operation. Zeldin said the new guidance will extend that timeline significantly.
‘Massive Deregulation’
Loeffler said the new policy will save America’s 1.8 million family farms an estimated $727 million annually.
“This is massive deregulation,” she said. “It’s solving a huge, long-standing issue that has gone on for 15 years.”
Rollins called the announcement “a big deal” for producers already struggling with higher costs and frequent downtime.
“We’re doing God’s work,” she said. “This is how we return power to the people and get the strangulation of overregulation out of everyday mom-and-pop small business owners’ lives, especially our farmers.”
While much of the call centered on agriculture and freight, Zeldin emphasized the rule’s importance for the passenger transportation industry.
“This was one of the concerns we heard from bus operators,” Zeldin told Bus & Motorcoach News. “It’s a safety concern when a bus is forced to park unexpectedly on the side of the road for an extended period of time. That’s all a product of poor government policy that didn’t think through the consequences.”
Phil Streif, of Vandalia Bus Lines in Caseyville, Illinois, told Bus & Motorcoach News in a separate interview that the change is the result of years of advocacy to bring operators’ perspectives to federal regulators. Streif began contacting the EPA five years ago, warning that the four-hour repair window was “just not realistic” for the motorcoach industry.
“After countless meetings with EPA and CARB, we finally got relief,” Streif said, “but the question remained about existing fleets.”
That question led to additional negotiations — and resistance from some engine manufacturers — before regulators agreed to modify the rules for vehicles already in service.
Uncertainty over future federal regulations already has disrupted one engine maker’s plans. Cummins Inc., a manufacturer of diesel engines, announced this month the postponement of the launch of its new X15 diesel engine for heavy-duty trucks to late 2026.
Initially unveiled in February with features meeting 2027 EPA and CARB standards, the engine was set for pre-orders in mid-2025 and deliveries in 2026. A statement from Cummins touted the technology used in the X15.
“Selective Catalytic Reduction (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.”
Ending a Safety Risk
Streif said two moments proved decisive in resolving the derating issue: meeting EPA’s Amy Kopin, “who strongly advocated for us,” and the change in agency leadership when Zeldin took over. “They came out early, promising a goal to reduce regulation and the red tape that makes our businesses more challenging to operate. After many exchanges, we made great progress, and now we’re finally at the finish line.”
The new rules give bus operators 40 hours before even a minor torque reduction — something Streif calls “a game changer.”
“There are so many things that run through your head when you see an inducement code and know you have four hours before the bus is essentially inoperable,” he said. “We’re moving the most precious cargo there is — people — and derating created a profound safety risk for our drivers and passengers.”
Streif recounted an incident just two weeks ago in which a bus in New Orleans began showing a DEF-related fault code. Mechanics attempted repairs, but the problem reappeared within hours, forcing the company to dispatch a replacement bus from Alabama to ensure passengers could return home on time.
“Something that could have waited until we got the bus back created an obstacle for us that we had limited options for,” he said.
The industry’s challenge was compounded by the scarcity of repair shops for motorcoaches, especially in remote areas or during off-hours. “There were no signs that could predict when a sensor would go bad, so it was like rolling the dice every time a bus went out,” Streif said.
Streif credited the American Bus Association, United Motorcoach Association, and International Motorcoach Group with helping build the case for reform.
“With their help and many members’ feedback, we were able to collect hard data and surveys that provided factual statistics on the impact derates have,” he said. “Honestly, without the strength of these great organizations, we probably wouldn’t have the results we were able to achieve.”
Putting Focus on Bus Industry
The advocacy also exposed a gap in federal oversight. “When I initially reached out to the EPA, their response was, ‘Oh, we didn’t even consider buses,’” Streif said. “It’s been stated before that our industry has been left out in the past, but I think that’s going to change going forward.”
He said the industry will need to maintain its presence in regulatory discussions. “Although our industry is small, we all work together in a way that other industries don’t see. That’s what will make us successful as long as we continue to support one another.”
Ernst praised the EPA’s move, calling the previous guidelines “arbitrary” and harmful to productivity. She also tied the changes to broader Republican efforts to roll back regulations enacted during the Biden administration.
Zeldin said the change reflects a broader philosophy of governance.
“Today’s guidance bridges the gap between now and 2027, ensuring existing vehicles on the road and in the field are just as dependable,” he said. “We’re both protecting human health and the environment and the people who depend on diesel engines to do their job.”
The EPA said no additional agency approval will be required for manufacturers to implement the new software changes.
For Streif, the new timeline — 40 hours before a small torque derate, then 200 hours before a 50 mph limit — is one the industry can live with. “On flat stretches we won’t see any impact,” he said. “I think we can all live with that.”
This article is reprinted with the permission of Bus and Motorcoach News. Read the original post here.
Rising senior Cole Mellom finishes the top of a smoker he created in a Beloit Memorial High School academy that features manufacturing. | Photo by Wayne D’Orio for The Hechinger Report
BELOIT, Wis. — As Chris Hooker eyed a newly built piece of ductwork inside Beloit Memorial High School, a wry smile crept over his face. “If you worked for me,” he told a student, considering the obviously crooked vent, “I might ask if your level was broken.”
Hooker, the HVAC manager of Lloyd’s Plumbing and Heating Corp. in nearby Janesville, was standing inside a hangar-sized classroom in the school’s advanced manufacturing academy, where students construct full-size rooms, hang drywall and learn the basics of masonry. His company sends him to the school twice a week for about two months a year to help teach general heating, venting and air conditioning concepts to students.
“I cover the mountaintop stuff,” he said, noting that at a minimum students will understand HVAC when they become homeowners.
But the bigger potential payoff is that these students could wind up working alongside Hooker after they graduate. If his firm has an opening, any student recommended by teacher Mike Wagner would be a “done deal,” Hooker said. “Plus, if they come through this class, I know them.”
Manufacturing and construction dominate the business needs inside Beloit, a small city of 36,000 just minutes from the Illinois border. Sitting at the nexus of two major highways, and within 100 miles of Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, Beloit is home to a range of businesses that include a Frito-Lay production plant, an Amazon distribution center and a Navy subcontractor. In the next two years, a $500 million casino and hotel complex is scheduled to open.
But staffing these companies into the future is a major concern. Across the country, the average age of manufacturing workers is increasing, and one in four of these workers is age 55 or older, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2021 figures, the most recent available. In many other jobs the workforce is aging, too. Wisconsin is one of several states looking to boost career and technical education, or CTE, as a possible solution to the aging and shrinking workforce.
While the unemployment rate of Rock County, which includes Beloit, is 3.6 percent, only slightly higher than the state’s 3.2 percent, there’s a worker mismatch in the city, according to Drew Pennington, its economic development director.
Every day, 14,000 city residents travel outside of Beloit to work, while the same number commute into the city to fill mostly higher-paying jobs, said Pennington.
So when Beloit decided to revamp its public high school in 2018, CTE and work-based learning were at the forefront of the transformation.
The 1,225-student school now has three academies that cover 13 different career paths. After ninth grade, students choose to concentrate in an area, which means taking several courses in a specific field. Students also have the option to do work-based learning, which can mean internships, a youth apprenticeship or working at high-end simulated job sites inside the school.
“This creates not just a pipeline to jobs but also to career choices,” said Jeff Stenroos, the district’s director of CTE and alternative education.
A student’s detailed outline for creating a truss in Michelle Kelly’s 10th grade algebra class at Beloit Memorial High School, which is embracing career and technical education. | Photo by Wayne D’Orio for The Hechinger Report
“There are a lot of really good-paying jobs in this area. Students don’t need to leave, or go earn a four-year degree,” Stenroos said. An auto mechanic can “earn six figures by the age of 26 and that’s more than an educator with a master’s degree,” he said.
Beloit’s effort is a shift in high school emphasis similar to the extensive CTE programs being run in other places, notably Indiana, Kentucky and Alabama. In 2024, 40 states enacted 152 CTE-related policies, the biggest push in five years, according to Advance CTE, a nonprofit group that represents state CTE officials. Nationwide, about 20 percent of high school students take a concentration of CTE courses, it says, adding that the high school graduation rate for students who concentrate in CTE is 90 percent, 15 percentage points higher than the national average.
Three years ago, Wisconsin called for 7 percent of its high school students to be in workplace learning programs by 2026. Beloit’s progress puts it far ahead of that target. In Beloit Memorial, nearly 1 in 3 students meet this designation today, Stenroos said.
The high school features a cavernous construction area where students build full-scale rooms, learn masonry and complete plumbing and electrical wiring projects. The metal shop offers 16 welding stations and a die-cutter machine that allows students to create customized pieces to fit projects. Down the street, the school runs an eight-bay car repair center, a space it took over when a Sears autobody shop left town.
These spaces are “better than a lot of technical colleges,” Stenroos said.
In addition to their high school courses, Beloit Memorial students pile up industry-recognized certifications, Stenroos said. More than 40 percent of its students graduate with at least one certification, and 1 in 4 of them has multiple certifications.
While some simple certifications, such as OSHA Workplace Safety, can be accomplished in just 10 hours, others, such as those for the American Welding Society, require up to 500 hours of student work, he added. The state has called for 9 percent of graduating high school students to have earned at least one certification by next year. To incentivize schools to offer these opportunities, the state’s Department of Workforce Development pays schools for each student who earns a certification; in 2024, Beloit received $85,000 through this program, Stenroos said.
One of the school’s best automotive students, Geiry Lopez, graduated this year with five Automotive Service Excellence certifications. Standing less than 5 feet tall, Lopez said she is not bothered that she might not look like a typical mechanic. “I know I can do this,” she said, adding that she hopes to work on heavy machinery such as tractor trailers after she graduates.
She’s worked on her own car, with some fellow students, replacing the brakes, a front axle, rotors and wheel bearings at the school’s garage, she said, although she still hasn’t been able to drive it.
“My dad is taking forever to teach me how to drive,” she said.
Having industry standard machines is a key part of Beloit Memorial High School’s manufacturing program; here a student uses a JET metalworking machine to create precise cuts for his project. | Photo by Wayne D’Orio for The Hechinger Report
The garage operates like an actual business, but the only customers are teachers and other Beloit staffers and students. Students estimate work costs, order parts and communicate with customers before any repairs take place. While oil changes and brake replacements are common, some students are totally rebuilding an engine in one car.
Over in the welding room, rising senior Cole Mellom was putting the finishing touches on a smoker he built in less than a month’s time. He said he loved the creativity of finding a plan, cutting the metal and building something that he could sell, all while in school. Plus, he knows that welding is a key skill needed for his dream job, race-car fabrication.
In the past, students created a custom-made protective plate that the city’s police use on a bomb squad vehicle.
The welding program has 125 students this year and had to turn away 65 more because of space limitations, Stenroos said; last year, 17 of the school’s welding academy graduates enlisted in the armed forces to specialize in welding.
These programs are designed to help meet the future needs of the state’s workforce. More than one-third of Wisconsin jobs will require education beyond high school but less than a bachelor’s degree by 2031, according to the Association for Career and Technical Education. For the last four years, the state has had more job openings than people on unemployment.
“There’s more jobs than there are people to fill them right now,” said Deb Prowse, a former career academy coach at Beloit Memorial who now works at Craftsman with Character, an area nonprofit that helps train students for careers in skilled trades.
Officials revamped the Beloit Memorial High School in 2018 to funnel students into academies that are connected to jobs in the area and the state. | Photo by Wayne D’Orio for The Hechinger Report
Hooker, the Lloyd’s Plumbing HVAC manager, agreed. “Every project we work on has a delay, from a multimillion-dollar mansion to a three-bedroom spec,” he said. “There aren’t enough workers.”
The main reason Beloit Memorial has been able to zoom past state and national goals for both CTE and work-based learning is the school’s single-minded focus since 2018 on helping to ensure that its graduates will understand what businesses need and giving them a head start toward gaining those skills.
High school officials actually pared back the program from 44 pathways to 13, Stenroos said, part of an effort to tie each pathway to specific jobs. About 75 percent of pathways target area jobs, with the remaining quarter highlighting prominent professions within the state, he added.
Even though three straight budget referendum defeats have left the district with a $6.2 million funding gap, Stenroos said he’s been able to keep the CTE equipment modernized through donations and strategic allocation of the school’s federal Perkins grant and the state reimbursement for student certifications. In one instance, the school recently bought a $20,000 scanner for its automotive program; the machine can not only help diagnose a car problem, but also connect students to garages throughout the country that have successfully fixed the specified problem.
“It’s an expensive piece of equipment,” Stenroos said, “but it’s industry-certified and will give students real-life experience.”
Each of the three academies has an advisory board of teachers and industry professionals who work out how to embed practical lessons in classroom curriculum. “We ask business people, ‘What do you need, and how can we help our kids get there?’ ” said Stenroos.
“It’s really cool how receptive the school is to feedback,” said Heather Dobson, the business development manager at Corporate Contractors, Inc., a 200-person general contracting firm.
She explained that the district has incorporated small changes over the years, such as having students work in Microsoft programs instead of Google Classroom apps and teaching them how to write a professional email.
“Rarely is there an idea presented that they don’t embrace,” said Celestino Ruffini, the CEO of Visit Beloit, a nonprofit that promotes tourism of the city. The school is expanding its hospitality program because of the expected influx of jobs connected to the new casino and hotel, he said.
All the changes aren’t at the high school, however. In order to employ Beloit Memorial students, Frito-Lay had to alter its corporate policy of not allowing anyone under 18 to work in its plants, according to Angela Slagle, a supply chain manager there. The company now hires Beloit Memorial students for its career exploration youth apprenticeship program, she added.
The connection to area businesses goes beyond the school’s leaders. Each year, about 10 teachers complete an externship in which they spend one week of their summer at a local business. Teachers are paid $1,000 for the 20 hours, and they not only learn about what jobs a company may have but also find ways to incorporate real-world problems into their classroom lessons.
A few summers back, math teacher Michelle Kelly spent a week at Corporate Contractors. She was searching for different ways to use construction-based math problems with her students. In addition to using math to estimate a bid for a project or calculate the surface area of a job, she realized that complex math is needed to build a truss, the framework used to support a roof or bridge.
Because the triangular truss is supported by different lengths of wood inside its structure, Kelly said, building one requires the calculation of angles, total area, how much wood is needed and more. Since all her algebra students were in the school’s construction academy, she partnered with those teachers to go beyond blueprints and have the 10th graders build trusses, a collection of which sit in the back of her classroom.
She sees this work as one way to help counter the chronic absenteeism that has existed since Covid. Teaching with this kind of hands-on work makes students see the relevance of algebra, she said. “Would it be easier to just have them take a test? Yes.”
Beloit Memorial Principal Emily Pelz said the school’s work is paying off. In the last four years, the school’s four-year graduation rate has ticked up slightly, from 83.4 percent in 2021-22 to 85.2 percent in 2024-25, while its attendance went from 78.5 percent to 84.8 percent in the same period, Pelz said.
Rik Thomas, a rising senior who already has his own business repairing and modifying cars, said this work has definitely made him more interested in school. While he thought the academy would merely explain what a construction career might include, “It’s nice to find out how to do the work.” His father works in construction and, Thomas added, “He loves that I take this program.”
Thomas and his classmates built a wooden shed earlier this year and were able to sell it for $2,500, with the money going to pay for more materials. Likewise, the first smoker created in the welding class was bought by Stenroos; the students are looking forward to posting the second one for sale after they determine how much they should charge.
While the school’s construction and other trade-related fields have drawn the most attention, its three academies also offer career paths in healthcare, education, business, the arts, hospitality and more.
For example, rising senior Tayvon Cates said he hopes to study pre-med at a historically Black college or university on his way to becoming a cardiology radiologist. Cates, who is in the school’s health and education academy, said, “If you want to do something, the school can help you do it.”
DUNCANNON, Pa., – Rohrer Bus Sales proudly announces the appointment of Nicholas Cole as Executive Vice President & General Manager. Nick will be bringing over three decades of executive experience in the automotive, transportation, and mobility industries to Rohrer Bus. In this role, Nick will report directly to Skip Rohrer, President of Rohrer Bus Sales.
As Executive Vice President & General Manager, Nick will be responsible for integrating the Service and Parts Departments into the dealership, and working alongside Skip developing sales strategies to continue the growth of our dealership.
Nick is a seasoned leader known for transforming businesses and leading innovations across global organizations. His distinguished career includes leadership roles with Daimler AG, Avis Budget Group, Local Motors, and United Road. Most recently, Nick served as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at United Road, where he led the OEM and remarketing sales teams.
Nick previously held the role of Senior Vice President of Sales & Deployment at Local Motors, a start-up manufacturer that introduced the first 3D-manufactured, electric, autonomous, commercial shuttle bus. As President of Zipcar International, he was responsible for global operations across Europe, and launching innovative B2B mobility as a service (MaaS) solutions. As CEO of Car2go North America, a Daimler AG subsidiary, he built and scaled the first point-to-point car-sharing service in the U.S. and Canada, transforming it from a start-up, to a viable enterprise with 14 markets across the U.S. and Canada.
Nick holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Nick and his wife, Heather, have two adult children. Although Nick currently resides in Plymouth, Michigan, he and Heather will be relocating to the Harrisburg area.
Please join us in welcoming Nick and Heather to the Rohrer Bus family.
Rohrer Bus is a full-service bus sales and transportation company offering a wide selection of new and pre-owned buses, vans, and transportation services. We have a long-standing reputation as a leading commercial vehicle dealer and school bus company, and we have been providing safe and reliable passenger transportation solutions dating back to the early 1900’s. Our inventory of sales vehicles consists of hundreds of different new and preowned vehicles at our 30,000-square-foot headquarters located in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, as well as our other locations in Maryland, DC, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) today reported results for the second quarter of 2025.
“We delivered strong second quarter results, driven by record profitability in our Power Systems and Distribution segments,” said Jennifer Rumsey, Chair and CEO. “Our employees’ resilience and commitment continue to power our success in a dynamic environment. We see a contrast across our markets with robust demand for power generation equipment supported by clear secular drivers, and our more economically sensitive markets, such as truck, where end-user confidence has declined. This contrast will become even more pronounced in the second half of the year as North America truck build rates decline sharply, starting in the third quarter. Aftermarket demand for parts and service remains stable.”
Second quarter revenues of $8.6 billion decreased 2 percent from the same quarter in 2024. Sales in North America declined 6 percent, and international revenues increased 5 pecent due to higher demand in Europe and China.
Net income attributable to Cummins in the second quarter was $890 million, or $6.43 per diluted share, compared to $726 million, or $5.26 per diluted share, in 2024.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in the second quarter were $1.6 billion, or 18.4 percent of sales, compared to $1.3 billion, or 15.3 percent of sales, a year ago.
2025 Outlook
Due to continued economic uncertainty, the company will not be reinstating a full-year outlook for revenue or profitability at this time.
“Our diversified portfolio, disciplined cost management and strong execution have enabled us to navigate recent industry challenges,” said Rumsey. “However, persistent economic and regulatory uncertainty continues to impact a number of our key markets and cloud our near-term outlook for both business and market performance. We remain focused on delivering for our customers and look forward to providing additional clarity as this uncertainty subsides.”
Second Quarter 2025 Highlights
Cummins announced an increase in the quarterly common stock cash dividend from $1.82 to $2.00 per share. The company has increased the quarterly dividend to shareholders for 16 consecutive years.
Cummins launched the new 17-liter engine platform generator, expanding on the success of the acclaimed Centum Series generator sets. Producing up to 1 megawatt of power, the S17 Centum genset was developed to produce a large power output within a compact footprint to meet the growing demands of power in urban environments. The new genset is designed to support a wide range of critical market segments such as commercial properties, healthcare facilities and water treatment plants.
Jennifer Rumsey was named one of Barron’s Top CEOs of 2025. Jennifer was recognized for her visionary leadership and commitment to innovation and sustainability. The annual list features 26 leaders whose deft guidance has put their companies in a stronger competitive position.
Second Quarter 2025 Detail (all comparisons to same period in 2024):
Engine Segment
Sales – $2.9 billion, down 8 percent
Segment EBITDA – $400 million, or 13.8 percent of sales, compared to $445 million, or 14.1 percent of sales
Revenues decreased 8 percent in North America and 7 percent in international markets due to lower on-highway demand in the United States and Mexico.
Components Segment
Sales – $2.7 billion, down 9 percent
Segment EBITDA – $397 million, or 14.7 percent of sales, compared to $406 million, or 13.6 percent of sales
Revenues in North America decreased by 15% and international sales were flat primarily due to lower on-highway demand in the United States.
Distribution Segment
Sales – $3.0 billion, up 7 percent
Segment EBITDA – $445 million, or 14.6 percent of sales, compared to $314 million, or 11.1 percent of sales
Revenues in North America increased 9 percent and international sales increased by 4% primarily due to increased demand for power generation products in the United States.
Power Systems Segment
Sales – $1.9 billion, up 19%
Segment EBITDA – $430 million, or 22.8% of sales, compared to $301 million, or 18.9% of sales
Revenues in North America increased 23% and international sales increased 16% driven primarily by increased power generation demand, particularly for the data center and mission critical markets.
Accelera Segment
Sales – $105 million, down 5 percent
Segment EBITDA loss – $100 million, compared to $117 million
Revenues decreased due to lower electrolyzer installations. The company remains committed to pacing and focusing our zero emissions investments on the most promising paths in order to ensure we are set up for long-term success as part of our Destination Zero strategy. These continued investments contributed to the EBITDA losses. About Cummins Inc.
Cummins Inc., a global power solutions leader, is comprised of five business segments – Engine, Components, Distribution, Power Systems and Accelera by Cummins – supported by our global manufacturing and extensive service and support network, skilled workforce and vast technological expertise. Cummins is committed to its Destination Zero strategy, which is grounded in the company’s commitment to sustainability and helping its customers successfully navigate the energy transition with its broad portfolio of products. The products range from advanced diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains and powertrain-related components including aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, valvetrain technologies, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, axles, drivelines, brakes, suspension systems, electric power generation systems, electrified power systems with innovative components and subsystems, including battery, fuel cell and electric power technologies and hydrogen production technologies. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (U.S.), since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 69,600 people committed to powering a more prosperous world through three global corporate responsibility priorities critical to healthy communities: education, environment and equality of opportunity. Cummins serves its customers online, through a network of company-owned and independent distributor locations, and through thousands of dealer locations worldwide and earned about $3.9 billion on sales of $34.1 billion in 2024. See how Cummins is powering a world that’s always on by accessing news releases and more information at https://www.cummins.com.
The state of Wisconsin is offering up to $100 million in performance-based tax incentives to support pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly’s $4 billion investment in Kenosha County, Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday.
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.
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.
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.
WOODRIDGE, ILL. – Hendrickson announces the official launch of the newest advancements in STEERTEK NXT steer axles on International RH, LT, and MV series trucks and IC Bus CE series buses, expanding the reach of Hendrickson’s next-generation axle technology to even more of the commercial vehicle market. Weight optimization was designed into every component, from axle seat and knuckle castings to axle beam refinements. Proudly fabricated and assembled in the U.S.A., this innovative axle design provides up to 25 pounds of additional weight savings compared to the previous generation, while maintaining its advantages in serviceability, dependability, and maintenance for today’s demanding fleet operations.
With this launch, Hendrickson has expanded its limited warranty coverage for STEERTEK NXT axles with rated capacities of up to 14,600 pounds. The existing 10-year, 1-million-mile limited structural warranty still covers the axle and kingpin assembly, steering arm assembly, and knuckle assemblies. Now, additional warranty coverage on kingpin bushings, kingpin wear, thrust bearings, tie rods, and tie rod ends is included for 5 years or 750,000 miles*.
“The expansion of our STEERTEK NXT advancements to International reinforces our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that provide value to fleets,” said Sean Whitfield, Director of Marketing at Hendrickson. “This axle is built to go the distance while making service easier and less frequent, which is a win for both fleets and technicians.”
Key Features and Benefits:
Proudly fabricated and assembled in the U.S.A.
Premium value steer axle at International
Weight savings for improved efficiency and payload capacity
Extended recommended service intervals to help reduce maintenance downtime
Two-piece knuckles for easier, more cost-effective service
Exceptional dependability backed by years of performance in commercial vehicle applications
Superior warranty coverage
*Refer to Hendrickson’s updated STEERTEK NXT/STEERTEK axle warranty statement for complete terms, conditions, and limitations
Hendrickson, a Boler company, is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of medium- and heavy-duty mechanical, elastomeric and air suspensions; integrated and non-integrated axle and brake systems; tire pressure control systems; auxiliary lift axle systems; parabolic and multi-leaf springs; stabilizers; bumpers; and components to the global commercial transportation industry. Hendrickson, based in Woodridge, IL., USA, continues to meet the needs of the transportation industry for more than 110 years. Visit Hendrickson at www.hendrickson-intl.com.
GOSHEN, Ind. — Forest River Bus & Van, a division of Forest River, Inc., is proud to
announce a series of leadership advancements aimed at strengthening operations,
enhancing the customer experience, and supporting long-term growth.
Forest River has named Douglas Wright as President of its Bus, Van, and Marine divisions. With more than three decades of experience in the automotive industry, Wright is known for his strategic leadership, operational expertise, and commitment to customer service.
“This company was built by people who care deeply about what they do—and who they do it for,” Wright said. “Our responsibility now is to carry that legacy forward while continuing to refine and elevate the customer journey.
Supporting that vision is longtime Forest River leader Mike Terlep, newly appointed as Director of Sales for the Bus division. Terlep will lead all sales efforts across government, commercial, and dealer channels in North America. With a strong foundation in both RV and commercial transportation, he brings decades of hands-on experience and a reputation for being dependable and dealer focused.
“There’s no substitute for consistency and follow-through,” Terlep said. “We’ve built a strong foundation, and I’m excited to help carry that forward, ensuring every agency, fleet, and dealer experiences the strength of our commitment.”
But this expansion goes beyond titles. It’s about reimagining what service looks like at every step from initial order to years after delivery. To do that, Forest River has introduced two new roles focused on aligning the ownership experience with the operational precision behind each build.
• Ryan Lamb has been named Director of Customer Experience, leading efforts to
bring greater continuity, speed, and clarity to every customer touchpoint. With
nearly two decades in commercial vehicle manufacturing, Lamb understands how
critical it is to get things right the first time and keep them running right long after.
• On the dealer side, Matt Steele has been named Director of Dealer Experience. With a background in product development, dealer operations, and customer service, Steele’s mission is to make it easier than ever for Forest River’s network of dealers to succeed.
Together, these leadership moves reinforce what has always set Forest River apart: its people, its partnerships, and its purpose.
Amid a stunning financial turnaround over the found its leader to succeed Phil Horlock as both president and CEO. Personal reasons forced Blue Bird to go in a different direction last fall after Britton Smith unceremoniously resigned. But the company didn’t have to look far for the best candidate to step up and into the position.
Wyskiel had spent the previous two decades leading Magna International, the last five years as global president of the manufacturer’s seating division. But he knows school buses intimately. He came to Magna over 15 years ago from Canadian Blue Bird Coach, where he was general manager of Type A and Type C school bus body and assembly production.
“John’s deep and varied expertise in operational excellence and manufacturing leadership makes him an ideal fit for this role at this time,” Doug Grimm, chairman of Blue Bird, said when Wyskiel’s name was announced in January. “His proven track record will be invaluable as we expand our footprint and improve our operational processes to support our customers.”
School Transportation News caught up with Wyskiel shortly after he started on Feb. 17 to discuss the company’s evolution as it prepares to celebrate its 100th birthday in 2027, the same year the industry is poised to meet the latest federal emissions standards that were still under review by the new Trump administration EPA. Editor’s note Wyskiel declined to comment on tariff impacts, referring instead to a previous statement made by Horlock in January that Blue Bird would pass along any additional manufacturing costs to customers.
STN: How has Blue Bird changed since you were last mpart of the company 20 years ago?
Wyskiel: Of course, the company is publicly traded today, and it has been successful financially. However, at its core, the DNA of this century-old American company has not changed. There is a strong sense of pride within Blue Bird reflecting a company culture that deeply cares about people. The talent within the company has continued to expand over the years in all functional areas. Operationally, you can see a much greater focus on metrics and key performance indicators, which has enabled Blue Bird to become very focused and to make data-based decisions. From a product perspective, our rich history of innovations [are] on full display, particularly around alternative powertrain offerings. All of these developments have turned Blue Bird into a high performance business and strengthened its iconic brand.
STN: How would you describe your leadership style? What is your strategic vision for Blue Bird?
Wyskiel: I am a pretty engaged operator, and I believe people work best in an environment which fosters empowerment and accountability. Plus, when there is an issue, there is no substitute for “go see.” Whether it’s on the shop floor, at a dealer or at a customer, there is no substitution. I have returned to Blue Bird after a 20-year hiatus only a few weeks ago [at interview time]. Therefore, it’s a little early to talk strategy in specifics just yet. But I think the theme will be to shift to a long-term view for our customers, dealers, team members and investors. This means investing in facilities, our products and expanding into adjacent markets where we can. This great company has been around for almost 100 years, and my objective is to set it up for success for decades to come.
STN: Blue Bird currently offers more fuel choices than any other school bus manufacturer. Why is this important especially in the current political environment?
Wyskiel: Blue Bird offers the widest powertrain portfolio in the markets diesel, gasoline, propane and, of course, electric. We believe there is no one answer for customers. They want choice for their districts. A broad product portfolio allows them to tailor the value proposition to their specific needs. It could be total cost of operation, overall durability, ease of refueling, or the advantages of zero emissions. And if you look at the current political environment, it is just a benefit to have the widest offering as we cover every area in the market regardless of where legislation ends up. Blue Bird undoubtedly has the broadest offering, our success in the marketplace validates our strategy.
Moving forward, I do hope to see a more predictable regulatory environment for our industry. Manufacturers need to plan years in advance and commit to product development and investment. So, directional stability is not simply helpful, it is essential. I think the move to zero emissions will continue to advance longer term, it just may take longer to get there. In the school bus market, it makes so much sense. The duty cycle fits electrification and charging, range is not an issue since school district routes are normally shorter, and zero emissions advances student health and performance.
STN: What is Blue Bird doing to strengthen the long-term health of the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program?
Wyskiel: The 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate Program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $5 billion over five years for clean school bus transportation. To date, the EPA has awarded almost $3 billion to fund approximately 9,000 school bus replacements, approximately 95 percent of which are zero-emission, battery-electric. Funding has been awarded to more than 1,300 school districts in nearly all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
There is no question the program had an overwhelmingly positive impact on children, communities and American manufacturing, bringing invaluable opportunities to school districts to transition their fleets to zero-emission school buses. Communities across the country have benefited from the reduction in diesel tailpipe emissions that can negatively impact student and community health. As the leader in low- and zero-emission school buses, we have communicated and promoted the benefit at all levels of government.
STN: Can you update us on the status of standard lap/shoulder seatbelts and other safety technology like driver airbags?
Wyskiel: Blue Bird is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team designs and manufactures school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world, 25 million children twice a day, making them the most trusted mode of student transportation.
Blue Bird made lap/shoulder belts standard on its buses late last year and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Similarly, we will introduce airbags protecting drivers this fall. It’s a testimony to Blue Bird, whose school buses are designed, not adapted to the market, and whose focus on safety has been industry leading. If you could fast forward a decade, we will probably look back and wonder how school transportation didn’t include seatbelts and airbags all along. I am proud that Blue Bird has taken the lead role in this area.
STN: Thank you.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the May 2025 issue of School Transportation News.
A worker installs a solar panel on a roof. (Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Clean energy manufacturers and advocates say they’re perplexed how the repeal of tax credits in President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” will keep their domestic production lines humming across the United States, particularly in states that elected him to the Oval Office.
While some Republicans have labeled the billions in tax credits a “green new scam,” statistics reviewed by States Newsroom show the jobs and benefits would boost predominantly GOP-leaning states and congressional districts. Now the industry is already slowing amid Trump’s back-and-forth tariff policy and mixed messaging on energy and manufacturing.
Trump vowed in early April that he would “supercharge our domestic industrial base.”
“Jobs and factories will come roaring back to our country, and you see it happening already,” he told a crowd in the White House Rose Garden while unveiling his new trade policy.
But as a way to pay for the $3.9 trillion price tag of extending and expanding the 2017 corporate and individual tax cuts, U.S. House Republicans found billions of dollars in savings by slashing over a dozen clean energy tax credits enacted in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act under President Joe Biden.
Critics say the mega-bill, which passed the GOP-led House on May 22 in a 215-214 vote, would effectively strip away the Advanced Manufacturing and Production Credit and other incentives.
They have bolstered the production of batteries and solar components in numerous states — top among them North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, Illinois and Oklahoma, according to the Clean Investment Monitor, a joint project by the Rhodium Group and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research.
U.S. senators are now negotiating the massive budget reconciliation legislation.
Kevin Doffling, CEO and founder of Project Vanguard, an organization that connects veterans to clean energy jobs, warned pulling the plug on the clean energy tax credits will stifle progress the U.S. has made against other countries, namely China.
“We’re just going to see a huge pullback from investments inside of advanced manufacturing here in the U.S., and then we’ll go source it from other places, instead of doing it here,” Doffling said on a May 28 press call pressing for senators to protect the tax credits.
Doffling’s organization works in several states, including Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, Washington and Utah.
Moving away from fossil fuels
The suite of tax credits enacted under the IRA incentivized homeowners, car buyers, energy producers and manufacturers to invest in types of energy beyond fossil fuels, with the aim of a reduction in the effects of climate change.
For example, the IRA’s Advanced Manufacturing and Production Credit is awarded per unit produced and sold, and in some cases the capacity of energy output.
Battery cell manufacturers can earn up to $35 per battery cell multiplied by potential kilowatt hours. In the case of solar, the credit offers producers 7 cents per solar module multiplied by wattage output. For mining operations extracting critical minerals, such as lithium, companies can receive a 10% tax break on the costs of production.
Most credits phase out by 2032 under the Biden-era law, except those for critical mineral mining, which continue.
A group of House Republicans, who have dubbed the tax credits the “green new scam” — echoing Trump’s rhetoric — pushed to accelerate the expiration in the final version of the mega-bill, even for critical mineral mining and production. The federal government classifies critical minerals as crucial to national security.
The House-passed bill also severely tightens language around foreign components, titled “foreign entities of concern,” making the credit practically unusable as many parts of the clean energy manufacturing supply chain are global, industry professionals say.
The legislation also repeals “transferability,” which allows companies with little or no tax liability to sell the credits.
For example, a critical mineral mining company would not turn a profit during an initial phase and could sell the credits to offset the cost of operations.
Schneider Electric, a global corporation with a U.S. base in Massachusetts, has facilitated 18 transfer deals worth $1.7 billion in tax credits for U.S. companies since 2023. In a statement, Schneider said the deals “reflect growing market interest in flexible financing mechanisms that directly fund renewable projects.”
Silfab Solar, which recently built a solar cell manufacturing and module assembly plant in Fort Mill, South Carolina, announced in mid-May the sale of $110 million in Advanced Manufacturing and Production Credits to help fund its expansion. The company already runs a solar manufacturing site in Burlington, Washington.
Investment soared
Spurred by the Advanced Manufacturing and Production Credit, known as 45X, actual investment in clean energy manufacturing since August 2022 reached $115 billion in April, up from $21 billion over the same length of time prior to the IRA, the Clean Investment Monitor found.
Of the 380 clean technology production facilities announced since the third quarter of 2022, 161 are now operational, according to CIM data.
The credit spurred a “sea change” in U.S. clean energy manufacturing, said Mike Williams, senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress and former deputy director of the BlueGreen Alliance, which advocates for the joining of labor and environmental organizations.
Despite solar technology’s roots in the U.S., the nation “didn’t even have a toe” in solar manufacturing, Williams said. Other countries, most notably Germany and then China, have dominated the industry.
“But after the Inflation Reduction Act passed, all of a sudden we see panel manufacturing, we see parts and components manufacturing, absolutely exploding. Plants have announced and started construction in Georgia, in Oklahoma,” Williams said in an interview with States Newsroom.
Active manufacturing of solar components, advanced batteries and wind turbines and vessels is concentrated in rural areas. Most are located in states that went red in the 2024 presidential election, according to the Clean Power America Association’s May 2025 State of Clean Energy Manufacturing in America report.
The renewable energy policy group estimated the industry supports 122,000 full-time manufacturing jobs across the U.S.
Active solar manufacturing sites and expansions are clustered in Texas, Ohio and Alabama, according to data from the association. Should major project announcements in Georgia pull through, the state would surpass Alabama for third place.
Advanced battery manufacturing spans 38 states, with the largest concentrations in California, Michigan and North Carolina.
But various parts of the battery production process stretch throughout the country — for example, battery cell production in Nevada and Tennessee and module production in Utah. Other supporting hardware is made in South Carolina, Arizona and Texas.
Lithium, a critical mineral for battery production, is currently mined in Nevada and California. And investors are eyeing other spots in the U.S., namely Alaska, to mine and produce graphite, another critical mineral.
China largely dominates the world’s critical mineral supply chain, according to U.S. Geological Survey data for 2024.
When accounting for the full suite of clean energy tax credits that were enacted in 2022 — including residential, electric vehicles and clean electricity credits — just over 312,900 new jobs are linked to the industry, the bulk in Republican-led congressional districts, according to the advocacy group Climate Power’s 2024 report on clean energy employment.
Troy Van Beek, CEO and founder of the Iowa-based solar company Ideal Energy, said his business weathered the pandemic and has been able to add jobs, but is now facing uncertainty again.
“We’re getting our feet under us and really starting to operate. I went from 20-some jobs to over 60 jobs, and those are good-paying jobs for people and their families. So we need that stability in the industry,” said Van Beek, who spoke on the call with Doffling.
“What troubles me is the rocking of the boat to such a degree that we can’t get anything done, and that’s been very difficult to deal with,” he said.
Industry slowdown
The industry has seen a pullback since January and the beginning of the Trump presidency.
Six announced projects representing $6.9 billion in investment were canceled in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Clean Investment Monitor’s latest State of U.S. Clean Energy Supply Chains report. While investment in clean energy overall continues to grow, the beginning of 2025 shows a slowdown from where the industry was a year ago.
Van Beek, whose solar company provides construction and installation among others services, said recent talks to strike a deal with a solar manufacturer collapsed after threats to the tax credits.
“We had worked an entire year on putting together (a deal) with one of the leading manufacturers in the world that has U.S. manufacturing to actually have joint ventures and work with them on projects,” Van Beek said. “And when this came up, that deal came to a screeching halt.”
Van Beek did not name the company on the call and did not respond to a request for a follow-up interview.
Spencer Pederson of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association said the unpredictability is interrupting how operators are planning for the coming years.
“Whether large or small, just the business certainty and the ability to plan out your business is disrupted when you have any type of tax mechanism that is abruptly halted when you’re doing business planning at five- or 10-year intervals,” said Pederson, the association’s senior vice president of public affairs.
Too expensive, Republicans say
Some House Republicans, led by Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia, urged party colleagues to protect the clean energy tax credits — for example by removing the “overly prescriptive” restrictions on foreign entities of concern and keeping in place transferability of tax credits.
Kiggans wrote to House Republican tax writers in mid-May that “the last thing any of us want is to provoke an energy crisis or cause higher energy bills for working families.”
Her co-signers included Don Bacon of Nebraska, Mark Amodei of Nevada, Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Dave Joyce of Ohio and Dan Newhouse of Washington, who all eventually voted for the final bill.
Far-right House members won on not only shortening the lifespan of the credits, but also on keeping the restrictive foreign entity language and on repealing a company’s ability to transfer credits.
The right-leaning National Taxpayers Union hailed the “commonsense changes” championed by the far-right House Freedom Caucus, under the leadership of Maryland Rep. Andy Harris.
The organization, which favors cutting government spending and lowering taxes, pointed to the cost. According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, the credits as of 2022 were valued at roughly $384.9 billion over ten years.
“The longer these subsidies remain in law, the more expensive they will become and the harder it will be for Congress to remove them. Now it’s up to the Senate to support the Green New Deal Rollbacks,” Thomas Aiello, NTU’s senior director of government affairs, wrote in the days following the House vote.
Hope in the Senate?
But representatives from multinational corporations to mid-size businesses and sizable trade associations are now looking to the U.S. Senate to restore measures that they say created a boom time for investment, production and new energy on the grid.
Jeannie Salo, chief public policy officer at Schneider Electric, said in a statement to States Newsroom that “The Senate should restore and extend the timelines for key energy and manufacturing credits and their transferability to ensure the nation continues to attract key investments and projects that will power the U.S. economy and help make energy more affordable.”
Pederson said the restrictions on foreign components and company ties are “particularly restrictive coming out of the House.”
“So we’re hoping to work with the Senate Finance Committee and some of the members of the Senate who have indicated some willingness to make the foreign entity of concern language a little bit more workable,” Pederson said.
Doffling believes senators have a “longer term vision” of the nation’s energy strategy than House members who face reelection every two years.
“They see what’s happening not just in their district, but in the entire state that they represent,” Doffling said.
The House bill just sets the U.S. “further behind,” he added. “This bill is all about going backwards in time and hoping for the best.”
“I wish they could look at the numbers and understand the economic impacts it’s gonna have. … But somehow we’re talking about the fact of hamstringing a whole entire industry itself over verbiage of the word ‘clean.’”
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Thomas Built Buses (TBB), a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, recognized Kerlin Bus Sales & Leasing, Inc. as its 2024 Dealer of the Year. The distinction celebrates Kerlin’s exceptional customer support, industry leadership and ongoing commitment to student transportation.
Based in Silver Lake, Indiana, Kerlin has been a Thomas Built Buses dealer for over 60 years. This marks the dealership’s fourth Dealer of the Year honor, with prior recognition in 1995, 2008 and 2021.
“Kerlin has been an integral part of Thomas Built for decades and has successfully passed the legacy from one generation to the next,” said Daoud Chaaya, vice president of sales, aftermarket and marketing for Thomas Built Buses. “The entire team at Kerlin consistently raises the bar on excellence through their unwavering commitment to the overall TBB value proposition and exceptional customer experience. Congratulations to Kerlin Bus Sales and Leasing on being named the 2024 Dealer of the Year.”
In addition to the Dealer of the Year award, Kerlin was also named to the Thomas Built Buses President’s Club, President’s Club Platinum and Honors Class, which recognizes the top seven dealers for overall performance. The dealership remains a trusted advisor to schools throughout Indiana and beyond, providing expert guidance and service for diesel and electric bus fleets.
Each year, Thomas Built Buses evaluates dealers across its network based on key performance metrics, including customer service, parts availability, training participation and sales performance. The Dealer of the Year award represents the highest level of achievement among all TBB dealers in North America.
2024 Honors Class:
H.A. DeHart & Son, Inc. – Thorofare, New Jersey
Interstate Transportation Equipment, Inc. – Columbia, South Carolina
Kerlin Bus Sales & Leasing, Inc. – Silver Lake, Indiana
Matthews Bus Alliance, Inc. – Orlando, Florida
Mid-South Bus Center, Inc. – Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – Litchfield, Illinois
New England Transit Sales, Inc. – Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
2024 President’s Club Platinum:
Carolina Thomas, LLC – Greensboro, North Carolina
H.A. DeHart & Son, Inc. – Thorofare, New Jersey
Hoekstra Transportation, Inc. – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Interstate Transportation Equipment, Inc. – Columbia, South Carolina
Kerlin Bus Sales & Leasing, Inc. – Silver Lake, Indiana
Matthews Buses, Inc. – Ballston Spa, New York
Matthews Bus Alliance, Inc. – Orlando, Florida
Mid-South Bus Center, Inc. – Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – Litchfield, Illinois
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – Shawnee, Kansas
New England Transit Sales, Inc. – Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
Rohrer Bus Sales – Duncannon, Pennsylvania
Sonny Merryman, Inc. – Evington, Virginia
Thomas Bus Sales of Georgia – Forest Park, Georgia
Thomas Bus Texas – Dallas, Texas
2024 President’s Club:
American Bus Sales & Service – Annapolis, Maryland
BusWest – Carson, California
Complete Bus and Specialty Vehicles – Clarksburg, Ohio
Empire Truck Sales, LLC – Richland, Mississippi
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – Commerce City, Colorado
Midwest Bus Sales, Inc. – El Reno, Oklahoma
Myers Equipment Corporation – Canfield, Ohio
Schetky Northwest Sales, Inc. – Portland, Oregon
Transportation South, Inc. – Pelham, Alabama
W.C. Cressey & Son, Inc. – Kennebunk, Maine
About Thomas Built Buses:
Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more at thomasbuiltbuses.com or facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses.
Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America LLC, a leading provider of comprehensive products and technologies for the commercial transportation industry. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and markets medium and heavy-duty trucks, school buses, vehicle chassis and their associated technologies and components under the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp and Detroit brands. Daimler Truck North America is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.
ANAHIEM, Calif. — “It’s an honor to kick off ACT Expo 2025,” said Jennifer Rumsey, chair and chief executive officer of Cummins. “We’re in a very different place than we were just a year ago. We always knew the energy transition was going to be dynamic, and it’s clear now it’s going to be even more dynamic, more uncertain, more divergent than we ever thought it would be.”
Rumsey, who has spent the last 25 years at Cummins first as a mechanical engineer and later as an executive, noted in her opening general session April 28 that regulations were driving the industry toward a net-zero future. Cummins, like most large OEMs, was investing a record amount of money to meet those goals. Yet, concerns regarding infrastructure investment to support the emerging technology also existed.
She said the trucking and bus industry is just now starting to understand how the Trump administration’s policies might impact the future.
“There’s proposals to reconsider or reevaluate EPA regulations and natural uncertainty as this process takes shape, the incentives for battery electric vehicles offered through the IRA used onshore manufacturing and help drive adoption are back on the negotiating table, and tariffs are being used as trade policies and also impacting our businesses,” Rumsey explained. “So, what does this mean for us today? It means there’s more uncertainty than ever before about the role regulations, incentives and trade policies will play for the future of our industry.”
She commented that despite a potential rollback of regulations, Cummins is continuing to invest billions of dollars to innovate and develop cleaner, more advanced and efficient technologies. “I’ve seen us over the last several decades, we’ve made real progress, real impact together,” she said, adding that even in terms of diesel engines, the industry has significantly reduced emissions and improved fuel efficiency.
She noted that “advancements in fuel injection systems, turbo chargers, after treatment and controls, have reduced NOx and particulate emissions by more than 98 percent in the U.S. and 90 percent globally,” she continued. “To put that into perspective, today, it takes 60 class eight semis to emit what a single semi-truck emitted in 1988.”
Cummins, she said, has improved the per-gallon fuel mileage for its on highway heavy duty engines by nearly 25 percent since 2010. The company also set a goal of reducing 55 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its products already in the field from 2014 to 2030. That equates to 5.4 billion gallons of diesel fuel and almost $20 billions in savings.
“In fact, we are hitting that goal early,” Rumsey shared. “I’m pleased to share our goal to double our efforts for products and use over the next five years, helping many of you further improve fuel efficiency and reduce operating costs.”
She said all of this was achieved while also navigating challenges such as the COVID-19 recession and subsequent supply chain disruptions.
“I believe this is a time for us to come together to move the industry forward, to focus on the positive impact we can have in the midst of the uncertainty and challenges we are facing right now,” she said. “I remind myself each day of the beauty and goodness and the people and the world around us, and the opportunity that I and we all have to make a positive difference to ensure a planet where we our kids and our grandkids have access to clean air and water.”
She explained that everyone plays a role in empowering a more prosperous world. She provided three elements that she thinks be essential for success, the first being the right government regulations.
“We need to set clear and challenging but also achievable goals that drive innovation and allow the best technologies to compete and help meet the standards we set,” she said. “We need certainty and time to meet them, regulations that force the adoption of certain technologies may exclude some of the best solutions, and they may also overlook meaningful improvements in today’s technologies. We don’t want to let perfect be the enemy of good.”
She explained that many power solutions and alternative fuel sources will be in the mix for a long time. These include diesel, biodiesel blends, natural gas and hydrogen engines, as well as battery electric, fuel cell and hybrid solutions, “because no single solution will meet our broader goals.”
“Fair and unbiased regulations enable businesses to invest in a diverse portfolio of technologies that drive innovation and give choice to nations’ fleets,” she continued.
Second, she said the industry must consider the life cycle emissions of fuel or energy when making decisions on emission reduction and standards. Rumsey explained that it’s not just about the tail pipe emissions, but the complete cost of fuel production, transportation and distribution.
She said the industry also needs to continue making innovative improvements in technology offerings “that both reduce greenhouse gas and improve fuel efficiency, allowing our customers to find the most efficient, cost-effective solutions for their business and application needs,” she said.
She noted that improved fuel efficiency is the biggest greenhouse gas emission savings opportunity. “Our industry will continue operating internal combustion engines for many years, and it’s important to continue to make tangible and incremental improvements to diesel, while also advancing low carbon alternate fuels to give customers choice as the infrastructure builds out,” she said.
For example, the new Cummins X15 engine is designed to improve fuel economy by 4 percent while greatly reducing NOx. She added, however, that battery-electric technologies are a part of the solution mix for reducing emissions and aligning with sustainability goals.
“Lithium-ion battery price per kilowatt hour has dropped by more than 85 percent in the last decade, and we are starting to see an increasing number of economic cases for electric vehicle adoption in certain commercial vehicle applications,” she said. “For example, Blue Bird has delivered more than 2,500 school buses equipped with electric powertrains and estimates that more than 90 percent of school bus routes can now be served by electric buses. That said, we need to continue to innovate in this space to ensure total cost of ownership gets close to that of diesel and enable adoption.”
She added that Cummins is partnering with Paccar, Daimler Truck of North America and Amplify Cell Technologies to manufacture lithium-ion phosphate battery cells for commercial vehicles at a plant outside of Memphis, Tennessee. A spokesman later told School Transportation News that the battery cells will be ready for market in 2027.
“While we’re currently in a period of vast uncertainty, my hope is that we can be unquestionably certain about one thing, our shared commitment to continue powering a more prosperous world to moving forward together, because no one can do it alone,” she said.
Across a career’s worth of pioneering product designs, Doug Field’s work has shaped the experience of anyone who’s ever used a MacBook Air, ridden a Segway, or driven a Tesla Model 3.
But his newest project is his most ambitious yet: reinventing the Ford automobile, one of the past century’s most iconic pieces of technology.
As Ford’s chief electric vehicle (EV), digital, and design officer, Field is tasked with leading the development of the company’s electric vehicles, while making new software platforms central to all Ford models.
To bring Ford Motor Co. into that digital and electric future, Field effectively has to lead a fast-moving startup inside the legacy carmaker. “It is incredibly hard, figuring out how to do ‘startups’ within large organizations,” he concedes.
If anyone can pull it off, it’s likely to be Field. Ever since his time in MIT’s Leaders for Global Operations (then known as “Leaders in Manufacturing”) program studying organizational behavior and strategy, Field has been fixated on creating the conditions that foster innovation.
“The natural state of an organization is to make it harder and harder to do those things: to innovate, to have small teams, to go against the grain,” he says. To overcome those forces, Field has become a master practitioner of the art of curating diverse, talented teams and helping them flourish inside of big, complex companies.
“It’s one thing to make a creative environment where you can come up with big ideas,” he says. “It’s another to create an execution-focused environment to crank things out. I became intrigued with, and have been for the rest of my career, this question of how can you have both work together?”
Three decades after his first stint as a development engineer at Ford Motor Co., Field now has a chance to marry the manufacturing muscle of Ford with the bold approach that helped him rethink Apple’s laptops and craft Tesla’s Model 3 sedan. His task is nothing less than rethinking how cars are made and operated, from the bottom up.
“If it’s only creative or execution, you’re not going to change the world,” he says. “If you want to have a huge impact, you need people to change the course you’re on, and you need people to build it.”
A passion for design
From a young age, Field had a fascination with automobiles. “I was definitely into cars and transportation more generally,” he says. “I thought of cars as the place where technology and art and human design came together — cars were where all my interests intersected.”
With a mother who was an artist and musician and an engineer father, Field credits his parents’ influence for his lifelong interest in both the aesthetic and technical elements of product design. “I think that’s why I’m drawn to autos — there’s very much an aesthetic aspect to the product,” he says.
After earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, Field took a job at Ford in 1987. The big Detroit automakers of that era excelled at mass-producing cars, but weren’t necessarily set up to encourage or reward innovative thinking. Field chafed at the “overstructured and bureaucratic” operational culture he encountered.
The experience was frustrating at times, but also valuable and clarifying. He realized that he “wanted to work with fast-moving, technology-based businesses.”
“My interest in advancing technical problem-solving didn’t have a place in the auto industry” at the time, he says. “I knew I wanted to work with passionate people and create something that didn’t exist, in an environment where talent and innovation were prized, where irreverence was an asset and not a liability. When I read about Silicon Valley, I loved the way they talked about things.”
During that time, Field took two years off to enroll in MIT’s LGO program, where he deepened his technical skills and encountered ideas about manufacturing processes and team-driven innovation that would serve him well in the years ahead.
“Some of core skill sets that I developed there were really, really important,” he says, “in the context of production lines and production processes.” He studied systems engineering and the use of Monte Carlo simulations to model complex manufacturing environments. During his internship with aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, he worked on automated design in computer-aided design (CAD) systems, long before those techniques became standard practice.
Another powerful tool he picked up was the science of probability and statistics, under the tutelage of MIT Professor Alvin Drake in his legendary course 6.041/6.431 (Probabilistic Systems Analysis). Field would go on to apply those insights not only to production processes, but also to characterizing variability in people’s aptitudes, working styles, and talents, in the service of building better, more innovative teams. And studying organizational strategy catalyzed his career-long interest in “ways to look at innovation as an outcome, rather than a random spark of genius.”
“So many things I was lucky to be exposed to at MIT,” Field says, were “all building blocks, pieces of the puzzle, that helped me navigate through difficult situations later on.”
Learning while leading
After leaving Ford in 1993, Field worked at Johnson and Johnson Medical for three years in process development. There, he met Segway inventor Dean Kamen, who was working on a project called the iBOT, a gyroscopic powered wheelchair that could climb stairs.
When Kamen spun off Segway to develop a new personal mobility device using the same technology, Field became his first hire. He spent nearly a decade as the firm’s chief technology officer.
At Segway, Field’s interests in vehicles, technology, innovation, process, and human-centered design all came together.
“When I think about working now on electric cars, it was a real gift,” he says. The problems they tackled prefigured the ones he would grapple with later at Tesla and Ford. “Segway was very much a precursor to a modern EV. Completely software controlled, with higher-voltage batteries, redundant systems, traction control, brushless DC motors — it was basically a miniature Tesla in the year 2000.”
At Segway, Field assembled an “amazing” team of engineers and designers who were as passionate as he was about pushing the envelope. “Segway was the first place I was able to hand-pick every single person I worked with, define the culture, and define the mission.”
As he grew into this leadership role, he became equally engrossed with cracking another puzzle: “How do you prize people who don’t fit in?”
“Such a fundamental part of the fabric of Silicon Valley is the love of embracing talent over a traditional organization’s ways of measuring people,” he says. “If you want to innovate, you need to learn how to manage neurodivergence and a very different set of personalities than the people you find in large corporations.”
Field still keeps the base housing of a Segway in his office, as a reminder of what those kinds of teams — along with obsessive attention to detail — can achieve.
Before joining Apple in 2008, he showed that component, with its clean lines and every minuscule part in its place in one unified package, to his prospective new colleagues. “They were like, “OK, you’re one of us,’” he recalls.
He soon became vice president of hardware development for all Mac computers, leading the teams behind the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro and eventually overseeing more than 2,000 employees. “Making things really simple and really elegant, thinking about the product as an integrated whole, that really took me into Apple.”
The challenge of giving the MacBook Air its signature sleek and light profile is an example.
“The MacBook Air was the first high-volume consumer electronic product built out of a CNC-machined enclosure,” says Field. He worked with industrial design and technology teams to devise a way to make the laptop from one solid piece of aluminum and jettison two-thirds of the parts found in the iMac. “We had material cut away so that every single screw and piece of electronics sat down into it an integrated way. That’s how we got the product so small and slim.”
“When I interviewed with Jony Ive” — Apple’s legendary chief design officer — “he said your ability to zoom out and zoom in was the number one most important ability as a leader at Apple.” That meant zooming out to think about “the entire ethos of this product, and the way it will affect the world” and zooming all the way back in to obsess over, say, the physical shape of the laptop itself and what it feels like in a user’s hands.
“That thread of attention to detail, passion for product, design plus technology rolled directly into what I was doing at Tesla,” he says. When Field joined Tesla in 2013, he was drawn to the way the brash startup upended the approach to making cars. “Tesla was integrating digital technology into cars in a way nobody else was. They said, ‘We’re not a car company in Silicon Valley, we’re a Silicon Valley company and we happen to make cars.’”
Field assembled and led the team that produced the Model 3 sedan, Tesla’s most affordable vehicle, designed to have mass-market appeal.
That experience only reinforced the importance, and power, of zooming in and out as a designer — in a way that encompasses the bigger human resources picture.
“You have to have a broad sense of what you’re trying to accomplish and help people in the organization understand what it means to them,” he says. “You have to go across and understand operations enough to glue all of those (things) together — while still being great at and focused on something very, very deeply. That’s T-shaped leadership.”
He credits his time at LGO with providing the foundation for the “T-shaped leadership” he practices.
“An education like the one I got at MIT allowed me to keep moving that ‘T’, to focus really deep, learn a ton, teach as much as I can, and after something gets more mature, pull out and bed down into other areas where the organization needs to grow or where there’s a crisis.”
The power of marrying scale to a “startup mentality”
In 2018, Field returned to Apple as a vice president for special projects. “I left Tesla after Model 3 and Y started to ramp, as there were people better than me to run high-volume manufacturing,” he says. “I went back to Apple hoping what Tesla had learned would motivate Apple to get into a different market.”
That market was his early love: cars. Field quietly led a project to develop an electric vehicle at Apple for three years.
Then Ford CEO Jim Farley came calling. He persuaded Field to return to Ford in late 2021, partly by demonstrating how much things had changed since his first stint as the carmaker.
“Two things came through loud and clear,” Field says. “One was humility. ‘Our success is not assured.’” That attitude was strikingly different from Field’s early experience in Detroit, encountering managers who were resistant to change. “The other thing was urgency. Jim and Bill Ford said the exact same thing to me: ‘We have four or five years to completely remake this company.’”
“I said, ‘OK, if the top of company really believes that, then the auto industry may be ready for what I hope to offer.’”
So far, Field is energized and encouraged by the appetite for reinvention he’s encountered this time around at Ford.
“If you can combine what Ford does really well with what a Tesla or Rivian can do well, this is something to be reckoned with,” says Field. “Skunk works have become one of the fundamental tools of my career,” he says, using an industry term that describes a project pursued by a small, autonomous group of people within a larger organization.
Ford has been developing a new, lower-cost, software-enabled EV platform — running all of the car’s sensors and components from a central digital operating system — with a “skunk works” team for the past two years. The company plans to build new sedans, SUVs, and small pickups based on this new platform.
With other legacy carmakers like Volvo racing into the electric future and fierce competition from EV leaders Tesla and Rivian, Field and his colleagues have their work cut out for them.
If he succeeds, leveraging his decades of learning and leading from LGO to Silicon Valley, then his latest chapter could transform the way we all drive — and secure a spot for Ford at the front of the electric vehicle pack in the process.
“I’ve been lucky to feel over and over that what I’m doing right now — they are going to write a book about it,” say Field. “This is a big deal, for Ford and the U.S. auto industry, and for American industry, actually.”
“So many things I was lucky to be exposed to at MIT,” Doug Field says, were “all building blocks, pieces of the puzzle, that helped me navigate through difficult situations later on.”
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