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We are only a few days into a new one The Trump administrationand it’s already a firestorm of executive orders, statements and even apologies. Some have moved on to the world of the “future of transportation.”
Now, let’s first be clear about executive orders. Regardless of who is president, executive orders can be political theater and often directly conflict with constitutional law. But they can be useful signals about the priorities of the person who sits in the Oval Office.
For President Trump, it’s clear he’s not a fan of EV incentives — of any kind.
Among the executive orders he signed on the first day of his second term, Trump ordered all agencies to immediately stop disbursing funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. It specifically requested funding for EV charging infrastructure from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program and the Fueling and Charging Infrastructure Grant Program. It should be noted that Tesla – led by Trump ally Elon Musk – has benefited from these programs.
We’ll be watching – and reporting – how this plays out and which companies are most at risk.
A little bird
Oh, Canoo! What you could have been. Canoo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and has ceased all operations. We will follow this as it winds up in bankruptcy court.
Here are some details you might not know: A few months before Canoo went live, the company closed its previous headquarters in Los Angeles. A few chicks told us that, in the months before Canoo filed for bankruptcy, many employees moved from California to the company’s offices in Oklahoma and Texas — leaving them without jobs in a new location.
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Offers!
Talk about closing a deal at the 11th hour.
Rivian AND Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a $6.6 billion loan announced in November just days before Trump’s inauguration. The company will use the loan to help build its planned factory in Georgia, east of Atlanta, with construction starting in 2026. The first R2 SUVs are scheduled to roll off the line in 2028.
The loan comes from the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program, part of DOE’s Office of Loan Programs. ATVM is best known as the program that gave Tesla a $465 million bailout in 2009.
Other offers that caught my eye…
Father Motorsan Indian autonomous robotics startup, raised $20 million in a Series B funding round with full equity co-led by Walden Catalyst Ventures and NGP Capital. It also pitched to existing investors, including True Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, Athera Venture Partners and Blume Ventures.
Lytefloa Canadian EV software sales startup, raised $3 million in seed funding led by Diagrami. Whitecap Venture Partners and Amplify Capital also participated.
Metafuelsa Swiss aviation fuel startup, raised $9 million in a round led by Celsius Industries. Other new investors include RockCreek, Fortescue Ventures and Verve Ventures, with existing backers Energy Impact Partners and Contrarian Ventures also participating.
The Energy of the Momentan EV battery reuse startup, raised $15 million in a Series A round co-led by Amazon Climate Pledge Fund and Voyager Ventures. In-Q-Tel (IQT), Version One Ventures, Overture Ventures, WovenEarth Ventures, Fika Ventures, MCJ, One Small Planet and Climate Capital also participated.
Netradynewhich offers fleet owners AI-enabled cameras that collect vehicle data and video to improve driver safety, raised $90 million in a Series D round at a pre-valuation of $1.35 billion. The round was led by Point72 Private Investments with participation from Qualcomm Ventures and Pavilion Capital.
VoltpostEV charging company, secured $2.6 million in grant funding from the US Joint Office of Energy and Communities Charging Accelerator to deploy 75 chargers across the tri-state region – New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
Visible readings and other data
ADAS
of National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationThe Office of Defects Investigation “enhanced” its investigation into FordAdvanced hands-free driver assistance system known as BlueCruise — a necessary step before a tow is issued.
Autonomous vehicles
Torc Roboticsthe independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, is closing its original Albuquerque test location and Stuttgart technology center as it expands elsewhere. The company is building an autonomous truck center in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, specifically in the Hillwood AllianceTexas development. The company said the Texas location will be a hub for autonomous testing, customer freight pilots and future commercialization planned for 2027.
Electric vehicles, charging and batteries
UBCONew Zealand-based electric motorcycle startup has gone up for sale. The startup, which recently signed an agreement with Australia Post to provide a new fleet of custom electric motorcycles, has suspended all operations due to a lack of available funding.
Technique in the car
of Federal Trade Commission issued a proposed restraining order GM — and its subscription-based in-vehicle safety and security system, known as OnStar — from selling such data to consumer reporting agencies for five years. The proposed order stems from allegations that GM collected, used and sold accurate driver geolocation data and driving behavior information from millions of vehicles without adequately notifying consumers and obtaining their consent.
Two security researchers (hackers) found a way to remotely unlock, boot and track millions Subarus. The Japanese automaker has since fixed the vulnerabilities.
Space and the future of flight
Okay, space isn’t really transportation. But I will occasionally include important space stories because there is some overlap with industries. For example, Federal Aviation Administration had to “briefly” slow and divert a number of planes to airspace near Puerto Rico, where debris was seen falling after SpaceX’s Starship exploded during a test flight last Thursday.
Meanwhile, on other air-related matters, Amazon halted testing of its delivery drones after a crash involving two of its models.
This week’s wheels
While running around Las Vegas during CES 2025, I noticed a social media post from Lucid. The EV manufacturer was in Vegas offering rides to its young women Lucid Gravity SUV.
I spent about an hour with the Lucid Gravity SUV, which just went into production last month. I have a longer review coming in the next few days, but here’s a sneak peek: Lucid nails the interior. It’s spacious, it’s luxurious, and there’s plenty of detail that reflects Lucid’s progress. The company, it seems, is maturing.
Here is another curious impression. When I stood outside the vehicle, it didn’t look or feel like an SUV. It didn’t even feel big. And yet, once I climbed inside this third-row EV, the space was hard to ignore. More to come!
What is “This Week’s Wheels”? It’s a chance to learn about the different transportation products we’re testing, whether it’s an electric or hybrid car, an e-bike, or even a ride in an autonomous vehicle.
