CALSTART Announcements / Trump Administration / BYD / Rivian

Welcome New Members. Let’s Make an Impact Together.  

A warm welcome to new CALSTART members:  

7 Gen, Harbinger Motors, and Orbis Electric  

 

 NewsNotes 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to reschedule the 2025 CALSTART Member Symposium. The safety and well-being of our members, attendees, and partners remain our highest priorities, and we are committed to hosting a successful event under better circumstances.  

To help us make an informed decision about the new date and location, we would greatly appreciate your input. If you could please take 1 min to complete the 2 question survey to identify the best date/location for you to attend, we would greatly appreciate it!  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CALSTARTMemberSymposium2025 

 

CALSTART Releases 6th Zeroing in on ZETs Report 

Last week CALSTART published the 6th iteration of our Zeroing in on Zero-Emission Trucks (ZETs) Report. This update highlights the continued increase in medium- and heavy-duty ZET deployments in the U.S. and offers insights into key trends driving growth in this market, as well as opportunities to further accelerate this growth. CALSTART members can register for an exclusive briefing on 1/28 here.  

 

CALSTART Launches Innovative Financing Toolkit  

Kabir Nadkarni, CALSTART’s EV Industry Assessment Specialist, has curated a series of five innovative financing knowledge products to offer actionable insights for green banks, investors, philanthropic foundations, and financial institutions to de-risk investment in the ZEV sector and improve the economic viability of ZEVs. Featured financial strategies have been validated by CALSTART’s member companies and investor network. “Successful investors understand that funding early-stage zero-emission transportation companies demands precision—matching the right financial tool to the right challenge,” said Kabir. “CALSTART’s financing toolkit harnesses the ingenuity of our member companies to showcase actionable strategies that green banks, investors, foundations, and lenders can apply to stimulate investment in zero-emission vehicles.” Access the toolkit here.  

 

The New Administration Signals Intent to Curb EV Industry  

It’s safe to say much of the industry has been waiting with bated breath to see how the new administration will handle the pro-EV legacy Biden is leaving behind. Amidst the flurry of executive orders Trump signed on his first day back in office, he vowed to eliminate “the electric vehicle mandate” imposed under the former administration. While there was never a mandate to force consumers to purchase EVs, Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” order revokes a non-binding goal set by Biden for EVs to comprise half of new car sales by 2030. Additionally, the order aims to eliminate a federal exemption that allows California to phase out ICE vehicle sales by 2035. It’s predicted Trump will also work to repeal the $7,500 tax credit for anyone purchasing a new EV. 

 

BYD to Open Another EV Plant Overseas  

Last year’s “largest EV maker” BYD recently confirmed its intention to open another EV plant overseas by the end of 2025. The $1 billion Indonesia plant will be able to produce 150,000 vehicles annually and is a cornerstone in their plan to aggressively expand into overseas markets. The new manufacturing hub also aids Indonesia’s goal of building 600,000 EVs domestically by 2030.  

 

Rivian and DOE Finalize $6.6bn loan  

Last week CALSTART Board Member Rivian announced an up to $6.6 billion loan agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to support the building of its next manufacturing facility in Georgia. Construction is expected to begin next year and support the creation of 7,500 new manufacturing jobs.  

 

Number of EV Chargers Doubled Over Past 4 Years  

If you drive an EV, you may have noticed the considerable improvement in charging station availability over the past few years – with 207,000 public chargers available in 2025, prevalence has more than doubled from 2021’s 95,000 chargers. Despite this considerable progress, the U.S. is still far short of the ~1.2 million public chargers an NREL report predicts are necessary by 2030 to support EV sales targets.  

 

 

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CALSTART releases 6th zeroing in on ZETs report, https://calstart.org/zio-zets/#zet-dashboard  

Register for the CALSTART member briefing https://calstart-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_S5JqtgC0SAyr9XnLs0tuDw#/registration  

 

CALSTART launches an innovative financing toolkit to accelerate zero-emission transportation, https://calstart.org/calstart-launches-innovative-financing-toolkit/  

Access toolkit here https://calstart.org/innovative-financing/  

 

What’s next for EVs as Trump moves to revoke Biden-era incentives, AP News  https://apnews.com/article/climate-trump-electric-vehicles-pollution-standards-ae3a35faa376630e494765175aee2c28  

 

BYD is about to open another massive EV plant overseas with 150,000 vehicle capacity, Electrek https://electrek.co/2025/01/20/byd-open-new-ev-plant-overseas-150000-vehicle-capacity/  

 

Rivian and U.S. department of energy finalize loan agreement to support future georgia manufacturing site, Rivian https://rivian.com/newsroom/article/rivian-and-us-department-of-energy-finalize-loan-agreement  

 

It’s getting easier to find a charger for your electric car, Axios https://www.axios.com/2025/01/17/its-getting-easier-to-find-a-charger-for-your-electric-car