** Fervo Energy, a startup that specializes in geothermal energy, has started using the same horizontal drilling strategy that revolutionized oil drilling decades ago. The technique not only drills sideways, but it also drills deeper to access a different reserve of heat energy that was previously unavailable.
** General Motors calls EVs its “north star” as Q2 sales rebound from a Q1 slump, and as the company secures the No. 2 U.S. market position behind Tesla.
** In a bright move for the planet, Wisconsin just launched a solar-powered battery system that’s changing how the state stores and uses energy. The system is part of the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County, which is south of Milwaukee. As reported by Energy Storage News, the park includes a 200-megawatt solar farm that began operating in December 2024.
** The Trump administration seeks to extend deadlines for required reporting and monitoring of coal ash landfills and dumps in a move that advocates say is the start of an effort to roll back coal ash regulations.
** A bipartisan group of nine governors asks for the power to nominate candidates to fill seats on grid operator PJM’s board of managers and to provide additional input as they grapple with rising power demand.
World
** After years of delays and countless rumors, Tesla has entered the Indian automotive marketplace with the launch of an “experience center” in Mumbai, Teslarati reported.
** A British oil refinery is to shut after the government said it was unable to find a buyer for it. The Official Receiver took over the Lindsey Oil Refinery in North East Lincolnshire last month after its owner Prax went into administration, putting 420 jobs at risk.
** The global switch to renewable energy has passed a “positive tipping point” where solar and wind power will become even cheaper and more widespread, according to two United Nations reports released Tuesday, describing a bright spot amid otherwise gloomy progress to curb climate change.
** Chinese vehicle sales have seemingly exploded across the world (save for the U.S.), but it looks like at least some of that might be smoke and mirrors. A new report from Reuters says that Chinese automakers Neta and Zeekr inflated sales numbers in recent years as a way to hit aggressive targets.
** Ford’s Bronco and Bronco Sport are about to be joined by an electric model. You just won’t be able to get it in the United States. It’s the Ford Bronco New Energy, which will be sold with all-electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains, in China, according to the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
** Oil tankers sailing past Iran have been told by London insurers to carry more guns and ammunition and employ more security staff. Ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime choke point between Dubai and Iran, are facing far higher insurance costs to cover the risk of navigating the waterway amid simmering tensions between Iran, the US and Israel.
