In the News

BYD sales reps are picking up weekend shifts just to keep pace, delivering 12 to 15 cars a day to customers trading in gas-powered vehicles for a brand that many had never heard of just six months earlier.

EV market share in Argentina has soared in the second quarter of this year to 6 percent of new cars sold, including all-electric and plug-in hybrid models, an increase from less than 1 percent in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Global South Center for Clean Transportation at the University of California, Davis

Anyone who lives in or has visited Jakarta will have seen the motorcycles: slipping between cars, gathering at intersections, carrying passengers, food orders, parcels, tools, and stock for small businesses. They are often treated as part of the traffic problem, but in Indonesia they are the backbone of the transportation system.

"India's use of rare earth elements is expected to grow significantly over the coming decade," said Shivani Dhiman, a researcher working on critical minerals at the University of California, Davis. "Rare earth elements’ demand is directly linked to the country's ambitions around not just electric mobility and clean energy, but also for advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, electronics, and defence. As these sectors expand, the pressure to secure reliable supplies of rare earth minerals will only increase."

However, industry executives, researchers and analysts say the answer is more complicated.

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Mexico has proven it can create technology, President Claudia Sheinbaum proclaimed at the press preview of the first electric car to be mass produced in the country. The Olinia was unveiled in June, alongside the country’s first domestically made electric bus. From next year, Mexicans will be able to buy the fully electric, six-seater Olinia for the competitive price of MXN 150,000 (USD 8,600).

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A new India-US pact on critical minerals has put the spotlight on New Delhi’s potential as an alternative to China, but analysts say despite the country’s significant resources, it is unlikely to dent Beijing’s dominance in the sector any time soon...

India and the United States have signed a framework agreement to secure supplies of critical minerals and rare earths, including their mining and processing, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the US embassy in India...

Volatilities in the global oil market over the past two months are a timely reminder of India’s enduring energy vulnerability. With nearly 85 percent of its crude oil demand met through imports in 2025-26, the case for electrification has never been more urgent.

California and African leaders met in San Francisco to strengthen partnerships on clean transportation, climate action and trade during the 2nd Annual California-Africa Climate and Economic Forum.

The forum, held at the Exploratorium during San Francisco Climate Week, brought together officials from Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo alongside California state leaders, academics and industry representatives.

SAN FRANCISCO – During San Francisco Climate Week, California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin brought together state of California climate officials, along with international dignitaries and external partners for the 2nd Annual California-Africa Climate and Economic Forum (CACEF) at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

The race to secure critical minerals is well underway — but mining is only the beginning. The real prize, and the real bottleneck, lies in what happens next: processing, refining, and beneficiation. A panel of global experts convened recently by the Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South, in partnership with Duke University's Nicholas Institute and Sustainable Energy for All, made one thing clear: the Global South cannot afford to keep exporting raw materials and importing finished products. The question is how to change that — and fast.

Two- and three-wheel vehicles, the hidden workhorses of private travel across much of the Global South, were already moving steadily toward electrification before the latest Mideast conflict, but their popularity is surging as that crisis makes access to conventional fuel difficult or expensive. An expansion of battery-swapping stations and government support in recent years is also spurring adoption of electric two- and three-wheelers, often abbreviated as 2W/3Ws. Electric models are already displacing some oil consumption, although estimates vary.

Kenya and the U.S. state of California are strengthening cooperation in technology, climate innovation, and sustainable development, President William Ruto announced on Monday.

Speaking after hosting a delegation from California, the President highlighted the state’s position as the wealthiest in the United States and a key partner in fostering innovation, sustainability, and shared prosperity with Kenya.

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Sudhendu J. Sinha, Advisor, NITI Aayog, remarked on the significance of the first-of-its-kind collaboration between the supply and demand side of the Indian trucking segment and congratulated UC Davis, Climate Group and CALSTART on bringing together key stakeholders that will set the momentum for this transition.

There are different policy levers for India to consider while looking at pathways towards zero emission trucking, ranging from mandatory CAFE regulations for MHCVs, green cess on diesel fuel, capital subsidies for Zero Emission Trucks and charging infrastructure, minimum share of electric fleet requirements, among others.

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