Month: December 2024

According to a Reuters report, President-elect Donald Trump's transition team plans to eliminate existing car accident reporting requirements to safety authorities.

The report cites a document obtained by Reuters that lays out the transition team's 100-day strategy for automotive policy. In the document, the team says the requirement to report accidents results in “excessive” data collection, according to Reuters.

The demand was denounced by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump get elected. Musk was also appointed by Trump to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

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The existing federal accident reporting program has been in place since 2021. Under the program, Tesla reported the most accidents, more than 1,500, to safety authorities, according to Reuters. Analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash data also found that Tesla was responsible for 40 of 45 fatal crashes reported to regulators through Oct. 15.

The automaker is under surveillance by the NHTSA because of its so-called “Full Self-Driving Software” (FSD). In October, regulators opened an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. The regulator has also asked Tesla to stop making misleading claims about FSD's autonomous capabilities and reiterate that the software merely provides a driver assistance/assistance system.

NHTSA data from the program has also led to 10 investigations at six companies and nine safety recalls.

In September, NHTSA fined Cruise, General Motors' robotaxi startup, for failing to report an incident in 2023. GM announced this week that it would stop developing Cruise as a single unit and instead focus on a single unit focused on autonomous and assisted driving.

Last month, it was reported that the Trump administration plans to make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles a top priority for the Department of Transportation. The new rules currently being discussed would not only loosen regulations on self-driving vehicles, but also increase the cap on the number of autonomous vehicles allowed on public roads.

Out of Bricklayer robot To Carbon-free cementStartups are shaking up the construction industry to use high-tech to build better, more environmentally friendly structures.

One of these early companies is Aisti, based in Finland. Founded in 2019, the company has found a way to make acoustic tiles that are “carbon negative.” Acoustic panels are a common building material used to reduce noise and improve sound quality in buildings.

Aisti has raised €29 million in a mix of VC and debt funding to build its first industrial-scale factory in Kitee, a small town about four hours away northeast from Helsinki.

The startup plans to bring the tiles onto the market in the second half of 2026 and has already signed several purchase contracts with customers from the construction industry, it said.

Buildings alone are responsible for almost 40% of global emissions, so decarbonizing construction is a crucial piece of the sustainability puzzle.

Most acoustic tiles today are made of fiberglass, mineral wool or polyurethane, a type of plastic. However, Aistis panels are made of wood fibers that come from sustainable wood or waste paper.

“Our production process is very resource-efficient,” founder and CEO Mikko Paananen told TNW. “If every single acoustic tile in the world were made using our technology, the demand for wood fiber would be 700,000 tons per year, which is equivalent to the production of just a medium-sized pulp mill.”

Aisti mixes the wood fibers with water and foaming chemicals similar to those used in toothpaste. This creates a foam which is then formed into squares and dried to create the finished tile.

“The wood fibers stick together through natural hydrogen bonds, so no additional binders are required, making the material very light,” Paananen explained, adding that the company can produce the panels at a similar price to traditional mineral wool tiles.

Aisti's patented material can also be adapted for use as thermal insulation, packaging materials and composite materials.

“We want to initially serve the Nordic market and thus meet the growing demand for more natural building solutions in the region,” said Paananen. “We are very pleased to have strong support from investors and other partners as we enter this next phase of growth and bring our product to market.”

Built environment technology is expected to attract $24 billion in VC investment in 2024 as the sector outperforms major tech verticals such as climate tech and fintech, the study found State of built world technology report published this week.

Aisti's funding round attracted notable early-stage investors including Voima Ventures, Maki.vc and Valve Ventures. Part of the financing includes non-equity financing, including a EUR 5 million loan from Norion Bank, a EUR 7 million public grant from South Savo ELY Center and an EUR 8.5 million equity loan. EUR from the Finnish Climate Fund.

“We are proud to support Aisti in its mission to revolutionize acoustic solutions with sustainable, high-performance materials,” said Pirkka Palomäki, partner at Maki.vc, a Helsinki-based deep tech fund. “This financing milestone not only marks the beginning of an exciting phase of growth, but also a transformative step for the construction industry as a whole.”

Costco, which gave up offering electric vehicle charging 12 years ago, is seriously considering resuming the service.

More than a month ago, the wholesaler re-branded itself on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington, manufactured by Electric Era.

And now Costco is partnering with Electrify America, the largest charging network in the U.S., to offer fast charging for electric vehicles at five new locations in California, Colorado and Florida. The stations are accessible to almost all electric vehicle brands and offer DC fast charging speeds of up to 350 kilowatts.

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Because the chargers will be part of the Electrify America network, drivers will be able to find them in the Electrify America app and pay for the service. Meanwhile, Costco, known for its discount gas stations, will set prices.

At this point, it remains unclear whether Costco will continue its EV charging expansion with Electric Era or Electrify America, or a combination of both.

While the Electric Era station offers slower charging speeds of up to 200 kilowatts, it has other features that could prove attractive depending on your location. The Ridgefield station was installed in just seven weeks and has built-in battery storage. This allows for lower electricity rates and the ability to maintain operations even if the power grids fail.

Costco may also be testing the water and considering its options. Rival Walmart announced last year that it would build its own fast-charging network for electric vehicles, in addition to the deals it already has with Electrify America.

In the US, electric vehicle charging infrastructure has grown rapidly in recent years, led by Tesla's SuperCharger network as well as Electrify America, Chargepoint and the Rivian Adventure network.

Charging infrastructure also received a major boost from a just-announced initiative by the Biden administration and a private consortium of charging networks, automakers and other mid-tier players. The consortium says it will launch a universal plug-and-charge protocol in 2025 to allow all electric vehicles to easily plug in and charge at all public stations in the United States.

This is good news for existing electric car drivers, but also for those who are thinking about buying an electric car. In a recent study, research firm Accenture cited charging infrastructure as one of the top three reasons stopping many from purchasing an electric vehicle – the other two being high upfront costs and potential lifestyle disruption.