United States

Americans who own their cars tend to keep them for a long time – 8 to 12 years. But those who lease their cars often only drive them for two or three years. Many people lease cars for just this reason. They want to have a new car every few years to avoid growing maintenance costs and just for the pleasure of having a new vehicle. With hundreds of thousands of electric cars coming off leases, the used EV market is accelerating.

Battery storage is reshaping the U.S. electricity grid. There are more than 900 utility-scale battery storage projects across the country that enhance grid reliability, manage peak electricity demand, and store renewable energy from solar and wind farms. Most of these facilities are located far from urban areas but the Cormorant Energy Storage Project currently being built is located in Daly City, California, a city of 100,000 people located just 8 miles south of San Francisco.

The western American snowpack is nature’s reservoir, providing 60-70% of the region’s water supply. Winter precipitation is stored there and is released slowly during the spring and summer. The snowpack feeds the region’s rivers, fills reservoirs, supports irrigation for agriculture, enables hydropower, and sustains ecosystems. After the warmest winter on record for many states and a major heat wave in March that left almost no snow in many places, there is real trouble ahead.

Over the month of March, renewable energy sources generated more electricity than was produced from natural gas plants for the first time. This is an impressive milestone considering that renewable energy is under attack from the current administration. On an overall basis, emissions-free sources, which include renewables as well as nuclear energy, produced more than half of the country’s electricity. This is only the third time this has happened for an entire month.

The Trump administration has some well-known enemies: wind turbines, electric cars, and climate scientists, among others. Now the iconic American buffalo has joined their ranks.

In mid-March, the final turbine blades of Vineyard Wind, the offshore wind farm sited 15 miles south of Nantucket, were installed. Vineyard Wind is the first large-scale offshore wind project in the U.S. The $4.5 billion project features 62 turbines and is capable of providing clean energy to approximately 400,000 homes.

The sources of U.S. electricity production have changed dramatically over the past 15 years and continue to change as the political winds blow in different directions.

The Trump administration is pushing to scale up oil and gas production in the US, despite heavy criticism and environmental concerns. It is urging the establishment of an 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Program to open up areas in Alaska, California, and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. The Interior Department is advancing a new 5-year leasing program to increase oil and gas development, reversing prior restrictions.

Last year, Congress eliminated the federal tax credit that made electric cars more affordable. As a result, enthusiasm for and interest in electric cars diminished. But the war in Iran has resulted in soaring gasoline prices and suddenly electric cars seem more attractive again.

The world is moving towards the electrification of vehicles. In 2025, EVs grew by 33% in Europe and 20% worldwide. They represented 50% of new car sales in China. It’s a very different story in the United States, where EV sales actually fell by 4% year-over-year.