Tesla Urges EPA to Keep Climate Rules Intact
The EV maker is at odds with many automakers on this front—but it also has more to lose if the rules get stricken.By Natalie NeffPublished: Sep 25, 2025 3:00 PM EDT
Save Article
MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images//Getty Images
Tesla has staked out a surprising position in Washington: defending the climate regulations others have been lobbying to see scaled back.
As EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin considers rescinding the 2009 “endangerment finding”—the legal backbone that classifies greenhouse gases as pollutants—Tesla is urging the agency not to touch it.
Related Story
That ruling has given the federal government the authority to regulate tailpipe CO2, shaping everything from fuel-economy targets to EV incentives. For Tesla, the endangerment finding isn’t just about policy; the company told regulators that it has built billions in investments on the assumption those rules would endure, calling the framework “a stable regulatory platform” for developing its electric lineup.
Many major automakers disagree. Groups representing legacy car companies have pressed the EPA to ease emissions rules, citing slowing EV demand, high costs, and a supply chain under strain, arguing that stricter limits aren’t realistic for a market where buyers still want affordable gas-burning SUVs and trucks.Justin Sullivan//Getty Images
Also, beyond its all-EV business model, Tesla has long made money from selling regulatory credits to other manufacturers struggling to meet emissions limits. If the endangerment finding disappears, so could a profitable revenue stream.
And rolling back the finding would undercut federal climate authority, leaving states to hash out their own rules and potentially widening the already patchwork regulatory landscape.
For now, Tesla is casting itself as the defender of climate regulation—even as the company wrestles with falling US market share and consumer backlash.
But for a couple of sketchy, short-lived gigs right out of college, Natalie Neff has had the good fortune to spend the entirety of her professional life around cars. A 2017 Honda Ridgeline, 1972 VW Beetle, 1999 Ducati Monster and a well-loved purple-and-white five-speed Schwinn currently call her garage home.
Volvo Will Build a New Hybrid Model in South Carolina by 2030
The move adds to EX90 and Polestar 3 production and signals a softer U.S. pivot from all-EV plans.By Natalie NeffPublished: Sep 25, 2025 12:48 PM EDTSave Article
Volvo
Volvo Cars is expanding its US manufacturing footprint, a move largely seen as a response to tariff pressures.
The company confirmed this week it will continue to invest in its Ridgeville, South Carolina, plant, with the goal of reaching full capacity of the factory’s 150,000-unit annual capacity in the coming years.
Related Story
Opened in 2015, Ridgeville already builds the fully electric Volvo EX90 and the Polestar 3. Next year it will add the brand’s best-selling XC60 to the line, a model that has sold more than 27,000 units in the US in the first eight months of 2025—up nearly 20% year over year. By 2030, the plant will also take on a next-generation hybrid model designed specifically for the US market.
That last bit is particularly noteworthy. Volvo previously declared it would become an all-electric brand by 2030, but Reuters notes the company is now hedging that timeline—as are other automakers.Volvo
Executives framed the expansion as a commitment to the US market. “Our investment plans once again reinforce our long-term commitment to the US market and our manufacturing operations in South Carolina,” said CEO Håkan Samuelsson. The company is celebrating 70 years in America this year, having sold over 5 million cars in that time.
South Carolina’s leadership welcomed the announcement as further validation of the state’s growing automotive sector. Governor Henry McMaster called Volvo’s decision “a reinforcement of South Carolina’s position as a national leader in automotive manufacturing.”
Related Story
The Ridgeville plant has been pitched as a flexible, high-capacity hub with the ability to build multiple platforms and technologies. For Volvo, the next steps—adding the XC60 and a new hybrid—showcase a more regionalized strategy: tailoring its lineup to local demand while keeping global ambitions intact.
As Luis Rezende, Volvo Cars’ president of the Americas, put it: “The Charleston plant is foundational to our strategic growth plan for the U.S.”
But for a couple of sketchy, short-lived gigs right out of college, Natalie Neff has had the good fortune to spend the entirety of her professional life around cars. A 2017 Honda Ridgeline, 1972 VW Beetle, 1999 Ducati Monster and a well-loved purple-and-white five-speed Schwinn currently call her garage home.
