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In 2024, the U.S. added nearly 12,500 new DC fast EV chargers to the national public network. Fast chargers can get an EV to an 80% charge in less than an hour, an appealing option to drivers with range anxiety, or those who cant install EV chargers at their homes. It was a landmark accomplishment bolstered by Biden Administration initiatives, including the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. But in 2025, the country is on pace to install even more fast-charging portsdespite Trumps attacks on EVs and their infrastructure. The deployment of fast EV chargers is on a record pace in 2025, according to a new report from EV charging analytics company Paren. Their latest analysis forecasts that 16,700 fast-charging ports will open across the country this yearup more than 25% from last year, and 2.5 times as many ports as opened in 2022. In the second quarter of 2025 alone, the country added more than 4,000 fast ports to its EV charging network, a more than 23% increase from the first quarter. One EV charging station can have multiple ports, so while new station openings were also up, it was by a smaller amount: the U.S. opened 784 new EV charging stations in the second quarter of 2025, up from 738. New EV charging stations are typically opening with 8, 10, 12, or more charging ports. The number of new EV chargers seem surprising given how Trump has taken aim at EV programs since he took office earlier this year. On his first day in office he wrote in an executive order that he was ending the EV mandate, and since he has killed the EV tax credit as well as paused NEVI funding, cutting off millions of dollars for EV chargers. At the end of June, months after Trumps NEVI pause in February, court rulings lifted that freezebut some EV charger startups had already been hurt by the move. According to Paren, though, NEVI funding would have accounted for just 2% to 3% of the new DC fast-charger ports in 2025. (NEVI funding also goes to Level 2 EV chargers, which get an EV to 80% in about 4 to 10 hours, and which in 2024 made up the majority of newly installed EV charging infrastructure.) When it comes to fast chargers, private companies have stepped in to fund the space. Paren calls these “Charging 2.0 companies, and points to Ionna, Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging, BP Pulse, and Walmart as examples as businesses that have increased their fast-charger deployments. Those companies have brought EV charging to places like Starbucks and Waffle House, modifying the idea of what it looks like to refuel your vehicle. Tesla has long been one of the dominant fast-charger companies, but when its Supercharger team saw layoffs last April, that slowed down its pace. Since the fall, it’s been back on track for deployments, but Paren notes that its overall share of the fast-charging space has declined. Between 2013 and 2017, Tesla accounted for 85% to 98% of new DC fast-charger ports that opened, but in Q2 of 2025, Tesla accounted for just 40% of new fast-charging ports. Paren estimates Tesla will open just 6,000 ports in 2025, bringing its share further down to 36%. If the amount of fast EV charging ports stays on the record pace for all of 2025, then the U.S. could have more than 100,000 fast-charging ports by 2027. Thatll be necessary to support growing EV sales. Even as Trump tries to curtail the industry, and as Tesla loses marketshare, EV salesboth new and usedare up so far this year.
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E-Commerce
Drive through the plains of Iowa or Kansas and youll see more than rows of corn, wheat and soybeans. Youll also see towering wind turbines spinning above fields and solar panels shining in the sun on barns and machine sheds. For many farmers, these are lifelines. Renewable energy provides steady income and affordable power, helping farms stay viable when crop prices fall or drought strikes. But some of that opportunity is now at risk as the Trump administration cuts federal support for renewable energy. Wind power brings steady income for farms Wind energy is a significant economic driver in rural America. In Iowa, for example, over 60% of the states electricity came from wind energy in 2024, and the state is a hub for wind turbine manufacturing and maintenance jobs. For landowners, wind turbines often mean stable lease payments. Those historically were around US$3,000 to $5,000 per turbine per year, with some modern agreements $5,000 to $10,000 annually, secured through 20- to 30-year contracts. Nationwide, wind and solar projects contribute about $3.5 billion annually in combined lease payments and state and local taxes, more than a third of it going directly to rural landowners. States throughout the Great Plains and Midwest, from Texas to Montana to Ohio, have the strongest onshore winds and onshore wind power potential. These are also in the heart of U.S. farm country. The map shows wind speeds at 100 meters (nearly 330 feet), about the height of a typical land-based wind turbine. [Chart: NREL] These figures are backed by long-term contracts and multibilliondollar annual contributions, reinforcing the economic value that turbines bring to rural landowners and communities. Wind farms also contribute to local tax revenues that help fund rural schools, roads and emergency services. In counties across Texas, wind energy has become one of the most significant contributors to local property tax bases, stabilizing community budgets and helping pay for public services as agricultural commodity revenues fluctuate. In Oldham County in northwest Texas, for example, clean energy projects provided 22% of total county revenues in 2021. In several other rural counties, wind farms rank among the top 10 property taxpayers, contributing between 38% and 69% of tax revenue. The construction and operation of these projects also bring local jobs in trucking, concrete work and electrical services, boosting small-town businesses. The U.S. wind industry supports over 300,000 U.S. jobs across construction, manufacturing, operations and other roles connected to the industry, according to the American Clean Power Association. Renewable energy has been widely expected to continue to grow along with rising energy demand. In 2024, 93% of all new electricity generating capacity was wind, solar or energy storage, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration expected a similar percentage in 2025 as of June. Solar can cut power costs on the farm Solar energy is also boosting farm finances. Farmers use rooftop panels on barns and ground-mounted systems to power irrigation pumps, grain dryers and cold storage facilities, cutting their power costs. Some farmers have adopted agrivoltaicsdual-use systems that grow crops beneath solar panels. The panels provide shade, helping conserve water, while creating a second income path. These projects often cultivate pollinator-friendly plants, vegetables such as lettuce and spinach, or even grasses for grazing sheep, making the land productive for both food and energy. Federal grants and tax credits that were significantly expanded under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act helped make the upfront costs of solar installations affordable. However, the federal spending bill signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, rolled back many clean energy incentives. It phases down tax credits for distributed solar projects, particularly those under 1 megawatt, which include many farmscale installations, and sunsets them entirely by 2028. It also eliminates bonus credits that previously supported rural and lowincome areas. Without these credits, the upfront cost of solar power could be out of reach for some farmers, leaving them paying higher energy costs. At a 2024 conference organized by the Institute of Sustainability, Energy and Environment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I work as a research economist, farmers emphasized the importance of tax credits and other economic incentives to offset the upfront cost of solar power systems. Whats being lost The cuts to federal incentives inlude terminating the Production Tax Credit for new projects placed in service after Dec. 31, 2027, unless construction begins by July 4, 2026, and is completed within a tight time frame. The tax credit pays eligible wind and solar facilities approximately 2.75 cents per kilowatt-hour over 10 years, effectively lowering the cost of renewable energy generation. Ending that tax credit will likely increase the cost of production, potentially leading to higher electricity prices for consumers and fewer new projects coming online. The changes also accelerate the phaseout of wind power tax credits. Projects must now begin construction by July 4, 2026, or be in service before the end of 2027 to qualify for any credit. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Meanwhile, the Investment Tax Credit, which covers 30% of installed cost for solar and other renewables, faces similar limits: Projects must begin by July 4, 2026, and be completed by the end of 2027 to claim the credits. The bill also cuts bonuses for domestic components and installations in rural or lowincome locations. These adjustments could slow new renewable energy development, particularly smaller projects that directly benefit rural communities. While many existing clean energy agreements will remain in place for now, the rollback of federal incentives threatens future projects and could limit new income streams. It also affects manufacturing and jobs in those industries, which some rural communities rely on. Renewable energy also powers rural economies Renewable energy benefits entire communities, not just individual farmers. Wind and solar projects contribute millions of dollars in tax revenue. For example, in Howard County, Iowa, wind turbines generated $2.7 million in property tax revenue in 2024, accounting for 14.5% of the countys total budget and helping fund rural schools, public safety and road improvements. In some rural counties, clean energy is the largest new source of economic activity, helping stabilize local economies otherwise reliant on agricultures unpredictable income streams. These projects also support rural manufacturing such as Iowa turbine blade factories like TPI Composites, which just reopened its plant in Newton, and Siemens Gamesa in Fort Madison, which supply blades for GE and Siemens turbines. The tax benefits in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act helped boost those industriesand the jobs and local tax revenue they bring in. On the solar side, rural companies like APA Solar Racking, based in Ohio, manufacture steel racking systems for utility-scale solar farms across the Midwest. An example of how renewable energy has helped boost farm incomes and keep farmers on their land. As rural America faces economic uncertainty and climate pressures, I believe homegrown renewable energy offers a practical path forward. Wind and solar arent just fueling the grid; theyre helping keep farms and rural towns alive. Paul Mwebaze is a eesearch Economist at the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
Starbucks announced its third-quarter financial results on Tuesday, July 29, presenting a company in a high-stakes race to institute major changes, but not quite there. The coffee chain reported its sixth quarter in a row of declining same-store sales. These numbers dropped 2% globally, though most stores outside North America reported flat sales. In the United States, a 2% drop was better than the 2.5% decline that Wall Street had predicted, according to consensus estimates cited by CNBC. In China, Starbuckss second largest market, comparable store sales increased by 2% due to a rise in transactions. While our financial results dont yet reflect all the progress weve made, the signs are clear were gaining momentum, Brian Niccol, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, stated in an accompanying video. Niccol, who joined Starbucks as chief executive in September of last year, previously orchestrated a turnaround at Chipotle Mexican Grill, following a food safety crisis at the burrito chain. Starbucks reported $9.5 billion in consolidated net revenuesan increase of 4%. ‘We’re ahead of schedule’ A pep talk from Niccol appears to have helped to satiate investors, with Starbucks stock (Nasdaq: SBUX) rising over 5% through after-hours and into premarket trading on Wednesday. Weve fixed a lot and done the hard work on the hard things to build a strong operating foundation, and based on my experience of turnarounds, we are ahead of schedule, Niccol stated in a release. In 2026, well unleash a wave of innovation that fuels growth, elevates customer service, and ensures everyone experiences the very best of Starbucks. Were building back a better Starbucks experience and a better business. Niccol has been championing a Back to Starbucks plan. It focuses on exceptional service, simplified routines, and deeper customer connections. Basically, Starbucks wants to rehumanize itself. This process includes expanding the assistant store manager role and internally hiring 90% of retail leadership. Oh, and Starbucks is bringing back seats. In an era of machines, mobile orders, and depersonalization, Niccol has decided that Starbuckss cafes should be warm, textured, and have ample seating.
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E-Commerce
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