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The most innovative companies in automotive for 2025

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Tuesday, March 18, 2025

You know the dream: electric vehicles that can drive straight from New York to Chicago without needing to top off the battery. Robotaxis at your beck and call. Amphibious cars. The promise of next-generation travel hasn’t fully materialized yet, but legions of companies around the world are focused on bringing the vision to life.This year’s list of the most innovative automotive companies recognizes both the upstarts and the incumbents advancing the next era in mobility. As the industry grapples with the larger questions of how to create viable solid-state batteries or commercialize robotaxi service, the companies listed here are focused on the incremental steps toward a fully autonomous future.The result is EV technology that makes the erstwhile novelty car more powerful, more affordable, and more ubiquitous. China’s largest car company, BYD, became the world’s second-biggest EV maker in 2024 due to the rollout of its ultra-affordable models such as the $11,000 Seagull as it grows its global footprint.Meanwhile, Southern California-based startup Rivian is disrupting the domestic EV industry with ultraefficient battery packs that can carry its pickup trucks and SUVs more than 400 miles on a full charge.Some companies, like Northbrook, Illinois-based UL Solutions, are focused on making batteries safer and more reliable, while others focus on what to do with the batteries once they reach the end of their life cycle. Mercedes-Benz, which returns to the list for the second consecutive year, became the first car manufacturer to close the loop with an in-house battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany.Of course, digital and connected features are becoming crucial to the user experience, and Nvidia, Qualcomm, and LG Electronics are racing to develop the computing power for faster processing and seamless service.But for now, keep your eyes peeled on the road for Waymo, which tops our list this year, as it rolls out commercial robotaxi service around the U.S. and possibly in a city near you.1. WaymoFor making robotaxis part of the streetscapeAfter 15 years, the original Google moonshot looks like it’s finally starting to reach escape velocity. Launched in 2009 as Google’s self-driving car unit, Waymo had its share of false starts before it began offering a limited version of its driverless ride-sharing service to customers in Phoenix in 2020. But in recent months, Waymo has emerged as the company ushering robotaxis out of the sci-fi realm and into reality. It’s paving the way for autonomous vehicles in five major U.S. cities, setting the bar for safety, transparency, and regulation for all other competitors, especially Tesla. And it’s making the general public comfortable with what now seems will be an inevitable part of the urban landscape. With wide-scale operations in San Francisco and Phoenix (and a limited rollout in Los Angeles), Waymo has been growing quickly—even with its emphasis on scaling responsibly. It is partnering with Uber and rolled out service in Austin in March, with plans to launch in Atlanta. Waymo also unveiled its Generation 6 automated driving system, an enhanced-technology suite designed handle tougher weather conditions. In October, the Waymo One taxi fleet reached 1 million autonomous miles driven. Waymo has made real what seemed unimaginable 15 years. It’s proven that Alphabet’s moonshot strategy can work.Read more about Waymo, honored as No. 1 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.2. BYDFor making EVs that are ultra-affordable, ultrafast, and even amphibiousAfter almost 30 years as a battery supplier to mobile phone manufacturers, BYD has found explosive growth as an EV maker, catapulting over competitors to become a global juggernaut. The Warren Buffett-backed Chinese company shifted to building cars nearly two decades ago, applying its expertise in producing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to develop reliable, sub-$35,000 EVs. But the mid-2023 launch of BYD’s most affordable model—the four-figure Seagull compact car—ignited BYD’s exponential sales run. Boasting an all-electric range up to 252 miles, the Seagull became China’s top seller in August 2024 and solidified BYD’s status as the country’s largest automaker. But BYD isn’t focused only on affordability. Shipments of its first supercar, the $238,000 Yangwang U9, began in February. Today, BYD is running neck and neck with Tesla for the top spot among global EV makers and it is the undisputed champion of the plug-in hybrid sector, with 40% of that market. Last year, BYD delivered more than 3.8 million passenger vehicles in 2024—surpassing its full-year target of 3.6 million. The year also saw the company’s rapid expansion across Asia and into Mexico, South America, Europe, and Australia. In November, BYD produced its 10 millionth battery-powered vehicle, becoming the first automaker to reach that milestone, and announced a new Blade EV battery to power its future long-range EVs. The next-generation Blade technology is expected to increase driving range as well as battery life cycle. Whether BYD brings its cars to the U.S. is a question of geopolitics, but at least one top analyst says social media has helped spread the word among Gen Z and millennial shoppers, who are open to buying Chinese vehicles. “It’s only a matter of time before BYD is selling retail passenger vehicles in the U.S. market,” says Ed Kim, chief analyst at AutoPacific. “American consumers want them, and awareness of them is strong.”Read more about BYD, honored as No. 5 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.3. UL SolutionsFor developing cutting-edge automotive battery and energy storage testingEV batteries can catch fire or explode in the event of a collision, mechanical failure, or weather catastrophe, making battery safety crucial as more electric vehicles hit the road. Northbrook, Illinois-based safety science company UL Solutions has emerged as a key player in the space, conducting rigorous tests to determine how EV batteries handle a host of hazards, from thermal runaway to electric shock. The company launched an initial public offering in April 2024 at a roughly $7 billion valuation, and four months later, it opened a 90,000-square-foot advanced battery lab in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company’s largest-ever laboratory investment puts performance and safety testing under one roof. The state-of-the-art lab is one of the most extensive electric and hybrid vehicle and industrial battery testing laboratories in the U.S., conducting electrical, mechanical, and environmental testing against standards and goals set by the International Electrotechnical Commission, United Nations, Society of Automotive Engineers, and others. The company grew revenue 7.2% to $2.9 billion in 2024, thanks to business from customers in more than 110 countries. It plans to construct a new Advanced Automotive and Battery Testing Center in South Korea to serve more customers across the Asia Pacific region and to add EV charger testing.4. NvidiaFor powering the autonomous vehicle revolutionNvidia dominates the market for the semiconductors that power AI platforms in automotive and a range of other industries. Its GPUs are well-suited to the demands of AI model training, making Nvidia’s technology crucial to the creation and widespread adoption of self-driving cars. Top automakers from around the world (including BYD, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, and Volvo) utilize the latest technologies from Nvidia (Drive AGX, Drive Orin, Drive Thor) to power their autonomous driving systems, and in early January 2024, Nvidia secured its pole position in the race to build better autonomous driving systems when it announced at CES that the world’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota, would be deploying its technology to build its next-generation vehicles. All this has put Nvidia on a tear, with revenue and market cap surging. In November, Nvidia replaced Intel on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.5. Mercedes-BenzFor advancing battery chemistry and developing a recycling economyMercedes-Benz is pulling ahead in the race to build a sophisticated battery economy. In October 2024, the automaker opened a state-of-the-art battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim, Germany. The factory—Europe’s first to house an integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical process within a single plant—makes Mercedes the first automaker to close the ponderous battery recycling loop with its own in-house facility. Mercedes says the factory’s integrated process boasts a recovery rate of more than 96%, enabling a true circular economy of battery materials from old cars. The batteries come from test vehicles and production ramp-ups, as well as from returned vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. The plant will play a significant role in the battery life cycle, from shredding of battery modules to processing active battery materials to recovering scarce raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. The downstream hydro-metallurgical process handles the “black mass,” the active materials that make up the electrodes of the battery cells. The factory, which began production in October 2024, is expected to generate enough material to produce more than 50,000 new battery modules annually. The knowledge gleaned from the project could help scale up production volumes in the medium- to long-term. Meanwhile, the automaker continues to roll out new EVs. In April, Mercedes-Benz launched an electric version of its rough-and-tumble G-Wagen truck, showing that electrification is possible for virtually any vehicle.6. RivianFor disrupting the EV industry with ultraefficient battery packsIt’s tough to start a car company. Just ask any of the fledgling EV companies that folded last year. The road has been rocky for Rivian, but the startup EV maker proved its staying power in June with the introduction of the second-generation R1S utility vehicle and R1T pickup truck. Together, the vehicles are challenging Tesla, General Motors, and other automakers thanks to their hearty, long-range power trains that are designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house. The second-generation battery packs offer up to 420 miles of range, while a new lithium iron phosphate-based battery pack can achieve an EPA-estimated 270 miles. Despite challenging sales, supply shortages, and layoffs, the company continues to plow ahead as a leader in the battery-electric sphere. In March, Rivian introduced a new midsize platform for smaller and more affordable vehicles, and followed that with the opening of its Rivian Adventure Network of DC fast chargers to all EVs. In October, the company announced that Volkswagen will invest $5.8 billion as part of a joint venture focused on developing vehicle software. In November, Rivian secured a $6.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to revive its plans to build an EV factory in Stanton Springs, Georgia.7. LG Vehicle SolutionFor bringing entertainment into the carLG is leading the lucrative race to bring entertainment into the car. In 2024, the South Korean juggernaut showed that it can adapt its expertise in consumer electronics for in-vehicle use, tailoring its user-friendly entertainment technology for automotive customers including Hyundai and Kia. In May, LG debuted a new infotainment platform with the launch of the Kia EV3 compact utility vehicle. The system brings LG Channels, an expansive network of entertainment, news and other content, into the car, eliminating complex app-based logins. The following month, the company rolled out its AlphaWare suite of customizable software to help automakers integrate advanced software and connectivity features across their lineups as seamlessly as possible. The comprehensive system addresses five key areas powering the vehicle, such as PlayWare for infotainment and VisionWare for safety. In November, LG presented its vision for the future of automotive interiors: a Digital Cockpit gamma featuring a 12.3-inch transparent OLED screen displaying real-time navigation, current speed, and points of interest, as well as a 14.2-inch retractable plastic OLED display embedded in the center console. A handy AI-based virtual assistant can detect driver fatigue, order a coffee from a shop nearby, and help you pay for the transaction through the screen’s built-in fingerprint-recognition sensor.8. QualcommFor creating a scalable cloud-based platform for the automotive industryQualcomm is expanding beyond mobile phones, transferring its expertise in chip technology to the automotive industry as cars become a new computing space. The system-on-chip technology that Qualcomm has honed for mobile phones is becoming crucial for the automotive industry as it evolves toward centralized computing. In October, the chipmaker announced a significant advance in automotive semiconductor technology with the launch of a scalable platform based on its fastest CPU. Qualcomm’s ultrafast Oryon CPU will power the latest version of its Snapdragon Digital Chassis, comprised of Snapdragon Cockpit Elite, which supports in-vehicle experiences like entertainment, and Snapdragon Ride Elite, which provides automated driving capabilities. The Snapdragon Digital Chassis can handle parallel AI workloads, such as processing data from multiple sensors and cameras to prevent a collision. It also allows different systems—such as infotainment and safety systems—to operate independently, which enables the car to process different types of data faster to make better-informed decisions. The cloud-connected platforms give customers like General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, BMW, Ford, Honda, and Hyundai the flexibility to develop features such as customizable dashboards and over-the-air updates after the car has been purchased. In February, Qualcomm reported robust Q1 2025 growth, with automative bringing in $961 million, representing 61% year-over-year growth. 9. MichelinFor creating sustainable tires to support next-gen EVsTires, perhaps the last part of a car to modernize, are finally undergoing a paradigm shift. Since 1960, cars have grown larger and heavier—increasing 21% in height, 14% in width, and 3% in length—putting more pressure on the tire, the humble component that supports the entire car. Now EVs, with their heavy batteries, are increasing weight by roughly 20%, an industrywide shift that necessitates more durable and more sustainable tires to support the extra heft. “Everything on electrification is pushing the market for bigger tires,” says Bruno de Feraudy, Michelin’s senior vice president of original equipment. Michelin’s Pilot Sport EV tires have been on the market since 2021, and at the 2024 Le Mans race in June, the company demonstrated a sustainable, track-oriented tire for the all-electric Porsche Cayman GT4 ePerformance race car. The motorsports tire at Le Mans is composed of 71% sustainable renewable and recycled raw materials, while the average tire uses 200 components that are difficult to recycle. These sustainable tires make greater use of rubber, recycled carbon black, oils such as sunflower oil and bio-sourced resins, silica from rice husks, and recycled steel.10. Formula 1For pioneering the hybrid technology powering passenger carsFormula 1 has shot to the cultural forefront with the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive, now in its seventh season, but it’s also the world’s foremost test bed for the hybrid technology that trickles down into passenger cars. In June 2024, its governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), announced the racing series’s most ambitious plans for going carbon neutral. The regulations, which go into effect in 2026, call for each team to build a power unit that derives half its power from a V6 turbo engine and half from its battery and electric motor. FIA’s ever-changing regulations breed innovation by requiring teams to continually reengineer their cars and push technology to the limit. Each car competing in Formula 1, arguably the world’s most technically advanced sport, features thousands of sensors taking more than 1 million data points per second to optimize performance as the driver hurls the car up to 225 miles per hour. The sport has more eyes on it than ever, gaining momentum stateside with the recent addition of Grand Prix in Miami and Las Vegas.Explore the full 2025 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 609 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the companies making the biggest impact across 58 categories, including advertising, applied AI, biotech, retail, sustainability, and more.

You know the dream: electric vehicles that can drive straight from New York to Chicago without needing to top off the battery. Robotaxis at your beck and call. Amphibious cars. The promise of next-generation travel hasn’t fully materialized yet, but legions of companies around the world are focused on bringing the vision to life.This year’s list of the most innovative automotive companies recognizes both the upstarts and the incumbents advancing the next era in mobility. As the industry grapples with the larger questions of how to create viable solid-state batteries or commercialize robotaxi service, the companies listed here are focused on the incremental steps toward a fully autonomous future.The result is EV technology that makes the erstwhile novelty car more powerful, more affordable, and more ubiquitous. China’s largest car company, BYD, became the world’s second-biggest EV maker in 2024 due to the rollout of its ultra-affordable models such as the $11,000 Seagull as it grows its global footprint.Meanwhile, Southern California-based startup Rivian is disrupting the domestic EV industry with ultraefficient battery packs that can carry its pickup trucks and SUVs more than 400 miles on a full charge.Some companies, like Northbrook, Illinois-based UL Solutions, are focused on making batteries safer and more reliable, while others focus on what to do with the batteries once they reach the end of their life cycle. Mercedes-Benz, which returns to the list for the second consecutive year, became the first car manufacturer to close the loop with an in-house battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany.Of course, digital and connected features are becoming crucial to the user experience, and Nvidia, Qualcomm, and LG Electronics are racing to develop the computing power for faster processing and seamless service.But for now, keep your eyes peeled on the road for Waymo, which tops our list this year, as it rolls out commercial robotaxi service around the U.S. and possibly in a city near you.1. WaymoFor making robotaxis part of the streetscapeAfter 15 years, the original Google moonshot looks like it’s finally starting to reach escape velocity. Launched in 2009 as Google’s self-driving car unit, Waymo had its share of false starts before it began offering a limited version of its driverless ride-sharing service to customers in Phoenix in 2020. But in recent months, Waymo has emerged as the company ushering robotaxis out of the sci-fi realm and into reality. It’s paving the way for autonomous vehicles in five major U.S. cities, setting the bar for safety, transparency, and regulation for all other competitors, especially Tesla. And it’s making the general public comfortable with what now seems will be an inevitable part of the urban landscape. With wide-scale operations in San Francisco and Phoenix (and a limited rollout in Los Angeles), Waymo has been growing quickly—even with its emphasis on scaling responsibly. It is partnering with Uber and rolled out service in Austin in March, with plans to launch in Atlanta. Waymo also unveiled its Generation 6 automated driving system, an enhanced-technology suite designed handle tougher weather conditions. In October, the Waymo One taxi fleet reached 1 million autonomous miles driven. Waymo has made real what seemed unimaginable 15 years. It’s proven that Alphabet’s moonshot strategy can work.Read more about Waymo, honored as No. 1 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.2. BYDFor making EVs that are ultra-affordable, ultrafast, and even amphibiousAfter almost 30 years as a battery supplier to mobile phone manufacturers, BYD has found explosive growth as an EV maker, catapulting over competitors to become a global juggernaut. The Warren Buffett-backed Chinese company shifted to building cars nearly two decades ago, applying its expertise in producing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to develop reliable, sub-$35,000 EVs. But the mid-2023 launch of BYD’s most affordable model—the four-figure Seagull compact car—ignited BYD’s exponential sales run. Boasting an all-electric range up to 252 miles, the Seagull became China’s top seller in August 2024 and solidified BYD’s status as the country’s largest automaker. But BYD isn’t focused only on affordability. Shipments of its first supercar, the $238,000 Yangwang U9, began in February. Today, BYD is running neck and neck with Tesla for the top spot among global EV makers and it is the undisputed champion of the plug-in hybrid sector, with 40% of that market. Last year, BYD delivered more than 3.8 million passenger vehicles in 2024—surpassing its full-year target of 3.6 million. The year also saw the company’s rapid expansion across Asia and into Mexico, South America, Europe, and Australia. In November, BYD produced its 10 millionth battery-powered vehicle, becoming the first automaker to reach that milestone, and announced a new Blade EV battery to power its future long-range EVs. The next-generation Blade technology is expected to increase driving range as well as battery life cycle. Whether BYD brings its cars to the U.S. is a question of geopolitics, but at least one top analyst says social media has helped spread the word among Gen Z and millennial shoppers, who are open to buying Chinese vehicles. “It’s only a matter of time before BYD is selling retail passenger vehicles in the U.S. market,” says Ed Kim, chief analyst at AutoPacific. “American consumers want them, and awareness of them is strong.”Read more about BYD, honored as No. 5 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.3. UL SolutionsFor developing cutting-edge automotive battery and energy storage testingEV batteries can catch fire or explode in the event of a collision, mechanical failure, or weather catastrophe, making battery safety crucial as more electric vehicles hit the road. Northbrook, Illinois-based safety science company UL Solutions has emerged as a key player in the space, conducting rigorous tests to determine how EV batteries handle a host of hazards, from thermal runaway to electric shock. The company launched an initial public offering in April 2024 at a roughly $7 billion valuation, and four months later, it opened a 90,000-square-foot advanced battery lab in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company’s largest-ever laboratory investment puts performance and safety testing under one roof. The state-of-the-art lab is one of the most extensive electric and hybrid vehicle and industrial battery testing laboratories in the U.S., conducting electrical, mechanical, and environmental testing against standards and goals set by the International Electrotechnical Commission, United Nations, Society of Automotive Engineers, and others. The company grew revenue 7.2% to $2.9 billion in 2024, thanks to business from customers in more than 110 countries. It plans to construct a new Advanced Automotive and Battery Testing Center in South Korea to serve more customers across the Asia Pacific region and to add EV charger testing.4. NvidiaFor powering the autonomous vehicle revolutionNvidia dominates the market for the semiconductors that power AI platforms in automotive and a range of other industries. Its GPUs are well-suited to the demands of AI model training, making Nvidia’s technology crucial to the creation and widespread adoption of self-driving cars. Top automakers from around the world (including BYD, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, and Volvo) utilize the latest technologies from Nvidia (Drive AGX, Drive Orin, Drive Thor) to power their autonomous driving systems, and in early January 2024, Nvidia secured its pole position in the race to build better autonomous driving systems when it announced at CES that the world’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota, would be deploying its technology to build its next-generation vehicles. All this has put Nvidia on a tear, with revenue and market cap surging. In November, Nvidia replaced Intel on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.5. Mercedes-BenzFor advancing battery chemistry and developing a recycling economyMercedes-Benz is pulling ahead in the race to build a sophisticated battery economy. In October 2024, the automaker opened a state-of-the-art battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim, Germany. The factory—Europe’s first to house an integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical process within a single plant—makes Mercedes the first automaker to close the ponderous battery recycling loop with its own in-house facility. Mercedes says the factory’s integrated process boasts a recovery rate of more than 96%, enabling a true circular economy of battery materials from old cars. The batteries come from test vehicles and production ramp-ups, as well as from returned vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. The plant will play a significant role in the battery life cycle, from shredding of battery modules to processing active battery materials to recovering scarce raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. The downstream hydro-metallurgical process handles the “black mass,” the active materials that make up the electrodes of the battery cells. The factory, which began production in October 2024, is expected to generate enough material to produce more than 50,000 new battery modules annually. The knowledge gleaned from the project could help scale up production volumes in the medium- to long-term. Meanwhile, the automaker continues to roll out new EVs. In April, Mercedes-Benz launched an electric version of its rough-and-tumble G-Wagen truck, showing that electrification is possible for virtually any vehicle.6. RivianFor disrupting the EV industry with ultraefficient battery packsIt’s tough to start a car company. Just ask any of the fledgling EV companies that folded last year. The road has been rocky for Rivian, but the startup EV maker proved its staying power in June with the introduction of the second-generation R1S utility vehicle and R1T pickup truck. Together, the vehicles are challenging Tesla, General Motors, and other automakers thanks to their hearty, long-range power trains that are designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house. The second-generation battery packs offer up to 420 miles of range, while a new lithium iron phosphate-based battery pack can achieve an EPA-estimated 270 miles. Despite challenging sales, supply shortages, and layoffs, the company continues to plow ahead as a leader in the battery-electric sphere. In March, Rivian introduced a new midsize platform for smaller and more affordable vehicles, and followed that with the opening of its Rivian Adventure Network of DC fast chargers to all EVs. In October, the company announced that Volkswagen will invest $5.8 billion as part of a joint venture focused on developing vehicle software. In November, Rivian secured a $6.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to revive its plans to build an EV factory in Stanton Springs, Georgia.7. LG Vehicle SolutionFor bringing entertainment into the carLG is leading the lucrative race to bring entertainment into the car. In 2024, the South Korean juggernaut showed that it can adapt its expertise in consumer electronics for in-vehicle use, tailoring its user-friendly entertainment technology for automotive customers including Hyundai and Kia. In May, LG debuted a new infotainment platform with the launch of the Kia EV3 compact utility vehicle. The system brings LG Channels, an expansive network of entertainment, news and other content, into the car, eliminating complex app-based logins. The following month, the company rolled out its AlphaWare suite of customizable software to help automakers integrate advanced software and connectivity features across their lineups as seamlessly as possible. The comprehensive system addresses five key areas powering the vehicle, such as PlayWare for infotainment and VisionWare for safety. In November, LG presented its vision for the future of automotive interiors: a Digital Cockpit gamma featuring a 12.3-inch transparent OLED screen displaying real-time navigation, current speed, and points of interest, as well as a 14.2-inch retractable plastic OLED display embedded in the center console. A handy AI-based virtual assistant can detect driver fatigue, order a coffee from a shop nearby, and help you pay for the transaction through the screen’s built-in fingerprint-recognition sensor.8. QualcommFor creating a scalable cloud-based platform for the automotive industryQualcomm is expanding beyond mobile phones, transferring its expertise in chip technology to the automotive industry as cars become a new computing space. The system-on-chip technology that Qualcomm has honed for mobile phones is becoming crucial for the automotive industry as it evolves toward centralized computing. In October, the chipmaker announced a significant advance in automotive semiconductor technology with the launch of a scalable platform based on its fastest CPU. Qualcomm’s ultrafast Oryon CPU will power the latest version of its Snapdragon Digital Chassis, comprised of Snapdragon Cockpit Elite, which supports in-vehicle experiences like entertainment, and Snapdragon Ride Elite, which provides automated driving capabilities. The Snapdragon Digital Chassis can handle parallel AI workloads, such as processing data from multiple sensors and cameras to prevent a collision. It also allows different systems—such as infotainment and safety systems—to operate independently, which enables the car to process different types of data faster to make better-informed decisions. The cloud-connected platforms give customers like General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, BMW, Ford, Honda, and Hyundai the flexibility to develop features such as customizable dashboards and over-the-air updates after the car has been purchased. In February, Qualcomm reported robust Q1 2025 growth, with automative bringing in $961 million, representing 61% year-over-year growth. 9. MichelinFor creating sustainable tires to support next-gen EVsTires, perhaps the last part of a car to modernize, are finally undergoing a paradigm shift. Since 1960, cars have grown larger and heavier—increasing 21% in height, 14% in width, and 3% in length—putting more pressure on the tire, the humble component that supports the entire car. Now EVs, with their heavy batteries, are increasing weight by roughly 20%, an industrywide shift that necessitates more durable and more sustainable tires to support the extra heft. “Everything on electrification is pushing the market for bigger tires,” says Bruno de Feraudy, Michelin’s senior vice president of original equipment. Michelin’s Pilot Sport EV tires have been on the market since 2021, and at the 2024 Le Mans race in June, the company demonstrated a sustainable, track-oriented tire for the all-electric Porsche Cayman GT4 ePerformance race car. The motorsports tire at Le Mans is composed of 71% sustainable renewable and recycled raw materials, while the average tire uses 200 components that are difficult to recycle. These sustainable tires make greater use of rubber, recycled carbon black, oils such as sunflower oil and bio-sourced resins, silica from rice husks, and recycled steel.10. Formula 1For pioneering the hybrid technology powering passenger carsFormula 1 has shot to the cultural forefront with the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive, now in its seventh season, but it’s also the world’s foremost test bed for the hybrid technology that trickles down into passenger cars. In June 2024, its governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), announced the racing series’s most ambitious plans for going carbon neutral. The regulations, which go into effect in 2026, call for each team to build a power unit that derives half its power from a V6 turbo engine and half from its battery and electric motor. FIA’s ever-changing regulations breed innovation by requiring teams to continually reengineer their cars and push technology to the limit. Each car competing in Formula 1, arguably the world’s most technically advanced sport, features thousands of sensors taking more than 1 million data points per second to optimize performance as the driver hurls the car up to 225 miles per hour. The sport has more eyes on it than ever, gaining momentum stateside with the recent addition of Grand Prix in Miami and Las Vegas.Explore the full 2025 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 609 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the companies making the biggest impact across 58 categories, including advertising, applied AI, biotech, retail, sustainability, and more.

You know the dream: electric vehicles that can drive straight from New York to Chicago without needing to top off the battery. Robotaxis at your beck and call. Amphibious cars. The promise of next-generation travel hasn’t fully materialized yet, but legions of companies around the world are focused on bringing the vision to life.

This year’s list of the most innovative automotive companies recognizes both the upstarts and the incumbents advancing the next era in mobility. As the industry grapples with the larger questions of how to create viable solid-state batteries or commercialize robotaxi service, the companies listed here are focused on the incremental steps toward a fully autonomous future.

The result is EV technology that makes the erstwhile novelty car more powerful, more affordable, and more ubiquitous. China’s largest car company, BYD, became the world’s second-biggest EV maker in 2024 due to the rollout of its ultra-affordable models such as the $11,000 Seagull as it grows its global footprint.

Meanwhile, Southern California-based startup Rivian is disrupting the domestic EV industry with ultraefficient battery packs that can carry its pickup trucks and SUVs more than 400 miles on a full charge.

Some companies, like Northbrook, Illinois-based UL Solutions, are focused on making batteries safer and more reliable, while others focus on what to do with the batteries once they reach the end of their life cycle. Mercedes-Benz, which returns to the list for the second consecutive year, became the first car manufacturer to close the loop with an in-house battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany.

Of course, digital and connected features are becoming crucial to the user experience, and Nvidia, Qualcomm, and LG Electronics are racing to develop the computing power for faster processing and seamless service.

But for now, keep your eyes peeled on the road for Waymo, which tops our list this year, as it rolls out commercial robotaxi service around the U.S. and possibly in a city near you.

1. Waymo

For making robotaxis part of the streetscape

After 15 years, the original Google moonshot looks like it’s finally starting to reach escape velocity. Launched in 2009 as Google’s self-driving car unit, Waymo had its share of false starts before it began offering a limited version of its driverless ride-sharing service to customers in Phoenix in 2020. But in recent months, Waymo has emerged as the company ushering robotaxis out of the sci-fi realm and into reality. It’s paving the way for autonomous vehicles in five major U.S. cities, setting the bar for safety, transparency, and regulation for all other competitors, especially Tesla. And it’s making the general public comfortable with what now seems will be an inevitable part of the urban landscape. With wide-scale operations in San Francisco and Phoenix (and a limited rollout in Los Angeles), Waymo has been growing quickly—even with its emphasis on scaling responsibly. It is partnering with Uber and rolled out service in Austin in March, with plans to launch in Atlanta. Waymo also unveiled its Generation 6 automated driving system, an enhanced-technology suite designed handle tougher weather conditions. In October, the Waymo One taxi fleet reached 1 million autonomous miles driven. Waymo has made real what seemed unimaginable 15 years. It’s proven that Alphabet’s moonshot strategy can work.

Read more about Waymo, honored as No. 1 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.

2. BYD

For making EVs that are ultra-affordable, ultrafast, and even amphibious

After almost 30 years as a battery supplier to mobile phone manufacturers, BYD has found explosive growth as an EV maker, catapulting over competitors to become a global juggernaut. The Warren Buffett-backed Chinese company shifted to building cars nearly two decades ago, applying its expertise in producing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to develop reliable, sub-$35,000 EVs. But the mid-2023 launch of BYD’s most affordable model—the four-figure Seagull compact car—ignited BYD’s exponential sales run. Boasting an all-electric range up to 252 miles, the Seagull became China’s top seller in August 2024 and solidified BYD’s status as the country’s largest automaker.

But BYD isn’t focused only on affordability. Shipments of its first supercar, the $238,000 Yangwang U9, began in February. Today, BYD is running neck and neck with Tesla for the top spot among global EV makers and it is the undisputed champion of the plug-in hybrid sector, with 40% of that market. Last year, BYD delivered more than 3.8 million passenger vehicles in 2024—surpassing its full-year target of 3.6 million. The year also saw the company’s rapid expansion across Asia and into Mexico, South America, Europe, and Australia. In November, BYD produced its 10 millionth battery-powered vehicle, becoming the first automaker to reach that milestone, and announced a new Blade EV battery to power its future long-range EVs. The next-generation Blade technology is expected to increase driving range as well as battery life cycle.

Whether BYD brings its cars to the U.S. is a question of geopolitics, but at least one top analyst says social media has helped spread the word among Gen Z and millennial shoppers, who are open to buying Chinese vehicles. “It’s only a matter of time before BYD is selling retail passenger vehicles in the U.S. market,” says Ed Kim, chief analyst at AutoPacific. “American consumers want them, and awareness of them is strong.”

Read more about BYD, honored as No. 5 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.

3. UL Solutions

For developing cutting-edge automotive battery and energy storage testing

EV batteries can catch fire or explode in the event of a collision, mechanical failure, or weather catastrophe, making battery safety crucial as more electric vehicles hit the road.

Northbrook, Illinois-based safety science company UL Solutions has emerged as a key player in the space, conducting rigorous tests to determine how EV batteries handle a host of hazards, from thermal runaway to electric shock. The company launched an initial public offering in April 2024 at a roughly $7 billion valuation, and four months later, it opened a 90,000-square-foot advanced battery lab in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company’s largest-ever laboratory investment puts performance and safety testing under one roof. The state-of-the-art lab is one of the most extensive electric and hybrid vehicle and industrial battery testing laboratories in the U.S., conducting electrical, mechanical, and environmental testing against standards and goals set by the International Electrotechnical Commission, United Nations, Society of Automotive Engineers, and others. The company grew revenue 7.2% to $2.9 billion in 2024, thanks to business from customers in more than 110 countries. It plans to construct a new Advanced Automotive and Battery Testing Center in South Korea to serve more customers across the Asia Pacific region and to add EV charger testing.

4. Nvidia

For powering the autonomous vehicle revolution

Nvidia dominates the market for the semiconductors that power AI platforms in automotive and a range of other industries. Its GPUs are well-suited to the demands of AI model training, making Nvidia’s technology crucial to the creation and widespread adoption of self-driving cars. Top automakers from around the world (including BYD, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, and Volvo) utilize the latest technologies from Nvidia (Drive AGX, Drive Orin, Drive Thor) to power their autonomous driving systems, and in early January 2024, Nvidia secured its pole position in the race to build better autonomous driving systems when it announced at CES that the world’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota, would be deploying its technology to build its next-generation vehicles. All this has put Nvidia on a tear, with revenue and market cap surging. In November, Nvidia replaced Intel on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

5. Mercedes-Benz

For advancing battery chemistry and developing a recycling economy

Mercedes-Benz is pulling ahead in the race to build a sophisticated battery economy. In October 2024, the automaker opened a state-of-the-art battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim, Germany. The factory—Europe’s first to house an integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical process within a single plant—makes Mercedes the first automaker to close the ponderous battery recycling loop with its own in-house facility. Mercedes says the factory’s integrated process boasts a recovery rate of more than 96%, enabling a true circular economy of battery materials from old cars. The batteries come from test vehicles and production ramp-ups, as well as from returned vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. The plant will play a significant role in the battery life cycle, from shredding of battery modules to processing active battery materials to recovering scarce raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. The downstream hydro-metallurgical process handles the “black mass,” the active materials that make up the electrodes of the battery cells. The factory, which began production in October 2024, is expected to generate enough material to produce more than 50,000 new battery modules annually. The knowledge gleaned from the project could help scale up production volumes in the medium- to long-term. Meanwhile, the automaker continues to roll out new EVs. In April, Mercedes-Benz launched an electric version of its rough-and-tumble G-Wagen truck, showing that electrification is possible for virtually any vehicle.

6. Rivian

For disrupting the EV industry with ultraefficient battery packs

It’s tough to start a car company. Just ask any of the fledgling EV companies that folded last year. The road has been rocky for Rivian, but the startup EV maker proved its staying power in June with the introduction of the second-generation R1S utility vehicle and R1T pickup truck. Together, the vehicles are challenging Tesla, General Motors, and other automakers thanks to their hearty, long-range power trains that are designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house. The second-generation battery packs offer up to 420 miles of range, while a new lithium iron phosphate-based battery pack can achieve an EPA-estimated 270 miles. Despite challenging sales, supply shortages, and layoffs, the company continues to plow ahead as a leader in the battery-electric sphere. In March, Rivian introduced a new midsize platform for smaller and more affordable vehicles, and followed that with the opening of its Rivian Adventure Network of DC fast chargers to all EVs. In October, the company announced that Volkswagen will invest $5.8 billion as part of a joint venture focused on developing vehicle software. In November, Rivian secured a $6.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to revive its plans to build an EV factory in Stanton Springs, Georgia.

7. LG Vehicle Solution

For bringing entertainment into the car

LG is leading the lucrative race to bring entertainment into the car. In 2024, the South Korean juggernaut showed that it can adapt its expertise in consumer electronics for in-vehicle use, tailoring its user-friendly entertainment technology for automotive customers including Hyundai and Kia. In May, LG debuted a new infotainment platform with the launch of the Kia EV3 compact utility vehicle. The system brings LG Channels, an expansive network of entertainment, news and other content, into the car, eliminating complex app-based logins.

The following month, the company rolled out its AlphaWare suite of customizable software to help automakers integrate advanced software and connectivity features across their lineups as seamlessly as possible. The comprehensive system addresses five key areas powering the vehicle, such as PlayWare for infotainment and VisionWare for safety.

In November, LG presented its vision for the future of automotive interiors: a Digital Cockpit gamma featuring a 12.3-inch transparent OLED screen displaying real-time navigation, current speed, and points of interest, as well as a 14.2-inch retractable plastic OLED display embedded in the center console. A handy AI-based virtual assistant can detect driver fatigue, order a coffee from a shop nearby, and help you pay for the transaction through the screen’s built-in fingerprint-recognition sensor.

8. Qualcomm

For creating a scalable cloud-based platform for the automotive industry

Qualcomm is expanding beyond mobile phones, transferring its expertise in chip technology to the automotive industry as cars become a new computing space. The system-on-chip technology that Qualcomm has honed for mobile phones is becoming crucial for the automotive industry as it evolves toward centralized computing.

In October, the chipmaker announced a significant advance in automotive semiconductor technology with the launch of a scalable platform based on its fastest CPU. Qualcomm’s ultrafast Oryon CPU will power the latest version of its Snapdragon Digital Chassis, comprised of Snapdragon Cockpit Elite, which supports in-vehicle experiences like entertainment, and Snapdragon Ride Elite, which provides automated driving capabilities. The Snapdragon Digital Chassis can handle parallel AI workloads, such as processing data from multiple sensors and cameras to prevent a collision. It also allows different systems—such as infotainment and safety systems—to operate independently, which enables the car to process different types of data faster to make better-informed decisions. The cloud-connected platforms give customers like General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, BMW, Ford, Honda, and Hyundai the flexibility to develop features such as customizable dashboards and over-the-air updates after the car has been purchased. In February, Qualcomm reported robust Q1 2025 growth, with automative bringing in $961 million, representing 61% year-over-year growth.

9. Michelin

For creating sustainable tires to support next-gen EVs

Tires, perhaps the last part of a car to modernize, are finally undergoing a paradigm shift. Since 1960, cars have grown larger and heavier—increasing 21% in height, 14% in width, and 3% in length—putting more pressure on the tire, the humble component that supports the entire car. Now EVs, with their heavy batteries, are increasing weight by roughly 20%, an industrywide shift that necessitates more durable and more sustainable tires to support the extra heft.

“Everything on electrification is pushing the market for bigger tires,” says Bruno de Feraudy, Michelin’s senior vice president of original equipment. Michelin’s Pilot Sport EV tires have been on the market since 2021, and at the 2024 Le Mans race in June, the company demonstrated a sustainable, track-oriented tire for the all-electric Porsche Cayman GT4 ePerformance race car. The motorsports tire at Le Mans is composed of 71% sustainable renewable and recycled raw materials, while the average tire uses 200 components that are difficult to recycle. These sustainable tires make greater use of rubber, recycled carbon black, oils such as sunflower oil and bio-sourced resins, silica from rice husks, and recycled steel.

10. Formula 1

For pioneering the hybrid technology powering passenger cars

Formula 1 has shot to the cultural forefront with the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive, now in its seventh season, but it’s also the world’s foremost test bed for the hybrid technology that trickles down into passenger cars. In June 2024, its governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), announced the racing series’s most ambitious plans for going carbon neutral. The regulations, which go into effect in 2026, call for each team to build a power unit that derives half its power from a V6 turbo engine and half from its battery and electric motor.

FIA’s ever-changing regulations breed innovation by requiring teams to continually reengineer their cars and push technology to the limit. Each car competing in Formula 1, arguably the world’s most technically advanced sport, features thousands of sensors taking more than 1 million data points per second to optimize performance as the driver hurls the car up to 225 miles per hour. The sport has more eyes on it than ever, gaining momentum stateside with the recent addition of Grand Prix in Miami and Las Vegas.

Explore the full 2025 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 609 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the companies making the biggest impact across 58 categories, including advertisingapplied AIbiotechretailsustainability, and more.

Read the full story here.
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Lawmakers Listen to Farmer Concerns During Two-Week Break

April 21, 2025 – Last week, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) met with farmers at Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro, Maryland, where livestock, vegetable, and grain growers expressed concerns about frozen USDA programs, the impacts of tariffs, and other challenges. Van Hollen said that he set up the roundtable because farmers have been calling and […] The post Lawmakers Listen to Farmer Concerns During Two-Week Break appeared first on Civil Eats.

April 21, 2025 – Last week, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) met with farmers at Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro, Maryland, where livestock, vegetable, and grain growers expressed concerns about frozen USDA programs, the impacts of tariffs, and other challenges. Van Hollen said that he set up the roundtable because farmers have been calling and writing to his office—especially about tariffs and the cancellation of funding for programs that connect small farms to schools and food banks—and his purpose was to hear more of their stories. “The freeze on payments under the farm-to-school program is outrageous,” he said at the event. “We will fight this in the courts. We will fight this in Congress.” Senator Chris Van Hollen (left) listens to farmer-brewer Tom Barse of Milkhouse Brewery (right) at Stillpoint Farm talk about “trying to find a way to continue to make a living as a small farm.” (Photo credit: Lisa Held) It was one of several agricultural roundtables and town halls that lawmakers are holding across the country during Congress’ two-week recess, which ends later this week. Politico reported that Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Adam Schiff (D-California) would all be gathering feedback from farmers over the break. One farmer told Civil Eats he attended an invite-only event that Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) held in her state, where representatives of both the Minnesota Farm Bureau and Minnesota Farmers’ Union were present. He attended to call her attention to the still-frozen Farm Labor Stabilization Program. In Maine, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) marched alongside farmers protesting USDA cuts to funding and staff. At Moon Valley, farmer-owner Emma Jagoz emphasized the loss of the Local Food for Schools funding, which had helped her get her organic fruits and vegetables into 12 Maryland school districts. In the past, she said, USDA programs also helped her access land and build high tunnels that allow her to grow and sell produce year-round. “These tools help us to stay in business, grow responsibly for the future, and feed a lot more people,” she said. Kelly Dudeck, the executive director of Cultivate & Craft, an organization that helps farmers turn their crops into higher-value products, said that the Mid-Atlantic’s craft wineries and breweries are already struggling in the face of tariffs, since most depend on global supply chains for bottles, barrels, and grain inputs. “Brewers specifically are saying that half of them will likely be out of business within a year,” she told Van Hollen. One farmer expressed concerns over solar development leading to a loss of farmland, a priority of the last administration under Democrats. On the flipside, farmer Elisa Lane, of Two Boots Farm, said she was worried about the USDA eliminating climate change and other environmental terms from its vocabulary and website. “I’m not sure how USDA can support us if we can’t even name the things we’re up against,” she said. (Link to this post.) The post Lawmakers Listen to Farmer Concerns During Two-Week Break appeared first on Civil Eats.

Secondhand Stores Are Poised to Benefit if US Tariffs Drive up New Clothing Costs

Stores selling secondhand clothing, shoes and accessories are poised to benefit from the Trump administration’s trade war even as global businesses race to avoid potential damage

American styles carry international influence, but nearly all of the clothing sold domestically is made elsewhere. The Yale University Budget Lab last week estimated short-term consumer price increases of 65% for clothes and 87% for leather goods, noting U.S. tariffs "disproportionately affect” those goods.Such price hikes may drive cost-conscious shoppers to online resale sites, consignment boutiques and thrift stores in search of bargains or a way to turn their wardrobes into cash. Used items cost less than their new equivalents and only would be subject to tariffs if they come from outside the country. “I think resale is going to grow in a market that is declining,” said Kristen Classi-Zummo, an apparel industry analyst at market research firm Circana. “What I think is going to continue to win in this chaotic environment are channels that bring value.”The outlook for preowned fashion nevertheless comes with unknowns, including whether the president's tariffs will stay long enough to pinch consumers and change their behavior. It's also unclear whether secondhand purveyors will increase their own prices, either to mirror the overall market or in response to shopper demand. A new audience courtesy of sticker shock Jan Genovese, a retired fashion executive, sells her unwanted designer clothes through customer-to-customer marketplaces like Mercari. If tariffs cause retail prices to rise, she would consider high-end secondhand sites. “Until I see it and really have that sticker shock, I can’t say exclusively that I’ll be pushed into another direction,” Genovese, 75, said. “I think that the tariff part of it is that you definitely rethink things. And maybe I will start looking at alternative venues.”The secondhand clothing market already was flourishing before the specter of tariffs bedeviled the U.S. fashion industry. Management consulting firm McKinsey and Co. predicted after the COVID-19 pandemic that global revenue from preowned fashion would grow 11 times faster than retail apparel sales by this year as shoppers looked to save money or spend it in a more environmentally conscious way. While millennials and members of Generation Z were known as the primary buyers of used clothing, data from market research firm Sensor Tower shows the audience may be expanding. The number of mobile app downloads for nine resale marketplaces the firm tracks — eBay, OfferUp, Poshmark, Mercari, Craigslist, Depop, ThredUp, TheRealReal and Vinted — increased by 3% between January and the end of March, the first quarterly gain in three years, Sensor Tower said. The firm estimates downloads of the apps for eBay, Depop, ThredUp and The RealReal also surged compared to a year earlier for the week of March 31, which was when Trump unveiled since-paused punitive tariffs on dozens of countries. Circana’s Classi-Zummo said that while customers used to seek out collectible or unusual vintage pieces to supplement their wardrobes, she has noticed more shoppers turning to secondhand sites to replace regular fashion items."It's still a cheaper option” than buying new, even though retailers offer discounts, she said. A tariff-free gold mine lurking in closets and warehouses Poshmark, a digital platform where users buy and sell preowned clothing, has yet to see sales pick up under the tariff schedule Trump unveiled but is prepared to capitalize on the moment, CEO Manish Chandra said. Companies operating e-commerce marketplaces upgrade their technology to make it easier to find items. A visual search tool and other improvements to the Poshmark experience will “pay long dividends in terms of disruption that happens in the market” from the tariffs, Chandra said. Archive, a San Francisco-based technology company that builds and manages online and in-store resale programs for brands including Dr. Martens, The North Face and Lululemon, has noticed clothing labels expressing more urgency to team up, CEO Emily Gittins said. "Tapping into all of the inventory that is already sitting in the U.S., either in people’s closets or in warehouses not being used,” offers a revenue source while brands limit or suspend orders from foreign manufacturers, she said. “There’s a huge amount of uncertainty,” Gittins said. “Everyone believes that this is going to be hugely damaging to consumer goods brands that sell in the U.S. So resale is basically where everyone’s head is going." Stock analysts have predicted off-price retailers like TJ Maxx and Burlington Stores will weather tariffs more easily than regular apparel chains and department stores because they carry leftover merchandise in the U.S. Priced out of the previously owned market Still, resale vendors aren't immune from tariff-induced upheavals, said Rachel Kibbe, founder and CEO of Circular Services Group, a firm that advises brands and retailers on reducing the fashion industry's environmental impact. U.S. sellers that import secondhand inventory from European Union countries would have to pay a 20% duty if Trump moves forward with instituting “reciprocal” tariffs on most trading partners and eliminates an import tax exception for parcels worth less than $800, Kibbe said. A circular fashion coalition she leads is seeking a tariff exemption for used and recycled goods that will be offered for resale, Kibbe said. Trump already ended the duty-free provision for low-value parcels from China, a move that may benefit sellers of secondhand clothing by making low-priced Chinese fashions pricier, she said. James Reinhart, co-founder and CEO of the online consignment marketplace ThredUp, said the removal of the “de minimis” provision and the 145% tariff Trump put on products made in China would benefit businesses like his. He doubts creating resale channels would make a big difference for individual brands.“Brands will explore this and they may do more, but I don’t see them massively changing their operations,” Reinhart said. “I think they’re going to be figuring out how to survive. And I don’t think resale helps you survive.”Rebag, an online marketplace and retail chain that sells used designer handbags priced from $500 to tens of thousands of dollars, expects tariffs to help drive new customers and plans to open more physical stores, CEO Charles Gorra said. Gorra said the company would analyze prices for new luxury goods and adjust what Rebag charges accordingly. The two historically rose in tandem, but Rebag could not match Chanel's 10% price increase last year because of lower resale demand, Gorra said. “That has nothing to do with the tariffs,” he said. “Consumers are feeling priced out.”Norah Brotman, 22, a senior at the University of Minnesota, buys most of her own clothes on eBay. She also thrifts fashions from the 1990s and early 2000s at Goodwill stores and resells them on Depop. “I would love if this would steer people in a different direction,” she said.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Feb. 2025

As heavy as 100 Eiffel Towers: Monumental L.A. County fire debris removal could finish by June

Almost 8,800 property owners have asked the Army Corps of Engineers to direct the cleanup of burned homes. With more than 100 parcels a day being cleared, the job is almost halfway done, with June a likely date for completion, officials say.

A small army of laborers, heavy-equipment operators, hazmat technicians and truck drivers have cleared more than one-third of the home lots left in charred ruin by January’s firestorms — a frenetic pace that suggests the bulk of the vast government-run cleanup in Los Angeles County could be completed as early as June, officials say.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officers overseeing the effort said the crews of mostly private contractors are working at a record clip for a wildfire recovery, clearing nearly 120 lots a day and operating at close to the capacity that roads — and residents close to the fire zones — can tolerate.The scope of the unfinished work came into clearer focus last week, with the passing of the April 15 deadline for residents of Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu to opt in or out of the cleanup. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Some 10,373 property owners completed “right-of-entry” forms, authorizing the Army Corps and government contractors to work on their properties, while 1,698 others opted out of the program, many because they wanted their own crews to perform the work.Army Corps of Engineers commanders reported that 4,153 properties across the Eaton and Palisades burn zones had been cleared by Thursday, though the total declared as “complete” is lower because many of the lots still need finishing touches — including the removal of hazardous trees, installation of fencing around pools and application of “hydro-mulch” sealant to prevent erosion.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a news conference Thursday to mark 100 days since the fires and to tout the speed of the recovery. “The Army Corps of Engineers are heroes in Los Angeles, are heroes in the Palisades,” said Bass, standing alongside Army commanders and Westside Councilmember Traci Park. “It is amazing to come here day after day. … Every time I come, I see more and more properties cleared.”The Army officers commanding the cleanup say it is the biggest their agency has ever conducted in a wildfire zone. With more than 1 million tons of concrete, steel, earth and plants already removed from the burn areas, two colonels overseeing the operation reached for superlatives to describe the scope of the work. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) The weight of the debris removed equals the weight of 100 Eiffel towers, said Col. Sonny Avichal, the West Point graduate overseeing the Altadena fire cleanup. The weight taken out of the Palisades, alone, is equal to a row of Ford F-150 pickups, lined up end-to-end and stretching from Los Angeles past Salt Lake City, said Col. Brian Sawser, another West Point grad, who has overseen the Palisades fire cleanup.“This has been very similar to a war-fighting approach,” said Sawser, referring to the military’s strategy of bringing together diverse personnel, organizations and processes and unifying them in a common purpose. He later pledged: “Renewal is coming, it’s coming. And we’re bringing it to you as fast as we possibly can.”Avichal said the mission requires brute force but also a soft touch, as when an elderly woman in Altadena recently asked a cleanup crew for a personal treasure buried in her home’s rubble. The workers soon recovered a small safe and the gold coins inside it, delivering the bounty to the beaming homeowner, a moment captured in a Facebook video.“At the end of the day, it’s about the human touch,” Avichal said, recognizing the workers who returned the coins to the owner. “It’s about the compassion we have for the individuals who lost their homes.”The cleanup has ramped up considerably in recent weeks.When Avichal arrived in February from his base in Virginia, there were only 20 crews clearing lots in Altadena. (Each crew consists of, at minimum, a quality assurance official from the Army Corps; a task force leader from the principal contractor, Burlingame-based ECC; a heavy-equipment operator; a crew leader; and several laborers.) Now 129 crews are clearing properties in the San Gabriel Valley community.It takes a little less than two days for workers to finish clearing a property, slightly less than the time needed in the Palisades, where lots tend to be larger, and in Malibu, where some of the work has been complicated because of the precarious perch of more than 300 burned homes along the beach.The fire zones now teem with lines of trucks, earthmovers and workers in yellow-and- orange safety vests. The air thrums with the din of destruction — giant excavators clanking against steel beams, trucks bleating out warning signals as they back into position, green organic material whooshing out of hoses onto finished sites.While the images can appear chaotic, they are the result of hours of planning and preparation.Homeowners typically receive a call two or three days before crews arrive. A staffer from lead contractor ECC asks for important property details: Are there septic tank lids or propane tanks that need to be avoided? Are there pet graves that must be left undisturbed? Do workers need to be on the lookout for squatters?An initial inspection crew, commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, then screens each property in search of paints and other toxic substances. Analysts also probe for asbestos — a job that expanded as the carcinogenic material turned up in many more locations than expected.Workers have found asbestos in more than 60% of homes in Altadena and more than 40% in the extended Palisades fire zone. Cleanup crews in white hazmat suits and respirators typically needed up to three days to scrape away the material and remove it in sealed containers.“At one point we had 95 crews doing nothing but asbestos abatement,” Avichal said. On the Westside, the debris removal has been complicated by the constricted roads in and out of the burn zone. Traffic flow along Pacific Coast Highway has been reduced to one lane in each direction and Temescal Canyon Road remains closed to create what the Army leaders call a TDRS — Temporary Debris Reduction Site.Heavy excavation machines bash giant concrete blocks into more manageable chunks, before grinders pulverize the material into 1- to 3-inch rocks, which can be recycled. Steel and other metals also get compacted in the recycling zone before being trucked away.By doing the reduction work close to the disaster site, debris that initially filled three or four dump trucks can be consolidated into one large semi tractor-trailer load. That means that the total truck traffic leaving the burn areas is reduced substantially. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Anthony Marguleas, a real estate agent active in rebuilding efforts in the Palisades, called the debris recycling effort “a clear win for the community,” in that it reduced outbound truck traffic and also appeared to be “efficient and environmentally responsible.”State insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in January that homeowners have typically spent more than $100,000 when they paid to have private contractors remove debris after recent wildfires.Those who opt in to the government program have no direct out-of-pocket costs, though the Army Corps of Engineers will ask insurance companies that cover debris removal to reimburse the government up to the limits of that specific coverage.The pressure for progress abounds throughout the fire communities, as homeowners plead for access that will allow them to start rebuilding. But the drive to complete the work is particularly high along PCH in Malibu, where 327 homes burned.The extra anxiety has multiple causes: The charred remains of homes continue to wash away, spilling contaminants into Santa Monica Bay. Caltrans crews need access to ensure the ground under PCH does not erode. And the the sooner the work is done, the sooner access might improve along the highway, a lifeline for residents and for businesses that depend on customers coming from Santa Monica and points beyond.Sawser said last week that the Army Corps-led crews would be “tripling their effort” along the coast, with as many as a dozen crews clearing home sites, compared to the three or four that had operated there before.“That highway is the linchpin to everything that we do,” Sawser said, “because we not only have to clear that debris for many reasons, we also need to have the highway to move material out of a lot of other locations.”Though the cleanup crews have drawn wide praise, the work has not been flawless. A homeowner complained at a recent hearing in Malibu that an excavator has mistakenly began to plow up the concrete slab under her ADU. She caught the mistake before the destruction was complete and the contractor later told her by phone that the company would pay to repair the damage.And some health officials and residents have questioned whether the lot clearances have gone far enough. The Federal Emergency Management Agency decided to not follow past practice of testing the soil after disasters for contaminants. Those tests typically had been used to determine whether cleanup crews should remove more than the first 6 inches of topsoil.After the twin L.A. fires, FEMA announced it would not conduct the soil testing on cleared lots, drawing criticism that the cleanups would not be truly complete. Those reservations gained some traction earlier this month when soil testing by Los Angeles County in and around the burn areas found concerning levels of lead.The potential adverse impact of the work has also generated pushback in neighboring Southern California communities, given the more than 2,000 truckloads of earth, concrete, metal and other debris being shipped each day to 16 landfills and recycling centers around the region. The Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center has taken by far the biggest share of the fire detritus, receiving an average of 1,228 truckloads a day last week and a total of 636,000 tons of debris since the cleanup started. The Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar, the second biggest fire debris repository, has received 126,000 tons. From Malibu to Calabasas, Altadena and Irwindale, residents around the burn zones and the communities where the debris is being deposited have expressed fears that toxic materials could be released into the air and soil. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Contractors have responded that they are taking considerable care — including frequent watering of home lots and waste consolidation sites — to keep pollutants out of the air. Into mid-April, the protests and a lawsuit by the city of Calabasas had not succeeded in redirecting the debris.On a recent weekday afternoon, debris trucks lined up for several hundred yards outside the weigh station at Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center. Once inside, trucks lumbered up a long, curving road into the hills. Then came another wait to dump their loads — an untold number of incinerated living room sets, teddy bears, running shoes and other detritus, spilling into a final resting place.An enormous cloud of gulls billowed and swooped around the charred waste.“Everything we owned and gathered over 35 years was hauled away in like three trucks,” said Eitan, a Palisades man who declined to give his last name. “It’s almost a biblical kind of conclusion, from ashes to ashes. That’s for humans but, in this case, it’s for all of those objects as well.”

In Colorado, gas for cars could soon come with a warning label

Like labels on cigarettes, opponents say fossil fuel warnings could change attitudes. Others call it gasoline “shaming.”

The Centennial State may become first in the nation to require retailers to warn consumers that burning fossil fuels “releases air pollutants and greenhouse gases, known by the state of Colorado to be linked to significant health impacts and global heating.” The warning is the linchpin of a bill — HB25-1277 — that narrowly passed the state House on April 2 and is scheduled to be heard in the Senate’s Transportation & Energy Committee this week. Its Democratic sponsors say the bill will raise awareness among consumers that combusting gas in their vehicles creates pollutants that harm their health and trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to more intense and extreme weather, wildfires and drought. The groundbreaking measure would require retailers to place warning labels printed in black ink on a white background in English and Spanish in no smaller than 16-point type on fuel pumps and “in a conspicuous location” near displays offering petroleum-based goods for sale.  Proponents compare the stickers to warnings labels on cigarettes that scientific evidence found motivated consumers to reconsider the health impacts of smoking. The labeling bill is backed by environmental groups, including 350 Colorado and the Sierra Club, and opposed by gas stations, chambers of commerce and energy trade associations. About 136 lobbyist registrations were filed with the secretary of state in the position of support, opposition, or monitoring — a benchmark of the measure’s divisiveness. “The bill, as you’ve heard, seeks to drive systemic change and to help us meet our greenhouse gas emission goals,” state Rep. Junie Joseph (D-Boulder), a sponsor, testified at a House Energy & Environment Committee hearing on March 6. “Colorado is actively working to reduce emissions to comply with the Clean Air Act and state climate targets.” Read Next Renewables surged in 2024 — but so did fossil fuels Matt Simon Colorado is on track to meet greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 26 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030, over 2005 levels — albeit a year late for each period mandated under state law, according to a November report compiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Energy Office. Yet the state is woefully behind in its compliance with federal air quality standards. Emissions from energy industry operations and gas-powered vehicles are the main drivers of the nine-county metropolitan Denver region’s failure to clean up its air over the last two decades. The state’s largest cities rank among the 25 worst in the nation for lung-damaging ozone pollution. Several days before the labeling bill passed the House, the state’s health department said it planned to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to downgrade its air quality for the second time in a year. The request is intended to give regulators more time to draw up a plan to reduce pollutants that cause a toxic haze that blurs the Rocky Mountains from May to September. Colorado repeatedly touts its “nation-leading” greenhouse gas emissions reduction laws targeting oil and gas production, as well as requirements that utilities transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Yet to make long-term progress toward a state mandate to cut emissions 100 percent by 2050, officials need residents to drive less and carpool and take public transit more. The bill’s sponsors cited a first-in-the-nation labeling law in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as proof such initiatives work. The Cambridge City Council enacted its greenhouse gas label law in 2020. City inspectors affix about 116 bright yellow stickers that read: “Warning. Burning Gasoline, Diesel and Ethanol has major consequences on human health and on the environment including contributing to climate change” in pump bays at 19 gas stations annually, along with inspection stickers, Jeremy Warnick, a city spokesman, wrote in an email. Read Next Efforts were underway to prevent CO2 pipeline leaks. The Trump administration quietly derailed them. Tristan Baurick Early research into the impacts of Cambridge’s labeling law suggest that peer pressure that results from one person seeing a label on a gas pump and telling friends about it at a party can indeed motivate people to reconsider their transportation choices. A measure instituted in Sweden in 2021 that requires labels depicting each fuel grade’s impact on the climate to be installed on gas pumps produced similar results. The warning stickers communicate to people as they’re pumping gas that others in their community acknowledge petroleum products create emissions that are warming the planet, said Gregg Sparkman, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College. Sparkman’s research found Americans function in a state of “pluralistic ignorance,” essentially “walking around thinking others don’t care about climate change.”  A study he co-authored in Nature in 2022 found that most Americans “underestimate the prevalence of support for climate change mitigation policies.” While 66 percent to 80 percent of people approve of such measures, Americans estimate the prevalence to be between 37 percent and 43 percent, on average, data showed. Warning labels can cut through this apathy, he said.   “These signs chip away at the mirage — they become one of hopefully many signals that an increasing number of Americans regard this as an emergency that requires urgent action out of government, citizens and everybody,” he said.        In Colorado, gas station owners, as well as representatives of retail trade organizations and the American Petroleum Institute, among others, testified against the labeling bill at the three-hour March 6 House energy committee hearing, calling the legislation an “unfunded mandate” that would “shame consumers” and target retailers with “exorbitant fines.” Some warned it would make gas prices rise. Read Next The Hidden Cost of Gasoline Kate Yoder The law would require convenience stores to design, buy and affix the labels and to keep them in good condition. If a consumer reported a defaced decal to the state Attorney General’s Office, a store owner could face a $20,000 penalty per violation — standard for violations under the Consumer Protection Act. An amendment added on the House floor would provide retailers with 45 days to fix a problem with a label.   “The gas pump itself is already cluttered with words, numbers, prices, colors, buttons and payment mechanisms,” Angie Howes, a lobbyist representing Kum & Go, which owns Maverik convenience stores, testified at the committee hearing. “The message will likely be lost in the noise and we question the impact of such a label toward the proponents’ goals.” Republican and Democratic committee members alike expressed concern about the fines, asking bill sponsors to consider reducing them. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, or CDPHE, also opposed the measure, citing the state’s efforts to make it easier and cheaper for Coloradoans to reduce their energy use by taking advantage of electric vehicle and heat pump subsidies, among other voluntary measures. Colorado is already first in the nation in market share of new EVs, Lindsay Ellis, the agency’s director of legislative affairs, testified. “This bill presupposes that awareness alone is an effective strategy for changing behavior and does so at the liability and expense of small businesses like gas stations,” she said. “We should continue to focus on solutions with measurable emissions reductions to improve air quality.” Gov. Jared Polis also appears dubious of the measure’s ability to effect long-term change. When contacted by Capital & Main for comment, spokesperson Eric Maruyama cited legislative and administrative strategies that have “cut hundreds of millions of metric tons of cumulative greenhouse gas emissions since 2010.” “Like CDPHE, Governor Polis is committed to protecting Colorado’s clean air and reducing pollution through proven strategies that are good for the environment, good for consumers, and that empower Colorado businesses and individuals to take meaningful action that improves public health,” Maruyama wrote in an email. “Governor Polis is skeptical of labeling requirements and will review any legislation that reaches his desk.” Doctors and scientists who testified at the House energy committee hearing on March 6 disagreed. “I take care of children living in some of the most polluted zip codes in the country, and I can tell you firsthand that burning fossil fuels is making them sick,” Dr. Clare Burchenal, a Denver pediatrician, told the committee.  “Warning labels can connect the abstract threat of a climate emergency with fossil fuel use in the here and now — my patients and their families have a right to know how the products they’re using are impacting their health.” Copyright 2025 Capital & Main This story was originally published by Grist with the headline In Colorado, gas for cars could soon come with a warning label on Apr 19, 2025.

In Colorado, Gas for Cars Could Soon Come With a Warning Label

Like labels on cigarettes, opponents say fossil fuel warnings could change attitudes. Others call it gasoline “shaming.” The post In Colorado, Gas for Cars Could Soon Come With a Warning Label appeared first on .

The Centennial State may become first in the nation to require retailers to warn consumers that burning fossil fuels “releases air pollutants and greenhouse gases, known by the state of Colorado to be linked to significant health impacts and global heating.” The warning is the linchpin of a bill — HB25-1277 — that narrowly passed the state House on April 2 and is scheduled to be heard in the Senate’s Transportation & Energy Committee this week. Its Democratic sponsors say the bill will raise awareness among consumers that combusting gas in their vehicles creates pollutants that harm their health and trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to more intense and extreme weather, wildfires and drought. The groundbreaking measure would require retailers to place warning labels printed in black ink on a white background in English and Spanish in no smaller than 16-point type on fuel pumps and “in a conspicuous location” near displays offering petroleum-based goods for sale.  Proponents compare the stickers to warnings labels on cigarettes that scientific evidence found motivated consumers to reconsider the health impacts of smoking.   The labeling bill is backed by environmental groups, including 350 Colorado and the Sierra Club, and opposed by gas stations, chambers of commerce and energy trade associations. About 136 lobbyist registrations were filed with the secretary of state in the position of support, opposition, or monitoring — a benchmark of the measure’s divisiveness. “The bill, as you’ve heard, seeks to drive systemic change and to help us meet our greenhouse gas emission goals,” state Rep. Junie Joseph (D-Boulder), a sponsor, testified at a House Energy & Environment Committee hearing on March 6. “Colorado is actively working to reduce emissions to comply with the Clean Air Act and state climate targets.” Colorado is on track to meet greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 26% by 2025 and 50% by 2030, over 2005 levels — albeit a year late for each period mandated under state law, according to a November report compiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Energy Office. Yet the state is woefully behind in its compliance with federal air quality standards. Emissions from energy industry operations and gas-powered vehicles are the main drivers of the nine-county metropolitan Denver region’s failure to clean up its air over the last two decades. The state’s largest cities rank among the 25 worst in the nation for lung-damaging ozone pollution. Several days before the labeling bill passed the House, the state’s health department said it planned to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to downgrade its air quality for the second time in a year. The request is intended to give regulators more time to draw up a plan to reduce pollutants that cause a toxic haze that blurs the Rocky Mountains from May to September. Colorado repeatedly touts its “nation-leading” greenhouse gas emissions reduction laws targeting oil and gas production, as well as requirements that utilities transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Yet to make long-term progress toward a state mandate to cut emissions 100% by 2050, officials need residents to drive less and carpool and take public transit more. The bill’s sponsors cited a first-in-the-nation labeling law in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as proof such initiatives work. The Cambridge City Council enacted its greenhouse gas label law in 2020. City inspectors affix about 116 bright yellow stickers that read: “Warning. Burning Gasoline, Diesel and Ethanol has major consequences on human health and on the environment including contributing to climate change” in pump bays at 19 gas stations annually, along with inspection stickers, Jeremy Warnick, a city spokesman, wrote in an email. A bright yellow warning label on a gas pump in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo courtesy the city of Cambridge. Early research into the impacts of Cambridge’s labeling law suggest that peer pressure that results from one person seeing a label on a gas pump and telling friends about it at a party can indeed motivate people to reconsider their transportation choices. A measure instituted in Sweden in 2021 that requires labels depicting each fuel grade’s impact on the climate to be installed on gas pumps produced similar results. The warning stickers communicate to people as they’re pumping gas that others in their community acknowledge petroleum products create emissions that are warming the planet, said Gregg Sparkman, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College. Sparkman’s research found Americans function in a state of “pluralistic ignorance,” essentially “walking around thinking others don’t care about climate change.”  A study he co-authored in Nature in 2022 found that most Americans “underestimate the prevalence of support for climate change mitigation policies.” While 66% to 80% of people approve of such measures, Americans estimate the prevalence to be between 37% and 43%, on average, data showed. Warning labels can cut through this apathy, he said.   “These signs chip away at the mirage — they become one of hopefully many signals that an increasing number of Americans regard this as an emergency that requires urgent action out of government, citizens and everybody,” he said.        In Colorado, gas station owners, as well as representatives of retail trade organizations and the American Petroleum Institute, among others, testified against the labeling bill at the three-hour March 6 House energy committee hearing, calling the legislation an “unfunded mandate” that would “shame consumers” and target retailers with “exorbitant fines.” Some warned it would make gas prices rise. The law would require convenience stores to design, buy and affix the labels and to keep them in good condition. If a consumer reported a defaced decal to the state Attorney General’s Office, a store owner could face a $20,000 penalty per violation — standard for violations under the Consumer Protection Act. An amendment added on the House floor would provide retailers with 45 days to fix a problem with a label.   “The gas pump itself is already cluttered with words, numbers, prices, colors, buttons and payment mechanisms,” Angie Howes, a lobbyist representing Kum & Go, which owns Maverik convenience stores, testified at the committee hearing. “The message will likely be lost in the noise and we question the impact of such a label toward the proponents’ goals.” Republican and Democratic committee members alike expressed concern about the fines, asking bill sponsors to consider reducing them. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, or CDPHE, also opposed the measure, citing the state’s efforts to make it easier and cheaper for Coloradoans to reduce their energy use by taking advantage of electric vehicle and heat pump subsidies, among other voluntary measures. Colorado is already first in the nation in market share of new EVs, Lindsay Ellis, the agency’s director of legislative affairs, testified. “This bill presupposes that awareness alone is an effective strategy for changing behavior and does so at the liability and expense of small businesses like gas stations,” she said. “We should continue to focus on solutions with measurable emissions reductions to improve air quality.” Gov. Jared Polis also appears dubious of the measure’s ability to effect long-term change. When contacted by Capital & Main for comment, spokesperson Eric Maruyama cited legislative and administrative strategies that have “cut hundreds of millions of metric tons of cumulative greenhouse gas emissions since 2010.” “Like CDPHE, Governor Polis is committed to protecting Colorado’s clean air and reducing pollution through proven strategies that are good for the environment, good for consumers, and that empower Colorado businesses and individuals to take meaningful action that improves public health,” Maruyama wrote in an email. “Governor Polis is skeptical of labeling requirements and will review any legislation that reaches his desk.” Doctors and scientists who testified at the House energy committee hearing on March 6 disagreed. “I take care of children living in some of the most polluted zip codes in the country, and I can tell you firsthand that burning fossil fuels is making them sick,” Dr. Clare Burchenal, a Denver pediatrician, told the committee.  “Warning labels can connect the abstract threat of a climate emergency with fossil fuel use in the here and now — my patients and their families have a right to know how the products they’re using are impacting their health.”   Copyright 2025 Capital & Main

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