Cybercab: The day the steering wheel went away

The Twilight of the Steering Wheel

Before the steering wheel became the standard method for directing a vehicle, early motor carriages relied on simple levers known as tillers. As vehicles became faster, heavier, and more complex in the early 1900s, circular steering wheels and pedals replaced tillers to provide drivers with mechanical leverage. Automotive progress has repeatedly advanced by improving the human-to-machine interface. The progress continued with power steering; then the clutch went away, eliminating the difficult-to-learn clutch-gas feathering maneuver; now the next step in this progression has arrived. After more than a century as the primary human interface, the steering wheel is being replaced by sensor suites, camera vision, and artificial intelligence.

Clutches, Combustion, and Control Clearance

The decline of driver-operated controls follows an established pattern of technological displacement; the manual clutch spent decades in steady retreat, an elimination accelerated by single-speed electric drivetrains that offer instant torque, smooth operation, and zero gear shifting.

Internal combustion engines (ICE) entered their own systemic decline after reaching global peak demand in 2017; gas vehicles dominated personal transport for over a century, but battery electric platforms proved to have performance and economic advantages. Just as electric motors rendered multi-speed gearboxes and clutches obsolete, autonomous driving hardware is removing physical steering assemblies entirely.

From Tillers to Unsupervised Networks

Steering wheel design underwent continuous refinement over twelve decades, expanding from rigid wooden spokes to padded rims filled with airbags, thumb switches, and media controls. The 2020s brought transitional shapes like yokes and squircles, clearing sightlines for digital displays while preparing drivers for automated steering.

via @niccruzpatane on X

The launch of the Tesla Cybercab in 2026 marks the official milestone moment; as the first high-volume production vehicle built without a steering wheel, pedals, or rear window, it completes the transition that began when steering wheels replaced tillers. Physical linkages, steering columns, and rack-and-pinion assemblies yield to high-definition cameras, neural networks, and custom silicon.

Mechanical Feature	Peak Dominance Era	Primary Replacement	Current Market Status
Manual Transmission / Clutch	1920s to 1990s	Single-Speed EV Drivetrain	Niche / Collector Status
Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)	1910s to 2030s	Battery Electric Drivetrain	Majority Share; Structural Decline
Steering Wheels & Pedals	1900s to 2030s	Sensors, Vision, and AI Networks	Beginning Decline Today

Compute Capabilities and Cabin Real Estate

Removing the steering wheel requires complete trust in underlying compute architectures; early driver-assistance platforms relied on basic radar units and rule-based software, but modern autonomous fleets rely on vision neural networks operating on dedicated hardware stacks.

Tesla vehicles currently operate on AI4 hardware delivering 150 TOPS. AI5 promises to deliver over 2,000 TOPS, enabling processing speeds far exceeding human reflexes, with cameras processing all weather road conditions in real time, allowing unsupervised fleets to navigate complex traffic and conditions safely.

Beyond driving mechanics, steering-wheel-less vehicles alter interior vehicle design and economics; eliminating driver controls saves hundreds of dollars per vehicle in physical hardware, simplifies cabin assembly, and expands interior passenger space. Autonomous robotaxis increase overall asset utilization by moving passengers during peak hours and acting as dynamic urban infrastructure nodes when parked.

Charged Conclusions

The circular wheel replaced the tiller to give human drivers control over early mechanical carriages; today, advanced sensors and artificial intelligence remove the need for human control altogether. This grants the passengers the ability to do other things like watch a movie or play games rather than white-knuckling the wheel and getting upset with other drivers. This also means that people without the ability to drive now have more mobility options. There will be fewer collisions and roadway deaths. This moves personal transportation into its next clean, automated chapter.

As driverless fleets expand across urban centers, road safety will increase, transportation costs will drop, and cities will reclaim parking spaces for people; the elimination of the steering wheel is an essential step toward optimizing transport efficiency and accelerating our transition toward a future free from fossil fuels.

How Executive Order 14420 Impacts EVs, Storage, and Electric Rates

Protectionism Meets the Grid: How Executive Order 14420 Impacts EVs, Storage, and Electric Rates

The federal government officially declared a national emergency under Executive Order 14420 to protect the bulk power system from foreign security vulnerabilities. By restricting foreign-produced grid equipment, control firmware, and digital remote-access software linked to foreign entities, the order aims to shield transmission infrastructure from potential sabotage. However, adding supply chain friction across critical hardware will create deployment bottlenecks across the energy sector.

DC Fast Charging Infrastructure

Because transportation electrification is our primary focus at Cars With Cords, the immediate question is how this impacts EVs, and the answer is that it hits public fast charging. Megawatt-scale charging hubs, such as Tesla Supercharger stations, do not exist in a vacuum. They depend on high-voltage step-up transformers, specialized switchgear, and software to interface directly with the grid. Adding requirements for strict cybersecurity audits of remote-control firmware and restrictions on foreign balance-of-plant hardware will extend lead times for opening new fast-charging locations, temporarily slowing infrastructure deployment. This infrastructure certainly needs to be secure, but the impacts should be noted.

Industrial Storage, Residential ESS, and Solar Inverters

Industrial-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), such as Tesla Megapacks, face similar headwinds. These massive installations rely on global supply chains for battery cells, battery management software, and high-voltage grid tie-in components. Vetting control firmware and re-sourcing switchgear will push back project commissioning dates.

For residential energy storage systems (ESS) like the Tesla Powerwall, the direct impact is milder because home batteries connect to low-voltage distribution networks rather than bulk transmission lines. However, utility-scale solar PV inverters face heavy scrutiny. Because grid-tied inverters rely on digital microprocessors, continuous firmware updates, and remote management protocols, foreign-sourced inverter hardware must undergo rigorous compliance checks to avoid import or installation bans.

Fossil Gas Turbines and the Carbon Silver Lining

Legacy utilities relying on fossil gas turbines (often deceptively marketed as "natural gas") will also feel the pinch. Turbine control systems, programmable logic controllers, and heavy step-up transformers require the exact same foreign-vendor clearance. If there is a silver lining for clean-energy advocates, it is that administrative friction and component delays will slow down the buildout of new fossil gas peaker plants, putting a temporary brake on fresh carbon dioxide emissions.

Upward Pressure on Energy Prices

The broader economic outcome is clear: electricity rates will rise. Re-sourcing hardware components, performing extensive software audits, and navigating delayed interconnections significantly increase capital expenditure for utility providers and project developers. Whether power is generated from clean solar arrays or burning fossil fuels, legacy utilities will inevitably pass these compliance and equipment costs directly onto consumers. Until domestic supply chains scale, regulatory protectionism will make powering our homes and charging our electric vehicles more expensive across the board.

Sector / Asset	Primary Restriction Vector	Expected Impact & Lead-Time Result
DC Fast Charging Hubs	Transmission tie-in hardware, step-up transformers, and remote management software.	Delays in opening new high-voltage stations due to firmware audits and balance-of-plant shortages.
Utility-Scale BESS (Megapacks)	Foreign battery cells, Battery Management Systems (BMS), and high-voltage grid interfaces.	Extended commissioning timelines and re-sourcing bottlenecks for foreign control components.
Solar PV Inverters	Digital microprocessors, continuous firmware updates, and remote access protocols.	Heavy cybersecurity vetting with potential import bans or compulsory hardware replacement.
Fossil Gas Peaker Plants	Turbine control systems, PLCs, and heavy step-up transformers.	Slowed deployment of new fossil gas generation, creation of temporary carbon caps, and increased compliance costs.

Don't Be The Kodak of Energy

The U.S. of A. has been a cradle of innovation since its beginning, from the Wright brothers' first flight to the Lunar landing that united a watching world. Yet today, as the nation that sparked the digital revolution grapples with its energy future, a troubling pattern emerges. The US clings to the fossil fuel frameworks of the 1900s, much like Kodak held fast to film long after inventing the digital camera. This reluctance to embrace renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) risks ceding global leadership to competitors. By investing boldly in clean power and efficient transport, the US can reclaim its pioneering spirit, secure economic vitality, and preserve the natural bounty of innovation for generations to come. Or it can cling to the energy systems of yesteryear and fade into the background. 

The Kodak Parallel in American Energy

Consider Kodak's fate in the late 20th century. The company dominated photography with its film empire, generating billions in revenue. Engineers at Kodak developed the first digital camera in 1975, a breakthrough that promised portability and instant results. Instead of embracing this innovation, Kodak's executives dismissed digital as a threat, fearing it would erode their core business. Other companies saw the potential and delivered the cameras consumers were demanding. By 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy, while rivals like Canon and Sony built empires on the technology Kodak birthed.

This story mirrors the US energy sector's trajectory. The nation pioneered much of the modern grid in the early 1900s, harnessing coal and oil to fuel industrial might. Hydropower dams like Hoover symbolized American ingenuity, powering cities and factories. Yet as solar panels and wind turbines emerged from US labs in the mid-20th century, much like Kodak, US policy and industry inertia have favored entrenched interests. Today, the US generates only 23% of its electricity from renewables, per International Energy Agency data. Natural gas and coal still claim over half, locking in vulnerabilities to price swings and supply disruptions. This path echoes Kodak's error of ignoring and (unsuccessfully) suppressing homegrown innovations because the status quo is profitable.

The Global Surge in Renewables and EVs

While the US hesitates, other nations accelerate. China, Europe, and even emerging markets pour resources into renewables and EVs, capturing market dominance and technological edges. In 2024, renewables overtook coal as the world's top electricity source, driven by solar and wind expansions. China alone hosts 47% of global installed solar and wind capacity, nearly double the combined total of the US and Europe. This investment yields results: China's solar and wind now supply 18% of its electricity, up from 9% in 2020.

EVs tell a starker tale. Global sales hit 17 million units in 2024, a record surge. China leads decisively, with EVs comprising 51% of new car sales, accounting for 66% of worldwide volume. Europe follows at about 20% market share, bolstered by aggressive incentives and charging networks. The US lags at 8.1%, despite domestic giants like Tesla.

The table below highlights these disparities:

Region	Renewable Share in Electricity Generation (2024)	EV Market Share of New Car Sales (2024)
US	23%	8.1%
China	31% (including hydro)	51%
Europe	42%	20%

Sources: International Energy Agency; Rho Motion; Ember Climate.

These figures underscore a shift. China added more renewable capacity in 2024 than the rest of the world combined, creating millions of jobs and slashing energy import bills. Europe, through unified policies, cut emissions while boosting GDP via clean tech exports worth $100 billion annually. The US, by contrast, risks isolation in a market projected to reach $2 trillion in EV value by 2035.

The Economic and Strategic Costs of Stagnation

The price of this lag extends beyond symbols. Fossil dependence exposes the US to geopolitical risks, as seen in recent oil shocks that inflated household costs by $500 per year on average. Renewables offer stability: wind and solar costs dropped 85% and 70% since 2010, making them cheaper than new coal plants. Yet US deployment crawls, hampered by regulatory hurdles and subsidy gaps.

Economically, the toll mounts. China dominates battery supply chains, controlling 80% of global production and undercutting US manufacturers. This erodes American competitiveness; a single gigafactory in Nevada employs thousands, but scaled nationally, renewables could add 5 million jobs by 2030, per World Resources Institute estimates. EVs amplify this: domestic production could generate $300 billion in annual revenue, yet tariffs and inconsistent policies drive investment abroad. Strategically, falling behind weakens national security. Allies in Europe advance toward energy independence, while adversaries exploit US vulnerabilities.

Patriotism demands action. The land of the free thrives when it leads, not follows. By streamlining permits and expanding tax credits, the US can unleash private sector dynamism, much as it did with semiconductors.

Conclusion

The US stands at a crossroads, Kodak's shadow a cautionary tale. The 1900s energy model served its era, powering victory in world wars and postwar booms. But clinging to it now dims the beacon of progress. Renewables and EVs are not mere alternatives; they are the next frontier of American exceptionalism, harnessing sun, wind, and innovation to fuel a resilient economy and safeguard our rivers, forests, and air.

Let us rally as one nation, from Capitol Hill to heartland farms. Invest in the technologies we invented. Champion policies that reward builders and dreamers. In doing so, the US will not only catch up but surge ahead, ensuring our children's inheritance is one of abundance, not austerity. The stars and stripes wave highest when ingenuity lights the way.

The Quarter Ton Comeback

My first EV was a little electric truck, and maybe my next EV will be one too. I picked up my first EV in 2007; it was nearly a decade old at that point. This was not a conversion; it was built as a pure EV by General Motors. It was a Chevy S10 EV. Having a little truck was very handy.

The Electric Quarter Ton

The first wave of electric trucks in the modern EV movement arrived with plenty of promise and even more hype. Rivian’s R1T, Ford’s F-150 Lightning, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and Tesla’s Cybertruck showed the world that battery power could move serious metal. Yet they never quite conquered the market the way many of us hoped. The technology simply was not ready to deliver range, towing capacity, and an affordable price tag in one profitable package.

First-Generation Frustrations

Those early full-size EV trucks were engineering marvels, but they carried the weight of compromise. Massive battery packs delivered impressive EPA numbers on paper, yet real-world towing cut range in half or worse. Prices climbed well past the average truck buyer’s comfort zone, and gross margins suffered under the combined pressure of battery costs and low production volumes. Legacy automakers in particular leaned on half-measures; they electrified existing platforms rather than designing from a clean sheet. The result was heavy vehicles that struggled to achieve economies of scale; these trucks never reached the volumes needed to make that curve steep enough. Buyers noticed. Sales remained a niche rather than a revolution.

Big Bloat Brigade

Compact and mid-size trucks once filled American driveways and job sites. Vehicles like the Toyota Tacoma of earlier generations, the Ford Ranger, and even smaller offerings such as the Chevy S-10 ruled the quarter-ton segment. They were affordable, easy to park, and capable enough for daily work. Over the last twenty years, that segment shrank as manufacturers chased higher margins. Trucks grew longer, wider, taller, king cabs, and far more expensive. What began as practical work tools evolved into luxury lifestyle statements. The average transaction price for a new pickup climbed steadily while the practical mid-size segment nearly vanished. Many buyers still wanted something smaller and less costly; the market simply stopped offering them in meaningful numbers.

Mid-Size Momentum Returns

Fortunately, the next generation of electric trucks looks ready to revive that missing segment. Several manufacturers and startups are targeting the mid-size and compact space with vehicles that finally balance the three priorities of range, utility, and price. These new offerings treat the truck as a platform for practical electrification rather than a statement piece.

Consider the Ford Fathom. Built on the company’s new Universal EV platform and scheduled for deliveries in late 2027, it targets a starting price near $28,350. Ford promises more passenger volume than a Toyota RAV4, a usable bed, a frunk, and bidirectional power. The design emphasizes efficiency and cost control through modern manufacturing methods, and it will use the affordable LFP chemistry.

Slate Auto takes minimalism to an extreme. Their modular electric truck starts at $24,950 and can convert into an SUV configuration. With a projected 205 miles of range, 1,550-pound payload, and 2,000-pound towing capacity, it aims squarely at buyers who want basic capability without bloat. Direct-to-consumer sales and extensive accessory options keep the base price low while allowing owners to customize later. Gross margins remain positive from day one, according to the company.

Telo’s MT1 pushes the compact envelope further still. Roughly the length of a Mini Cooper yet offering a 60-inch bed and five seats, it claims up to 350 miles of range, 500 horsepower in dual-motor form, and towing beyond 6,600 pounds. Sustained 400 kW charging places it among the fastest-charging vehicles in any class. Production is targeted for late 2026 with initial volumes ramping in 2027.

Kia has also entered the conversation with plans for a body-on-frame midsize pickup for the U.S. market before 2030. The company intends to offer hybrid and extended-range electric variants, targeting roughly 90,000 annual sales. This shared architecture with a related Hyundai truck should help achieve the scale needed for better margins. 

Toyota, meanwhile, has already launched the Hilux BEV in markets outside North America. Sadly, this truck only has 149 miles (240 km) of range. You can expect to see a major battery upgrade to the Hilux if Toyota wants to move any of them when the competition hits. 

These vehicles share a common philosophy. They reject the notion that an EV truck must match the extreme dimensions of today’s full-size ICE models. By starting smaller they reduce battery size, cut curb weight, improve efficiency, and lower the cost of entry. Wright’s Law works in their favor as production volumes climb. Vertical integration or focused contract manufacturing further protects margins that eluded the first generation.

Comparison Snapshot

Model	Focus	Starting Price	Key Notes	Timeline
Ford Fathom	Mid-size	~$28,350	Full features, RAV4-like space	2027 arrival
Slate Truck	Compact modular	$24,950	205-mile range, convertible	Late 2026
Telo MT1	Ultra-compact	~$41,000	Up to 350 miles, high power	Late 2026
Kia midsize	Body-on-frame	TBD	HEV and EREV options	By 2030

The pattern is clear. The industry is rediscovering that not every truck buyer needs a three-ton beast. Many simply need reliable, efficient, and affordable capability.

The Road Ahead

The first generation of electric trucks proved the concept was possible. The next generation must prove it is practical and profitable. By returning to the mid-size and quarter-ton dimensions that once defined the segment, manufacturers finally have a realistic path to scale. Battery costs continue to decline, charging networks expand, and manufacturing processes grow more efficient. The result should be vehicles that deliver usable range, honest towing numbers, and price tags that attract mainstream buyers rather than early adopters alone.

Legacy automakers still risk half-measures if they merely electrify oversized platforms. The startups and the more aggressive programs at Ford and Kia show a better route: design the vehicle around the battery and the customer’s actual needs. When those pieces align, the electric quarter-ton can reclaim its place on American roads. The technology is no longer ahead of itself. It is arriving right on time.

Robotaxi Rides and Congestion Killers || Cybercabs With Satellite Uplinks

Cybercabs as Mobile Bandwidth Nodes

Smarter Swarms and Signals

If you've ever attended a massive stadium concert, a championship game, or a popular music festival, you know the frustration. You try to send a simple text message, upload a quick photo, or call a friend in the crowd. Your phone displays full bars, but it won't load a single page. Network congestion turns your high-tech smartphone into an expensive glass brick. Cellular networks are designed for normal loads; when you put a large crowd together, it's often more than they can handle. 

To solve this problem, telecom carriers deploy temporary mobile cell sites. The mobile communications industry calls these temporary setups deployables or part of the "Animal Farm". Traditionally, carriers tow in a Cell on Wheels, known as a COW, or drive in a Cell on Light Truck, known as a COLT. Some units use satellite dishes, which the industry calls SatCOLTs. Other setups rely on Cellular Repeaters on Wheels, known as CROWs, or diesel Generators on a Trailer, known as GOATs. These heavy vehicles require dedicated drivers, setup time, and prime parking spots. They sit parked for days, idling or burning fuel to power their equipment.

SatCOLT example

Now imagine a much smarter approach. What if the vehicle providing extra bandwidth also drives itself to the venue? What if that same vehicle brings passengers to the event, parks nearby, beams gigabits of data through a satellite constellation, and then gives rides to attendees heading home? 

Tesla has recently integrated the new V5 Starlink dish into the Cybercab. The obvious use case is providing bandwidth for the passengers in the vehicle. However, what if there are no passengers, or the passengers are only using a small fraction of the available bandwidth? Tesla has the chance to find a secondary revenue stream from a Cybercab fleet by making it one of the "farm animals."

It's a powerful synergy between Tesla autonomous hardware and SpaceXai satellite internet infrastructure. Instead of sitting idle as a single-purpose asset, an autonomous robotaxi can do double duty. It solves urban transit bottlenecks and wireless network gridlock at the exact same time.

Pitches, Packets, and Paws: The Animal Acronyms

Since the telecom world loves its animal acronyms, any Cybercab equipped with a Starlink dish deserves its own spot in the barnyard. Bringing autonomous robotaxis into the mobile infrastructure fleet allows us to update the industry nomenclature. After a little brainstorming, here are five possible animal-inspired acronyms for a Starlink-connected Cybercab deployable network node:

• CAT: Cybercab Antenna Terminal. 
• STAG: Starlink Tesla Autonomous Gateway. 
• RAM: Robotaxi Antenna Module. 
• SLOTH: StarLink Orbital Tesla Hub. 
• BEAR: Broadband Enabled Autonomous Robotaxi. 

Out of all five acronyms, BEAR stands out as my personal favorite. A fleet of BEARs roaming around a crowded stadium offers both muscle and agility.

The table below outlines how these five hardware configurations compare in function and primary telecom utility:

Mobility, Megabytes, and Money

The economics of traditional telecom deployables are often brutal. Carrier companies spend $20,000 to $50,000 per event to haul a massive COW or COLT to a venue. They pay technicians to set up telescoping masts, align microwave links, and monitor diesel power generators. Once the concert ends, that expensive equipment returns to a storage depot. It earns zero revenue until the next major event.

An autonomous BEAR flips this legacy model on its head. Robotaxis already generate revenue by moving people around urban centers. During a major sporting event or festival, passenger demand surges before kick-off and spikes after the final whistle. In the three hours between those peaks, dozens of Cybercabs park in nearby staging lots. Instead of sitting idle, these vehicles activate their Starlink dishes. They establish direct links with Low Earth Orbit satellites passing overhead.

The vehicles then broadcast localized 5G micro-cells or public Wi-Fi hotspots to the surrounding crowd. They can absorb up to 80% of localized data spikes near venue entrances. Carrier networks can offload massive volumes of data traffic onto the Starlink backbone. In return, cellular carriers pay the robotaxi fleet operator for temporary bandwidth offloading. A vehicle that once earned money only while moving now generates continuous cash flow while parked. And it's nearby and ready to pick up passengers when the event ends. It might even forward the request for someone to be picked up that it responds to. 

Engineering realities make this integration surprisingly practical. Electric vehicles carry massive onboard battery packs. A standard EV battery can power a high-performance Starlink dish and cellular radio stack for days without needing a recharge. They don't require noisy, polluting diesel GOAT generators.

Furthermore, autonomous mobility creates dynamic network flexibility. Traditional COWs remain locked in fixed positions for the duration of an event. A swarm of Cybercabs can dynamically redistribute itself. If a crowd shifts toward an outdoor exit, the vehicles can drive to new locations, distributing network capacity evenly across the venue perimeter.

Societal evolution and regulatory approvals move slowly. Telecom spectrum licenses, city taxi permits, and carrier roaming agreements will take time to negotiate. Commercial partnerships between autonomous fleets and wireless carriers must clear strict regulatory hurdles. Yet the financial math remains compelling. Fleet owners maximize asset utilization, carriers save on capital expenditures, and event attendees get seamless data speeds.

Final Volts: Smarter Networks for a Clean Era

The convergence of autonomous electric transportation and satellite communications marks a practical evolution in urban infrastructure. Relying on single-purpose, gas-guzzling utility trucks to solve temporary communication bottlenecks belongs to the past. By combining the autonomous capability of a Tesla Cybercab with the global reach of a Starlink satellite dish, we turn everyday transit assets into resilient, dual-purpose powerhouses.

These multi-use robotaxi swarms demonstrate how smart engineering and economic pragmatism go hand in hand. They reduce urban traffic, lower cellular congestion, and generate multiple revenue streams for fleet operators. Replacing traditional diesel-powered cell deployables with battery-electric autonomous nodes brings us another step closer to an efficient, quiet, and resilient world. Integrating these technologies helps accelerate our transition toward a future free from fossil fuels.

Make Data Centers Lower Your Electric Bill, Not Raise It

How Data Centers Can Slash Your Electric Bill

Compute Crisis and Consumer Costs

The artificial intelligence boom is triggering an unprecedented expansion of hyperscale compute hubs. These gargantuan data centers require immense electricity, threatening to trigger localized grid bottlenecks and spike monthly utility rates for average households. This demand surge places an unfair financial burden on residential ratepayers who receive no direct benefit from these digital monoliths (as we've discussed in previous posts).

As a result, public sentiment towards data centers has soured significantly over the past few years. Energy expert Jigar Shah recently shared that public approval for data centers has dropped to a dismal 29%. Consumers are growing increasingly weary of tech giants moving into their backyards while offering very little in return.

To quiet public frustration, legacy utilities are relying on hollow tactics. In one example, they threw a minor corporate donation at a town and forced data centers into long-term contracts fueled by "natural gas." This is a massive step backward. Let's be transparent: the term "natural gas" is a deceptive marketing term, so it will be called fossil gas for the remainder of this article. Just as legacy automakers protected the internal combustion engine (ICE) instead of embracing EVs, many legacy utilities cling to fossil gas rather than modernizing the grid. This tension was previously explored in our post, Data Centers: Threat to the Grid or Clean Energy Accelerators?.

Policy, POWER, and Protection

Fortunately, in some areas, proactive legislation is emerging as a powerful shield for residential ratepayers against runaway infrastructure costs. The landmark Protecting Oregonians With Energy Responsibility (POWER) Act protects household consumers from subsidizing corporate energy appetites. State utility regulators are utilizing this framework to completely overhaul how utilities like Portland General Electric (PGE) charge large industrial users.

The act establishes a clear financial boundary by creating a distinct customer class for facilities exceeding a 20-megawatt load. Under these rules, large data centers must cover 100% of local infrastructure upgrade costs that they require up front. They must sign mandatory 10 to 30-year utility contracts, face steep demand charges, and absorb a proposed 29% rate hike so household consumers see direct bill relief.

Furthermore, this forward-thinking policy ensures that industrial growth does not derail environmental progress. The legislation explicitly ties large-load interconnection approvals to strict emission limits, state clean energy targets, and local greenhouse gas reduction goals. This proves that economic expansion can be achieved without compromising climate goals, abandoning public accountability, or making residential customers pay for the electricity to power AI searches from around the globe.

Data Demands and Distributed Dividends

To solve this crisis long-term, we must shift from defensive protection to active optimization by looking through a prosumer lens. Instead of treating data centers as energy-sucking parasites, we can transform them into localized clean energy anchors. This collaborative architecture empowers neighborhoods to build true energy independence while optimizing the local grid.

We can easily understand this transformation by utilizing a classic web protocol analogy. Just as the internet relies on decentralized routers to move data packets efficiently, a modernized electrical grid can route electrons from distributed energy resources (DERs) to balance local peak demand. The grid no longer needs to be a rigid, one-way street controlled by an archaic monopoly.

Smart prosumers who own rooftop solar, home batteries, and a modern EV plugged into the garage can form regional alliances with these computing hubs. Through aggregated virtual power plants (VPPs), individual consumers can balance grid stress and seamlessly upload a kWh to the grid when data centers run hot. This turns a potential infrastructure threat into a massive community asset. For details, see our guide, How Virtual Power Plants Lower Your Electric Bill.

Math, Margins, and Microgrids

Achieving this future requires a complete structural breakthrough, which is precisely what Jigar Shah's concrete strategy lays out. Tech companies do not need to rely on sluggish utility monopolies to build out power generation; instead, they can spend a microscopic fraction of their annual revenue, specifically 1/1000th, to fund physical, clean energy infrastructure directly within a 10-mile radius of their data centers. This localized approach completely bypasses the grid queues of traditional electricity networks.

By installing battery storage and solar panels at scale, this hyper-local solution becomes remarkably inexpensive for tech giants. This distributed method protects corporate gross margins and avoids years of bureaucratic grid interconnection delays. Furthermore, this entire ecosystem deploys completely within a rapid 9-month timeframe. The data clearly contrasts the slow, expensive legacy model against this nimble approach:

Grid Strategy Metric	Traditional Connection Model	Shah's Distributed Asset Model
Capital Funding Cost	Expensive long-term utility investments passed down to localized ratepayers	A minuscule 1/1000th of corporate annual tech revenue
Deployment Timeline	Multiple years caught in legacy utility red tape	Rapid deployment and execution within 9 months
Consumer Bill Impact	Drastic upward pressure on regional monthly electricity rates	Direct 50% permanent reduction for local residents
Public Support Rating	A weak, failing 22% public approval	A commanding 67% public support rate

The Road Ahead

The ongoing compute explosion is forcing an inevitable shift toward vertical integration, local microgrids, and decentralized power architecture. The old model of centralized, monopolistic fossil generation is proving too slow and far too expensive to fuel the computing demands of the next decade. Relying on legacy utility half-measures will only result in soaring costs and public backlash.

If technology companies embrace true grid partnership through distributed assets and progressive policy frameworks like the Oregon POWER Act, they can completely bypass legacy inertia. They will save consumers money, secure their own operational reliability, and aggressively build a future free from fossil fuels. The spark for total grid modernization is officially here, and it is time for big tech to plug in.

Watch this Oregon data center power rate policy breakdown for an investigative look at how utility regulators are restructuring rates under the landmark legislation to ensure household electricity bills are protected from skyrocketing commercial computing loads.

Vermont Sized Solar

Why Your Utility is Terrified of the Future

A recent study commissioned by Northwest electric utilities warned that meeting our regional climate goals could require building wind and solar installations spanning 9,200 square miles. The report compared this to roughly the size of Vermont and suggested that we need 600 new projects spread across six states to keep the lights on. The study frames 100% renewable as a logistical nightmare, a land-use disaster, and a near impossibility. However, once you strip away the fear-mongering, the math actually reveals a simpler truth. The report is grounded in the legacy utility mindset, and it's strategically bankrupt.

The Fossil Gas Trap

To understand the study, we have to look at what the utilities got right and what they got wrong. They are correct that the grid is changing; data centers are a significant and growing load, and consumer demand is rising as we electrify transportation and heating. They are also correct that wind and solar are variable resources. If you build a grid using only the tools from the 1950s, you end up with the clunky, oversized, and inefficient system as described in their report.

The biggest error in the report is the utility group's refusal to let go of fossil gas. The authors of the study reason that since 100% renewable energy is nearly impossible, they suggest continued reliance on burning fossil gas to stabilize the grid. They claim that the intermittent nature of renewables requires their fossil gas plants as a constant companion to prevent blackouts every time a cloud passes over. This is not a requirement of physics; it's their preferred solution for the rigid, centralized, monopoly business model.

Agrovoltaics and The Community Solar Pivot

First, let's address the land use aspects of the report. They claim that solar would occupy far too much land in sprawling utility-owned solar fields. However, this is not the only option. Solar can be distributed; it can be dual-use, covering roofs, awnings, carports, and more. Agrovoltaics, for instance, allows land to grow crops or graze livestock beneath raised solar panels, maintaining or even improving agricultural output while harvesting the sun.

Furthermore, community solar programs provide a localized solution to our power needs. By building smaller, distributed solar arrays closer to where the power is actually consumed, this significantly reduces transmission line losses. We do not need to blanket six states with massive projects if we can aggregate power from hundreds of smaller, community-focused installations. This turns the grid into a distributed network rather than a fragile, high-voltage pipeline.

The Vermont Irony

The choice of "the size of Vermont" as a scary metric is perhaps the greatest irony of the report. The authors clearly used the state as shorthand for "too big." But in the real world, Vermont is currently the global leader in exactly the technology that makes the utility study obsolete.

Green Mountain Power, the primary utility in the state of Vermont, is doing the opposite of the massive, central-planning strategy suggested by the Northwest report. They are actively incentivizing their customers to participate in Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). They are handing out Tesla Powerwalls and other home storage systems to residents. When the grid faces a peak demand event, the utility can remotely orchestrate this fleet of home batteries to provide power, stabilize frequency, and shave off the load that would otherwise require firing up expensive, polluting peaker plants. Vermont is not paving over its landscape with industrial-scale energy plants to meet its energy needs; it is turning every home into a reliable, intelligent participant in a modern grid.

It's Batteries Stupid: Storage as the Ultimate Shock Absorber

The Northwest utility study tries to convince us that we need massive, land-consuming projects and fossil gas plants to maintain reliability. But this ignores the role of utility-scale energy storage. Batteries act as a massive, silent energy cache for the grid. They soak up excess renewable energy when the sun is bright and the wind is howling, and they discharge that power the millisecond we need it.

When we integrate dispatchable home energy storage and substation-scale storage batteries, we do not need to build out an oversized fleet of generation assets. We simply need to make the system smarter. We can balance the grid using software, distributed generation, multi-level storage, and real-time data.

Grid Strategy Metric	Centralized Legacy Model	Modern Distributed Model
Primary Infrastructure	Massive utility-scale plants spread across 6 states	Localized community solar, agrovoltaics, covered parking, and rooftop arrays
Grid Buffering & Stability	Heavy reliance on fossil gas peaker plants	Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and battery storage assets
Transmission Footprint	Thousands of miles of high-voltage lines and land-use conflicts	Smart local microgrids with minimized transmission power loss
Consumer Financial Role	Passive ratepayers paying for utility-owned land-grabs	Active participants earning bill credits and securing backup power

Final Volts

This utility group report is a symptom of a dinosaur-era mindset. It looks at the future and sees only a larger version of the past. It can't see past a world where the grid is a unidirectional pipe that utilities control through sheer scale. The reality is that our energy use is evolving and the grid must evolve with it. The future grid is a mesh built on home-based storage, community solar, solar carports, and a smart software maestro that conducts thousands of participants into a symphony of reliability. We do not need to pave over a state the size of Vermont to solve our energy challenges. We just need to stop letting legacy utilities dictate the technology roadmap. The future is distributed, local, and, most importantly, free from fossil fuels.

Home Battery Subscription: Affordable Home Energy Storage and Backup Options

Have you ever wanted a home battery that could power your critical loads or even your entire home, but you didn't want to pay the thousands of dollars upfront to make that happen? If that's you, there's a new option to "subscribe" to a home battery.

Palmetto Solar has launched a residential battery lease plan. You can call it Battery-as-a-Service. This program brings a reliable battery to your garage for as low as $98 per month with no large upfront investment required. The program is now available across 25 states, including key markets such as Arizona, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Oregon. It gives homeowners a practical way to modernize their home energy setup without the heavy capital outlay.

Reliable Backup and Everyday Savings

The primary benefit is peace of mind during outages. A home battery provides automatic whole-home resilience, keeping your lights on, appliances running, and family comfortable when the utility grid goes down.

Beyond backup, the battery supports basic energy arbitrage. You charge it from the grid during lower-cost off-peak hours and discharge it to meet your needs during expensive peak times. Even without solar panels, this approach can produce roughly $600 to $1,000 in annual savings based on seasonal rate changes. These savings help offset much of the subscription cost, making robust blackout protection far more affordable.

Amplifying Value with VPP Programs

Enrolling your battery in a utility Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program, where available, can further reduce your net costs. During high-demand periods, utilities pay you for discharging energy back to the grid. This provides additional earnings for you while briefly supporting broader grid stability.

Maximum Benefits: Pairing with Solar

The strongest financial returns come from combining the battery subscription with rooftop solar and smart time-shifting. This is especially advantageous in markets with Net Energy Metering (NEM) policies, such as California's NEM 3.0, where standard daytime exports offer limited compensation.

By storing daytime solar energy and using or exporting it during high-value periods (for example, the premium evening peak hours between 6 PM and 8 PM in August and September), homeowners can generate thousands of dollars in annual credits and savings. This optimized setup often delivers net positive returns that exceed the subscription cost.

Strategy and Savings Breakdown

Operating Strategy	System Requirements	Estimated Annual Savings / Revenue	Net Benefit to Homeowner
Base Arbitrage	Grid connection only	$600 to $1,000	Subsidized blackout protection plus bill savings
VPP Integration	Grid connection, VPP enrollment	Variable based on events	Lower net lease cost
Optimized Solar Export	Solar array, VPP, time-shifting	Thousands of dollars in credits	Net annual profit

We face the real challenges of legacy energy infrastructure while believing firmly in superior decentralized solutions. For homeowners, a Palmetto battery subscription delivers immediate resilience, meaningful bill savings, and strong long-term value. Through smart software, home batteries, and supportive policies, families can take greater control of their energy needs and build a more reliable future.

Tesla Production: 2026 Half Way

Mid-Year Musings on the Manufacturing Mix

We have officially crossed the midpoint of 2026, and the production numbers for Tesla are officially in. Back in January, we looked at the persistent production plateau that characterized the vehicle market and wondered how the plug-in pioneer would navigate the lack of near-term volume catalysts. The actual results for the first half of the year reveal a total of 860,144 vehicles produced, split between 408,386 units in Q1 and 451,758 units in Q2. It is a fascinating data set that demonstrates why raw spreadsheet formulas lack real-world vision.

Statistical Surges and Trend Tumbles

When we mapped out our 2026 production models at the beginning of the year, the automated spreadsheet tools were screaming for an immediate return to exponential growth. Statistical algorithms look at long-term historical data and blindly project curves upward without any concept of factory retooling, engineering hurdles, or macroeconomic headwinds. Here is how those automated trend models and my estimate stacked up against Tesla's actual first-half vehicle production:

Model / Method	Q1 2026 Estimate	Q1 Error %	Q2 2026 Estimate	Q2 Error %	H1 2026 Total Estimate	H1 Error %
LINEAR	467,028	+14.36%	473,121	+4.73%	940,149	+9.30%
Seasonal	479,950	+17.52%	507,127	+12.26%	987,077	+14.76%
TREND	506,914	+24.13%	519,125	+14.91%	1,026,039	+19.29%
LOGEST	545,723	+33.63%	567,094	+25.53%	1,112,817	+29.38%
CWC Estimate	432,000	+5.78%	440,000	-2.60%	872,000	+1.38%
Wall Street Consensus	~410,000	+0.40%	406,024	-10.12%	~816,000	-5.13%
Actual Production	408,386		451,758		860,144

Every single mathematical trend model overshot the mark. The LINEAR was the closest trend model, and it missed by over 80,000 units for the first half; Seasonal missed by nearly 127,000 units; and the hyper-bullish LOGEST model overshot reality by a staggering 252,673 vehicles. These automated frameworks falsely assumed that the first quarter would see massive growth, ignoring the reality that the opening quarter of the year is historically a weak period for automotive hardware.

The Calculated Clarity of CWC

This brings us to our custom CWC calculation, which proved to be a triumph of pragmatic, grounded analysis. While the automated algorithms were predicting anywhere from 940,000 to over 1.1 million vehicles for the first half, the CWC estimate stood firm at a conservative 872,000 units. The US EV market was still recovering from the end of the EV tax credit. The new vehicles from Tesla (Semi and Cybercab) wouldn't have any meaningful production in the first half. This will start changing and will be significant in 2027. Our custom model correctly recognized these brutal facts of the start of 2026:

• No near-term volume catalysts existed in the product pipeline, because the next-generation affordable models were still well over the horizon.
• Agonizingly slow manufacturing ramps are an inescapable truth for radical new vehicle architectures, which applies directly to the early stages of the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab.
• A disciplined quarterly expectation was required, which led to a relatively flat 1H estimate.

By factoring in real-world complexities instead of relying on sterile math, the CWC first-half estimate came within a microscopic 1.38% of the actual 860,144 vehicles produced. Q1 is seasonally a low delivery time of year, and Tesla experienced an even deeper dip than we estimated. Manufacturing and delivery had a rebound in Q2 and vindicated our grounded approach.

Wall Street Wisdom vs. Real World Volts

How did our internal forecasts stack up against Wall Street's finest institutional analysts? For the first half of 2026, market analysts kept their expectations heavily tempered; this pessimism paid off in Q1, where the consensus was pretty close. However, they remained stubbornly pessimistic in Q2 and that's not how it played out. Heading into mid-year, the Tesla-compiled consensus from 22 sell-side analysts set an exceptionally low bar of 406,024 deliveries for the second quarter.

Tesla crushed this, reporting a spectacular 480,126 deliveries and blowing past Wall Street expectations by nearly 74,000 cars. This massive delivery spike allowed the company to aggressively clear out the 50,000-unit inventory overhang that had accumulated during a sluggish first quarter. While Wall Street was caught flat-footed by surging regional demand in Europe and China, the actual production footprint of 451,758 vehicles tracked beautifully alongside our steady CWC expectations. One caveat here: analysts estimate deliveries; we've been looking at production, so it's a bit of apples-and-oranges, but Tesla can only deliver a vehicle that's been produced.

Looking Forward

What does this mean for the remainder of 2026? Tesla (as with most automakers) sells more vehicles in the second half of the year. For Tesla, historically they sell about 22% more cars in the second half. If 2026 follows this, Tesla will finish the year with 1,895,000 vehicles produced in 2026. This is not far from our January estimate of 1,812,000 for this year.

Final Volts

The automotive transition is never a perfectly smooth, linear climb. Legacy manufacturers continue to stumble through various electrification half-measures, while Tesla is navigating a temporary volume plateau while working on new vehicles, adjusting regional supply lines, and focusing heavily on long-term physical AI development. Spreadsheets can help us chart the boundaries of what is possible, but disciplined execution on the factory floor is what ultimately matters. Every electric vehicle rolling off the line represents a permanent reduction in tailpipe emissions into the air we breathe, a lower total cost of ownership, and a step toward true energy independence. By matching statistical discipline with engineering reality, we can see past the noise of Wall Street and continue marching toward a future free from fossil fuels.

EVs Are Winning

Electrified transportation is the present and the future.

If you open any mainstream automotive, tech, or business news site today, you are almost guaranteed to encounter a steady wall of worry: "EV demand is cratering," the headlines blare, "Legacy automakers pivot back to gas," the pundits chime. It's a beautifully orchestrated symphony of doubt, frequently manufactured by the classic Petroganda of the Oiligarchy or driven by the psychological traps we explored in our piece on How Cognitive Illusions Fuel EV Misinformation.

But here at Cars With Cords, we prefer to look past anecdotal showroom noise and check the hard telemetry. When you zoom out and look at global automotive data, a completely different reality emerges. 

The simple, unassailable truth becomes obvious: EVs are winning, and internal combustion is trapped in a permanent, structural tailspin.

The 2017 High-Water Mark

To understand exactly where we are going, we have to look at where we peaked. The absolute apex for pure internal combustion engine (ICE) passenger cars happened all the way back in 2017. That year, the world bought roughly 83 million purely gas and diesel-powered light vehicles.

Since then, despite global population growth and an expanding international appetite for mobility, traditional engines have never come close to recovering that high-water mark. We did not just hit a temporary plateau; instead, we cleared a structural cliff. As we noted in our deep dive into why Fossil Fuel Peak Demand Has Already Happened, technology transitions do not wait for permission. They accelerate because the new architecture is fundamentally more efficient, reliable, and economical.

To visualize exactly what this looks like, let's examine the data compiled from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and BloombergNEF, charting the actual trajectory from 2010 through our current 2026 baseline, and projecting out to 2032.

Deconstructing the "Comeback" Illusion

The pandemic accelerated a trend that had already started. Look closely at the minor bump on the graph in 2024. Legacy auto executives popped the champagne when they saw that brief tick upward to 58.1 million units, pointing to it as proof that "gas is back."

Don't fall for the trick. That was not a sudden renaissance for spark plugs, oil filters, and complex transmissions. It was merely the post-pandemic clearing of long-standing semiconductor and component backlogs, paired with an interim push into traditional hybrids by buyers waiting for local public charging infrastructure to mature.

Once those backlogs cleared, the momentum of the EV adoption S-curve could not be held back. By 2025, pure ICE sales slipped right back down to 54.5 million. This year, in 2026, we're on track for roughly 51.8 million units. Traditional gas-powered cars now account for barely half of the global passenger car market.

Why the Slide is Structural

This is not a cyclical downturn that a temporary drop in interest rates will fix. This is a classic market substitution pattern driven by unyielding economic forces:

• The S-Curve Has Left the Station: In the world's largest automotive market, China, plug-in electric vehicles just captured a record-smashing 62.9% market share. In fact, every single one of the top 16 best-selling vehicles is now a plug-in. What happens in the largest manufacturing market eventually cascades to Europe, North America, and the rest of the world.
• Relentless Battery Economics: As we tracked in Powering the Future: How Batteries Transformed from Phones to Cars, scaling battery cell production creates an aggressive Wright's Law learning curve. Upfront price parity between the average EV and legacy ICE platforms is arriving at scale, making the choice a pure financial no-brainer for mass-market buyers.
• The Death of R&D Spending: Global automakers have fundamentally turned off the financial spigots for internal combustion development. The remaining ICE vehicles on dealer lots are increasingly riding on aging, legacy platforms as corporate capital budgets are permanently diverted into software-defined EV architectures.

The View to 2032

Modeling a steady, conservative 6% compounding annual decline through the next few years puts the long-term trend into sharp focus. By 2032, global pure ICE sales are projected to dwindle to just 35.8 million units, representing a staggering 57% collapse from their 2017 peak.

Yes, there will be a long tail for gasoline. Captured politicians will push policies to keep gas stations operating for years to come. But the economic engine of the global auto industry has permanently shifted.

The next time someone tries to convince you that the electric transition has stalled out, show them the above graph. The legacy narrative might be full of static, but the data is crystal clear. Electrified transportation isn't just the future anymore; it is actively winning the present.

Enjoy Energy Independence