Climatetech finance

This MIT-backed fund wants to solve the toughest climate problems

The Engine Ventures just raised $400M to help fill the vast funding gap for “tough tech” companies, including firms working to decarbonize heavy industries.

By Maria Gallucci . 27 June 2024

Katie Rae helmed The Engine from 2017 to 2023 and now leads its venture capital arm. (Tony Luong/The Engine Ventures)

Clean energy supply chain

New investment firm aims to scale up urgently needed battery materials

Kinterra Capital has raised a $565 million private equity fund dedicated to investing in new mines and processing plants to supply battery and EV factories.

By Julian Spector . 29 November 2023
Nuclear

Air Force rescinds $100M award for Oklo microreactor

In August, the Sam Altman–backed startup was tentatively chosen as the winner of a military contract to build an SMR by 2027. Bids are now being reconsidered.

By Eric Wesoff . 22 November 2023
Marine transport

America's first hydrogen-powered ferry is set to sail

Switch Maritime aims to start operations early next year in San Francisco. It just raised $10M to help take zero-emissions ferries nationwide.

By Maria Gallucci . 16 November 2023
Electric vehicles

Bankrupt EV bus-maker Proterra finds buyers for its business units

The oldest U.S. electric bus manufacturer filed for bankruptcy protection in August. Can Proterra's businesses survive and thrive under new ownership?

By Jeff St. John . 14 November 2023
Energy storage

Will this startup finally crack the code on flow battery tech?

Germany's CMBlu just pulled in a 100-million-euro investment, is ramping up manufacturing and has contracts with major utilities. Can it succeed where others have failed?

By Julian Spector . 13 November 2023
Climatetech finance

Chart: Clean energy attracting nearly twice as much investment as fossils

But for the world to meet its climate goals, the money needs to stop flowing to fossil fuels — and flow even faster into clean energy.

By Dan McCarthy . 10 November 2023
Nuclear

Future of small reactors at stake as NuScale deal flops

The startup’s most promising project has been canceled. It was supposed to build the first next-gen reactor in the U.S. — and usher in a new era for nuclear.

By Eric Wesoff . 9 November 2023
Carbon capture

America’s first commercial direct air capture plant just got going

The startup Heirloom says it’s capturing CO2 from the sky and locking away the planet-warming gas, making it the first and only commercial U.S. plant to do so.

By Maria Gallucci . 9 November 2023
Electric vehicles

BP buys $100M of Tesla chargers as oil majors prep for a post-gas future

It's the first-ever sale of Tesla charging equipment to an outside company. But will EV drivers really want to charge up in dreary gas-station parking lots?

By Gabriela Aoun Angueira . 6 November 2023
Wind

The US offshore wind industry faces a moment of reckoning

East Coast offshore wind projects are being canceled or forced to rebid amid skyrocketing costs. States have a tough choice: pay more now or bear the costs of delay.

By Jeff St. John . 2 November 2023