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Trump pardons Trevor Milton, founder of bankrupt truck maker Nikola convicted of fraud

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon Thursday to Trevor Milton, founder of hydrogen-powered truck maker Nikola Corp., clearing the charismatic start-up leader of wrongdoing for his 2022 conviction of federal crimes related to defrauding investors.

Milton, who was represented in his case by Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s brother, said Trump personally called him to deliver the news.

Milton said in a video posted on X announcing the reprieve,

I am free. The prosecutors can no longer hurt me.

“They can’t destroy my family. They can’t rip everything away from me. They can’t ruin my life.It is done. It’s over.”

A White House official confirmed Milton’s pardon to USA TODAY.

Milton was sentenced to four years in prison in 2023 after a jury found him guilty of lying to investors about the company’s technology. He was convicted in October 2022 on one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud, and acquitted on an additional securities fraud count.

Milton called Trump,

An amazing man that cared enough to call me personally to tell me how much of an injustice this all was, done by the same offices that harassed and prosecuted him.

Milton, former executive chairman of the Phoenix-based start-up company, was accused by federal prosecutors of misleading the public about the capability of its hydrogen semi-trucks and battery systems. Prosecutors said Milton’s company did not develop its own batteries as claimed but instead bought the batteries.

Trump told reporters Friday pardoning Milton was “highly recommended by many people,” adding that Milton was “taken advantage of” and treated unfairly by the U.S. Southern District of New York, where he was prosecuted.

Trump said, arguing that Milton was targeted because he’s a Trump supporter,

I don’t know him, but they say it was very unfair,

“You don’t realize ‒ this was a vicious group of people that were in this office before us.”

Brad Bondi, the attorney representing Milton, and the brother of Pam Bondi, did not return a message seeking comment.

General Motors partnered with Nikola to produce an electric pickup truck, but GM later scaled back the alliance amid the allegations against the company.

Nikola last month filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced it would pursue a sale of its assets.

Trump pardons Trevor Milton, founder of bankrupt truck maker Nikola convicted of fraud - Hydrogen Central

　大阪ガスは28日、ガス機器の販売などを手掛ける子会社が家庭用燃料電池「エネファーム」の販売を促進するため、顧客に虚偽のデータを提示していたと発表した。 　比較対象となる製品の光熱費を過大に表示し、エネファームに買い替えた際のメリットを不適切に強調していた。景品表示法違反に当たる可能性もあるとして、27日に消費者庁へ報告した。 　大阪ガスの田坂隆之副社長は28日、大阪市内で記者会見し「お客さまの信頼を裏切る行為。深くおわびする」と謝罪した。 　子会社の「大阪ガスマーケティング」の社員が、エネファームとガス給湯器「エコジョーズ」を比較する際、エコジョーズの光熱費が過度に高くなるようなデータを用いていた。不適切な行為は2020年4月から24年8月まで行われ、被害件数は919件。営業担当25人の関与が確認された。昨年4月の内部通報で発覚した。今後は対象顧客に謝罪した上で、補償などについて個別に協議する。

「エネファーム」不適切販売　顧客に偽データ提示　大阪ガス子会社（時事通信） - Yahoo!ニュース

Michelin backs AEM electrolysers to combine the best of PEM and alkaline technologies

Global tyre manufacturer Michelin will develop anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysers in a bid to combine “the best of both worlds” of PEM and alkaline electrolysis.

Under a new four-year partnership with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble Institute of Technology and Savoie Mont Blanc University, Michelin will participate in the development of AEM technology.

The partnership will be led by AlcalHylab, the tenth joint research laboratory between Michelin and the CNRS. Jacques Maddaluno, Director of CNRS Chemistry said it’s another “illustration of the mutual trust between [the] two institutions.”

Together, the partners aim to develop next-generation materials using abundant elements found in the Earth’s crust. Notably, AEM technology is valued for its elimination of precious metals in the electrolysis process.

Philippe Briand, President of Savoie Mont Blanc University, added, “Alongside our partners, we support the activities of the Electrochemistry and Physicochemistry of Materials and Interfaces Laboratory (LEPMI) for developing next-generation materials to be used in AEM water electrolysers.”

The hydrogen market is currently dominated by alkaline and PEM electrolyser technologies, although new solutions such as AEM and solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) have emerged.

But these newer technologies remain immature, making investors hesitant to back unproven solutions.

This challenge was highlighted by Deepak Bawa in a recent H2 View webinar on electrolysis.

Discussing investor priorities, Splitwaters’ CEO stated, “If you’re an investor, you want to back a project with minimal technological risk. For anything above 100MW, clients prefer alkaline – and in some cases, PEM.”

However, Bawa noted that within three to five years, new technologies like AEM and SOEC could gain investor confidence as longer-term performance data provides clarity on degradation rates and efficiency.

Bosch to start electrolyser parts production, eyes billions in hydrogen revenue

BERLIN (Reuters) – Bosch will begin producing electrolyser components for hydrogen production, expecting its hydrogen business to generate billions of euros in revenue by 2030, the company said on Wednesday.

Germany wants to expand reliance on hydrogen as a future energy source to cut greenhouse gas emissions for highly polluting industrial sectors that cannot be electrified such as steel and chemicals and cut dependency on imported fossil fuel.

Electrolysers, which use energy to split hydrogen from water, are key to making hydrogen. Bosch plans to use its fuel-cell expertise and large-scale production experience to make hydrogen more efficiently and at lower cost.

At the Hanover industry fair, Bosch said it would showcase two new Hybrion PEM electrolysis stacks it will start producing in partnership with industrial equipment supplier FEST with a full system output of 2.5 megawatts.

Markus Heyn, chairman of Bosch Mobility, said in a statement.

Hydrogen is a strategic growth field for Bosch – we expect sales revenue to run into the billions by 2030,

The Hybrion stacks will initially be manufactured at a factory in the southern city of Bamberg with the official sale of the components starting in April. Bosch has already received orders of around 100 megawatts, it added.

Source:  Hydrogencentral

Advent Technologies receives Go-Ahead from Airbus for Phase Two of Joint Benchmarking Project

LIVERMORE, Calif., March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADN), an innovation-driven leader in the fuel cell and hydrogen technology space, is pleased to announce that it has received the go-ahead decision from Airbus, a leading aircraft manufacturer, to proceed with Phase Two of the parties’ joint benchmarking project for an optimized Ion Pair™ Membrane Electrode Assembly (“MEA”) for hydrogen fuel cells. Having demonstrated continued improvement in Ion Pair™ MEA performance in Phase One, the parties seek to further optimize performance in Phase Two.

Advent has invested in people, materials, hardware, and 3rd party research centers, to contribute to the goals of the project. The collaboration enters Phase Two immediately. The parties are also in related discussions about sharing know-how, fuel cell stack design, recommendations on balance of plant materials and components, and fuel cell test stations.

The goal of the project is to accelerate the development of Advent’s MEA and benchmark the Ion Pair MEA against aviation requirements and current/expected technological limits.

HT-PEM MEAs operating at temperatures higher than 180 °C (360°F) aim to solve one of the largest challenges in aviation fuel cell use: thermal management. High-temperature fuel cells allow increased performance, increased passenger carrying capability, and increased range compared to low-temperature fuel cell stack technology. Advent believes that HT-PEM is a superior option not only for aviation, but also for heavy-duty trucks, the automotive industry and marine use.

The project focuses on the needs for future hydrogen-fueled planes, while at the same time having the potential of significantly reducing the weight and volume of the powertrain system through a simplified balance of plant and cooling subsystems.

Dr. Emory De Castro, Chief Technology Officer of Advent Technologies, commented,

We are pleased to announce the second phase of our project with Airbus.

“Both companies recognize the vast potential for fuel cell powered jet propulsion systems and the realistic goal of hydrogen flight. We look forward to continuing this revolutionary work with Airbus.”

Advent Technologies receives Go-Ahead from Airbus for Phase Two of Joint Benchmarking Project - Hydrogen Central