Axios

Google parent Alphabet's research and development division spun off a project Thursday that aims to make geothermal energy an easier lift for consumers.

The product: Geothermal systems require putting pipes in the ground to take advantage of the different temperature above and below ground to heat or cool a building. The company, called Dandelion, says it has developed a "a fast, slender drill" that "could drill just one or two deep holes just a few inches wide, and compared to typical installation rigs, it produced less waste and took up much less space as it operated."

Installing the system will cost $20,000, according to the company, which is setting up financing for customers. It'll be available first to customers in parts of New York state.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman could force Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to testify under oath about whether ExxonMobil misled investors about the impact of climate change while he served as the company's CEO, per the AP. Tillerson has retained a private attorney to help in the matter should he be called to testify after nine Exxon employees are deposed in the next few weeks. Getting to Tillerson might not happen for "several months or even years," the AP notes.

A few notes on the investigation:

• 12 attorneys general have claimed this probe is a political move from Schneiderman to highlight climate change for liberal voters.
• The investigation has been ongoing for 18 months now and has already forced Exxon to release about 3 million internal documents.
• Exxon investors voted last month to have Exxon disclose the financial risks associated with climate change.

Elon Musk, the showy CEO of Tesla, will begin production of his much-discussed mainstream-priced Model 3 electric car on Friday, beating his schedule by two weeks, but Chinese-owned Volvo today sought to upstage him with the announcement that it will stop introducing new fully combustion vehicles next year.

The Wall Street Journal's William Boston reports that Volvo will introduce only fully electric or hybrid battery-and-combustion cars as of the 2019 model year, the beginning of a phase-out of combustion-only. Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson was light on details apart from reiterating Volvo's previous vow to sell 1 million electrics and hybrids a year by 2025. But the early abandonment of conventional cars is stunning. Bloomberg's energy geopolitics writer Javier Blas tweets, "First major automaker to go all electric / hybrid — this will cause concern from Saudi Arabia to Exxon Mobil."

Why it matters: Volvo's move vastly escalates the commercial and geopolitical contest to dominate electric cars, a warning shot at Detroit and rivals across the globe that they may have to be bold if they want to compete in the new age of transportation.