Electrek

We write a lot about fleet studies proving out the value of electric vehicles in the real world, but almost never hear from commercial fleets who are making the switch first hand – but one small fleet is doing just that, sharing their experience on Reddit for everyone to see.

California senate bill 913 would allow utilities and grid operators to treat home backup batteries like real power plants, opening the door for programs that can pay homeowners to share excess energy capacity during peak demand.

Humanoid robots are supposed to be the biggest thing in the history of anything, but despite real progress elsewhere, they’re still perpetually two years away. The quadrupeds? They’ve proven to be a little bit closer to prime time – and Boston Dynamics says its latest DroneDog is ready to stop job site theft and vandalism TODAY.

Tesla is bringing back free Supercharging for new Model 3 Premium and Performance orders in North America, bundling one year of complimentary charging with new purchases.

The automaker also used the announcement to take a shot at non-Tesla EV owners using the Supercharger network, claiming they pay a “~40% premium” — but the actual figure is closer to 30-35% based on available data.

Kia’s electric SUV just got a bit more attractive. The 2026 EV6 is considerably cheaper than last year’s model, with up to nearly $5,500 in savings.

One of the largest convention centers in North America just got a major solar upgrade without needing any extra roof space.

ABB E-mobility just debuted a new EV fast-charger system that’s trying to change how operators think about building EV charging sites, and it’s not about chasing the highest power numbers anymore.

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s disaster earnings, the Beijing Auto Show being absolutely insane, and a plethora of new EVs unveiled this week.

BYD calls it the world’s first intelligent electric supercar. After its global debut at the Beijing Auto Show, the Denza Z is set to go head-to-head with Europe’s luxury automakers this summer.

It’s that time of year again, time for events across the country to show off electric vehicles at Drive Electric Earth Month. And it couldn’t come at a better time, as gas prices are spiking through the roof worldwide – which EV drivers haven’t had to worry about.

Today’s 9to5Toys Green Deals is headlined by the last day of EcoFlow’s Earth Day Sale with up to 62% off power stations and more from $169. And if you don’t want to mow the lawn anymore, you can hand up to an acre over to Worx’s 2026 Landroid Vision Cloud robot at its $1,840 low. Oh, and folks that want to keep their trees looking their best, be sure to also check out Fanttik’s brushless pruning shears with onboard display, USB-C, more at $80. Head below for a closer look at the details.

Head below for other Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek‘s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Fang Cheng Bao is best known for its high-end off-road SUVs, but now BYD’s sub-brand has its sights set on a new market after revealing its first electric sedan and striking Formula X sports car.

BYD launched its new Flash Charging system, enabling EV charging in as little as 5 minutes, in luxury vehicles like the Denza Z9 GT. Now, it’s set to roll out to some of its best sellers.

Kia set a new global sales record in the first quarter, driven by strong demand for electric vehicles. With a full lineup ranging from the entry-level EV2 to the PV5 van, Kia now offers an EV for nearly everyone.

XPeng officially unveiled the GX, its new flagship SUV, at the Beijing Auto Show today. The full-size six-seater starts at 399,800 yuan (~$58,000) and packs up to 750 km (466 miles) of AWD range in its pure electric version.

The GX represents XPeng’s most ambitious push into the premium market yet, bringing together the company’s most advanced autonomous driving hardware, a Bosch steer-by-wire system, and aviation-grade safety redundancy — all in a package that directly undercuts European luxury SUVs.

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes Segway’s new cargo bikes, pedal-by-wire drive systems, semi-solid-state batteries for electric bicycles, more laws on the way, Yozma IN10 review, and more.

Hyundai unveiled the IONIQ V at Auto China 2026 in Beijing today, a sleek electric liftback with over 600 km of CLTC range built on an 800V platform with CATL batteries. It’s the production version of the Venus concept the automaker revealed earlier this month.

The IONIQ V is the first dedicated IONIQ production model for the Chinese market, and it marks the beginning of an aggressive 20-model offensive as Hyundai tries to claw back relevance in the world’s largest EV market.

Porsche announced today that the Cayenne Coupe Electric would join the ICE and hybrid Coupe varieties.

With it some truly amazing specs for an SUV in Coupe clothing throws out up to 850 kW (1139 hp) 1106 ft.-lbs. torque with a 2.4 second 0-60mph and top speed of 162 mph. But it is also quite the stunner as well…

On today’s charged up episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got FranklinWH co-founder and CEO Gary Lam here to talk us through some of the benefits of a home battery system, and what it takes to make the most of one – with, or even without a home solar panel system.

Tesla lists Giga Berlin’s Model Y production capacity at more than 375,000 units per year — roughly 93,000 per quarter. The plant manager just celebrated a “record” Q1 2026 of 61,000 units and announced a 20% production increase. None of that adds up.

André Thierig, Tesla’s senior director of manufacturing at Gigafactory Berlin, announced today that the plant will increase Model Y production by 20% starting in July, hire approximately 1,000 new employees beginning in May, and convert 500 temporary workers to permanent positions.

Tesla has fully drawn down its China Working Capital Facility to $5.8 billion, according to its Q1 2026 10-Q filing — a 35% increase in a single quarter. The facility, which didn’t exist two years ago, now represents 64% of all Tesla’s non-recourse debt.

The company tapped every available dollar from the Chinese credit line while sitting on $44.7 billion in cash and short-term investments in the US — and while its retail sales in China crashed 16% year-over-year.

A group of Microsoft suppliers just helped push a small solar farm over the finish line in North Carolina – and it shows how corporate buyers can band together and boost projects that might otherwise stall.

New York is putting more money behind a key piece of the EV transition that often gets overlooked: the people who keep chargers running.

Today’s 9to5Toys Green Deals is headlined by meross’ recently-released 18-circuit electrical panel monitor as well as Amazon undercutting beating out the official NAVEE sale on its own 34-mile G5 Pro electric scooter. That’s just a couple of the headliners you’ll find, so continue reading to see them all.

Head below for other Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek‘s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.