Electrek

For the last few weeks, we’ve been running a sidebar survey how (or if) Electrek readers think the first Chinese electric cars will make it onto US roads. After receiving more than 3,000 responses, here’s what you told us.

Chinese autonomy experts Pony.ai are planning to put 1,000 autonomous electric commercial trucks to work by 2027, but it’s the company’s plans to put 100,000 self-driving trucks on the road by 2030 that’s making headlines.

Paris is getting tougher on electric scooter safety, with new rules now requiring riders to wear both a helmet and a high-visibility vest while using their scooters on public roads.

Zero Motorcycles has launched a new incentive program that offers cash back to newly licensed riders who purchase one of the company’s electric motorcycles or scooters. It’s an interesting way to encourage new motorcyclists to skip internal combustion and go electric from day one.

Thula Solutions’ new electric safari vehicles aren’t repurposed diesels – they were engineered from the ground up as purpose-built electric safari vehicles designed to get curious tourists, scientists, and park workers closer to the action than ever before.

International equipment manufacturer Vermeer has unveiled a full-scale prototype of its Interlune excavator, a machine designed to ingest 100 metric tons of rocks and dirt per hour, extracting valuable helium as it makes its way across the surface … of the Moon.

UPDATE 08AUG26: Interlune and Vermeer have expand their partnership.

In mid-June GM hosted their 2026 Empower event, where they made several major announcements. But there are two in particular that will be big benefits to the day-to-day electric vehicle driver, especially when it comes to charging GM brand EVs.

Revealed in a new filing from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the new VW ID. ERA 5X electric SUV is the first pure BEV on the brand’s new Compact Main Platform (CMP) platform.

Micromobility regulation continues to tighten in New York City, and now Mayor Zohran Mamdani is taking aim at the online retailers that have become a major source of high-speed electric bikes and scooters.

Kia’s first electric van is already a top seller, but the larger PV7 is set to launch soon, which could prove to be an even “bigger” hit. Here’s a closer look at it.

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 the Ford Fathom cheap pickup EV, Audi A2, Trump on EVs, and more.

Today’s episode is sponsored by GM. GM EV charging made easy, with Energy Pass and Plug and Charge. Learn more at https://gmenergy.gm.com/energypass

We’re closing out this week with plenty of low prices, starting with the premium golden Navee UT5 Ultra X Electric SuperScooter down at its $1,955 low for the first time since launching, alongside two other new low prices on high-performance e-scooters. The EGO Power+ Nexus 1,400W Portable Power Station with 2x 6.0Ah batteries is at a $799 low, while Aventon is offering a second weekend flash sale for the Level 3 Commuter and Pace 4 Cruiser e-bikes back at $1,299 lows. There’s also the Beatbot Summer Smart Sale with up to 38% discounts on robot pool cleaners, the expanded 572Wh EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus Portable Power Station at its Amazon low, a 3-in-1 Greenworks mower/blower/trimmer bundle low, and more down below. We’ve also got the hangover deals from the past four days at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s new $449 low on Jackery’s HomePower 1000 v2 Power Station, and more.

Head below for other New 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.

Insurance costs likely aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when shopping for a new electric or hybrid vehicle, but it is something you should consider. Here are the top 10 most affordable EVs and hybrids to insure for 2026.

A regulatory filing with the Chinese government has revealed specs of Smart #2, the upcoming successor to the Smart ForTwo. A full reveal is expected in October, with the car later coming to global markets… except the US.

Subaru’s big EV incentives have helped boost sales, but they’re quickly taking a toll on the company’s profits.

Tesla has officially acknowledged that the power conversion system (PCS) in pre-2026 Cybertrucks is defective, and it’s extending the warranty on those trucks to 8 years or 150,000 miles.

The reversal comes after months of owners paying up to $7,200 to replace a part Tesla now admits “does not meet our reliability standards.” The automaker sneakily tried to let the clear manufacturing defect pass warranties.

Telo is raising the tow rating on its Mini-sized electric truck to 8,000 lbs, up from the 6,600 lbs it previously advertised.

The startup says months of real-world towing convinced it the little MT1 can safely pull more than a truck that size looks like it should. That new number puts a 152-inch pickup roughly on par with a base Ford F-150.

The PV5 now accounts for over one-third of Europe’s small electric van market. Kia’s first electric van has quickly become the most popular e-LCV across Europe and the UK.

Fat tire e-bikes have become synonymous with rugged adventure. Browse the category and you’d think every 20-inch fat tire bike is destined for sandy beaches, forest trails, or rocky singletrack. In reality, though, most of them spend their lives on city streets, bike paths, and neighborhood roads.

That’s what makes the Batch Bicycles eFT.3 refreshing. Instead of pretending to be an off-road machine, it embraces what many riders are actually looking for: a comfortable, practical commuter that happens to ride on fat tires.

Mitsubishi is joining the rapidly growing ranks of robot builders, with plans to build up to 1,000 of its Highlanders humanoid robots per month at one of the automaker’s ICE engine plants in Kyoto – and if the plan comes together, the automaker could begin mass-producing its new worker-bots as early as next year.

On today’s brain-addled episode of Quick Charge, President Trump says electric car drivers have a disease, Full Self Driving won’t stop earning Tesla drivers tickets, and Waymo’s CEO spends over forty minutes explaining why Tesla’s tech won’t ever beat a human driver.

New York City is going to install 600 new curbside EV charging points across all five boroughs, expanding its network from just 88 Level 2 ports to nearly 700.

Tesla Megapacks are now helping support the Texas grid at Ørsted’s new 250 MW/500 MWh Old 300 battery storage project.

The Interior Department has made another illegal agreement with a gas company to drop development of cheap and clean offshore wind and instead focus on dirty, expensive gas, giving that company the better part of a billion dollars worth of taxpayer money while starving Americans of much-needed electricity.

Original post 6/17, Updated 6/30: Interior announced another deal on Monday, this one with Duke Energy to cancel a project in Carolina Long Bay.

Update 8/6: Interior has bribed German wind company RWE $1.22 billion to give up offshore leases in New York, Louisiana and California.