Electrek

The Rivian R2 Performance’s final EPA ratings are now published, and the numbers confirm something impressive: the R2 Performance matches the Tesla Model Y Performance on efficiency at 105 MPGe combined and 32 kWh per 100 miles — while actually beating it on range with 330 miles versus 306.

What makes this particularly noteworthy is the R2’s form factor. The Rivian is a boxier, taller, more utilitarian SUV that weighs nearly 800 lbs more than the Model Y, yet it achieves identical efficiency.

On today’s exciting episode of Quick Charge, we’re exploring the industry’s backlash – real or imagined – towards Elon Musk’s SpaceX merger talks, Full Self Driving’s staff revolt, and even large, utility scale solar projects. All this and more when you hit that play button!

Clean energy developers announced more than 50 new utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage projects in Q1 2026 as companies scramble to get projects moving before a looming federal deadline tied to Trump’s big bill act passed last year.

With the new Denza Z9 GT now on sale in Europe, BYD’s luxury EV is already off to a strong start in China, with over 10,000 deliveries since it launched.

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna confirmed that the $640,000 Luce, the company’s first all-electric car, is already receiving orders from both existing and new customers. The order book extends toward the end of 2027, according to Bloomberg.

The announcement comes just days after the Luce’s Rome unveiling triggered a 6% stock drop and a brutal wave of design criticism online, with former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo himself telling Italian media to “at least take the prancing horse off.”

The Geely Xingyuan, sold overseas as the EX2, was the top-selling car in China last year. While it was yet again the most popular EV in April, Geely launched an upgraded model offering more range at the same low price.

EV charging companies Voltera and Revel are joining forces to build what they say will be one of the biggest fast-charging platforms in the US, focused on fleets, ride-hail drivers, and robotaxis.

Our Thursday Green Deals are focused on EVs and power stations, which join all the other deals on tools, devices, and more in our updated Memorial Day Green Deals hub. Our headliner today is EcoFlow’s freshly launched its May EcoCredits Monthly Madness Sale, giving you up to 61% discounts on power stations, FREE gifts on purchases over $600, and 2-3x EcoCredit rewards – all with deals starting from $259. We also have a 48-hour flash sale from EcoFlow that is offering the 12.2kW expanded DELTA Pro Ultra Power Station (2x batteries) with a FREE trolley at $5,599, alongside Wave 3 and 2x DELTA Pro battery bundles. From there, we are shining a spotlight on the Segway GT3 Electric SuperScooter at its $1,500 low, as well as Aventon’s continuing Pace 4 Cruiser and Level 3 Commuter e-bike low prices starting from $1,599, and more. Let’s not forget about our hangover Green Deals collected together at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Segway Max G30P Electric Scooter back at a $500 low, the exclusive savings on Anker’s 2,048Wh SOLIX F2000 Power Station at a $799 low, 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.

Kia’s electric SUV offers it all: more than enough driving range, a practical interior, and modern tech at an affordable price. The Kia EV3 is a hit in Europe, the UK, and several other parts of the world, and it will finally go on sale in the US soon.

Waymo is beginning to offer select riders trips in its new purpose-built Ojai robotaxi, debuting the company’s 6th-generation Driver hardware across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Trips will be free for a limited time.

The Ojai represents a significant step for Waymo, which has now surpassed 20 million fully autonomous trips across 11 cities — a scale that no competitor comes close to matching.

ENGWE is best known for chunky folding fat tire e-bikes and budget-friendly commuter models, but the company is now taking a decidedly more refined turn with the launch of its new ENGWE Zip compact folding e-bike.

It’s got a lot of interesting angles, but the most eyebrow-raising might just be the USB-C charging battery that powers the bike, allowing riders to charge it with a standard laptop charger.

BYD’s new in-house 4nm smart driving chip, China’s first, unlocks “the highest level of vehicle intelligence” with L3 and L4 autonomous driving capabilities.

A major Reuters investigation published today reveals that Tesla’s widely touted “Full Self-Driving” safety statistics are built on deeply flawed methodology — and that the company’s own data labelers, the workers who train the AI system, don’t trust the technology to drive them.

The report, based on interviews with nine former Tesla data labelers, a former self-driving engineer, and 11 traffic-safety researchers, paints a damning picture of the gap between Tesla’s safety marketing and the reality of its autonomous driving program.

If you missed the nationwide memo, today is Memorial Day, and as we spend this time with family and friends, remembering our fallen service members, so too are our favorite brands for a wide variety of eco-friendly tech offering tons of seasonal discounts across e-bikes, electric scooters, power stations, tools, appliances, smart devices, and more – many of which are at their best prices to date. We’ve collected all the ongoing deals together into this one-stop shopping hub to make things easier to find, and we will continue to update this hub for the next couple days, too. So head on down below to browse through all these Green Deals while they’re still around.

On today’s momentous episode of Quick Charge, we are all about momentum, with solid-state EV batteries gaining ground in China as wind and solar continuing to grow in the US while Tesla’s self-driving Robotaxi fleet, well – doesn’t.

A disguised IONIQ 6 was spotted near Hyundai’s R&D hub in Europe, revealing much more than a standard refresh model.

Forget the $630,000 iFerrari, because there’s another all-new EV from a legendary Italian marque that’s just been released – and this one could have a much bigger impact on the North American market than Maranello’s. Meet the all new Lancia Gamma.

Despite the impression that large solar farms are constantly sparking local fights, a new study from researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that most large-scale solar projects in the US move forward with relatively little public opposition.

The hotly-anticipated Rivian R2 is nearly upon us, and Rivian just gave everyone a single date to focus on: June 9.

Canadian energy company Enbridge has switched on the first phase of its massive $1.1 billion Sequoia Solar project in Texas.

After becoming the first to commercialize solid-state batteries, ProLogium announced it will become a publicly listed company through a business merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).

Another day, another collection of Green Deals – plus, we have all the ongoing deals that you can browse in our Memorial Day Green Deals hub for one-stop-shopping needs. Today’s edition is being led by the 40-mile traveling Segway Max G30P Electric Scooter returning to its $500 low for the rest of the month as part of the ongoing Summer Sale lineup of deals. We also secured an exclusive deal that drops Anker’s 2,048Wh SOLIX F2000 Portable Power Station back to its $799 low for the first time since October. From there, we have Beatbot’s iSkim and iSkim Ultra + Aiper’s Surfer S2 Solar Robotic Pool Skimmers at lows starting from $360, as well as the Worx 20V GT Revolution 3-in-1 Cordless String Trimmer, Edger, and Mini-Mower bundle at its $83 2026 low, and more. Let’s not forget about our hangover Green Deals collected together at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s return $113 low on the Bluetti 128Wh Elite 10 Mini power station, the 40L and 58L Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 cooler deals, 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.

BYD isn’t the only Chinese brand that wants to crack open Japan’s kei car market. Five companies, including China’s Chery Automotive and Japanese car parts giant Autobacs Seven, launched a new EV brand that will launch its first vehicle next year with prices on par with gas cars.

NIO officially launched the ES9 today, its flagship executive SUV and the largest battery electric SUV ever produced in China. The three-row SUV stretches 5,365 mm (17.6 ft) long on a 3,250 mm wheelbase, packing 520 kW (697 hp) and up to 620 km (385 miles) of CLTC range.

Pricing came in below the pre-sale figures NIO announced in April, with the base Executive Premium Edition starting at RMB 498,000 (~$69,000) or RMB 390,000 (~$54,000) under NIO’s Battery-as-a-Service rental model. Deliveries begin tomorrow, May 28.