Electrek

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 earnings debacle, FSD getting me a speeding ticket, Toyota potentially waking up to the future being electric, and more.

On Thursday, the conclusion of the 2026 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix came in a high-energy awards ceremony. However just days prior, 39 teams from around the world descended upon Brainerd, Minnesota for the event, which for many was a high-stakes do-or-die moment for the opportunity to qualify and compete in the 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge cross-country event.

Here are the results from the final day Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) and which teams will be moving on to the American Solar Challenge (ASC).

Is the EX50 the name of Volvo’s next electric vehicle? A new trademark was filed, and all signs point to it becoming a production model soon.

We’ve got some major sales closing out this week’s Green Deals, starting with the freshly launched Christmas in July Sale from Lectric with up to $733 bundle savings and select $100 price cuts on e-bikes starting from $799. There’s also the Best Buy Black Friday in July appliance sale that will last through the weekend, with options like LG’s 5.0 cubic-foot WashCombo All-in-One Electric Ventless Washer/Dryer getting a FREE $100 e-gift card down at $2,200, among many others. We also have Jackery’s latest Member Sale with some select member-exclusive power station deals from $79, an off-season $144 discount on EGO’s 56V 12-inch Cordless Electric Snow Shovel with a 2.5Ah battery for a $265 2026 low, and much more. As always, you can find all the hangover deals from this week down at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s exclusive new low prices on three Heybike e-bikes, the full Segway Back to School EV Sale lineup with 46% savings, 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.

Specialized is pushing the lightweight e-MTB segment even further today with the launch of the new S-Works Turbo Levo R Ultralight LTD, a premium electric mountain bike that tips the scales at just 18.8 kg (41.4 lb) while still packing the company’s latest full-power drive system.

Honda recently canceled the only EV it sells in the US, and this month started telling Prologue owners to “consider a hybrid.” But here’s the hitch: virtually zero EV owners are interested in switching back to gas after experiencing how much better EVs are.

BYD confirmed its new flagship electric sedan will offer a range of 1,008 km on a single charge. Ahead of its official debut next month, the new EV was spotted in public for the first time.

In May alone, solar-generated electricity exceeded that of both coal and wind, according to new data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign. 

Tesla has closed the mysterious ~$2 billion acquisition of an AI hardware company that it first hinted at in April — and it did so, again, without naming the target or issuing a press release.

The deal was confirmed in a single passage buried in Tesla’s Q2 2026 10-Q filing, which for the first time attached a final price: $1.95 billion, paid entirely in Tesla stock and equity awards.

From electric vans to entry-level SUVs, Kia now has an EV for nearly everyone. After sales jumped 88% in the second quarter, Kia expects demand to pick up in the second half of 2026.

One of the easiest ways to get my attention is to slap the word “premium” on an affordable e-bike. Sometimes it’s justified. Other times it’s… aspirational.

NHTSA has denied a petition asking it to open a defect investigation into the hidden manual door releases on the Tesla Model 3. But in the same decision, the agency agreed to start writing new door-safety rules for the entire auto industry.

The denial, published today, covers 179,031 model year 2022 Model 3 vehicles. NHTSA said it found exactly one complaint matching the petition’s allegation — and it came from the same owner who filed it.

If you’ve ever wished you could buy one electric vehicle that could evolve with your needs instead of replacing it every time your use case changes, a Canadian company thinks it has the answer.

ENVO Drive Systems has unveiled its new Utility Personal Transporter (UPT), a modular electric vehicle platform that can be configured into as many as 18 different vehicle types, with even more combinations possible through optional accessories and upgrades.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) cut the ribbon on the state’s first federally-funded EV charging station this week, after energizing new high-speed chargers at a Phillips 66 Mach 1 station in Casey, IL.

Hyundai skipped the typical mid-cycle refresh and instead gave the Kona a complete overhaul. The first image of it leaked, revealing a taller, SUV-like design.

Schneider Electric has just given its Charge Pro commercial Level 2 EV charger a sweet upgrade that includes NACS support, app-free charging, and a quicker setup process.

BYD launched its luxury sub-brand Denza in Europe with a little help from James Bond himself. The Denza Z9 GT EV can recharge in as little as 5 minutes, drive nearly 400 miles on a single charge, and looks like something straight out of an action movie.

Some Massachusetts EV owners will soon be able to earn incentives for sending electricity from their car batteries back to the grid when demand spikes.

We’ve got an EV-focused edition of Green Deals for you today, starting with up to $800 exclusive savings you can score on Heybike’s Mars 2.0 Folding e-bike, ALPHA All-Terrain Mid-Drive e-bike, and Horizon Full-Suspension e-bike – all at new low prices starting from $799, after using our code at checkout. We also have the newly launched Segway Back to School EV Sale with up to 46% savings across e-scooters, e-bikes, and the GoKart Pro 2, with this sale offering the second-ever discount on the GT3 Pro SuperScooter to its $2,500 low. There’s also the all-time low prices on Aventon’s Level 3 Commuter and Pace 4 Cruiser e-bikes, and the EGO Power+ 2,100 PSI Cordless Electric Pressure Washer bundle with a 6.0Ah battery, as well as the Schumacher NACS to J1772 EV charger adapter, a VIOFO two-channel dash cam system, and more. As always, you can find all the hangover deals from this week down at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Anker SOLIX Summer Camp Outlet Sale with exclusive bonus savings, 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.

The world’s best-selling car of all time is going electric. Toyota warned it “cannot survive” by sticking to its traditional methods as it pins its future on the next-generation Corolla EV.

Volvo is already calling it a game-changing electric SUV. The new 2027 EX60 now has an EPA-estimated driving range of up to 330 miles, making it the longest-range EV Volvo offers.

The second day of racing at this year’s Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix concluded late last night, with the finalization of lap results. The third and final day of racing is now underway, with 30 teams cleared for the track and 12 qualified to compete in the cross-country Electrek American Solar Challenge.

I expect the latter number to increase significantly by the end of the day.

There are few recent advances in the transportation industry that have had as large of an impact on the shifting ways we travel around our cities than micromobility. I’m talking bikes, scooters, mopeds, self-balancing doo-hickeys, etc.

And there are a lot of hills I’m willing to die on in the micromobility world. But one of them is that we need to stop defining such vehicles by what they look like and start defining them by what they do.

Ford announced plans to build an electric crossover with China’s Geely as part of a new alliance. A new compact SUV is also set to join the Bronco family.