Electrek

Take it from someone with nearly fifteen years in the business who has written up literally thousands of new car deals. If you drive lots of miles, if you like to keep your car for years and years, and if you hate making payments: leasing is almost always your best option.

The Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit tax credit under Section 45W of the IRS tax code may be gone, but it’s not forgotten! A number of states and utilities are stepping up with their own programs – and Oregon is the latest, offering rebates of up to $120,000 per vehicle for fleets looking to electrify their operations.

The popular Volvo FL Electric semi truck is now available in a new, 30,000 lb. (Class 7) entry-level model featuring a new battery, updated tech, and advanced ergonomics to make it an ideal urban transport tool.

This week, Commerce City, Colorado officials announced a big step towards decarbonizing its municipal operations with the launch of an all-new, all-electric residential recycling and garbage collection fleet, which is being deployed on the city’s streets as I type this.

Chevy is delivering 2027 Bolts to dealerships as we speak, bringing back the much-beloved electric hatchback which had been retired in 2023, with some nice updates but a very familiar form.

But it may not last for too long – GM says this refresh is only available for a “limited time,” so get it while you can.

GreenPower Motor Company plans to open a new EV factory in southern New Mexico, adding hundreds of jobs as the state ramps up incentives and fleet electrification.

Hyundai’s electric vehicles are already among the most affordable you can get your hands on. To kick off the new year, Hyundai is slashing EV prices again with new deals and promotions.

Independent power producer Treaty Oak Clean Energy has closed financing and kicked off construction on two solar farms that will add 385 megawatts of renewable energy capacity to Louisiana.

The plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler 4xe is getting axed as Stellantis kills off all of its PHEVs in North America. Meanwhile, one of its all-electric vehicles may face the same fate.

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 a battery holy grail too good to be true, NVIDIA open sourcing self-driving, Tesla Model Y ‘Standard’ Long Range, and more.

Leading this week’s Friday Green Deals is the new Tenways Wayfarer Cruiser e-bike with $366 in FREE bundled gear at an $1,899 low. What’s more, we also have three of Aventon’s popular legacy e-bikes at the lowest prices of the last year – all at $1,499, as well as Ride1Up’s New Year Sale with up to $600 e-bike savings starting from $995. There’s also a collection of Bluetti power stations and bundles with exclusive savings, as well as a collection of EcoFlow’s RIVER series of power stations, a newer 80V Greenworks cordless snow shovel, and more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Bluetti Alternator & Solar Dual DC Charger 2 exclusive launch 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.

The Kia GT moniker is getting electrified. Kia unveiled three (well, four really) new electric GT models at the Brussels Motor Show, including two sporty new SUVs and an EV hot hatch. Here’s our first look.

Tesla has launched a new “Standard” Model Y Long Range in Europe and a non-long range version in Canada, bringing another more affordable version of its best-selling electric SUV to these markets.

The simultaneous launch in the two markets separated by an ocean is due to Model Y vehicles in Canada actually coming from Europe.

Tesla’s trim name-scheming is starting to get a bit complicated.

The Hilux has gone electric. Toyota’s best-selling pickup made its European debut in electric form for the first time at the Brussels Motor Show.

Hyundai’s new electric people mover can fit up to nine passengers. The Staria is Hyundai’s biggest EV to date, but this small electric car is coming soon that will likely be an even bigger hit.

In a move that completely undermines the “Tesla is an AI company” narrative, Elon Musk’s private startup, xAI, has reportedly told investors that it plans to build the AI to power Tesla’s Optimus robot.

This new development comes from a Bloomberg report detailing xAI’s widening losses and massive cash burn. According to the report, xAI executives explicitly told investors that their goal is to “develop self-sufficient AI to power robots like Tesla’s Optimus.”

This is a massive shift in the narrative and potentially the smoking gun in ongoing shareholder lawsuits regarding Musk’s breach of fiduciary duty.

Kia unveiled its new compact, entry-level EV2 electric hatchback at the Brussels Motor Show this morning. It looks like a great, affordable EV… that the US may never see.

Electric outboards have long been pitched as the cleaner, quieter alternative to gas motors. But according to Blade, ideology alone isn’t enough to convince boaters to switch. The numbers actually have to work, or folks won’t be able to make the switch.

On today’s heated episode of Quick Charge, a US Congressman claims Tesla’s poor design caused at least 15 deaths, Elon says he’s a few billion miles away from real Full Self Driving, and Volvo teases an incredible new EX60 with 400 miles of range.

Sometimes innovation isn’t simply about going faster or adding more tech. Sometimes it’s as simple as giving people a seat.

That appears to be the case in Seattle, where Lime says its ridership jumped by an eye-opening 61% last year. According to the company, a major contributor to that growth was the LimeGlider – a seated electric scooter that blends elements of scooters, bikes, and mopeds into a single, highly approachable form factor.

Blink Charging now takes crypto at select DC fast chargers in the US, letting EV drivers pay for a charging session with a dollar‑pegged stablecoin instead of a card or app.

The electric off-road luxury SUV was spotted for the first time in pubic, but it doesn’t quite look like the cool concept Genesis showed off last year.

XCharge North America is planning one of the largest battery-backed EV charging depots in the US, and it’s coming to Brooklyn.

China has a new flagship EV en route that will become the largest electric SUV on the market later this year.