Electrek

As Texas braces for tighter power margins and record demand on the ERCOT grid, Sunrun and NRG Energy are transforming home batteries into a giant virtual power plant. The two companies are integrating more home battery storage into the grid and tapping those batteries when the state needs power the most.

Volkswagen is gearing up to launch a new family of affordable EVs, starting with the ID.Polo. Can it fill the shoes of the popular low-cost hatch?

BYD offered a first look at its new flagship electric SUV and sedan, claiming the new EVs redefine high-end standards.

Headlining our Tuesday Green Deals this week is Velotric’s Christmas Gift Season Sale that is not only taking up to $400 off a select number of its e-bikes, but is also offering a FREE $100 gift card with purchases of $2,500 or more. Among the lineup, we spotted the Velotric Summit 1 Versatile Multi-Terrain e-bike with a $160 FREE bundle of gear back at its $1,799 low. Right behind it is Heybike’s Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike that comes with $89+ in FREE gear/gifts at a new $999 low, as well as Bluetti’s Elite 30 V2 Power Station at $204, an Autel EV Charger at its second-best pricing, and many more Christmas deals waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals that are collected together at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Hiboy Christmas EV Sale, the latest EcoFlow 48-hour flash sale that ends tonight, 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.

I’ve put over 200 km (125 miles) on Tesla’s latest ‘Full Self-Driving Supervised’ (FSD) v14 update, and I’ve gathered my thoughts in this article.

In short, Tesla FSD v14 is an incremental improvement to the automaker’s advanced driver-assist system (ADAS) and the most impressive Level 2 system available in a consumer vehicle today.

However, it is still far from what Tesla sold to car buyers: unsupervised self-driving.

Hyundai is chasing its fifth straight record sales year in the US, but it has even bigger plans over the next few years.

Nissan’s iconic electric hatch that started it all is back and better than ever. The new and improved LEAF is now rolling off the production line at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, a “momentous” milestone for the company and UK economy.

Europe has proposed to roll back its 2035 all-electric target, instead replacing it with a softer 90% reduction in automakers’ fleet CO₂ emissions, in what will be a major blow to the European auto industry’s global competitiveness which they, for some reason, are celebrating.

After confirming plans to end production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning, Ford’s CEO said the $70,000 EV pickup didn’t make sense. Instead, Ford is betting a new EREV will.

Chinese EV automaker XPeng confirmed that it has secured an L3 autonomous testing permit in Guangzhou, one of the first such permits in China.

They also released a video of their autonomous software navigating a police sobriety checkpoint without human intervention, showing that it can detect and respond to human hand signals.

As electric bikes and e-scooters continue to surge in popularity, and as the growing ridership skews towards younger operators with growing questions about safety and road rules, motorcycle training courses might be an unexpected ally. In Las Vegas, motorcycle safety instructors are expanding their classrooms to include e-bike and e-scooter riders, responding to a growing number of traffic incidents involving younger riders and micromobility vehicles.

Ford is jumping into the battery energy storage business, betting that booming demand from data centers and the electric grid can absorb the EV battery capacity it says it’s not using.

To achieve this, Ford plans to repurpose its existing EV battery manufacturing capacity in Glendale, Kentucky, into a dedicated hub for manufacturing battery energy storage systems.

Stellantis may have backed away from planned EVs like the all-electric Ram REV and range-topping Dodge Charger Daytona R/T EV, but the company isn’t standing still. A newly awarded patent outlines an innovative, foam-based thermal runaway suppression system that’s built into an EV’s battery pack.

It’s official. The all-electric pickup is dead, but Ford is promising the F-150 Lightning EREV will be “every bit as revolutionary” as it shakes up EV plans once again.

Nailable solar shingle maker GAF Energy has shut down its San Jose, California, research and development and manufacturing hub, which opened in 2021, and moved its headquarters to Georgetown, Texas. Going forward, the company will only manufacture its solar shingles at its Texas factory.

The Kia EV4 is now on sale as the most affordable EV in Canada. Starting at under $40,000, the electric sedan is even cheaper than the Fiat 500e.

Tesla has reported yet another crash involving its Robotaxi fleet in Austin to the NHTSA. The new data keeps the program’s accident rate alarmingly high compared to human drivers, even as the company prepares to remove human safety supervisors from the vehicles.

Kicking off this week’s Monday Green Deals is Hiboy’s full-momentum Christmas EV Sale with up to 50% discounts and many bonus savings codes left over from Black Friday that is returning many e-scooters and e-bikes to their best rates, like Hiboy’s MAX Pro Electric Scooter at its $567 low. We also have EcoFlow’s next 48-hour Christmas flash sale that has dropped the DELTA 3 Ultra Plus Power Station with a 440W solar bundle to a new $1,799 low. From there, you can find ECOVACS’ Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower at a new $699 low, a wide array of Samsung laundry and kitchen appliances at up to $1,650 off, a new annual EGO string trimmer low, the best prices in months on Goal Zero power stations, and many more of the best ongoing holiday deals/sales waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals from last week that are collected together at the bottom of the page in our latest edition of Electrified Weekly.

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.

No, Ford is not bringing the Ranger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to the US. Ford shut down rumors that the midsize pickup would launch in the US. Here’s what’s coming instead.

Fortescue has taken the wraps off a prototype of its proposed “Infinity Train” electric locomotive, making the 1,100 km (about 685 miles) trip from Perth to the Pilbara and marking a major milestone in the decarbonization of the company’s heavy haul operations.

UPDATE 15DEC2025: now there are two!

Develon is kicking off the holidays with seven new or updated electric excavators, led by its seriously impressive flagship offering: the new 25‑ton DX250LCE-7 battery-electric crawler excavator developed by HD Hyundai.

BYD is making a significant move to boost confidence in its electric vehicles in Europe. The Chinese automaker has announced a major update to its warranty terms, extending the battery coverage to 8 years or 250,000 km (approx. 155,000 miles), whichever comes first.

This new policy significantly outpaces the industry standard and puts pressure on competitors like Tesla and Volkswagen to follow suit.

If I enjoy anything almost as much as riding electric bikes, it’s trying out new gear while I’m out on the road. With the holidays on us in full force, there’s just a bit of time left to share that excitement with the e-bike fan in your life. Below are some of the standout pieces of gear I’ve tested this year that would make excellent stocking stuffers for anyone who rides an e-bike – or even a regular bicycle – among your friends and family.