Jo Borrás

Nikola’s story of fraud, deception, and political intrigue is almost over – the bankrupt company that promised a revolution in hydrogen- and battery-powered heavy trucking has seen its workforce shrink from 874 to a single remaining employee.

In the world of professional hockey, the only thing that might be more iconic than the legendary Stanley Cup might be the Zamboni – the mighty ice-smoothing machines that keep the rink fast, flawless, and game-ready. And, thanks to battery power, today’s Zambonis can do the job more quietly, cleanly, and efficiently than ever.

For years, Tesla Powerwall has been the go-to recommendation for “normals” looking for a painless, low-effort experience from their first home solar and battery backup solutions. But with a recent recall on more than 10,000 home batteries over fire safety concerns following a year (or more) of CEO Elon Musk’s political antics, more and more people are beginning to look for alternatives to the trailblazing Tesla tech. The good news: there are plenty of other great home solar battery solutions are there!

UPDATE 28DEC2025: a 2026 CES Innovation Award winner makes the list.

In what appears to be significant strategic pivot, Samsung SDI will begin supplying prismatic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for energy storage systems under a fresh US contract worth more than 2 trillion won (~$1.35 billion). The move will see the company shift US EV battery production lines to ESS output ahead of 2027.

After launching its first-ever battery-electric Class 8 truck at the 2024 ACT Expo, the Toyota Hino-backed Tern brand announced the launch of its second electric semi truck. Meet the new Tern RC8 6×2 80k tractor.

First shown earlier this year as a styling concept, the Renault Filante Record 2025 technology demonstrator has been continually developed to prove that it’s got more than racy looks going for it. The concept drove more than 1,000 km in less than 10 hours, proving that extreme efficiency is possible at highway speeds.

’Twas the night before Christmas, and while visions of sugarplums may be dancing in other, lesser heads, mine is hoping for some polished chrome, hand-stitched leather, and effortless, electric torque — because Mariah can have you, all I want for Christmas is this classic Rolls-Royce Corniche restomod (in seasonally-appropriate Sugarplum metallic).

Volkswagen has released a new ID.UNYX 08 electric crossover for the Chinese market with a sharp look, an ultra-fast charging 800V system architecture, and a starting price that’s bound to steal even more sales from the struggling Tesla brand.

Adding a rooftop solar array to your home or business can be exciting and expensive. As such, it might be tempting to cut corners to keep costs down — but some upgrades are simply much cheaper to do while your solar system is being installed than they are to add later, and we’ve got some prime examples right here.

While Tesla struggles shake off allegations of remote operation for its robots, CATL is putting its new “Moz” humanoid robots to work — the company says it’s got the world’s first large-scale implementation of humanoid robots working at their Zhongzhou battery pack facility in China.

Thanks to a clever, fully electric swing system and “boom up” power assist features, the big PC365-11 hybrid excavator from Komatsu promises better performance and serious fuel savings compared to conventional diesel machines.

For serious fleet buyers, safety isn’t a “nice-to-have,” it’s an absolute must – and Kia’s new PV5 electric van meets that need with a positively stellar, five-star safety rating on the tough European NCAP safety test.

BYD is taking a page from the Airbnb playbook by launching a home charger sharing system that lets EV owners open up their personal charging equipment to other BYD drivers — and get paid for the convenience.

Even without clean fleet tax credits and cash-on-the-hood incentives, fleet managers are working hard to maximize their ROI on vehicle assets and reduce their total cost of ownership – and they’re increasingly turning to data‑driven telematics solutions to help.

Geely-backed performance EV brand Polestar has had some troubling times in recent months, but its future is looking a whole lot better after the company secured a $600 million loan facility to help it keep on keepin’ on.

Whether it’s to keep the lights on after a natural disaster or just to avoid peak energy rates, more people than ever are adding battery energy storage to their home solar systems — but li-ion batteries aren’t the only option. The new WATT Fuel Cell uses the natural gas connection your home already has to generate power when you need it.

French heavy lift and logistics specialists Mammoet are living up to their name with the addition of a new, mammoth-sized, 60-ton hybrid crane from the electric equipment experts at XCMG.

Like a 90s “gifted” kid that was supposed to be a lot of things, the electric Jeep Wagoneer S was supposed to be sporty, luxurious, and appeal to a whole new Jeep buyer. Despite being a decent vehicle, it never really found its place — but now that Jeep is offering nearly $17,000 off select models, it might be time to give the go-fast Wagoneer S a second look.

Volvo CE is getting into the spirit of the holidays with the donation of a band-new, $100,000 Volvo ECR25 Electric mini excavator to the Westfield Technical Academy’s horticulture department in Massachusetts.

Scania is calling its first-ever, fully-electric 8×4 heavy-duty mining tipper Sleipner after the Norse god Odin’s famously powerful eight-legged ride – and it’s being put to work at Sweden’s Malmberget iron ore mine.

Through the Exelon Foundation, local utility Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) has granted $250,000 to Civic Works’ Baltimore Shines solar initiative to support no-cost rooftop solar installations for low- and moderate-income homeowners.

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.

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.