Jo Borrás

RIC Robotics just teased a 20-foot tall, AI-driven construction robot it calls, “the world’s first Giantroid.” There’s a few dudes in Japan who may dispute that claim, but there’s no question that this all-terrain robot has the potential to revolutionize the way big jobs get done!

A team of white hat European hackers using their brains, keyboards, and a couple of bits and baubles from eBay managed to take control of a 2020 Nissan LEAF and violate just about every privacy and safety regulation in the process.

The best part: they recorded the whole thing.

Mercedes high-performance arm is about to hurl an all-electric, 1,000 hp GT squarely into Porsche Taycan territory – but will world-beating performance and a bespoke EV chassis be enough to convince the AMG faithful to pony up for an EV?

While Washington continues to threaten America’s economic security and position as a global technology leader by toying with the idea of killing the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit, the ENERGY STAR program, and other energy efficiency incentives, the private energy sector is stepping up with massive investments in battery storage, charging infrastructure, and commercial EV rebates – and helping fleet buyers navigate those new incentives is becoming part of the broader business plan.

Volvo Cars has teased an all-new Volvo XC70 plug-in hybrid crossover with 400 hp and 200 km (approx. 125 miles) of all-electric range, giving it the longest battery-only range of any of the company’s plug-in hybrid offerings.

Last month’s bauma event in Germany was so big that the industry hive mind is still trying to digest everything it saw – and that includes these new, rough terrain electric material handlers from Spanish equipment brand AUSA!

On today’s thrilling episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got some of the highlights of the 2025 ACT Expo, including the all-electric Windrose and Mack Pioneer Class 8s trucks, a hydrogen fuel sell [sic] from Honda, a fun charging surprise, and – after an eight year wait – we finally get a ride in the all-new (in 2017) Tesla Semi!

Have you priced out car insurance lately? Regardless of what the gecko or the emu are selling on Hulu these days, believe me when I tell you that insurance premiums are at an all-time high. But fear not, fellow Electrekkies – for I’ve done some digging and unearthed this lest of the cheapest EVs to insure in May 2025!

Professional salespeople love to talk about “the steps of the sale,” a tried-and-true process that guides every customer from curiosity to closed. But when it comes to electric cars, that old-school hustle can fall flat, leaving dealers struggling with how to fit them into their familiar playbook. But what if I told you, dear dealer, that there’s a whole category of vehicles on existing dealer lots that need to be approached in exactly the same way as an EV to score a successful sale that you’re already familiar with?

That category: Heavy-duty tow trucks. Here’s how selling one is a lot like selling the other.

Electric vehicles’ share of the market continues to climb in America’s second city, with BEV registrations up more than 50% in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year. Great news, but charging hasn’t kept up – but a new plan from Chicago Department of Transportation aims to build up enough infrastructure for the city to keep up.

With a fully-enclosed, G-Wagen-inspired body and an 80 mile electric range, the Bodo G-Wagon golf cart is the NEV you need when you decide it’s time to get serous one-upping the rest of the Palm Beach country clubbers.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 got a raft of upgrades and sporty, rally-focused XRT trim level for 2025 – but the biggest upgrade for the Made in America Hyundai might be this: the 5 has regained eligibility for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit!

With the launch of the first-ever Class 8 vocational EV in the North American market, PACCAR Kenworth is raising the battery-electric bar and underscoring just how far the market has come since the Tesla Semi made its debut nearly a decade ago.

The tire-blistering SU7 Ultra has been the Xiaomi brand’s flagship super sedan since its launch, but a controversial software setting has limited the car to “just” 900 hp in regular driving – resulting in an outcry from owners who ponied up for the big boy numbers. With its latest software update, that missing 648 hp is back on tap!

Capable of delivering up to 1,200 kW of power to get electric commercial trucks back on the road in minutes, the new ABB MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System is part of an ecosystem of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) that ABB’s bringing to this year’s ACT Expo.

UPDATE 03MAY2025: ABB reads Electrek (see above).

Honda came to this year’s ACT Expo in Anaheim, California with the perfect follow-up to the jaw-dropping hydrogen fuel cell-powered semi truck they showed off last year. This year, the company’s fuel cell is in series production – and available now.

Electric vehicle charging and battery storage specialists Zenobē have inked a deal with Canadian leasing company 7Gen to fund more than 500 commercial EVs and their associated charging infrastructure.

Mack showed up to the 2025 ACT Expo with a brand-new Mack Pioneer Class 8 semi and promises of a 300 mile electric version arriving next year, but when I asked them about the Mack LR Electric rear-loader shown above, they got real quiet. More, after the break.

Windrose arrived at the ACT Expo in Anaheim this week on a high, with not one but several of its 400-mile sleeper cab electric semis, news that its first customer trucks had been deployed in the US, and a $300 million funding goal. But what got the press really excited? A 1:18 scale model of the R700.

ACT Expo is North America’s premier clean truck and transport trade show – and for 2025 it was bigger than ever, with more exhibitors and more, more capable battery electric vehicles than ever. The downsides? NACFE have scored with their “messy middle” messaging, and the return of “clean diesel” talking points.

The 2025 edition of the ACT Expo hasn’t even started yet, but there’s already at least one big takeaway wort talking about: the Tesla-fighting Windrose electric semi truck from China Belgium is not coming to America … it’s already here. And it’s already in customers’ hands.

Swedish equipment manufacturer Sandvik has scored a record order for electric mining equipment at South32’s greenfield Hermosa critical minerals project in Arizona – the deal is being valued at over $100 million.

Cynics will point at big rebates and claim they mean the vehicle isn’t selling, but that just exposes them for the industry noobs that they are. A rebate is a powerful financial tool that helps dealers overcome obstacles like negative equity, poor credit, and down payment requirements and get you to drive home in the car of your dreams today.

So if you’re dealing with any of the above, but still hope to slide behind the wheel of a new EV before new tariffs kick in, pay attention: these EVs could get you behind the wheel of a new electric ride sooner than you think!

UPDATE: Kia really, really wants you to buy a new EV this month!

Along with Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-based ultralight aircraft company Whisper Aero has secured a $500,000 grant to help advance the company’s innovative electric jet motor concept off the drawing board and onto the testing phase.