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LG WashCombo vs. GE Profile heat pump washer-dryers compared, 10 reasons to get either

Heat Pump GE Washcombo LG washer

Over the past few months, a new type of washer-dryer combo has emerged on the scene in North America (Yes, Europe and Asia have had great, tiny heat pump tech for decades). These new big combo units from GE Profile UltraFast PFQ97HSPVDS and now LG WashCombo WM6998HBA (introduced at CES) are now on the market.

I’ve had the GE Profile for 2 weeks, and the LG is on the way for testing head-to-head, but for now, I want to tell you about all of the ways both of these things are amazing, and energy savings is just the tip of the iceberg…

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Electrek’s vehicle of the year is the svelte $25K Chevy Bolt

Chevy Bolt 2023 Electrek

The lowest-priced EV in the US is somehow also one of the best. Now in its sixth year, the Bolt EV is also seasoned, having worked through a battery fiasco/recall and significant lapses by GM’s decision-makers while receiving modest but significant updates.

With a clean bill of health, the Bolt is now a huge outlier in bang-for-buck. But the 2023 Bolt is also quick, fun to drive, useful, and often more so than cars twice its price. In fact, I think we should be looking to the diminutive Bolt as the future of transportation.

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Drive Electric Week starts Sept 24 with virtual events through Oct 4

Drive Electric Week is going online this year — on its 10th anniversary — with events centered around electric vehicle advocacy. Most events will be virtual, though some local in-person events will be held — far fewer than in previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic (wear your masks!). A full list and map of events can be found on Plug In America’s website.

The week kicks off Thursday, September 24, at 5 p.m. PDT/8 p.m. EDT, with an “all-star” event featuring longtime EV advocates Bill Nye and Leilani Munter. Its host will be NPR’s Peter Sagal. It will be streamed on Facebook Live (no account required to watch). Register here to get more information via email, or find the event on Sierra Club’s Facebook page.

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Electric Mini Cooper SE review — lots of fun for not a lot of money

electric mini review miami beach

The new fully electric Mini, the Mini Cooper SE, hits US showrooms in March. BMW flew us down to Miami last week to drive it up and down the Florida coast, and Electrek is here to tell you whether it lives up to expectations.

The Mini Cooper SE is Mini’s first entry into the electric vehicle market…sort of. Mini made a limited-run vehicle in 2009, the Mini E, and I was one of the lucky 450 drivers in the US to have one. I drove it for two years and loved it, and it’s what got me into electric vehicles in the first place. Will the 2020 Mini Cooper SE inspire other drivers the same way the original Mini E inspired me? Let’s find out.


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UPDATE: California’s ban on per-minute billing; display at Tesla Superchargers

Two weeks ago, we reported on California’s new regulation that would ban electric vehicle charging companies from selling electricity by time, and also put in new physical display requirements for EV charging stations.

We’ve had subsequent conversations with California’s Division of Measurement Standards (DMS), and it’s clear the agency is counting on EV drivers to help them give force to their new regulation.


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Will the Tesla Cybertruck be able to beat gas trucks for home power supply?

Gas generators still own the portable, emergency home-backup power space. Ten years ago there was a lot of hope and hype for using all the energy stored inside EVs’ batteries to power your entire house, but it hasn’t come to pass. No EV maker will sell you a bidirectional charger, outside of Japan and a handful of small utility pilots.

Meanwhile, the 2020 Ford F-150 will come with the option for its own built-in, onboard gas generator. And aftermarket companies, like Indiana’s Real AC power, offer sleek, chassis-integrated generator systems (pictured above) for internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks. EV makers ceded this space for unknown reasons. But now Tesla CEO Elon Musk has teased a 240V AC power outlet on the Cybertruck, something neither Rivian nor Bollinger have announced. We don’t know how many watts we can expect, though. So will the Tesla Cybertruck finally offer EV enthusiasts a path to navigate societal collapse? Or are we stuck with settling for “head’s up, you’re going to lose power” messages?


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Tesla (TSLA) is about to release its Q3 earnings — here’s what to expect

Tesla (TSLA) montreal

Tesla (TSLA) is set to announce its third-quarter 2019 financial results today, Wednesday, October 23, after the markets close. As usual, a conference call and Q&A with Tesla’s management is set, following the results. This time it’s going to be an hour later than usual: 3:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. ET).

Here we take a look at what both the street and retail investors are expecting for the quarterly results.
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Review: rating OEM’s EV charging cords (Tesla, Audi get A’s; GM, Jaguar fail)

In this post, we review the portable EV charging cords that come standard with the following electric vehicles sold in North America: Tesla (all models), the Audi e-tron, the Nissan Leaf, the Jaguar I-Pace, the Porsche Taycan, the Chevy Bolt, the BMW i3, and Hyundai (all BEVs). This review is pretty wild; the specs (usefulness) of OEM standard charging cords are all over the place. Some car makers gave a ton of thought to this while others clearly gave none. That’s concerning, because “electricity is everywhere” is a major argument in favor of EV ownership, but that’s only meaningful if you can usefully tap the grid.


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Climate strikes around the globe Sep. 20-27 led by youth — 3,500 events, 117 countries

school strike in Sydney

Six months after youth took to the streets around the world demanding climate action, more climate strikes are scheduled this coming week. The strike events are mostly planned for Friday, September 20 and 27, but several more will take place in the interim.

There are a total of over 3,500 events happening in 117 countries, with 800 events planned in the US alone. The events are largely organized and led by youth, but anyone who desires climate action is welcome and encouraged to walk out and attend your local demonstration.


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VW unveils production version of ID.3 electric car: starts under $33,000 with range up to 340 miles

Europe EV

VW has unveiled today the production version of one of the most anticipated electric car of the year, the ID.3, Volkswagen’s first car on its new MEB electric platform.

The based version of the ID.3 electric car starts under $33,000 (€30,000) and the range of the higher-end version goes up to 340 miles (550 km).
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Tesla (TSLA) is about to release its Q2 earnings — here’s what to expect

Tesla (TSLA) montreal

Tesla (TSLA) is set to announce its second-quarter 2019 financial results tomorrow, Wednesday, July 24, after the markets close. As usual, a conference call and Q&A with Tesla’s management is set, following the results. This time it’s going to be an hour later than usual: 3:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. ET).

Here we take a look at what both the street and retail investors are expecting for the quarterly results.
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