Electrek

While some police departments in the US and around the world are busy chasing down illegal or reckless e-bike riders, others are taking a very different approach: if you can’t beat them, join them.

New York City’s largest food rescue organization is helping Bronx residents breathe a little bit easier with the recent acquisition and upcoming deployment of three brand-new, zero emission Volvo VNR Electric semi trucks.

BMW is kicking off its Neue Klasse era of car design in high style with the all-new 2027 model year BMW iX3 – and demand for the new electric crossover is so high that BMW is reportedly sold out through to the end of 2026, already.

The ultra-fast Xiaomi SU7 Ultra made enough headlines with its astonishing 0-60 sprints and record Nürburgring lap times to drum up around 3,000 sales per month – but the good times seem to have come to an end, and Xiaomi sold just 45 units in December.

I reached out to a Texas Chevy dealer about a 2023 Bolt EUV LT Redline they list in their inventory, and despite talking to two different reps and probably an AI, I couldn’t get the answer to one simple question: why is their price more than $13,000 above sticker?

The construction experts at DEWALT have launched what they’re calling the world’s first downward drilling, fleet-capable robot – a machine they say will enable more efficient concrete drilling to help accelerate data center construction.

Just how big is the market for humanoid robots? Big enough to soak up a whopping ~75 GWh of solid-state battery capacity between now and 2035 – nearly 1500x growth!

Winter Storm Fern knocked out power for millions of people across the US and reignited a familiar political and media fight over what really causes large-scale outages during extreme weather. To separate the rhetoric from the operational reality, Electrek spoke with Leah Qusba, CEO of GoodPower, a research, strategic communications, and campaigning organization focused on advancing the global renewable energy transition.

In this Q&A, Qusba walks through what tends to fail first during major winter storms, what outage data shows about the role of wind, solar, and fossil generation during Fern, why fuel supply and winterization still matter more than the generation mix, and how coordinated disinformation campaigns exploit moments of uncertainty after grid emergencies and what works to counter them.

Elon Musk claimed he “refused” invitations to visit Jeffrey Epstein’s private island after the financier was already convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor, but newly released Department of Justice documents prove that was a lie.

The emails show Musk actively trying to plan a visit and asking Epstein about “the wildest party” on his island.

Hyundai’s electric MPV is bigger than the Volkswagen ID.Buzz and Kia Carnival. The Staria EV is Hyundai’s largest EV to date, and it looks even bigger in real life.

Days after completing a $9 million equity raise, solar EV startup Aptera Motors posted its latest progress update video, detailing how it intends to use the fresh funds. While it still has a way to go, Aptera is continuing production of its solar EV validation builds with hopes of delivering SEVs to customers before the end of the year.

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 Tesla’s automotive suicide, Model S/X getting axed in the process, the Cybercab fiasco, and more

Japanese oil giant Idemitsu Kosan broke ground on a large-scale solid electrolyte pilot plant in collaboration with Toyota on Thursday. The electrolytes made at the facility will be used in all-solid-state batteries for EVs developed by Toyota.

Our end-of-the-week Green Deals is being led by the Navee XT5 Pro Electric Scooter that has fallen to a new $1,100 low, while we also have Aventon’s Level 2 Commuter e-bike falling to a new $999 low in a weekend flash sale, as well as Heybike’s Valentine’s Day e-bike Sale taking up to $700 off its lineup and returning several models to their all-time lowest rates, like the Mars 2.0 Folding Fat Tire e-bike at $899. There’s also a 72-hour Anker SOLIX flash sale with options like the C2000 Gen 2 Power Station and alternator charger bundle at $1,148, among others – plus, we have some of the best prices of the last six months on EGO Power+ and Worx lawn care tools/equipment. All these and more are waiting for you below, and don’t forget the hangover deals at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s EcoFlow January Monthly Madness EcoCredit event, as well as Lectric’s Valentine’s Day e-bike Sale with up to $753 savings, 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 PV5 is much more than just an electric van. Kia opened orders for an EV pickup truck variant in South Korea this week, starting at 43.45 million won ($30,000). With subsidies, Kia said the actual purchase price can drop to just 29.95 million won ($20,800).

CATL and BYD are already dominating the EV battery market, accounting for over 50% of global sales last year. With new tech rolling out in 2026, China’s battery leaders look to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Tesla is officially expanding into Morocco, marking another step in the automaker’s push into African markets. The company will host a launch event on February 6 in Casablanca, introducing the Model 3 and Model Y to the North African nation.

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes a range of stories from new e-bike laws in New Jersey and Amsterdam, Rad Power Bikes getting bought out of bankruptcy, the clever way that e-bike batteries can be used for extra power during storms or even power a food truck, Honda’s new 50 MPH electric scooter, and more.

SpaceX is reportedly considering a merger with either Tesla or xAI, according to Bloomberg. If you’re a Tesla shareholder, you should be very concerned about what this means.

The US DC fast charging industry slowdown never showed up in 2025. In fact, according to Paren’s new “US EV Fast Charging” state of the industry report, fast charging networks set records last year, with infrastructure buildout and charging demand both jumping about 30% year-over-year.

SOLARCYCLE has started recycling solar panels at a massive new facility in Cedartown, Georgia, signaling that solar recycling in the US is finally moving from pilot projects to industrial scale.

Tesla’s nascent robotaxi program is off to a rough start. New NHTSA crash data, combined with Tesla’s new disclosure of robotaxi mileage, reveals Tesla’s autonomous vehicles are crashing at a rate much higher tha human drivers, and that’s with a safety monitor in every car.

SolarEdge has started shipping US-made residential solar inverters to Europe – a milestone as US solar manufacturers look for export upside amid shifting trade rules, tariffs, and fading domestic manufacturing incentives.

The Hyundai Kona is about to look a lot different. Hyundai is scrapping plans for a mid-cycle facelift and will instead introduce an entirely new Kona.