Electrek

Ever heard of the Buffalo Bike? It probably doesn’t look like the flashy, lightweight, or streamlined bicycles we normally see. But it’s got something that most bikes these days lack: an extreme ruggedness and cost-effective design that helps it last as long as possible while serving as many people as possible for as little cost as possible.

The new year has brought some new, tighter restrictions for drivers in France, particularly for those driving heavy, polluting cars. As of January 1, the government has revised its malus écologique, a one-time penalty tax for registering bulky, CO2-emitting cars, to include a lot more ICE vehicles, even some of the most popular budget models. 

Swedish lithium-ion battery maker Northvolt locked in European approval for a €902 million ($986 million) subsidy from the German government to build its gigafactory there.

Kia-owner Hyundai certainly isn’t in a big rush to go carbon neutral. It has set its target as the far-away date of 2050. But now it says it will rely heavily on hydrogen fuel cells generated from plastic, food, and organic waste to power a whole new generation of EVs, from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks. Problem is, there is nowhere to charge them.

Following the debut of the production-intent design of its Helix light eVTOL, electric aviation startup Pivotal has begun selling the personal aircraft in the US. The Helix is unique in that it does not require FAA pilot certification, opening the skies to a larger pool of potential customers… if they have the money.

Sony is now on its fifth year of showing off its upcoming electric car in its CES press conferences, which we learned last year will be named AFEELA and is planned hit the market in 2026.

This year, the press conference focused on Sony’s software plans for its new vehicle – along with a heap of the latest buzzwords, mostly to do with AI.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Kia is kicking off the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 with some exciting news in a quest to go “beyond mobility.” This afternoon, Kia introduced its fully customizable Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) to provide businesses and individuals with modular, fit-for-purpose EVs. Kia also demonstrated the potential of its new PBV business by unveiling the Concept PV5.

If the Hyundai IONIQ 5 caught your eye, now may be the best time to start shopping. Hyundai is offering the biggest deal on the IONIQ 5 since its launch, with up to $15,000 in savings.

Tesla has drastically downgraded the Model Y’s audio system from 13 to 7 speakers and seemingly getting rid of the subwoofer.

Fortunately, it’s only for the base version.

Four more heat pump manufacturers have successfully developed cold-climate prototypes as part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge.

Yanfeng, a key GM, Jeep, and Ram auto supplier, unveiled its Electric Vehicle Interior (EVI) concept at CES 2024 on Monday. The interior is a vision that eliminates the traditional instrument panel and, instead, integrates most features into a Smart Cabin seat.

Starting off the work week, we have a $500 discount on this GoTrax step-through e-bike to go alongside a deep clearance offer on the Juiced’s HyperScrambler 2 at $2,499 – if you need something more in the e-moped space, that is. Both of these e-bike deals are joined by Snow Joe’s 24V 21-inch electric snow blower, which now starts at $398 to join all of the other new Green Deals.

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.

Tesla (TSLA) has reportedly grown its deliveries by 25% in the US last year to now hold a 4.2% market share of the US auto market.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced nearly $1 billion in grant funding for electric school buses across the US – enough for more than 2,700 clean buses.

Volkswagen’s latest infotainment update rolling out to several of its ID EV models includes a popular new bot – ChatGPT. The German automaker kicked off CES 2024 in Las Vegas this morning with the announcement as it looks to make the chatbot a standard feature in a majority of its passenger vehicles.

Horwin’s flashy flagship electric motorbike, the SENMENTI 0 production model, has just made its US debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In a massive new deal, Solar giant Qcells will supply Microsoft with 12 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels over eight years.

Is Ford taking a page from rival GM? A new patent filing hints an Ultium-like EV platform could be in the works to power Ford’s next-gen electric pickup, or any other electric car, for that matter.

Tesla is preparing to launch a new “efficiency package” across most of its electric vehicle lineup amid range concerns.

Don’t underestimate the Volvo EX30’s small size. As the first EX30 models reach European buyers, Volvo sees it as a best-seller over the next few years.

Volkswagen said it wouldn’t get involved in a price war with Tesla. But now it too is dramatically slashing prices on its ID line of electric vehicles in Europe, following Tesla’s price cuts for the top-selling Model 3 and Model Y.

Japanese automaker Honda has been, shall we say, laying very low when it comes to developing a decent electric vehicle, although we can expect its second EV attempt in the US, the Prologue, soon. After calling off beats with GM to “beat out Tesla” with a cheap SUV, it has now emerged with news that it is mulling over a $14 billion EV and battery plant in Canada.