Electrek

XPeng Motors is making good on previously shared plans to expand to 60 global markets this year, many of which already include countries in the EU. The Chinese automaker announced five new markets and some pop-ups in additional regions as it continues its quest to become a household name in BEVs.

The Kelce Car Jam is back, baby. Hosted by one of the NFL’s hottest stars (and Taylor Swift’s new fiancé), Travis Kelce, Lucid Motors (LCID) will be at the event, offering the chance to test drive its luxury electric vehicles. For every EV test drive, Lucid pledges to donate $87 to Kelce’s Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation.

California now has 201,180 public and shared EV charger ports available across the state — 68% more than the number of gasoline nozzles, according to the California Energy Commission (CEC).

Solar EV startup Aptera has announced a Senior Vice President of Engineering, donning quite the resume in electric mobility. Leon Kaunitz joins Aptera after leading engineering teams at Tesla, Ford, and NIO, with the goal of bringing the SoCal startup’s long-promised Aptera solar EV into mass production.

Two Tesla Megapacks caught fire this week at a massive 360 MW battery project in Boulder City, near Las Vegas, Nevada.

The ID.4 is one of several Volkswagen electric vehicles that will be impacted by the planned shutdowns at two German EV plants. VW is also planning to halt production of the ID.4 in the US.

Tesla is asking the Trump administration not to repeal EPA rules that allow automakers to sell more polluting vehicles despite the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, donating more than $200 million to Trump’s campaign, which clearly included repealing the EPA rules as part of its platform.

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 new e-bikes from Trek and Gazelle, Surronster got arrested in Mexico, Rivian’s ALSO e-bike leaked, Pakistan is giving women free pink e-scooters, Coca-Cola goes all in on electric rickshaws, and more.

Lease deals get all the headlines, but 75% of new car buyers still finance their cars, indicating that they want to own their vehicles once the payments are done. If that sounds like you, and you’ve been holding out for relief from sky-high payments, a wave of new EVs are now available with 0% financing — making it one of the best months yet to buy a new EV.

UPDATE: the OG Tesla-killer is offering a killer deal.

Government researchers in the US and abroad believe we could help decarbonize and electrify the transportation sector with hardy, fast-growing plants that collect the metals needed to manufacture electric vehicle batteries in their roots, then harvest those metals later with a process that’s cleaner and cheaper than traditional mineral mining.

Peak Energy just switched on a 3.5 MWh sodium-ion battery, the largest sodium-ion energy storage project developed in the US. The system is the first of its kind at grid scale, and may eventually be a game-changer for delivering affordable energy in the US.

Subaru announced prices for the new and improved 2026 Solterra EV on Thursday. Despite significant upgrades, including added range, power, an NACS port for recharging at Tesla Superchargers, and more, the upgraded Solterra still starts at just $38,495, the same as the outgoing model.

The latest automotive numbers in Europe were released for August, confirming that Tesla’s decline is continuing, but it has slowed down, with the company “only” being down 22%.

However, the most worrying part for Tesla is that it is happening while battery-electric vehicle sales were up 30% last month.

Hyundai Motor is recalling nearly 8,000 2023-2025 Genesis GV60 EVs due to a potential issue with the molding at the top of the windshield that may cause it to fall off.

A new software update from Rivian was sighted earlier this month, and it’s being prepared for a full rollout to Gen 2 R1S and R1T EVs. The latest Rivian update includes upgrades to the American automaker’s Enhanced Highway Assist driving, more energy-conscious home charging capabilities, and a slew of other improvements outlined below.

Solar + storage provider Sunrun and Maryland utility BGE are running the first residential vehicle-to-grid (V2G) distributed power plant in the US, and it’s powered by Ford F-150 Lightning trucks.

Today’s Green Deals are all about EVs in their many forms, headlined by Lectric’s Ultimate Tailgating Flash Sale that is offering $488 and $399 FREE cargo bundles on the XP4 750 Folding Utility and XP Lite2 Folding e-bikes starting from $1,099. We also have EcoFlow’s PowerPulse Level 2 40A EV Charger (and bundles) starting from its $699 low, as well as Segway’s Roll into Fall Savings Sale with hundreds being taken off various EVs, including the Max G2 Electric Scooter at $800. We also have some add-on accessory deals for cars, SUVs, and trucks, as well as the continuing Early Prime Day Sales, and more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about all the hangover deals collected at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s launches of Jackery’s new Explorer 240D compact power station, the Hiboy EX9 Urban Commuter e-bike, 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.

Kia is making it easier than ever to charge your EV. The company is rolling out new features and more that will get you back on the road in no time.

Young Chinese EV developer Xiaomi Automobile has officially expanded its global footprint, opening a new R&D and Design Center in Germany. This is Xiaomi’s first step in its planned expansion outside China and into new markets around the EU.

A new version of the all-electric Mercedes-Benz CLA is now available in China. The Mercedes CLA Long-Wheelbase EV, or L, for short, starts at 259,000 yuan, or about $36,000, with a range of over 530 miles (866 km).

Tesla is finally launching its Full Self-Driving Supervised (FSD) v14 update, the first major update to the driver assistance system in a year, and Elon Musk says it ‘feels sentient.’

However, he also referred to the previous update as sentient, so temper your expectations.

Ford is testing a new electrified Mustang that may not be as electric as it seems. The next-gen Mustang is apparently already in development. Here’s what we know about it so far.

New York City’s new 15 mph speed limit for electric bikes is officially set to take effect next month, in what city officials claim is a move to improve street safety. But not everyone is convinced the crackdown is targeting the real threat on the roads.

Tesla is now buying advertising on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) to get Tesla shareholders to vote for his CEO compensation package worth up to $1 trillion in stock options.