Electrek

Tesla has added a fifth Model Y variant to its US lineup: a new Standard All-Wheel Drive model priced at $41,990. For just $2,000 over the base rear-wheel drive version, buyers get dual motors and significantly better acceleration without having to pay for all the “premium” features.

There’s a growing consensus in the electric motorcycle world that the key to success when considering the constraints of today’s technology is to target smaller, simpler, more urban electric motorcycles. While much of today’s attention goes to high-tech, high-price electric motorcycles and e-bikes, the real opportunity for electrification may lie at the opposite end of the spectrum: ultra-simple, ultra-affordable machines designed for the masses.

More than 90% of US power outages start on the distribution grid – the part closest to homes that utilities can’t always see in real time – but Sense says it’s trying to change that by pushing fault detection directly into smart meters.

On today’s island-hopping episode of Quick Charge, we have to talk about Elon Musk’s cringey appearance in the Epstein files amid Tesla’s rapid sales decline in Europe, as well as the ultra-fast Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and its own rapid sales decline.

Waymo just closed a $16 billion funding round at a $126 billion valuation, the largest investment ever in an autonomous vehicle company. The Alphabet-backed robotaxi leader plans to use the capital to expand to over 20 new cities this year, including its first international markets.

New solar and wind capacity additions in November were the second highest in 2025 and accounted for 93% of that month’s total. Solar continues to dominate new capacity additions and has held the lead among all energy sources for 27 consecutive months, according to data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

SpaceX announced today that it has acquired xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, in a deal that creates a combined entity reportedly valued at $1.25 trillion ahead of a planned IPO. The acquisition notably does not include Tesla, which just invested $2 billion in xAI last month.

The 2026 C-HR was expected to be the $30,000 EV everyone was waiting for from Toyota. Although it’s a bit more expensive than anticipated, Toyota does offer an EV starting around that price.

In December, the US Department of Transportation proposed a plan to make cars less efficient when Americans are already paying record-high energy bills during an affordability crisis fueled by tariff-driven inflation. That plan is still up for public comment, with comments ending in two days.

The two main utilities that own a Colorado coal plant which was ordered to reopen by fossil shill Chris Wright have pushed back on the order, stating plainly that it would raise costs and would not benefit reliability for Colorado electric ratepayers.

A federal judge allowed Sunrise Wind to resume construction, making it the fifth and final offshore wind project to beat the shutdown order.

MG launched the new MG4 EV Urban in the UK, priced at just £23,495 ($32,000), undercutting BYD’s popular Dolphin hatch as more affordable electric cars hit the market.

With there only being six days until Super Bowl LX, we’ve got EcoFlow kickstarting this week’s Green Deals with its Big Game Day Sale that is seeing up to 64% discounts on units + a bonus 6% savings code. A notable inclusion there is the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus Portable Power Station and a FREE Trail 200 DC 60,000mAh Power Station at its second-best $1,033 rate, with several others rounded up together. We also spotted Velotric’s Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike in its Ocean Mist colorway getting $150 in FREE gear at a new $1,649 low, as well as some EcoFlow 24-hour flash sale offers, DEWALT’s 10-inch table saw at the best price since October, and more waiting for you below. And don’t forget the hangover deals from last week at the bottom of the page, rounded together within our latest Electrified Weekly edition.

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 introduced a series of new electric GT vehicles in Korea. The EV3 GT, EV4 GT, and EV5 GT are the latest to join Kia’s growing performance EV lineup.

China has officially moved forward with a proposed ban on flush EV door handles, with an effective date of January 1, 2027. The regulation will force a redesign of many EVs with sleek, electronically-actuated handles, a design popularized by Tesla.

With its official debut in just a few days, Toyota unveiled the interior of the new SUV for the first time, revealing three rows of seating.

Ford is not planning to build electric vehicles in the US with China’s Xiaomi, despite a report claiming the partnership would “pave the way for Chinese carmakers to gain a foothold in the US.”

Electric boats and ferries are starting to become more common, but they have typically been confined to short, fixed routes with expensive, purpose-built charging infrastructure. This week, Swedish electric boat maker Candela set out to prove that those limits are no longer necessary – and did so in record-setting fashion.

The first batch of January 2026 registration data is in from Europe, and Tesla’s freefall on the continent shows no sign of slowing down. Across five major markets that have reported so far, Tesla registrations are down a staggering 44% year-over-year, extending what is now more than two years of continuous decline.

As Tesla CEO Elon Musk pleaded for more battery infrastructure in America, we toured Porsche’s incredibly advanced Smart Battery facility in Slovakia.

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.