Electrek

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 coming with minivan but cooler?, used EV sales rising, sodium batteries are coming, and more.

UK households are racing to ditch fossil fuels amid energy price spikes driven by the US and Israel’s war with Iran, with new data showing a sharp surge in demand for solar, heat pumps, and EV chargers.

Automatic braking is designed to stop the vehicle when a threat is detected that you may not be able to see. While it’s a helpful feature, auto braking “damn near gave me whiplash,” a Chevy Equinox EV driver said after trying to back into the garage as usual.

It’s day 3 of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, and we’re continuing our coverage of all the best ongoing deals there and elsewhere through the rest of March. Among today’s headliners, we have Anker’s massive lineup of eufy smart security devices seeing up to 50% discounts, like the SoloCam S220 Solar Security Camera 2-Pack at its $100 low. There’s also Bluetti’s expanded Spring Sale event with increased power station savings up to 58% off + our exclusive bonus savings codes for even lower rates – all starting from $329. We also have Segway’s extended Spring EV Sale with hundreds of savings on e-scooters starting from $150, an amazing roundup of all Greenworks’ cordless electric tools at up to 42% off, Mammotion robot lawn mowers down at lows, and much more waiting for you below. And for all the ongoing hangover deals from past days and latest Big Spring Sale deals alike, you can find them all collected into our Green Deals spring shopping hub here.

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 new LEAF EV is a cornerstone of Nissan’s comeback plan, but it’s already facing a recall in Japan due to a battery defect.

Parking in a busy city is never fun. Kia’s new entry-level electric SUV makes life easy with Remote Smart Parking Assist, enabling the EV2 to park itself.

Young American EV startup, Slate Auto, has shared its latest video update, and it’s a chilly one. The company’s development prototypes were recently put through extreme winter testing in Northern Michigan, where, in true Slate fashion, the team had some fun while making great progress. See the video below.

The US electric vehicle market has split into two diverging realities. New EV sales cratered 28% year-over-year in Q1 2026 to just 212,600 units, according to new data from Cox Automotive — but used EV sales surged 12% to 93,500 units, with prices now within $1,300 of equivalent gas cars.

The data, presented in Cox Automotive’s Q1 2026 Industry Insights call on March 25, reveals the clearest picture yet of how the federal tax credit’s expiration is reshaping the EV market — and creating what may be the best buying opportunity in the history of electric vehicles.

Hyundai is testing a new compact electric SUV that looks nearly identical to the Kia EV2. The new EV was spotted charging in public ahead of its upcoming debut.

According to the Volkswagen Group, its joint venture with Rivian has achieved a key milestone by completing winter testing of Rivian’s technology in VW vehicles. As a result, the milestone unlocks an additional $1 billion in investment from Volkswagen Group in Rivian.

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 electric bicycles from brands like Ride1Up and Heybike, plus comeback stories from Juiced Bikes and Rad Power Bikes, a look at how the answer to high gas prices might have been parked in the corner of your garage this whole time, and more.

Does adding a new home solar panel system makes sense in northern climates? This Canadian homeowner did just that – and after a cold, dark, and dreary winter collecting data, they’re sharing their real-world results online!

The Amazon Big Spring Sale is officially in full swing, and in our usual fashion, we wanted to put all the best savings during this weeklong event in one place for all your shopping needs. We’re seeing a bunch of great deals on all the popular tech, and we will continue to update this hub throughout the entire event so you don’t have to worry. Below, you’ll find all the best current deals hitting power stations, e-bikes, alternate EVs, electric tools, appliances, smart devices, and more. Head below and start scoring what you need to start spring off properly, as well as prep for the seasons to come.

BYD launched the Song Ultra EV in China, starting at just under $22,000. The new EV is one of the first to be equipped with its Blade Battery and Flash Charging, enabling recharge times in as little as 5 minutes.

Volkswagen opened pre-orders for the ID.UNYX 08, starting at just under $35,000 in China. The fully connected electric SUV is Volkswagen’s first EV co-developed with XPeng.

Tesla published its company-compiled Wall Street consensus for first-quarter 2026 deliveries on Thursday, and the number — 365,645 vehicles — paints a picture of a company still struggling to return to meaningful growth after two straight years of declining sales.

The consensus, drawn from 23 sell-side analysts, implies an 8% increase from the 336,681 vehicles Tesla delivered in Q1 2025. But that comparison is misleading, and the market knows it.

A new charging milestone for electric trucks was just achieved in California – and it’s a big one.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is in full swing, and we have our second day of Green Deal picks from both the retailer’s event and direct brand sales. We have two different roundups on EcoFlow power stations today, with the first being a number of units at Amazon seeing up to 53% savings that undercut the direct Spring Sale event, like the popular 768Wh RIVER 2 Pro Portable Power Station down at $315. There’s also EcoFlow’s latest direct 48-hour flash sale that has 2,048Wh, 4,096Wh and 6,144Wh stations at their second-best prices starting from $749. Segway has expanded its Navimow Spring Sale by adding the newest models to the deals lineup, like the X430 Robotic Lawn Mower down at $2,299 – plus, there’s some optional bonus savings to drop it back to its launch deal low. We also have a massive EGO Power+ cordless electric tool roundup with up to 37% savings, as well as Aiper’s robotic pool cleaners and smart devices, amongst others. And for all the ongoing hangover deals from past days and latest Big Spring Sale deals alike, you can find them all collected into our Green Deals spring shopping hub here.

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.

After introducing the first mass-produced EV with a semi-solid-state battery, MG Motor said it will bring the new battery tech to Europe by the end of 2026. In China, the new MG4 with a semi-solid-state battery starts at under $15,000. Although not that cheap, the new EV is expected to remain affordable in Europe.

Is there anyone better to help promote a new high-end electric sports car? BYD is teaming up with Daniel Craig, AKA James Bond, to launch the new Denza Z9 GT in Europe. BYD said the new Denza Z9 GT is the “world’s longest-range pure EV” and supports ultra-fast charging in just 5 minutes.

France’s Finance Minister confirmed that between 30% and 40% of Gulf refining capacity has been damaged or destroyed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, leaving a shortage of 11 million barrels per day on global oil markets. The destruction is now pushing consumers toward electric vehicles at a pace not seen since the 2022 gas crisis.

With gas prices approaching $4 per gallon nationally and already past $5 in California, data from multiple sources shows EV interest surging across the board — from Google searches to dealership inquiries.

The EV2 is now rolling off the production line at Kia’s plant in Slovakia ahead of customer deliveries starting next month. Kia opened EV2 orders last week at lower prices than expected.

We took a tour around the Lightship AE.1 electric RV trailer, with an open, airy interior and lots of neat features. It also has its own motor and batteries, which means it won’t drain your range while towing – whether you use a gas or electric tow vehicle.

While the US is still stuck debating EVs, the rest of the world has already plugged in and charged ahead – and nowhere is that more obvious than Africa, where one country has banned ICE vehicles outright and another is rapidly electrifying mines that are digging up the future.