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Tesla design chief says new Roadster coming ‘very soon’ — sure

Tesla Roadster

Tesla’s chief designer says the new Roadster is coming “very soon.” We are talking about the same car Tesla revealed in 2017 and promised to build by 2020.

Franz von Holzhausen said it on the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. When Leno pressed him on it, he doubled down: “very soon.” Leno’s deadpan reply, “10 years… just shy of 10 years,” said the rest.

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ENGWE Eagle electric dirt bike launch promotion, Heybike Villain eDB at new $1,249 low, Bluetti power station sale, more

We’ve got two big electric dirt bike deals leading our Green Deals out of the gates this week, starting with the early access launch promotion on ENGWE’s new Eagle Electric Dirt Bike. Right behind it we have Heybike’s Back to School Sale lineup, which includes the Villain Electric Dirt Bike down at a new $1,259 low. Next, Bluetti has launched an Emergency Backup Sale with up to 38% discounts on power stations, our exclusive bonus savings code, three tiers of bonus savings thresholds, and FREE gifts – all starting at $899. There’s also the 24V 4-inch and 6-inch Greenworks Cordless Electric Mini Chainsaw bundles starting from an $80 low, and more waiting for you down below, including the hangover deals from last week at the bottom of the page that are collected together in our latest Electrified Weekly roundup 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.

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49ers’ Shanahan crashed his Tesla on Autopilot reaching for his phone

Tesla kills Autopilot

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan crashed his Tesla Model S on July 14 while the car was running on Autopilot. He was reaching for a phone that had dropped out of reach, and he took his eyes off the road.

The crash left him with a concussion, a broken nose, three broken ribs, a broken left hand, and 40 stitches over his right eye. And to his credit, he isn’t blaming the car.

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Getting your teen a back-to-school e-bike? Don’t forget this cool-looking protective gear

Back-to-school season often means shopping for backpacks, notebooks, and maybe even a new ride. For a growing number of families, that ride is an electric bike.

And I’m all for it. Giving teenagers the freedom to get themselves to school, sports practice, or a friend’s house without needing a car is one of the best things e-bikes can offer. But just like we’d encourage a new driver to wear a seatbelt, young e-bike riders should be equipped with the right protective gear too.

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Archer makes wild deal with Boeing swapping eVTOL startups for equity

Archer Aviation Starlink

Archer Aviation is buying three of Boeing’s aerospace subsidiaries: autonomous air-taxi developer Wisk Aero, military drone maker Insitu, and airspace-software firm SkyGrid. The deal also hands Boeing a stake in Archer.

Investors loved it. Archer (ACHR) stock jumped more than 20% on Monday, and the acquisition instantly turns a pre-revenue eVTOL startup into a company with a profitable defense business behind it.

It could accelerate Archer’s eVTOL plans.

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Musk’s Terafab chip plant will run on gas, not Tesla solar

Tesla SpaceX terafab

SpaceX confirmed it will power Terafab, its $16.8 billion chip megafactory in Texas, with its own natural gas power plants and “very large battery arrays.” Tesla solar isn’t in the plan.

That’s despite Tesla being a partner on the project, and despite Tesla selling solar panels, Powerwalls, and grid-scale batteries built for exactly this kind of load.

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Heavy equipment space race heats up with new Vermeer lunar excavator [update]

Vermeer collaborates on moon excavator prototype

International equipment manufacturer Vermeer has unveiled a full-scale prototype of its Interlune excavator, a machine designed to ingest 100 metric tons of rocks and dirt per hour, extracting valuable helium as it makes its way across the surface … of the Moon.

UPDATE 08AUG26: Interlune and Vermeer have expand their partnership.

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