Electrek

The Washington, DC, metro area is getting its first en-route overhead pantograph electric bus chargers.

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 the launch of the Tesla Model YL, BMW iX5, and EV sales results for the second quarter.

The IONIQ 5 is steadily carving out a spot among the most popular EVs in the US. Hyundai moved over 20,000 IONIQ 5s in the first half of 2026, putting it ahead of much of the pack.

The Volkswagen ID. Tiguan is expected to debut later this year, bringing much more than just a new look and name.

It’s now July, which means schools from around the world are making final preparations for the Electrek American Solar Challenge 2026, and this year is going to be an especially notable one! A record 42 teams from colleges in the US, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands are registered to compete in the Formula Sun Grand Prix pre-qualifier track event in less than two weeks.

This is a big deal for teams. Apart from FSGP being a competition in its own right, it’s the opportunity for students to prove their hand-built solar car has what it takes to hit the open road and trek 1,500+ miles across the United States for the renowned American Solar Challenge.

Here’s everything you need to know about both competitions, the teams, and the schedule.

British battery-electric vehicle registrations jumped 38% in June to 64,440 units, pushing EVs to nearly 30% of the new car market — their strongest monthly performance outside seasonal peaks, according to New AutoMotive data released Friday.

The overall market grew 15% year-over-year to 215,921 units, but EVs did the heavy lifting, and Tesla posted a 42% rebound that signals it may finally be climbing off the floor in Europe.

We’re ending this week with a special 4th of July Green Deals edition, led by the Bluetti Summer Power Sale on power stations that benefits from two of our exclusive bonus savings codes, including the ongoing low price for the new FridgePower Station + bundles starting from $807, among others. Right behind it we have Hiboy’s July 4th EV Sale with up to 58% discounts on e-scooters and e-bikes, including the restocked EX11 Full Suspension Electric Bike at its $1,300 low, as well as the final EcoFlow extended Prime Day flash sale lineup from $1,149, and a bunch of our favorite ongoing holiday promotional savings, too! Of course, there are also all the hangover deals we’ve collected at the bottom of the page for you, like yesterday’s Velotric and Heybike 4th of July e-bike sales, 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.

The PV5 is proving again why it’s the ultimate people mover. Kia converted its electric van into an off-grid racing simulator rig with a massive 55″ screen.

Tesla has mapped out a Robotaxi service area in Miami, publishing a geofence that covers only a small slice of the metro — mostly West Miami and a strip stretching toward Doral and Sweetwater.

It’s the latest city Tesla has drawn a box around, but the announcement lands with a thud when you consider what’s happened in Texas over the past year.

Harris County prosecutors have charged the Tesla driver who crashed into a Katy, Texas, home and killed a 76-year-old woman with manslaughter, alleging he overrode Full Self-Driving to floor the car to 73 mph in a residential cul-de-sac.

The charging document also reveals something new: in the weeks before the crash, the driver had been Googling that FSD wasn’t aggressive enough.

The Trailseeker was Subaru’s best-selling electric SUV last month. Starting at under $40,000, the “go-anywhere, rugged SUV” offers a spacious interior, standard AWD, and a combined 375 horsepower.

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 Gazelle, Amflow, and Monarc, the CPSC wants to clamp down on e-bike safety regulations, DeSantis vetoed an e-bike safety bill in Florida, and more.

Volvo CE announced its first-ever electric articulated haul truck at last year’s Bauma construction expo; less than a year later, the first examples of Volvo’s new A30 Electric are in customers’ hands, doing real work.

Eurobike, the annual bicycle tradeshow that takes over Germany for several days each summer, always brings with it a fun array of new bikes and bike-related goodies. While the show wasn’t as big as it had been in previous years, there were still plenty of fun treats for the eyes and for the riding.

Check out the selection of fun takeaways below, in no order other than how they came out of my camera.

Tesla told staff it will impose a $200-per-week limit on employee AI spending starting July 6, according to an internal memo reported by The Information (paywall).

The cap lands just months after Tesla pushed employees to use AI more aggressively, a sign that even companies betting their future on the technology are struggling to control its costs.

Spanish renewable energy and electricity giant Iberdrola is constructing its first battery energy storage project in the US as utilities race to add more storage to strengthen the grid.

The IONIQ 3 is a high-tech, fully electric hatch that the US will miss out on. It can drive over 300 miles on a single charge and is Hyundai’s first vehicle in Europe to use its new Pleos Connect infotainment system.

Moment Energy has officially opened what it says is the world’s largest second-life EV battery factory, bringing new battery energy storage manufacturing capacity online just six weeks after announcing the project.

On the back of the Commerce Department’s incredibly stupid move to ban Polestar from selling EVs in the US, the Polestar 4 is now nearly the cheapest EV in America after a $25k discount, and the Polestar 3 has a pretty great discount applied too.

Tesla has launched the Model Y L, its stretched, three-row, six-seat SUV, in the US and Puerto Rico. The automaker confirmed the launch on Thursday, with the vehicle now configurable online.

The Model Y L arrives first as a “Launch Series” priced at $61,990 — more than Tesla’s own Model Y Performance and both of its main three-row EV rivals.

Leading our Thursday Green Deals is Velotric’s 4th of July Sale with up to $812 e-bike savings, which is offering another chance to score the Fold 1 Plus Folding e-bike with SensorSwap tech and Apple Find My at its $1,399 low, among other models. There’s also Heybike’s own July 4th e-bike sale with up to $828 savings that starts from $999 prices, as well as Samsung’s Bespoke AI All-in-One Ventless Washer/Dryer Combo down at $1,850, deals on a 60V Greenworks pole saw and the 600 CFM Worx Trivac, and much more waiting for you below. There are also all the hangover deals we’ve collected at the bottom of the page for you, like yesterday’s new low prices on the Juiced Scrambler e-bike bundles, the Baseus X1 Pro dual-tracking solar security camera post-Prime Day deal, 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 dropping the Niro EV from its 2027 US lineup and will only sell the hybrid version. The EV3 will replace it later this year as Kia’s most affordable electric vehicle.

Hydrogen heavy trucks are being displaced by electric ones, as advancements in batteries and charging infrastructure eat away at the advantages of hydrogen, according to Sinopec’s internal magazine.

Jeep is bringing its electric off-roader to Europe. The Recon EV will go on sale in early 2027 as Jeep goes on the offensive with three additional SUVs arriving.