Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro bundle with two 200W solar panels hits $1,899 low

With both camping and hurricane seasons right around the corner, you’ll likely need a reliable back up power option as you roam the wilds or bunker down to wait out the storms. To accommodate these needs at a more affordable price, the official Jackery Amazon storefront is offering its Explorer 2000 Pro Portable Power Station with two 200W Solar Panels for $1,899 shipped. Down from its usual $3,599 price tag, it has already seen five previous discounts since the new year began, with the two biggest ones repeating the same drop to the $1,899 low like today’s deal. All-in-all, you’re looking at a massive $1,700 markdown that is usually reserved for major sales events like Black Friday or Christmas – which, even then, sat $100 higher, giving you a rare opportunity to stock up at the best rate we’ve tracked.

Providing a 2,160Wh capacity and 2,200W of max power output, Jackery’s Explorer 2000 Pro boasts the usual smart controls by syncing your smartphone, letting you monitor and adjust settings as you need while also giving you remaining power levels and helping you to manage power consumption. When hooked up to a maximum of six Jackery SolarSaga 200W solar panels, it can full recharge from 0 to 100% in less than three hours – or in just two hours via a wall outlet. With its eight ports, all your device’s charging needs and appliance’s power needs will be covered: three ACs, two USB-As, two USB-Cs, and one car port. You can also find the Explorer 2000 Pro bundled with only one 100W solar panel at a $1,000 markdown for $1,399. Or get the power station alone for $1,199.

Pit Boss’ Table Top Wood Pellet Grill now $240

With so many people gearing up for summer adventures, mainly in the form of road trips and camping excursions, Amazon is now offering the Pit Boss Table Top Wood Pellet Grill for $239.85 shipped. Regularly fetching $369, after 2023’s wild ups and downs between $220 and its MSRP, it ended last year at $191, the lowest price we have seen since 2022. Since the new year began, things have become more stagnant, spending the first three months at full price and barely budging during discounts. April saw the first break up of this monotony, with today’s deal coming in to repeat the savings as a $129 markdown that lands at the second-lowest price we have tracked in the last two years – only $84 above the all-time low from 2022.

This portable wood pellet grill is a wonderful addition to your camping arsenal with its compact 15-inch by 24-inch by 19-inch design. It utilizes wood pellets as a fuel source in order to give your food the smoky flavor you crave while also putting off less emissions than that of charcoal. You’ll have a wide 180-degree to 500-degree range to play with, letting you do anything from quick sears at high temperatures to low and slow cooking for classic BBQ meals – you can even sear food with direct 1000-degree heat, if you like. Its dial-in digital control board gives you real-time data through its LED display while also keeping stable temperatures so you don’t have to stress.

Greenworks 40V 20-inch Cordless Electric Push Mower returns to $320 low

Amazon is offering a lightning deal on the Greenworks 40V 20-inch Cordless Electric Push Mower for $319.99 shipped. Normally fetching $400, this particular model has seen few discounts since the new year began, with only two having occurred in March and April to the same $320 Amazon low. We have seen it go for less elsewhere in the past, dropping as low as $249. Today’s deal still comes in as a solid $80 markdown that returns costs to the lowest price we have tracked on Amazon.

With this lawn mower’s 40V brushless motor and 4.0Ah battery, you’ll have all you need to tackle yards up to 1/3 acre in size on a single charge (keep in mind that rates may vary based on the terrain and operator technique). It sports a durable 20-inch steel deck topped with LED headlights for early morning and late evening jobs, with a folding design that “saves 70% more space in seconds with vertical storage.” It offers a 7-position height-adjustment, with a 4-in-1 design allowing you to mulch, side discharge, and rear-bag your grass clippings, as well as kick it into a higher gear for turbo leaf pickup.

If you’re looking for a bigger and badder piece of equipment for your lawn, Amazon is still offering the Greenworks 60V 42-inch Cordless Electric CrossoverZ Zero Turn Riding Mower for $3,797, down from $4,800. Sitting atop a 42-inch reinforced 12-gauge steel cutting deck, this mower sports a 60V TRUBRUSHLESS motor that was designed to handle up to 1.5-acres of land on a single charge of its four included 8.0Ah batteries. You’ll also find its predecessor, the 60V 42-inch Cordless Electric CrossoverT Riding Mower for $3,497, down from $4,300. While it offers most of the same features and similar specs, the main difference here is the missing zero-turn maneuverability and control.

Spring e-bike deals!

• Juiced JetCurrent Pro Foldable e-bike (pre-order): $2,299 (Reg. $2,799)
• Super73 RX Electric Motorbike: $2,000 (Reg. $3,695)
• Juiced’s HyperScrambler 2: $1,999 (Reg. $3,499)
• Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike with $372 in free accessories: $1,799 (Reg. $2,199)
• Rad Powers RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike with free extra battery: $1,599 (Reg. $1,799)
• Rad Powers RadRunner Plus Utility e-bike with free extra battery: $1,599 (Reg. $1,799)
• Blix Packa Genie Cargo e-bike with $237 in free accessories: $1,599 (Reg. $2,099)
• Rad Powers RadCity 5 Plus Commuter e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,699)
• Blix Ultra Fat-Tire All-Terrain e-bike with $383 in free accessories: $1,399 (2,099)
• Lectric XPress 750 High-Step e-bike with extra battery (pre-order): $1,299 (Reg. $1,799)
• Lectric XPress 750 Step-Thru e-bike with extra battery (pre-order): $1,299 (Reg. $1,799)
• Vanpowers UrbanGlide Standard e-bike: $1,099 (Reg. $1,299)
• Schwinn Ridgewood Electric Mountain Bike: $800 (Reg. $1,500)
• Schwinn Ingersoll Electric Hybrid Bike: $700 (Reg. $1,500)

Other new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

As the EIA reports—in a trend that parallels a California EV trend for the quarter—EV sales by actual volume were actually up 7% in the first quarter of 2024 versus the same quarter in 2023. But to add another splash of context, that was after 13 consecutive quarters of double-digit percentage gains.

EIA update on EV and hybrid sales – May 2024

Multiple factors may be at play. Mass-market EV sales were way down, by 17.9%, and that appears to be related more to what’s available in the market than to demand. For instance, the Chevrolet Bolt EV was out of production in Q1 and disappearing from dealer lots, while GM’s next-most-affordable Chevy Equinox EV hasn’t yet arrived; and Nissan has slimmed down the Nissan Leaf lineup to just two trims.

2023 Nissan Leaf

On a transaction basis, the EIA pointed to Cox Automotive data suggesting that EV transaction prices remain about $6,900 higher than the average vehicle price across the entire market. The number of vehicles eligible for the $7,500 EV tax credit that can make up for some or all of that difference is more limited than it was last year. 

Meanwhile, there was a decline in the whole light-duty vehicle market, led by a sag in luxury-vehicle sales, at a time when eight out of 10 EV sales are luxury models. Luxury sales reached 18% of the new-vehicle market in 2023, but in Q1 they dropped to 16%. It’s a trend that’s difficult to extricate from the perfect storm of high interest rates and high sticker prices, after several years of nearly across-the-board price hikes. The agency notes that overall mass-market vehicle sales remain at about 10% below pre-pandemic levels, while the luxury sector bounced back two years ago.

2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Modest Tesla sales gains in the U.S. year-over-year for Q1—of about 4% according to Automotive News, based on registrations—weren’t enough to offset either of these factors. It should be noted that the EIA based these data trends on Ward’s Intelligence data, which also draws from registration data. 

In the U.S., the vast majority of EVs have effectively been priced and positioned as premium offerings if not luxury vehicles. This isn’t the case in the rest of the world, and if automakers want to get serious about EV sales in the U.S.—and make EV sales gains—low-priced EVs are the way to go. 

The EV6 was introduced in March 2021 as Kia’s first dedicated electric car based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform (the same one underpinning the IONIQ 5).

After launching in August 2021, Kia has sold over 210,000 EV6 models globally. Earlier this week, Kia unveiled the new EV6 with a bigger battery for more range, new features, and a sleek design upgrade.

Kia launched its first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, at the end of last year. The large electric SUV has helped revamp the brand, with Kia posting its best-ever EV sales in the US last month.

The EV9 had a record US sales month, with 1,572 models sold in April for 5,579 through the first four months of 2024. Meanwhile, Kia has sold 6,110 EV6 models, up 31% from the 4,633 sold through April 2023.

Kia is offering massive EV6 and EV9 discounts

To clear inventory and prepare for new models, Kia is offering huge discounts on select 2024 EV6 and EV9 models.

According to an analysis from online auto research firm CarsDirect, the 2024 EV6 has stackable discounts offering up to $12,800 off select models. A memo sent to dealers last week confirmed the 2024 EV6 is now eligible for a $1,500 VIN-specific incentive.

Earlier this month, Kia introduced the Select VIN Summer Sticker Sales event with savings from $500 to $1,500. The 2024 EV6 has received the maximum discount.

Kia is offering $7,500 in Customer Cash for those who are buying. You can also score a $500 loyalty discount. Or, rather than the cash offer, you can opt for 0% financing for 60 months.

For leases, you can save up to $12,800 (on the AWD GT-Line) in select states, including the Sticker bonus and Loyalty discount. Kia plans to add more models to the VIN program, which ends July 8, 2024.

The 2024 EV9 is also eligible for the maximum $1,500 VIN savings deal. Stackable savings can amount to up to $12,400 off MSRP.

EV9 buyers also have the choice of $7,500 Customer Cash or 0% APR for 48 months. In some states (California, Oregon, and Washington), the EV9 Land is eligible for $10,400 in lease cash.

Lease incentives vary by trim, with $9,000 off the base Light Standard Range and $9,800 off the Long Range model. Other incentives include $8,600 for the Wind, $10,100 for the GT-Line, and $11,900 off the EV9 Land. With a $500 loyalty bonus, you can score up to $12,400 off the 2024 EV9.

If you’re ready to take advantage of some of the biggest savings yet, we can help you get started. You can use our links below to find deals on 2024 EV6 and EV9 models at a dealer near you.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Meet the NIO Onvo L60, the latest Tesla Model Y rival

NIO CEO William Li launched the new Onvo brand Wednesday, introducing its first vehicle, the L60 SUV. Li said the new EV will rival Toyota’s RAV4 and Tesla’s top-selling Model Y as a family car.

“Defining a new standard for family cars,” according to NIO, the L60 has a pre-sale price of just $30,500 (219,900 yuan).

NIO compared its new electric SUV to the Tesla Model Y, saying it has better energy consumption (12.1 kWh/100km vs. 12.5 kWh/100km) under the same CLTC conditions.

At 4,828 mm long, 1,930 mm wide, and 1,616 mm tall, the Onvo L60 will directly rival the Model Y (4,750 mm long X 1,921 mm wide X 1,624 mm tall).

Starting at 219,900 yuan ($30,500), NIO’s new mass-market electric SUV undercuts the Model Y, which starts at 249,900 yuan ($34,600) in China.

The new mass-market electric SUV on the block

The electric SUV has three battery pack options. The base 60 kWh variant features 555 km (345 mi) CLTC range, while the 90 kWh and 150 kWh models offer up to 730 km (454 mi) and over 1,000 km (621 mi) CLTC range, respectively.

In comparison, the base RWD Tesla Model Y gets up to 554 km (344 mi) CLTC range. The AWD Long Range Model Y (290,900 yuan) and AWD Performance trims (354,900 yuan) get up to 688 km and 615 km CLTC cruising range, respectively.

Although full details are yet to be released, the L60, equipped with NIO’s in-house 900V platform, is expected to feature ultra-fast charging capabilities.

Onvo owners will have access to NIO’s expanding (+1,000) battery swap and public fast charging network (+25,000).

A Reuters report last week claimed NIO made a deal with BYD to source batteries for its new Onvo brand. Two sources said BYD will join CATL to supply a smaller battery pack for its new EV. Meanwhile, CALB will provide the 85 kWh battery pack.

However, when contacted by Reuters, NIO said the information was “inaccurate” without elaborating. Check back for more info soon as NIO’s new mass-market Onvo brand hits the market.

Electrek’s Take

NIO is the latest EV maker (or automaker) to launch a new Tesla Model Y competitor. As its best-selling EV, it’s no surprise to see the competition looking to snag a piece of the market.

BYD launched its Sea Lion 07 last week, its “smart mid-size electric SUV,” starting at just 189,800 ($26,250). As the first EV based on its new e-Platform 3.0 Evo, the base Standard model gets up to 550 km (341 mi) CLTC range. For 199,800 ($27,625), the Long Range variant gets up to 610 km (379 mi) range.

Can NIO’s new mass-market electric SUV compete with Tesla’s Model Y or BYD’s new Sea Lion 07? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Source: CarNewsChina, NIO

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

The exterior gets a mild refresh. New headlights with a design Kia calls the Star Map are packaged with more subtle changes on other parts of the car, including a new graphic for the curved light bar of the taillights.

Updated Kia EV6 (Korean spec)

Inside, the EV6 features a new steering wheel and fingerprint authentication system. Kia added a digital rearview mirror and head-up display as well, and also made the B-pillars thicker to increase rigidity.

No powertrain changes are expected, meaning the lineup will include a single-motor rear-wheel drive powertrain rated at 225 hp and a dual-motor all-wheel drive option making 320 hp. Expect the sportier EV6 GT to return as well with 576 hp.

The EV6 is closely related to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, sharing that crossover’s E-GMP platform. It got off to a more solid start in the U.S. as Kia simply made it easier to buy the EV6—although now Hyundai has caught up on the dealership front.

Updated Kia EV6 (Korean spec)

U.S. pricing will be announced closer to the updated EV6’s launch in this market, timing for which has not been announced. Kia did lower the price a bit for 2024, which saw the return of the lower-cost EV6 Light Long Range.

Kia recently confirmed a May 23 debut for its smaller EV3—which, it appears, borrows some design details from both the EV6 and the larger EV9.

2024 is proving to be a fruitful year for REE Automotive ($REE) as the modular EV startup continues to take massive orders for its vehicles as it scales production. The company’s flagship model, the PC-7 chassis cab, began initial deliveries this past January after receiving certification from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) – the first “x-by-wire” vehicle to do so.

In March, REE closed a public offering of ordinary shares totaling nearly $15 million while announcing a new collaboration with Airbus. Weeks later, the PC-7 became eligible for CARB credits, qualifying the EV for up to $100,000 in incentives for fleet customers while adding more sales potential to its order book, which sat at over $40 million as of October 2023.

Today, REE has announced a new partnership with Penske, which will help promote and sell REE’s electric trucks to its customers.

Penske, REE to share more electric truck plans at ACT Expo

Per REE, Penske Truck Leasing has signed on as a new partner to offer electric trucks “Powered by REE” to fleet customers across North America who are interested in going electric. The move adds potential to REE’s EV order book, which currently sits at around $50 million.

The PC-7 electric trucks Penske will promote have been fitted with a 16-foot DuraPlate body with a ramp from Wabash, who helped optimize the EVs to suit the needs of Penske customers. REE co-founder and CEO Daniel Barel elaborated:

Today’s announcement is a testament to the synergy between REE’s revolutionary technology and Penske’s commitment to leading in the transportation and logistics industry. This is the fruit of a long collaboration and incorporation of Penske’s voice of the customer. We are currently working on additional P7-C configurations to maximize utilization within Penske’s large product offering. By partnering with Wabash for this upfit, we believe that we were able to provide a superior product to Penske, meeting their requirements as well as expanding our roster of upfitters that can seamlessly integrate with REE’s platforms.

The “Powered by REE” Penske electric truck will be displayed at the REE booth at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas later this month. Furthermore, REE and Penske said they will hold a joint press conference during the expo to “expand on the collaboration.” We will learn more during that event, scheduled for May 22 at 12:45 PM PT.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Another year, another report showing how bad Toyota is for the environment.

Toyota has routinely ranked at the bottom of InfluenceMap’s climate policy engagement rankings, and this year is no different.

InfluenceMap routinely ranks automakers and auto industry associations based on how much they lobby to stop climate policy goals. These rankings don’t just show automakers’ EV plans, but also show how much each automaker is doing to try to stop governments from protecting the populace from pollution.

Some of this lobbying comes from automakers themselves, and some of it comes from their membership in trade associations, which aggregate the positions of several companies to increase lobbying power.

InfluenceMap looks at the actions of these trade associations across the globe, and ranks automakers based on how many associations they’re a member of, how many briefs they’ve filed in favor of or against various climate policy goals, and what their plans are for the future of their manufacturing.

This is broken down into an “organization score” (how much the organization itself lobbies), “relationship score” (membership in trade organizations and how positive their lobbying efforts are), “engagement intensity” (how involved in lobbying the corporation is), and what the manufacturer’s EV manufacturing plans total up to.

Tesla led the list, but only received a “B” score because of its low engagement intensity. While Tesla supports positive climate policy and is generally a member of groups pushing positive instead of negative climate policy, it doesn’t lobby as much as other organizations do (a situation that may be made worse by the departure of Tesla’s policy head in April).

Some other automakers were given kudos for occasional positive moves, like Ford, GM, VW and Mercedes. But pretty much nobody got what could be considered a passing score – with “C-” grades or worse for all but three automakers.

And as usual, the Japanese automakers are ranked among the lowest. The Japanese EV industry has been slow to electrify, putting an important national industry at risk. Nissan is the standout from amongst the Japanese, but it still did not receive a passing grade.

On production plans, most automakers score poorly, with only 3 of the 15 automakers analyzed having commitments compatible with the International Energy Agency’s target of 66% EVs by 2030. This number is necessary to have any chance of limiting climate change to 1.5ºC. Forecasts suggest the industry will only produce 53% EVs by 2030 at current pace.

Toyota does not actually rank last place on this measure – Honda and Suzuki are behind it. But given the intensity of Toyota’s negative climate lobbying, it gets the crown for worst automaker on climate once again, continuing the several years it has worn it.

For more detail into the rankings, read the full InfluenceMap report here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

It’s no secret that almost all electric bicycles in the US start their journey in China. The country is simply the world leader in e-bike manufacturing. Despite a tiny amount of US-based electric bicycle manufacturing largely coming from one company, Chinese factories account for almost the entirety of e-bikes in the US.

Any change in the tariffs on Chinese electric bicycles thus sends shockwaves through the US market.

The fact that the Biden administration passed new 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs has been widely covered. However, it is less clear exactly which types of EVs are included.

The purpose of the new tariffs is to prevent American automakers from needing to compete head to head with Chinese automakers, whose lower cost electric vehicles could otherwise make their way stateside and catch the US auto industry with its pants down.

But electric bicycles have gotten caught up in US/China trade wars before, and so there is reason for e-bike riders to be concerned.

The lack of clarity at this point is due to a lack of details provided by the Biden administration. While the White House has released a statement regarding the reasoning behind the new tariff increases, details are still few and far between.

As the administration explained:

“With extensive subsidies and non-market practices leading to substantial risks of overcapacity, China’s exports of EVs grew by 70% from 2022 to 2023—jeopardizing productive investments elsewhere. A 100% tariff rate on EVs will protect American manufacturers from China’s unfair trade practices.”

But what we don’t yet have is a list of HTS codes from Customs and Border Protection, the agency tasked with handling US imports and exports. Without that detailed list, it’s impossible to know which EVs will be caught up in the tariffs.

It is reasonable to suggest that because electric bicycles are classified as consumer products in the US and not motor vehicles, that they likely won’t be included in the 100% tariffs targetting Chinese electric vehicles. However, that’s largely a distinction without a difference to CBP, which is only interested in international importation classification and not domestic regulation classification.

When the Trump administration passed sweeping 25% tariffs on Chinese imports in 2018, electric bicycles were initially included. Over time, tariff exemptions grew to include e-bikes, and those exemptions were renewed several times, albeit often with uncomfortable gaps in between renewals.

Those same exemptions could provide a precedent for additional tariff exclusions for e-bikes, if they should ultimately fall within the 100% tariff EV categories.

Electrek’s Take

At this point, we simply don’t have enough information from the government to know just what could be included or exempted from the tariffs. It’s safe to say you likely won’t be getting a cheap BYD electric car any time soon, but the same can’t yet be said for electric golf carts, e-motorcycles, or e-bikes.

Until CBP shares a comprehensive list of the electric vehicles affected, we’re all just guessing. The only thing for sure here is that there are no winners. Chinese automakers see a potential US market expansion cut off and US automakers get to continue stagnating on EVs.

Congratulations, we’ve all lost.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Porsche ramps up Macan EV production at Zeipzig plant

On Tuesday, the company announced the official start of electromobility at its production site in Saxony, Germany.

Porsche has invested nearly $1 billion (600 million euros) to upgrade the facility to prepare it for Macan EV production. New additions include a new body assembly line. Porsche says production of the new Macan is currently being ramped up.

“At Porsche, we’re convinced that electromobility is the future,” CEO Oliver Blume explained. Following the Taycan, the Macan is Porsche’s second all-electric vehicle.

Despite this, Porsche wants to “remain flexible” by making gas, hybrid, and electric cars on the same production line.

“In production at Porsche, we have implemented the ‘smart, lean and green’ approach at all our factories,” Porsche executive board member for production Albrecht Reimold said.

“This means that we have the vision of an intelligently connected factory with the lowest possible environmental impact.” The Porsche Macan is produced with a carbon-neutral balance sheet in Leipzig.

Porsche is working toward a carbon-neutral balance sheet across its entire value chain for new cars built by 2030.

Porsche will begin deliveries of the new Macan EV in the second half of the year. Blume boasted in March, “We already have 10,000 orders, and these customers haven’t even been able to drive the car yet.”

Meet the all-electric Macan

The Macan EV is available in two options: the Macan 4 and Macan Turbo. The Macan 4 generates up to 402 hp (300 kW), while the Turbo model packs up to 630 hp (470 kW).

With that, the Macan 4 can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, while the Turbo model takes just 3.1 seconds.

As the first Porsche based on its new 800V PPE platform, the Macan EV can charge from 10% to 80% in under 21 minutes (with 270 kW charging).

Inside, the electric Macan gains luggage space over the gas model with up to 18 cu ft capacity behind the rear seat.

Porsche equipped the new Macan EV with its latest-gen infotainment, including a 12.6″ curved instrument cluster and 10.9″ central display. For the first time, passengers are offered a personal 10.9″ touchscreen.

The new infotainment is based on Android Auto OS and compatible with Apple CarPlay. The starting price for the Macan 4 is $78,800, while the MSRP for the Macan Turbo is $105,300.

Both do not include a $1,650 delivery fee. While EPA range figures will be released closer to deliveries, Porsche says the Macan EV 4 gets up to 381 miles (613 km) WLTP range. The Turbo version gets up to 367 miles (591 km).

Orders for Porsche’s new electric SUV are open now. You can use our link to view deals on the new 2024 Porsche Macan EV and Macan Turbo in your area.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.