Automotive

The Mercedes EQA, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and BMW i4 hold onto their battery health better than any other electric car, according to the largest independent study of used-EV batteries ever run. That’s the ranking that falls out of 500,000-plus battery tests published by Austrian diagnostics firm AVILOO, which measured 20 popular EVs at up to 150,000 km (93,000 miles) of use.

August sales numbers from the UK show a rosy picture for electric car sales, with BEVs being the most common powertrain and making up 30% of the market, up from 23% a year ago. The number is well ahead of the pace required to meet the UK’s current somewhat-ambitious target of 80% EV sales by 2030… so why is the UK government considering softening that target?

Our Thursday Green Deals this week are largely stuffed with power station deals/sales, starting with the exclusive $1,000 savings our readers can get on the 5,040Wh Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Portable Power Station at a $2,499 2026 low. Right behind that spotlight is Jackery’s full Labor Day Sale lineup with up to 50% savings, including some first-time offers like the expanded 4,096Wh HomePower 2000 Plus V2 bundle at $1,579. We also have Segway’s Labor Day EV Sale with up to 50% savings starting from $160, a roundup of Anker eufy security camera Labor Day deals with up to 43% savings starting from $60, and a 24-hour deal on EcoFlow’s 499Wh RIVER 2 Max Lite (500) Power Station, and more below. As always, you can find the hangover deals from the last three days at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s exclusive Bluetti Elite 100 Mini 1,004Wh power station launch deals, the Anker SOLIX Labor Day Sale lineup with exclusive bonus savings, 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.

Toyota is refuting a report claiming that it’s pushing back the launch of its first three-row electric SUV, the Highlander EV, again. Toyota’s 3-row Highlander EV put on the back burner

Xiaomi Auto confirmed it will start selling electric vehicles in Europe, including Germany, in 2027, and it’s already lining up the dealers to sell them. At IFA Berlin today, the Chinese automaker signed memoranda of understanding with eight of Germany’s largest dealer groups. They’re its first retail partners on the continent.

California scored a win for clean air today, as a DC court blocked a republican attempt to end the state’s clean air standards. It’s not the first time California has prevailed in a similar case against similar illegal attacks meant to impose more pollution. There’s a bit of history here, and I’ll try to recap it quickly.

A Tesla Model X struck and killed a motorcyclist at an intersection in Moraine last year and the crash went mostly unnoticed. But Tesla’s own report to federal regulators says the vehicle was a Model X with its driver-assist system, Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Tesla hides which one) engaged. This is part of an ongoing Electrek investigation matching reported crashes to Tesla’s redacted NHTSA data — and it’s the clearest example yet of how completely these crashes can vanish from the public record.

PG&E just expanded its Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) program, adding EVs from Tesla, Kia, Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan and opening up as much as $17,000 in incentives to turn a car into home backup power. The California utility brought in Bidirectional Energy and PowerFlex as approved partners, and drivers now have until June 30, 2027 to enroll.

Kia’s electric van really can do it all. The PV5 was converted into a mobile grocery store to deliver food and other necessities to those in need for free. Kia PV5 becomes a grocery store on wheels

Rivian spin-off ALSO is pushing back the delivery timeline for its highly anticipated TM-B electric bike yet again, with reservation holders for the flagship Launch Edition now being told to expect their bikes to arrive by early November at the latest. In a new update sent to customers, ALSO says its Launch Edition bikes are “now shipping”, with deliveries expected to arrive “in waves between now and early November.”

Chinese oil use dropped drastically in Q2 of this year, leading to an overall drop in emissions for the country. That alone is a big deal – but the potential effects of the world’s second-largest oil consumer rapidly passing peak oil could have massive effects on the world’s oil markets. For the past few years, it has seemed that China was in the midst of a plateau in both emissions and oil use. Nobody was ready to declare that it had passed the peak of either, wondering whether the graphs might turn upwards from here. But with new Q2 numbers showing a drastic drop in oil use and a consequent drop in total CO2 emissions, it might be that time.

Electric cars outsold petrol cars in Australia for the first time in August. Battery-electric vehicles hit 27,078 sales, or 24.9% of the new-car market, ahead of both petrol (25,824) and diesel (23,608). The Tesla Model Y topped every model on sale. But look past it, and Australia’s EV record is almost entirely a Chinese one.

E-bike theft is one of those problems where a good lock is only half the battle. Since no physical lock can ever give you a 100% guarantee of safety, if a thief actually gets away with your bike, knowing where it went can suddenly become a lot more important. Now connected e-bike specialist Comodule has unveiled its latest solution, known as Astra, and one of its most interesting tricks is the ability to keep tracking an e-bike for up to 12 months – even when the bike is sitting in storage.

Ford has set a goal to sell 100,000 of its upcoming Fathom electric truck in the model’s first year of sales, which would put it among the best-selling EVs in America, and the best-selling non-Tesla EV. Ford has been preparing its Fathom electric truck for a few years now, even establishing a “skunkworks” development center to revolutionize its manufacturing methods. (We took a tour of the design studio this May, but didn’t get to see the truck… yet).

Minnesota is getting ready to put a lot more EV fast chargers on the map – and this time, they’ll be located beyond the state’s three major interstates. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is making $41.2 million available in its third and largest funding round under the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. The money will be used to fill fast-charging gaps in Greater Minnesota, making longer EV trips around the state easier.

Hyundai opened orders for the IONIQ 3, its new entry-level electric hatch, starting at about $30,000. Hyundai opens IONIQ 3 orders in the UK and Europe