Honda patent reveals new ultra-simple, low-cost electric motorcycle

There’s a growing consensus in the electric motorcycle world that the key to success when considering the constraints of today’s technology is to target smaller, simpler, more urban electric motorcycles. While much of today’s attention goes to high-tech, high-price electric motorcycles and e-bikes, the real opportunity for electrification may lie at the opposite end of the spectrum: ultra-simple, ultra-affordable machines designed for the masses.

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Tesla launches new Model Y AWD at $41,990 — just $2,000 more than base

Tesla has added a fifth Model Y variant to its US lineup: a new Standard All-Wheel Drive model priced at $41,990. For just $2,000 over the base rear-wheel drive version, buyers get dual motors and significantly better acceleration without having to pay for all the “premium” features.

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Most outages start near homes – smart meters could catch them first

More than 90% of US power outages start on the distribution grid – the part closest to homes that utilities can’t always see in real time – but Sense says it’s trying to change that by pushing fault detection directly into smart meters.

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Elon is in the files, Tesla sales are down, and Ford is NOT working with Xiaomi

On today’s island-hopping episode of Quick Charge, we have to talk about Elon Musk’s cringey appearance in the Epstein files amid Tesla’s rapid sales decline in Europe, as well as the ultra-fast Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and its own rapid sales decline.

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Waymo raises massive $16 billion round at $126 billion valuation, plans expansion to 20+ cities

Waymo just closed a $16 billion funding round at a $126 billion valuation, the largest investment ever in an autonomous vehicle company. The Alphabet-backed robotaxi leader plans to use the capital to expand to over 20 new cities this year, including its first international markets.

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SpaceX bails out xAI in mega-deal — here’s what it means for Tesla

SpaceX announced today that it has acquired xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, in a deal that creates a combined entity reportedly valued at $1.25 trillion ahead of a planned IPO. The acquisition notably does not include Tesla, which just invested $2 billion in xAI last month.

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FERC: Renewables made up 88% of new US power generating capacity to Nov 2025

New solar and wind capacity additions in November were the second highest in 2025 and accounted for 93% of that month’s total. Solar continues to dominate new capacity additions and has held the lead among all energy sources for 27 consecutive months, according to data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

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2 days left to comment on DOT’s plan to hike US fuel costs by $23B

In December, the US Department of Transportation proposed a plan to make cars less efficient when Americans are already paying record-high energy bills during an affordability crisis fueled by tariff-driven inflation. That plan is still up for public comment, with comments ending in two days.

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The Toyota C-HR is not the $30,000 EV we had hoped for, but this one might be

The 2026 C-HR was expected to be the $30,000 EV everyone was waiting for from Toyota. Although it’s a bit more expensive than anticipated, Toyota does offer an EV starting around that price.

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Owners of broken Colo. coal plant forced to reopen ask DoE to reconsider order

The two main utilities that own a Colorado coal plant which was ordered to reopen by fossil shill Chris Wright have pushed back on the order, stating plainly that it would raise costs and would not benefit reliability for Colorado electric ratepayers.

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