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It seems like only yesterday that a mysterious new program called Energy Earthshots was in the works for the US Department of Energy, and everybody was wondering what that could possibly be. The curtain has now lifted and the answer is clean hydrogen. If you’re thinking why clean hydrogen and not green hydrogen, that’s a good question. The answer could make fossil energy stakeholders very happy or very, very sad.

Green Hydrogen Vs. Clean Hydrogen

For those of you new to the topic, hydrogen is the cornerstone of the modern industrial economy. The booming market for hydrogen fuel cells is just one slice of a huge chemical pie that includes agriculture, food processing, and refining, among other areas.

The problem is that almost the entire global supply of hydrogen comes from natural gas and coal.

However, not for long. Low-cost renewable energy has fostered a rosier economic outlook for new and more sustainable hydrogen sources, aka green hydrogen. Most of the activity is concentrated in the field of electrolysis, which refers to systems that deploy electricity to tease bubbles of hydrogen gas out of water.

This is what is known as green hydrogen. Other renewable hydrogen sources include biomass, biogas, municipal wastewater, and municipal solid waste.

The idea of producing hydrogen from reclaimed industrial gasses and plastic waste is also catching on. That’s more sustainable than using virgin natural gas or coal to produce hydrogen, though much of the foundational feedstock is still fossil-based and not renewable.

Then there’s a public relations gimmick cooked up by fossil energy stakeholders, in which you still produce hydrogen from natural gas or coal, but you hook it up to a carbon capture system and call it “blue” hydrogen, which supposedly translates into “clean” hydrogen.

I know, right? We think so, too.

So What Is It, Green Hydrogen Or Clean Hydrogen?

All else being equal, the “clean hydrogen” referred to in the new Energy Earthshots initiative could include support for fossil-sourced hydrogen with carbon capture, as well as reclaimed hydrogen from wastes.

However, last week CleanTechnica eyeballed the Biden administration’s FY 2022 budget proposal, and we took a quick look back the Energy Department’s green hydrogen initiatives during the administration of former President and accused insurrectionist Donald Trump, and then we connected the dots to current Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s pronouncements about renewable hydrogen earlier this year, and our conclusion is that when Energy Earthshots says clean hydrogen, they may be leaving a bit of wiggle room for fossil sources, but probably not all that much.

Get Ready For The Hydrogen Shot

The name “Earthshots Initiative” is a play on the successful 20th century Moonshot venture that shot US astronauts into space before anybody else got there, and the Energy Department’s early 21st century Sunshot Initiative, which launched during the Obama administration with the goal of bringing down the cost of solar power.

Energy Earthshots aims to replicate that all-hands-on-deck frenzy of collaborative innovation to tackle the energy challenges of the early mid-century period, which will make or break the ability of humankind to save itself from catastrophic climate change.

The Energy Earthshots Initiative aims to “accelerate breakthroughs of more abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy solutions within the decade,” the Energy Department explained in a press release on Monday.

Skeptics were and still are laughing off the idea of the hydrogen economy of the future, but the Energy Department is a big fan and they just clapped back bigly when they picked hydrogen as the very first focus of the new Energy Earthshots initiative.

“The first Energy Earthshot — Hydrogen Shot — seeks to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per kilogram in one decade,” the Energy Department said. “Achieving these targets will help America tackle the climate crisis, and more quickly reach the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while creating good-paying, union jobs and growing the economy.”

“Clean hydrogen is a game changer. It will help decarbonize high-polluting heavy-duty and industrial sectors, while delivering good-paying clean energy jobs and realizing a net-zero economy by 2050,” Secretary Granholm added.

Here’s the money quote from the press release:

“By achieving Hydrogen Shot’s 80% cost reduction goal, we can unlock a five-fold increase in demand by increasing clean hydrogen production from pathways such as renewables, nuclear, and thermal conversion. This would create more clean energy jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and position America to compete in the clean energy market on a global scale.”

Fossil-Sourced Hydrogen With Carbon Capture, Or Maybe Not

If you caught that thing about renewables and nuclear, that’s a reference to electrolysis, meaning green hydrogen. There is also something called thermochemical conversion, which deploys high heat from nuclear or concentrating solar plants to split hydrogen from water, but that seems a bit too early-stagey to fit into the Hydrogen Shot timeline. The other option is thermal conversion, which generally refers to steam reformation and other processes that apply to natural gas and coal, meaning not green hydrogen.

The Hydrogen Shot Request for Information emphasizes diverse energy sources in the US, and it specifically mentions fossil energy plus carbon capture for ramping up hydrogen production, so it looks like fossil energy stakeholders have something to cheer about after all.

Or, maybe not. Climate action has become a mainstream business model. It’s a good bet that the market for fossil-sourced hydrogen will shrink as the supply of sustainable hydrogen grows, carbon capture or not.

The Energy Department’s RFI appears to recognize that the private sector is already leaning towards green hydrogen. Despite the nod to fossil-sourced hydrogen, the agency highlights green hydrogen in a shortlist of major projects currently under way:

“… hydrogen production, storage, and end use in turbines through the $1 billion Advanced Clean Energy Storage project in Utah; a 5 MW electrolyzer project planned in Washington State; first-of-a -kind nuclear-to-hydrogen projects in multiple states; a 20 MW electrolyzer plant to produce hydrogen from solar power in Florida; and the first GW-scale factory for electrolyzers announced in New York, with a 120 MW electrolyzer soon to be installed.”

If you can spot the thermal conversion project in that list, drop us a note in the comment thread (hint: there is none).

But What About Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles?

Yes, what about them? Hydrogen Shot is not taking aim at the hydrogen fuel cell passenger car and SUV markets, though Toyota and a small but growing list of automakers have been pitching the idea (for the record, the growing list includes Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, and most recently, BMW).

Instead, Hydrogen Shot is focusing on long haul trucks and other heavy applications. That could include locomotives as well as hydrogen aircraft and hydrogen watercraft.

Green hydrogen has already been incorporated into much of the planning for transportation applications, so it’s no surprise that green hydrogen producers are already jockeying to compete for business.

In the latest development on that score, the firm SGH2 Energy is pitching a “greener than green” hydrogen product that draws from biomass and other bio-based waste. The company claims that its green H2 displaces more carbon than both electrolysis-based process as well as thermal conversion, so hold on to your hats.

Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey.

Image: Hydrogen production from various sources courtesy of US Department of Energy.

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Anker launches SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 station starting from $749, save up to $1,116 during Tenways’ early Black Friday e-bike sale, more

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October 28, 2025

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Anker launches SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 station starting from 9, save up to ,116 during Tenways' early Black Friday e-bike sale, more


Headlining today’s Green Deals is the official launch of Anker’s new SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station and bundles that start at $749 for folks who took advantage of the early-bird savings promotion, while everyone else can score them starting from $799. We also have Tenways’ Early Black Friday Sale with up to $1,116 in savings on e-bikes, as well as select 50% off Power Bank (range extender) bundle options – all starting from $1,499. From there, we have exclusive Bluetti Halloween Sale deals on the Apex 300 Versatile Power Station and bundles starting from a new $1,349 low, as well as lawncare equipment from Worx and Greenworks, first savings on VIOFO’s new A229 Ultra dash cams, and more ongoing favorites waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals from last week that are collected together at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Aventon Level 3 Smart Commuter e-bike early Black Friday savings, EcoFlow’s latest 48-hour Halloween flash sale that ends tonight, 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.

man and woman sitting by lake with Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 power station connected to RV

Anker officially launches new SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 power station and bundles with up to 50% savings from $749

Anker has officially launched its new SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station with up to $1,100 savings, unless you subscribed ahead of time to receive the code that allows for additional savings from the brand’s direct website. For folks who missed out on the early-bird deals, you can pick up the power station on its own for $799 shipped, which is also matching in price over at Amazon. It will normally fetch $1,499 at full price once these launch deals end, with the folks who subscribed and scored the code ahead of time getting an additional $50 off the price for $749 shipped. These are the very first savings of $700 and $750 off the going rate, setting the bar for future deals. Head below to learn more about this station’s capabilities, as well as get the full lineup of bundle deals we’re seeing both from the brand’s website and Amazon.

Coming as a remodeling of the legacy F2000 model, Anker’s new SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 power station brings more power and faster charging within a smaller and lighter form factor. It’s base LiFePO4 battery capacity starts at 2,048Wh and can be expanded up to 4,096Wh with the expansion battery bundle below. Through its 11 output ports (five ACs, one TT-30R RV port, three USB-Cs, one USB-A, and a car port) it delivers up to 2,400W of power that can surge up to 4,000W, which beats out its predecessor by 400W.

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Anker’s SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 comes with six primary recharging methods, including an AC outlet (88 minutes for 100%), a gas generator (88 minutes for 100%), up to 800W of solar input (three hours for 100%), using both AC and solar simultaneously (58 minutes for 100%), your car’s auxiliary port (23 hours for 100%), or with the brand’s new 800W alternator charger.

***Note: The prices below do not factor in the early-bird savings code you should have received by subscribing ahead of this launch, so be sure to use it at checkout for even lower rates!

Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 launch deals:

If you’re looking for something more compact, you can still score Anker’s PowerCore Reserve 60,000mAh/192Wh power station down at $80 right now. There’s also the brand’s Halloween Sale that is offering up to 63% discounts on units, with camping-ready solutions starting from $398, while we’re also seeing returning low prices on the SOLIX F3000 power station and bundles starting from $1,399, as well as the F3800 Plus power station and bundles starting from $2,599.

man and woman sitting on beach at night next to Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bikes

Get up to $1,116 early Black Friday savings on Tenways e-bike bundles starting from $1,499

Tenways has launched its Early Black Friday Sale, with up to $600 in savings on e-bikes alongside 50% off accessories, including the ongoing $1,116 savings on the AGO X All-Terrain Mid-Drive e-bike that gets a FREE Power Bank (range extender). Among the other deals we’re seeing, you can find Tenways’ CGO600 Pro Lightweight Commuter e-bike (both the chain and belt drives) with $118 in FREE add-on gear at $1,499 shipped – plus, you can add on a Power Bank (range extender) at 50% off on the page. Normally going for $1,899 in full, we’ve mostly been seeing the price taken down to $1,599 since March due to tariff hikes, with occasional falls lower to $1,499 for short timeframes. While we have seen it go lower in the past pre-tariff market, the deal here is a solid $400 price cut lending to a total $518 in savings ($672 if you add the Power Bank) that is the best price we’ve seen in our post-tariff market. You can also score an additional $150 off when buying two e-bikes together, with the usual medical provider, first responder, teacher, or military member discounts available too.

If you want to learn more about these particular e-bikes, as well as browse the full lineup of deals, be sure to check out our original coverage of this Early Black Friday Sale here.

father and daughter at camping table surrounded by lights powered by Bluetti Apex 300 power station

Bluetti offers up to 47% exclusive Halloween savings on its Apex 300 series starting from new $1,349 low

As part of its newly launched Halloween Sale, and running parallel to the ongoing exclusive Pioneer Na(Sodium) power station launch savings, we are seeing lower-than-ever pricing on the brand’s Apex 300 Versatile Power Station and its bundles. Prices start from $1,349.10 shipped for the power station alone, after using the exclusive code 9TO5TOYS10F at checkout (and which only works for this series). It’s been carrying a $2,399 MSRP since releasing in May, though we’ve regularly had exclusive deals for our readers that take significantly more off the tag. We spotted this station previously dropping down the lowest three weeks ago during Prime Day, when it hit $1,394, but that rate is beaten out here by $45, giving you a total $1,050 savings at the best price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this power station series, or see the full lineup of offers, be sure to check out our original coverage of these exclusive deals here.

man converting the Worx 20V 10-inch cordless chainsaw into a pole saw

Worx’s 20V 10-inch cordless chainsaw gains extended reach with the pole attachment for $130

Amazon is offering the versatile Worx 20V 10-inch Cordless PowerShare Pole/Chainsaw Kit at $129.99 shipped. While it carries a $190 MSRP directly from the brand, it’s been keeping to $158 at full price here, with discounts mostly dropping costs between $140 and $130, though we did spy a one-time drop to $102 back in February. Aside from the early-year deal, you’re getting the next-best price that we have tracked over 2025, with $28 cut from Amazon’s going rate (and $60 off the MSRP).

If you want to learn more about this handy 2-in-1 tool, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

man mowing front lawn with Greenworks 80V 21-inch cordless self-propelled SmartCut Lawn Mower

Best Fall EV deals!

Best 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.


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Tesla signals Cybercab might actually get a steering wheel

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1 hour ago

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October 28, 2025

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Tesla signals Cybercab might actually get a steering wheel

Tesla Robotaxi

Tesla’s chairwoman said that the automaker might redesign the Cybercab, specifically add a steering wheel and pedals.

Last year, Tesla unveiled the Cybercab, a two-seater electric car without a steering wheel or pedals.

Musk was quoted during the design of the Cybercab:

No mirrors, no pedals, no steering wheel. Let me be clear. This vehicle must be designed as a clean robotaxi. We’re going to take that risk…But we are not going to design some sort of amphibian frog that’s a halfway car. We are all in on autonomy.

Here’s the interior of the Tesla Cybercab:

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The vehicle was one of several new, cheaper electric vehicles that Tesla was developing for its new ‘unboxed’ platform, but CEO Elon Musk canceled the others, believing they wouldn’t be needed with the advent of autonomous driving.

However, Tesla has yet to solve unsupervised autonomous driving, and Musk has been consistently wrong about predicting when it will happen.

Tesla plans to bring the Cybercab to production in 2026, and during Tesla’s earnings call last week, Musk said the Cybercab will account for the bulk of Tesla’s upcoming production growth.

That’s not going to happen if Tesla hasn’t solved unsupervised self-driving.

Furthermore, while federal regulations for self-driving vehicles have been relaxed recently, there’s only an exemption available for 2,500 passenger vehicles without a steering wheel or pedals per manufacturer per year.

Now, Tesla chairwoman Robin Denholm said in an interview with Bloomberg today that Tesla plans to add a steering wheel and pedals to the Cybercab if needed:

“If we have to have a steering wheel, it can have a steering wheel and pedals.”

Tesla is currently setting up Cybercab production at Gigafactory Texas near Austin.

The automaker has framed the vehicle as a cheaper alternative to Model Y for its Robotaxi service.

Electrek’s Take

Just yesterday, I was talking to my friend Bastien, and he called it. He told me he bets Tesla does launch the Cybercab next year, but with a steering wheel and pedals.

Now, let’s be clear. As of today, Tesla’s need for a steering wheel and pedals in the Cybercab is not driven by regulators, as Denholm suggests.

Tesla hasn’t solved unsupervised self-driving as evidenced by the current version of ‘Full Self-Driving (Supervised)’ in consumer vehicles, and its Robotaxi service still has safety monitors.

If Tesla wants to produce and deliver the Cybercab in any significant volume, it would need a steering wheel.

The regulations are just an excuse as of now.

It could change in the future, but for now, Tesla’s technology is without a doubt the limiting factor.


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Lucid’s (LCID) $50,000 midsize EVs will offer ‘mind-off’ Level 4 autonomy

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October 28, 2025

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Lucid's (LCID) ,000 midsize EVs will offer 'mind-off' Level 4 autonomy

Lucid-mind-off-L4-EVs

After securing a new partnership, Lucid Motors (LCID) said it plans to offer the industry’s first “mind-off” Level 4 autonomous EVs powered by NVIDIA.

Lucid plans to offer mind-off L4 autonomous EVs

Lucid launched its first internally developed advanced driver assistance system, DreamDrive Pro, in the Lucid Air in 2021.

Over the past few years, the ADAS system has evolved, gaining new features and capabilities. Most recently, it introduced hands-free driving and lane-change capabilities via a software update released in June.

Lucid said the new capabilities offer a glimpse of what’s to come. The company said today’s landmark initiative puts it on track to offer Level 4 autonomous EVs.

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Through its new collaboration, Lucid plans to deliver the “first Level 4 autonomous EVs for Consumers with NVIDIA. Lucid will integrate NVIDIA’s DRIVE AV into its upcoming midsize EV models to unlock the new capabilities.

Lucid-mind-off-L4-EVs
Lucid’s midsize crossover SUV (left) and Gravity SUV (right) Source: Lucid

Lucid will use two NVIDIA DRIVE AGX THOR computers with NVIDIA DriveOS for the midsize lineup. The setup will unify all automated driving functions under one centralized architecture, enabling “seamless evolution.”

The company will begin with eyes-on, point-to-point driving (L2++) for the Gravity SUV. Lucid said it aims to offer “the first true eyes-off, hands-off, and mind-off (L4) consumer-owned autonomous vehicle” in its midsize lineup, which is due to enter production later next year.

Lucid-Gravity-interior
The interior of the Lucid Gravity (Source: Lucid)

Lucid will also use NVIDIA’s Industrial platform and Omniverse to cut costs, improve manufacturing efficiency, and ultimately, speed up deliveries.

Its new partnership with NVIDIA marks “a pivotal step,” Lucid said on Tuesday, as it embraces a new era of software-driven manufacturing.

Lucid-midsize-EV-L4
Lucid midsize electric SUV teaser image (Source: Lucid)

Lucid told Electrek last year that it plans to launch three midsize EVs on the platform, starting at around $50,000. The first will be a crossover SUV, followed by a more rugged version, while the third is rumoured to be a midsize sedan to go head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3.

We got our first glimpse of the crossover last September after Lucid teased the front end in a blurry photo. The latest gives us a closer look at what appears to be a Tesla Model 3-like silhoutte.


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