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Green hydrogen fans have lots to cheer about these days as one huge mega-project after another takes shape, but there is also some interesting activity bubbling up on the small end of the scale. With that in mind, let’s check out a new modular, off-grid, above-ground, rainwater harvesting, solar powered hydrogen fuel station over in Australia. Wait, doesn’t the US have one of those, too?

Keeping It Above Ground

Above ground is the keyword here. Electric cars get props for having nothing coming out of their tailpipes, and they also have this extra benefit of not contributing to the LUST problem, which for some reason nobody talks about. However, people should be talking about it, because LUST is a big problem — for gasmobiles, that is.

That’s LUST, as in Leaking Underground Storage Tanks. When you pull into your local gas station, all of your gas does not come out of that little thing sticking up out of the ground. It comes from a storage tank below the surface. Not all of them leak, of course. However, there are a lot of them, and some of them leak into the ground, potentially impacting people who depend on underground aquifers for drinking, which EPA estimates includes about half the US population.

Here in the US, in 1984 Congress finally passed a law requiring corrective action for old leaking underground tanks for petroleum and other hazardous liquids, setting standards for new ones, and tasking EPA with creating a program to deal with the whole mess. Since then the law has been strengthened and expanded, but the problem persists.

Though EPA calculates that 37 states closed about 90% of their problem sites over the past 20 years, 544,000 underground storage tanks remain. They require constant monitoring, correction, and removal if necessary, and a quick stroll through the Intertubes reveals plenty of holes in the program.

“Addressing the LUST sites remaining to be cleaned up continues to be a high priority for EPA and our state, territorial, and tribal partners,” EPA recently wrote, by way of introducing the idea that a backlog of cases remains, even as new ones pop up.

Above-Ground Modular Green Hydrogen Refueling Station To The Rescue

One obvious solution to the LUST problem is to store your hazardous liquids above ground, where you can keep an eye on them. Another part of the solution is to store only the minimum necessary to fulfill near-term needs, and that’s where green hydrogen comes in.

For those of you new to the hydrogen topic, most of the world’s supply of hydrogen is produced by pulling it out of natural gas, which is why hydrogen fuel cell cars get the stink-eye from advocates for climate action. They have zero tailpipe emissions, but they drag a long tail of fossil energy baggage behind them.

Green hydrogen from renewable resources could solve that problem. It used to be a pie in the sky idea, until recent years when the cost of wind and solar power began to sink like a stone. That set the stage for electrolysis, which refers to systems that apply an electrical current to water, and out bubbles the green hydrogen.

That opens the door for hydrogen fuel stations that can store green hydrogen in above-ground tanks. Add a water storage tank and perhaps throw in a battery for additional energy storage, and everything you need is out in the open air.

That finally brings us to the latest news about green hydrogen fuel stations. The firm Hydrogen Fuels Australia has just dropped word that plans for a new hydrogen fuel station are under way for the Melbourne suburb of Truganina, which will give it bragging rights to the first ever off-grid modular green hydrogen production and fuel station in all of Australia.

“Founded on environmentally sustainable and ‘low impact’ concepts, H2FA’s operation uses its own electrolysis assets (in island mode) to convert renewable power into green hydrogen,” explains the company, emphasizing that this is a modular, off-grid system and not a grid-connected system.

The sustainable element includes rainwater harvesting to supply the electrolysis system.

The Global Green Hydrogen Technology Network Is Growing

H2FA also emphasizes that the site is not a one-off. It will serve as an R&D center to fine tune the technology and scale up the green hydrogen production end of things.

The project also demonstrates how the international knowledge base and supply chain is pivoting into green hydrogen.

Partners in the project include Australia-based Skai Energies along with Nilsson Energy of Sweden to manage the site’s microgrid, with Green Hydrogen Systems of Denmark providing the electrolyzers, and the US firm Plug Power supplying power to the site.

If you’re not surprised to see Plug Power in the green hydrogen mix, join the club. CleanTechnica first took note of Plug Power back in 2010, when it was pitching hydrogen fuel cell forklifts to the masses. That was before the green hydrogen industry began to emerge. Now that it has, Plug Power is still eyeballing all sorts of hydrogen-fueled mobility devices, but apparently it has also come to realize that green hydrogen production is a money maker.

A 750-kilowatt solar array will power the electrolysis system at the Truganina site. The initial plans call for 60-90 kilograms of green hydrogen daily, eventually ramping up to 3,000 kilograms. H2FA calculates that will provide enough to fuel over 100 vehicles daily.

More Modular, Renewable Hydrogen Fuel Stations For The US

If all goes according to plan, the new H2FA fuel station will be up and running next year. The company is already planning to expand the concept across Victoria and the rest of Australia, too.

So, what about the US? Although hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars have struggled to find a foothold in the market, a growing number of auto makers are eyeballing the long haul truck field and other heavy duty uses. Quick refueling, long range, and high power are the basic benefits.

The US Department of Energy, for one, is a huge fan. Earlier this month Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced that hydrogen will be the first area of focus under the Energy Department’s new Earthshots innovation initiative, modeled on the successful Moonshot and Sunshot programs.

The Earthshots initiative follows on the heels of a growing movement among hydrogen stakeholders in the US to pump up interest in green hydrogen as a decarbonization pathway, and not just for mobility purposes. In one especially noteworthy development that should send shivers up the spines of natural gas stakeholders, the powerhouse legacy firm Mitsubishi has come up with a new gas turbine for power plants that is specifically designed to integrate green hydrogen with natural gas on an incremental basis, until sufficient supplies are available for 100% green hydrogen operations.

Yikes! Hopefully those green hydrogen power stations will do a better job under climate impacts than natural gas power plants. Natural gas was supposed to be a cleaner “bridge” fuel to deep decarbonization, but for one thing its cleanliness is in question, and for another thing it doesn’t seem up to the task of providing power on a reliable basis during hot spells as well as cold ones.

Looking at you, Texas. In an interesting twist, earlier this year Texas launched a project to explore the development of a regional hydrogen hub, leveraging its considerable wind and solar resources, so perhaps help is on the way.

Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey.

Image (screenshot): Courtesy of Hydrogen Fuels Australia.


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Polestar 3 can now power your home – and cut your energy bill

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Polestar 3 can now power your home – and cut your energy bill

Polestar and home energy company dcbel are rolling out vehicle‑to‑home (V2H), blackout backup, and smart charging features for Polestar 3 owners in the US, starting in California.

Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller calls bidirectional charging a “game-changer” for both EVs and home energy. “As it lowers your total cost of ownership and makes your car work for you even when parked, this makes the choice of driving a Polestar even more attractive,” he said.

Bidirectional tech lets an EV battery charge not only from the grid but also send power back out, either into your home or back to the grid. That means lower energy bills, home backup during outages, and better use of renewable energy.

This initial setup utilizes DC power and activates V2H capability for Polestar 3 models based on a 400-volt architecture. The California‑only offer includes dcbel’s Ara home energy system and could help drivers cut charging costs by as much as $1,300 a year. Polestar says the car could also serve as emergency backup power for up to 10 days, depending on conditions.

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California residents can apply for rebates through a state program run by dcbel, helping offset the cost of both hardware and installation. More details are available on dcbel’s Polestar page.

“We are very excited to deliver this initial bidirectional charging offer together with our North American partner dcbel,” said Olivier Loedel, Polestar’s head of software product management, adding that this “marks an important first step as we aim to launch bidirectional charging features to more Polestar customers in more markets.”

Polestar says a wider rollout is planned. In Germany, with more European markets set to follow, the brand has already introduced the bidirectional‑ready Zaptec Go2 AC charger, which will support the capability when it becomes available on compatible Polestar 3 vehicles.

Read more: Polestar wants to save the grid with V2G Virtual Power plant trial in CA/Sweden


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Kia just showed the PV5 electric van can pretty much do it all

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Kia just showed the PV5 electric van can pretty much do it all

The PV5 is more than just an electric van. It can do it all. After revealing the PV5 Chassis Cab, Kia showed how it can turn into a food truck, a camper, and plenty of other setups you wouldn’t expect.

Kia launches the PV5 Chassis Cab

Kia’s electric van can do it all. The PV5 is a mid-size all-electric van and the first from Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business.

The PV5 Passenger and Cargo variants are already rolling out across Europe and South Korea, with more markets planned over the next few months.

At SOLUTRANS 2025 in Lyons, France, on Monday, Kia revealed another new version: The PV5 Chassis Cab. As Kia’s first electric chassis cab model, it marks a significant step toward the company’s goal of becoming a leader in light commercial electric vans by 2030.

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Like all PBV vans, the Chassis Cab is built on the flexible E-GMP.S platform. Depending on the configuration, the PV5 Chassis Cab offers up to 1,005 kg (2,200 lbs) of max payload and eight cubic meters of cargo space (High Box).

Kia-PV5-Chassis-Cab
Kia reveals the PV5 Chassis Cab at SOLUTRANS 2025 (Source: Kia)

The PV5 Chassis Cab “combines compact efficiency with the carrying capacity of larger vans to offer customers across Europe a responsible, flexible solution for daily operations,” Kia Europe’s CEO, Marc Hedrich, said during the launch event.

Kia developed the new Chassis Cab model with European converters as the most flexible PV5 variant yet. The Dropside can be used for farming or construction equipment, the Tipper for waste collection.

Kia-PV5-Chassis-Cab-interior
An interior setup for the Kia PV5 Chassis Cab (Source: Kia)

It also supports three types of Box Vans for e-commerce deliveries, as well as a refrigerated option for grocery delivery.

To showcase its abilities, Kia converted one into a food truck and will offer drinks and “brioches aux pralines roses,” a traditional pastry from Lyon.

The PV5 Chassis Cab will be available with two battery packs: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh. The driving range will vary based on the setup, but Kia said, for reference, the L2H1 Cargo delivers a WLTP range of up to 297 km (185 mi) with the standard battery and 416 km (258 mi) with the long-range battery.

With DC fast-charging speeds of up to 150 kW, the electric van can recharge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes, getting you back on the road.

Kia also introduced the Kia Business Solutions Ecosystem, its new suite of connectivity and charging services for fleets.

Kia-PV5-Chassis-Cab
The interior of the Kia PV5 Chassis Cab (Source: Kia)

The new Kia Android OS infotainment system is at the center with AI Assist, regular OTA updates, and readiness for the PLEOS app market. Drivers can manage and sync profiles on the 12.9″ touchscreen.

Kia’s new Chassis Cab variant follows the PV5 Cargo Long Range, which set a new Guinness World Record in September for “The greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge.”

Kia-PV5-World-Record
The Kia PV5 Cargo Long Range sets a new Guinness World Record (Source: Kia)

Using the 71.2 kWh battery with 665 kg (1,466 lbs) payload, Kia’s electric van traveled 693.38 km (430.84 mi) on a single charge.

On Friday, Kia opened its first dedicated PV5 production hub in South Korea. The new EVO Plant East is a 98,433 square-meter site with an annual production capacity of 100,000 units. Kia will build PV5 Passenger, Carog, Chassis Cab, and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) models at the facility.

The entire hub will be about the size of 42 soccer fields. Once complete, it will be able to crank out 250,000 electric vans a year.

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Navee Black Friday Sale takes up to 41% off e-scooters at lows from $315, Heybike Hauler dual-battery cargo e-bike at new $1,099 low, more

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Navee Black Friday Sale takes up to 41% off e-scooters at lows from 5, Heybike Hauler dual-battery cargo e-bike at new ,099 low, more

Headlining today’s Green Deals is Navee’s official Black Friday Sale, which is not only offering up to 30% in initial discounts on its e-scooters, but you’ll also be able to score an additional $100 sitewide savings using the given code below (up to 41% total savings). Among the lineup, we’re seeing Navee’s flagship ST3 Pro Electric Scooter, which I’ve been loving for months now, dropping to its $660 low for the second-ever time. Behind it is Heybike’s Dual-Battery Hauler Cargo e-bike that is getting some FREE gear alongside the price cut to a new $1,099 low, as well as EcoFlow’s latest 48-hour early Black Friday flash sale, a Greenworks yard-clearing solution, and more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals that are collected together at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Bluetti Elite 400 power station and bundled launch deals, 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.

Save up to 41% on Navee’s smart e-scooters, like the flagship ST3 Pro at its second-ever $660 low, more from $315

Navee has officially launched its Black Friday Sale, which is not only seeing up to 30% initial discounts across its lineup of e-scooters, but is also offering a bonus $100 sitewide savings using the code BFVIP at checkout. One notable returning low price during this sale is on the flagship ST3 Pro Smart Electric Scooter at $659.99 shippedafter using the promo code BFVIP at checkout, beating out its Amazon pricing by $100. It carries a $950 MSRP, but we usually see it keeping down between $760 and $850 on average, with today’s rate having only appeared once before back during July’s Prime Day event. Now, you’re getting a second chance to score $190 off the going rate (and $290 off the MSRP) for the lowest price we have tracked since it hit the market in January. Head below to learn more about this scooter that I cannot stop raving about after going hands-on in our review, as well as the massive lineup of deals we’re seeing across the brand’s e-scooters.

There’s so much to love about Navee’s ST3 Pro electric scooter, from its significant commuting power to its wide array of smart features, including Apple Find My, proximity locking, and more. Of course, the first thing I and others have immediately noticed is its damping arm suspension system that has served me well through the streets of NYC, smoothing out rides down unpaved or pot-hole lined sections.

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The comfortable deck (which comes sporting dual RGB light strips) houses a 600W motor (1,350W peak), bringing the power to tackle up to 28% inclines with ease, while also providing fast acceleration to its max 20/28 MPH speeds (which depend on your local laws). There’s also a sizeable 597Wh battery here that keeps things running for up to 46.6 miles of travel, which I have yet to fully run down during cross-borough trips and joyrides. There’s plenty more to boast about here, like the traction control system, the triple-brake system (hydraulic, mechanical, and electronic regenerative brakes), self-healing puncture-resistant tires, an auto-on headlight, a taillight with brake lighting, turn signals on the handlebars, 15 ambient lighting modes, and more. Get the full rundown of what you can expect in my hands-on review from over the summer.

***Note: The prices below have not had the extra sitewide savings factored in, so be sure to use the promo code BFVIP at checkout to score the very best deals during Navee’s Black Friday Sale!

Navee’s city-cruising Black Friday Sale offers:

  • V25 Electric Scooter: $315 (Reg. $380)
    • 15.5 MPH for 15.5 miles
    • Smart controls, and more
  • V40N Electric Scooter: $329 (Reg. $470)
    • 20 MPH for up to 25 miles
    • Smart controls, hidden AirTag holder, customizable lighting, regen brakes, and more
  • V50i Pro Electric Scooter: $420 (Reg. $600)
    • 20 MPH for up to 31 miles
    • Smart controls, hidden AirTag holder, one-tap unlocking, and more.
  • ST3 Electric Scooter: $599 (Reg. $850)
    • 20/25 MPH for up to 37.3 miles
    • Apple Find My, smart locking, damping arm suspension, triple braking, and more.
  • ST3 Pro Electric Scooter: $760 (Reg. $950)
    • 20/25 MPH for up to 46.6 miles
    • Apple Find My, smart locking, damping arm suspension, triple braking, and more.

Navee’s all-road Black Friday Sale offers:

  • GT3 Electric Scooter: $400 (Reg. $550)
    • 20 MPH for up to 31 miles
    • Apple Find My, smart locking, quad shock absorption, dual braking, and more.
  • GT3 Pro Electric Scooter: $460 (Reg. $650)
    • 20 MPH for up to 37.3 miles
    • Apple Find My, smart locking, quad shock absorption, dual braking, and more.
  • GT3 Max Electric Scooter: $490 (Reg. $700)
    • 20 MPH for up to 46.6 miles
    • Apple Find My, smart locking, dual suspension, and more.
  • N65i Electric Scooter: $630 (Reg. $900)
    • 20/25 MPH for up to 40 miles
    • Bluetooth locking, triple braking system, and more.
  • XT5 Pro Long-range Off-road Electric Scooter: $1,500 (No initial price cut)
    • 31 MPH for up to 46.6 miles
    • Apple Find My, smart locking, damping arm suspension, triple braking system, and more

You can also find the brand’s latest e-scooter releases (with no starting discounts), as well as a kids-friendly model on Navee’s main Black Friday Sale page here.

father and son on trail with Heybike hauler e-bikes

Get up to 85 miles of pedal-assisted cargo carrying on Heybike’s dual-battery Hauler e-bike at a new $1,099 low

Heybike is now offering its Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike at $1,099 shipped, with it also coming with an $89 dual rear side basket bundle and a Black Friday gift pack for FREE. Normally going for $1,899 at full price, we usually see this model dropped down to $1,599, with occasional falls lower to $1,499 or $1,399. The deal here is going lower than ever, as $800 is cut from the tag for the lowest price we have tracked, while the single-battery model is now sold out.

If you want to learn more about this e-bike, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

woman walking with EcoFlow DELTA Pro power station down driveway

EcoFlow’s next 48-hour flash sale drops DELTA Pro 400W solar bundle to new $1,599 low

As part of its ongoing early Black Friday Sale, EcoFlow has launched its final early Black Friday 48-hour flash sale before it kicks into its second phase on November 20, with up to 67% discounts on four offers – two power station bundles and two dual expansion battery bundles. The standout for folks wanting more versatile charging options is EcoFlow’s DELTA Pro Portable Power Station with a 400W solar panel at $1,599 shipped, beating out its Amazon pricing by $300. This bundle would normally run for $4,898 at full price here, while it keeps down at $3,999 at Amazon when in full, though Prime members have had the opportunity to score it under $2,000 for months now. Discounts over the year have only taken the costs on this bundle down as low as $1,799 up until today, with this greater 60% markdown taking $2,400 off the going rate (67% taking $3,299 off the MSRP) and landing it at a new all-time low price. Head below to learn more about it and the other offers lasting through November 19.

If you want to learn more about this or the other offers, be sure to check out our original coverage of this 48-hour flash sale here.

man clearing yard of leaves with Greenworks leaf blower

Get more clearing power for seasonal debris with Greenworks’ 80V 700 CFM cordless blower at $175

Amazon is offering the Greenworks 80V 700 CFM Cordless Leaf Blower with 2.5Ah battery at $174.99 shipped. Dropped down from its usual $250 full price, we only saw it dipping to $200 up until July, when discounts grew and we saw more savings. While it did go as low as $165 during last month’s Prime Day event, you’re still looking at a solid 30% markdown here, cutting $75 off the going rate for the third-lowest price we have tracked – just $10 above the one-time low.

If you want to learn more about this leaf blower, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

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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