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By Yuning Liu & Mia Reback 

In March 2021, 24 local governments in Maryland joined together on a plan to purchase enough renewable energy to power more than 246,000 homes a year. They did this by issuing a joint request for proposal (RFP) through the Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC) to seek a supply of up to 240,000 MWh of renewable energy starting in 2022. This large-scale transaction was made possible by an energy procurement approach known as energy aggregation, which is a way for two or more buyers to purchase electricity from a utility-scale generation facility.

According to the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) must peak within four years to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and cities have a critical role to play in meeting that target. Aggregation can be a powerful way for cities to rapidly increase their renewable energy and help decarbonize local economies at the necessary speed and scale. Yet most cities have not pursued aggregation due to an inadequate understanding of its novel deal structure and a lack of tools and resources to help streamline the process.

Aggregation can be a powerful way for cities to rapidly increase their renewable energy and help decarbonize local economies at the necessary speed and scale.

To help cities overcome these barriers, last year the American Cities Climate Challenge Renewables Accelerator, an initiative co-led by RMI and World Resources Institute, began organizing a Large-Scale Renewables Aggregation Cohort. This cohort provided technical assistance to more than 30 organizations, including the BRCP. A second iteration of the cohort is now underway with a new group of organizations. In addition, a newly released RMI report, Procuring Large-Scale Renewables through Aggregation: A Guide for Local Governments aims to help more cities understand and pursue aggregation.

As more and more cities take actions to decarbonize the electricity system, aggregation will be an increasingly important option that can provide buyers with several advantages, such as opening doors for smaller cities, creating positive network effects, and unlocking more cost savings.

Enabling Smaller Buyers to Access Large-Scale Projects

Aggregation can enable participation from smaller cities that, on their own, are not able to purchase enough electricity to warrant the attention from developers. This is particularly important for smaller communities with 100 percent renewable energy goals, as most municipalities cannot supply 100 percent of their electricity needs with on-site solar generation alone. Therefore, a utility-scale, off-site procurement will be an essential component of many smaller buyers’ decarbonization strategy.

One instance of a small buyer accessing large-scale renewables projects is a 25 MW joint solar purchase completed by MIT, Boston Medical Center (BMC), and Post Office Square (POS) in 2016. In this aggregated deal, MIT committed to buy 73 percent of the power generated by the new array, with BMC purchasing 26 percent and POS purchasing the remainder.

“Entering into a renewable power purchase agreement was our next step, but our consumption is too small to do it alone,” said Pamela Messenger, general manager of Friends of POS. “It is exciting to join forces with two industry leaders, allowing us to mitigate 100 percent of our electricity footprint.”

Similarly, other smaller local governments have also used aggregation to gain access, such as five local governments in Maine. They teamed up for the state’s first multi-town renewables project, a 4 MW solar array, which provides climate benefits equivalent to more than 4,000 acres of forests.

Without pooling the electricity demand with other buyers, smaller cities would not be able to access utility-scale projects on their own, making it difficult to reduce their carbon emissions efficiently.

Creating Knowledge-Sharing Opportunities

By joining together, cities can not only aggregate their buying power but also pool their knowledge to streamline procurement processes. The shared experience among participants can generate positive network effects, including increased mentorship, increased credibility, and support for inexperienced buyers.

For example, the City of Nashville partnered with Vanderbilt University last year to purchase electricity from a 125 MW solar project as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Green Invest program. This public-private partnership allowed the city to leverage the expertise of the University’s Large-Scale Renewable Energy Study Advisory Committee to identify the best risk mitigation strategy.

According to Susan R. Wente, interim chancellor of Vanderbilt University, “We want this partnership to serve as a model of collaboration that other organizations within our region and beyond can replicate to make long-term, lasting changes to protect our shared environment.” In fact, the connections formed within the aggregation group have garnered national media attention and are sending a powerful signal to utilities, policymakers, and developers that local governments are serious about rapidly decarbonizing the electricity system.

In addition, a group of buyers can also share external lawyers, accountants, or consultants. For instance, 15 Pennsylvania municipalities and public entities, which also participated in the Renewables Accelerator’s Large-Scale Renewables Aggregation Cohort, have teamed up to investigate the viability of investing in a joint solar deal. The 15 entities issued a joint RFP for energy consultants in May 2021 to share external advisory services.

Unlocking More Cost Savings

Throughout the collaborative process, aggregated deals can produce various cost savings because they enable cities to achieve greater economies of scale by combining the renewable energy demands of multiple buyers.

For example, a National Renewable Energy Laboratory analysis estimates that procuring 100 MW of solar instead of 5 MW can reduce development costs by 24 percent. This can lead to cost savings in the form of lower power purchase agreement prices for all buyers, regardless of size.

In another case, the company Enel X, which is working with the BRCPC on a joint purchasing strategy, found that renewable energy projects typically must be over 20 MW in size to be economical. The company discovered that aggregation is one way for smaller buyers to participate in large projects.

In Florida, 12 cities joined together to form the Florida Municipal Solar Project. They are developing 372.5 MW of zero-emissions energy capacity, enough to power 75,000 Florida homes. According to Jacob Williams, CEO and general manager of the Florida Municipal Power Agency, “By working together, our cities are able to provide clean power to their communities in a cost-effective way.” Clint Bullock, Orlando Utilities Commission general manager and CEO, explained, “We can leverage the economies of scale to bring the price of solar down to a point where a dozen municipal utilities can afford to sign on and I believe this is something people around the country will take notice of.”

Better Together

As more cities set goals to transition to renewables, aggregation is democratizing clean energy access by enabling participants, especially smaller buyers, to collectively develop significantly larger renewables projects than any one buyer would be able to access individually. The partnerships can create positive network effects through knowledge sharing and inspire other organizations within the region to replicate the collaboration model. By unlocking more cost savings, aggregated deals provide a lower-cost mechanism for cities to achieve climate goals efficiently.

The new IPCC report underscores the urgency of decarbonizing the electricity system and reducing GHGs. To play their part, cities need to increase the pace and scale of renewable energy procurement. Although aggregation is still a relatively underutilized procurement method, this approach is crucial to help them do that.

Procuring Large-Scale Renewables through Aggregation: A Guide for Local Governments helps walk local governments through the aggregated procurement process step-by-step and links to other key tools and resources relevant to each stage.

Cities must act now to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The best path forward involves engaging all actors and ensuring a more promising economic structure for a wide array of purchasers. In the battle against climate change, it is better to aggregate than to go it alone.

Article courtesy of RMI.

 
 

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BYD previews new flagship EV SUV and sedan for the first time

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3 hours ago

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December 16, 2025

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BYD previews new flagship EV SUV and sedan for the first time

BYD-new-flagship-EV-sedan-SUV

BYD offered a first look at its new flagship electric SUV and sedan, claiming the new EVs redefine high-end standards.

BYD preps to launch new flagship EV sedan and SUV

With over 480,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold in November, BYD is coming off its best sales month of 2025. With new technology and vehicles launching across multiple segments, the company expects momentum to pick up in 2026.

That will include a pair of high-end flagship EVs, the Seal 08 sedan and Sealion 08 SUV. BYD confirmed the names for the first time on Monday alongside teaser images revealing the silhouette of each.

According to CarNewsChina, both models are set to debut in the first three months of 2026 and will feature BYD’s latest tech and software.

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Both models are based on the Ocean S concept BYD revealed in April at the Shanghai Auto Show, featuring its latest design theme, Ocean Aesthetic 2.0.

Although China’s MIIT released a sales license for a BYD vehicle named the Seal 08 earlier this year, it launched as the Seal 06 EV this summer.

BYD-new-flagship-EV-sedan-SUV
BYD previews new flagship Seal 08 sedan (Source: BYD)

At 4,720 mm long, 1,880 mm wide, and 1,495 mm tall, the electric sedan is about the size of the Tesla Model 3. It’s offered with 46.1 kWh or 56.6 kWh battery packs, delivering a CLTC range of 470 km and 545 km, respectively.

Although BYD has yet to reveal prices or any other details, the Seal 08 is expected to deliver a longer driving range with added power.

Local news outlet 163 claims the new Sealion 08 will be 5,040 mm long, or slightly bigger than the Tesla Model Y-sized Sealion 07 SUV.

BYD-new-flagship-EV-sedan-SUV
BYD previews new flagship Sealion 08 SUV (Source: BYD)

The new flagship SUV and sedan will join other BYD Ocean Series models, including the Seagull, Dolphin, Seal, and Song Plus.

Although November was BYD’s best sales month of the year, growth has slowed in 2025. BYD’s chairman and president, Wang Chuanfu, told investors (via CnEVPost) that the company’s biggest advantage lies in its advanced technologies, including next-gen batteries, smart driving features, charging, and other related EV tech.

“I say our technology isn’t sufficiently advanced now because we have major technological announcements coming, but I can’t disclose details at this time,” Wang said earlier this month.

BYD is also aggressively expanding overseas to drive growth. Last month, BYD’s exports surged 325% with a record nearly 132,000 vehicles shipped overseas.


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Velotric Christmas Sale drops Summit 1 e-bike bundle back at $1,799 low, Heybike dual-battery Hauler e-bike at new $999 low, more

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December 16, 2025

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Velotric Christmas Sale drops Summit 1 e-bike bundle back at ,799 low, Heybike dual-battery Hauler e-bike at new 9 low, more


Headlining our Tuesday Green Deals this week is Velotric’s Christmas Gift Season Sale that is not only taking up to $400 off a select number of its e-bikes, but is also offering a FREE $100 gift card with purchases of $2,500 or more. Among the lineup, we spotted the Velotric Summit 1 Versatile Multi-Terrain e-bike with a $160 FREE bundle of gear back at its $1,799 low. Right behind it is Heybike’s Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike that comes with $89+ in FREE gear/gifts at a new $999 low, as well as Bluetti’s Elite 30 V2 Power Station at $204, an Autel EV Charger at its second-best pricing, and many more Christmas deals 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 Hiboy Christmas EV Sale, the latest EcoFlow 48-hour 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.

With its weekend flash sale now over, Velotric has switched gears and has launched its Christmas Gift Season Sale with select e-bike discounts of up to $400, free gifts, and even a free $100 gift card promotion when spending $2,500 or more. Among the small selection of deals, a standout is Velotric’s newer Summit 1 Versatile Multi-Terrain e-bike in a Royal Blue colorway with $160 in FREE gear at $1,799 shipped, matching its Black Friday pricing. This e-bike alone would normally cost $1,999 at full price (and $2,059 with the bundled gear), which we only saw 2025 discounts to $1,899 until Black Friday/Cyber Monday, when this same low price came around for the second time since 2024. Now, you’re getting another chance to score the best tracked price, with $200 cut from the tag and a total $360 savings in all. Head below to learn more about it and the other offers during this Christmas sale.

Coming in as a more affordable all-terrain trekker over Velotric’s premium Nomad 2X e-bike, the Summit 1 e-bike still provides plenty of support, regardless of the terrain you’re venturing across. It arrives equipped with a 750W rear hub motor (that peaks at 1,300W) and a 705.6Wh battery, giving you up to 20/28 MPH top speeds (depending on your laws) and up to 70 miles of PAS-supported travel. While the brand claims that throttle-only riding can continue for up to 60 miles, it’s best to expect less from using pure electric action.

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One notable standout among this e-bike’s features is the SensorSwap inclusion, which allows you to utilize both a cadence and torque sensor as you ride after simply switching between them, giving you more versatile support depending on what kind of terrain you’re passing over. Other features include Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and an 8-speed derailleur, Kenda puncture-resistant tires, a light-sensing LED headlight, a brake-activated taillight, Apple Find My security integration, a 2.8 full color display with a USB port, and more.

Velotric Christmas Gift Season Sale offers:

  • Fold 1 Step-Thru Folding e-bike w/ FREE $48 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,547)
    • 20/28 MPH for up to 55 miles
  • Velotric T1 ST Plus Lightweight Urban e-bike w/ FREE $162 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $2,059)
    • 20/28 MPH for up to 70 miles
  • Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike w/ $150 FREE bundled gear: $1,799 (Reg. $1,949)
    • 20/28 MPH for up to 70 miles
  • Summit 1 Multi-Terrain e-bike w/ FREE $160 bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,059)
    • 20/28 MPH for up to 70 miles
father and son on trail with Heybike Hauler e-bikes

Carry packages, people, more on Heybike’s 85-mile dual-battery Hauler cargo e-bike with FREE gear/gifts at a new $999 low

As part of Heybike’s ongoing Christmas e-bike Sale, which has returned the ALPHA All-Terrain Mid-Drive model back to its lowest price, we also spotted a new cut on the Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike for $999 shipped and coming with FREE dual rear side baskets ($89 value) and a holiday gift pack. This long-range variant goes for $1,899 outside of sales, which we’ve only seen taken as low as $1,099 previously during the brand’s Black Friday sale. Now, for Christmas, you’re looking at even more savings – $989+ total – that lands it down at a new all-time low price at just $100 more than the single-battery model was before selling out of stock.

If you want to learn more about this long-range e-bike, be sure to check out our original coverage of this new low price here.

man and woman camping outdoors with Bluetti power station at table

Bluetti Elite 30 V2 288Wh LiFePO4 power station and its many colorways start from $204 and arrive before Xmas

Bluetti’s official Amazon storefront is undercutting the brand’s direct Christmas Sale pricing on its Elite 30 V2 Portable Power Station at $204 shipped in a standard black colorway, while its sand grey and twilight purple colorways are priced higher at $209 shipped – the latter of these deals matching the price directly from Bluetti, where sadly, they are not eligible for the exclusive bonus savings. These stations all carry $304 MSRPs on the direct site, while Amazon starts them off a little lower at $299. Today’s rates are only beaten out by cuts further to $199 and $189 that we’ve sporadically seen, most recently during last month’s Black Friday events, with you still getting solid $95 and $90 markdowns.

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

man charging vehicle with Autel EV charger

Autel’s MaxiCharger Home 40A level 2 EV charging station arrives ahead of Christmas for $319

Through the official Autel Amazon storefront, you can pick up the brand’s MaxiCharger Home 40A Level 2 EV Charger at $319 shipped, which matches the price directly from the brand. It’s coming down from its $470 full price here with a $151 markdown, landing it at the second-lowest rate we have tracked – just $8 above the low we spotted during July’s Prime Day event. If you want an even more advanced model, you can also currently find the MaxiCharger AC Lite Home 40A Smart AI Level 2 EV Charger with voice controls at this same price – with either of these stations arriving ahead of Christmas for the time being.

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

Anker SOLIX power stations on sled in Christmas sale banner
Samsung smart appliances in the kitchen
Lectric e-bike Christmas banner

Best Winter 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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I tested Tesla’s latest ‘mind blowing’ Full Self-Driving v14

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December 16, 2025

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I tested Tesla's latest 'mind blowing' Full Self-Driving v14

Tesla Full Self-Driving

I’ve put over 200 km (125 miles) on Tesla’s latest ‘Full Self-Driving Supervised’ (FSD) v14 update, and I’ve gathered my thoughts in this article.

In short, Tesla FSD v14 is an incremental improvement to the automaker’s advanced driver-assist system (ADAS) and the most impressive Level 2 system available in a consumer vehicle today.

However, it is still far from what Tesla sold to car buyers: unsupervised self-driving.

I briefly tested FSD v14 in a friend’s car when it launched two months ago, but now that I’ve picked up a new Model 3 with HW4, I’ve spent much more time with it and can share more thoughts.

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First off, for context, I was already a somewhat heavy user of FSD on my Model 3 with HW3, which is stuck on FSD v12 because the computer has reached its limits. I’ve been using it for years.

With v12, FSD was involved in roughly 80% of my driving – mainly on the highway. I’m a responsible FSD user because I always pay attention to the road and am ready to take control at all times. I do appreciate FSD taking over most of the driving tasks so I can focus on scanning the road.

It tried to kill me a couple of times, but it is something you sign up for when you are basically a beta tester.

I haven’t had a significant update to FSD on my HW3 Model 3 for a year now, as Tesla has focused almost all its efforts on updates to vehicles equipped with the newer HW4 computer and its Robotaxi pilot program in Austin, Texas.

There’s now virtually no hope that Tesla vehicles with HW3 computers (most cars up to 2024) will ever deliver on Musk’s promise of unsupervised self-driving. He has been talking about a computer retrofit to help, but that was almost a year ago, and Tesla still hasn’t offered anything to HW3 owners beyond transferring FSD to a new car with HW4, which is what I reluctantly did.

The latest update, available only to cars with the HW4 (AI4) computer, is called FSD v14, and CEO Elon Musk has been hyping it as “sentient” and “mind-blowing.”

After driving more than 200 km (125 miles) with the FSD v14 update (v14.2.1.25 to be exact), here are my thoughts:

Tesla FSD V14 Pros

We already reported on the new point-to-point features of FSD v14, which now enable you to go from parking to parking only on FSD under the driver’s supervision.

That’s a noticeable improvement that removed a lot of disengagements.

However, that’s more a direct capability added to the system rather than an improvement in actual driving performance, which I’m focused on here.

Coming from v12, I can say with certitude that v14 feels more confident. It drives more like a human. It feels less robotic in its actions. Acceleration and deceleration are smoother.

Obviously, that’s going to depend heavily on the driving mode you choose. Much like v12, I find that the ‘Hurry’ mode is the best suited for me, as I generally like to drive above the speed limit, but not high enough to get a speeding ticket, which the new Mad Max mode would rack up quickly

FSD v14 finally tries to go back into the right lane after passing to the left – although emphasis on the word ‘tries’ as there’s a significant con to that in the next section.

Tesla FSD V14 Cons

The obvious one is: it’s not what Tesla sold to customers, unsupervised self-driving, and I don’t see it becoming that any time soon.

I had plenty of interventions and a couple of disengagements over those ~200 km. Fortunately, none of them were safety-related.

Two disengagements were due to FSD not entering the right lane at the right time. I gave it a chance until the last second, but it kept making me miss my exits or have a car cut me off at the last second, which is not acceptable to me.

From v12, I miss the ability to directly adjust the max speed live with the scroll depending on the situation. I hate it when automakers remove capabilities instead of just adding options.

As I mentioned in the ‘pros’ section, FSD v14 now tries to go back in the right lane after passing someone, something that it would do only half the time for me in v12. However, it only “tries” to do it. Half the time, it flashes its lights and moves to the right before returning to the middle of the left lane for seemingly no reason, even though it appears safe to return to the right lane.

It often does this little dance once or twice before either giving up or successfully moving to the right lane.

Electrek’s Take

My take on FSD has always been that if it were developed by Tesla in a vacuum, it would mostly be celebrated as a great driver-assistance system.

However, the fact that Tesla sold this to customers as something that “has all the hardware to support full autonomy” and will increase in price as the software will improve, until you can eventually go to sleep in the car and wake up at your destination, has changed everything.

Now, not only was Tesla wrong about the hardware and the price, but we also have to compare it to what was promised: unsupervised self-driving.

As long as it is not that, it is a failure. There’s no way around it.

I have a theory on people who are impressed by Tesla FSD v14. Putting aside biased people who are invested in Tesla’s stock, I think people who are impressed fall into one of two categories:

  1. People who, for whatever reason, are disconnected from Tesla selling FSD as a level 4, unsupervised self-driving system. And doing so since 2016.
  2. Bad drivers.

There are also people who have never experienced FSD before. For those, it is obviously impressive, but personally, I expected a bigger jump from v12 to v14.

Many people are bad drivers, and they are OK with FSD doing strange things that might confuse or upset other road users. Personally, I can’t accept that. As Tesla makes abundantly clear (in court, less so in its marketing), I’m the one responsible for the car. Therefore, its driving reflects me, and I refused to let it negatively affect other road users.

As for the claim that “no other consumer vehicle can do what Tesla FSD can” and that it is “the best level 2 ADAS,” to me, those points are moot compared to: Does it actually deliver what Tesla sold to customers?

The answer to that is undoubtedly a big fat no.

Can it get there? Of course. On HW4? I have serious doubts.

FSD v14 is “feature complete”. It can perform all the tasks related to driving, but it can’t reliably cover millions of miles without human supervision. It also lacks the redundancy that you need in a system that doesn’t require human supervision.

Maybe it can do it in a small geo-fenced environment with remote monitoring, but that’s not scalable to the customer fleet.


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