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347 organizations representing a true grassroots movement—spanning business to housing to environmental advocacy groups, issued a statement of support to protect rooftop solar in California.

The open letter signed by a diverse coalition of organizations, sent to Governor Newsom and the California Public Utilities Commission, demands state leaders keep solar affordable in California as the Newsom Administration considers changes to “net energy metering” (NEM), the state policy that defines how solar users send energy back to and interact with the electric grid.

Solar is incredibly popular in California, in part because net metering is putting the benefits of rooftop solar in the hands of more people by making it more affordable. In fact, working and middle-class neighborhoods make up nearly 50% of today’s rooftop solar market.

“80% of Californians support net metering as it is today because it is proving successful and bringing solar to more homes, schools and small businesses,” said Dave Rosenfeld, Executive Director, Solar Rights Alliance. “Net metering is helping bring costs down and making it possible for more people to access the savings, resilience, and other benefits of solar power while also moving California closer to our clean energy goals. Voters of all backgrounds want to continue that progress. They know the utilities do not have their best interests in mind.”

Proposals submitted by the big utilities to gut net metering would drastically reduce the credit solar consumers receive for the excess energy they produce and add a $65–90 monthly solar penalty fee to their energy bills.

By holding back rooftop solar, which is more efficient, the utility profit grab would cost California tens of billions of dollars over time and each ratepayer $295 a year.

“While the big investor owned utilities have money and political influence, our power comes from our diverse coalition representing the needs and desires of environmentalists, conservationists, farmers, students, disabled communities, renters, churches, schools, labor, and small businesses across the state,” said Jessica Tovar, Energy Democracy Organizer with the Local Clean Energy Alliance. “Our grassroots coalition represents California voters from all walks of life, who overwhelmingly support the growth of local solar; like microgrids and oppose the push by investor-owned utilities to increase their own profits by making solar more expensive for everyone.”

By undermining net metering, making solar more expensive for everyone and halting critical clean energy expansion, the utility profit grab is out of step with California’s environmental and clean energy goals and the growing need for a reliable energy supply in the face of wildfires and grid outage events.

“California is in a climate emergency, with record shattering heat waves, drought and wildfires spreading across the state,” said Laura Deehan, State Director of Environment California. “With so much at stake, California gutting net metering would reverse our trajectory as a leader in solving global warming right when our leadership is needed most.”

The Save California Solar coalition is calling on the CA Public Utilities Commission to strengthen net metering in two ways by making it easier and more affordable for everyone, and increasing battery accessibility for those who go solar, thereby increasing the community benefits of rooftop solar.

“At a time when many of California’s 18 million tenants are just fighting to remain housed, investor-owned utilities are trying to drive up their rates if their building includes rooftop solar,” said Mari Perez-Ruiz, Chair of the California Democratic Party Renters Council. “Renters deserve more rooftop solar, not more bailouts to PG&E, SoCal Gas, and Sempra.”

“Communities of color are those most impacted by climate change,” said Coalition for Environmental Equity and Economics (CEEE) co-founder Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr. “They are the communities that live with the health consequences of environmental hazards, and they lack the resources to quickly bounce back from natural disasters. CEEE has a high sense of urgency to ensure California public policy makes the communities we care about a priority.”

Save California Solar: Save California Solar is a coalition founded by the Solar Rights Alliance, California’s association of solar users, to help ensure that rooftop solar continues to grow and benefit every Californian. Learn more at www.savecaliforniasolar.org.

Article courtesy of Save California Solar.

 

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Ford has a new ‘electrified’ Mustang in the works, and it’s not the Mach-E

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Ford has a new 'electrified' Mustang in the works, and it's not the Mach-E

Ford is testing a new electrified Mustang that may not be as electric as it seems. The next-gen Mustang is apparently already in development. Here’s what we know about it so far.

Is Ford launching an electrified Mustang Hybrid?

After postponing around $12 billion in planned spending on electric vehicles in 2023, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said the company would lean more into hybrids.

Farley told investors and analysts on the company’s Q3 2023 earnings call that he’s “so thankful we have kept our foot on the gas to freshen our ICE and HEV products as we enter a changing market.”

Ford’s CFO, John Lawler, reaffirmed the company’s plans later that year, saying the company would use hybrids as a bridge to fully electric vehicles.

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“With EV adoption slower, hybrids are going to be a bigger part,” Lawler said, adding that Ford “became a little bit complacent” on hybrid tech. Last year, Ford said it would introduce a hybrid version for every gas-powered vehicle in its lineup by 2030.

Ford-new-electrified-Mustang
2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)

Ford is apparently making good on its promise with a new Mustang hybrid in development. According to a new report from Ford Authority, the Mustang hybrid, internally code-named S650E, is in development, and prototypes are already being tested.

The report claims the new Mustang has entered the Technology Prove-Out stage, suggesting it will be electrified to some degree.

Ford-new-electrified-Mustang
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally (Source: Ford)

Whether it will be a traditional hybrid or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) remains unclear. Although the company has yet to confirm it, Farley said that a “partially electrified Mustang coupe” was a strong possibility, and Ford’s Performance unit is already testing hybrid powertrains.

Electrek’s Take

Will the new Mustang hybrid sit alongside the Mach-E in Ford’s lineup? Ford’s electric crossover SUV remains one of the top-selling EVs in the US, so it’s unlikely to go anywhere, but it is due for a refresh with so many new rivals entering the market.

Through August, Ford sold 34,319 Mustang Mach-Es (+6.7% YOY) in the US. The gas-powered Mustang continues to fall out of favor, with 31,015 units sold in the first eight months of 2025, 8.3% fewer than during the same period in 2024.

With Hyundai, Stellantis, Honda, and several other global OEMs planning to launch new hybrid models in the US, the Ford Mustang hybrid doesn’t come as a total surprise. We will still have to wait for the official word from Ford, but a new electrified Stang seems more than likely.

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Offshore driller Transocean plunges after offering shares at a discount

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Offshore driller Transocean plunges after offering shares at a discount

Transocean Barents, an oil platform passes through Canakkale Strait as vessel traffic suspended in both directions in Canakkale, Turkiye on November 12, 2024.

Enishan Keskin | Anadolu | Getty Images

Shares of Transocean plunged Thursday after the offshore driller announced the sale of a large number of shares at a discount.

Transocean is planning to sell 125 million shares at a price of $3.05, significantly lower than Wednesday’s close of $3.64. It is offering 25 million shares more than it originally planned.

The Swiss company’s stock was last down 14.8% premarket. The offering is expected to close on Friday.

Transocean expects to book about $381 million from the sale. It will use the proceeds to pay off debt.

(Correction: Updates with correct share offering price.)

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NYC’s new 15 MPH speed limit for e-bikes goes into effect next month, but cars still get a pass

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NYC’s new 15 MPH speed limit for e-bikes goes into effect next month, but cars still get a pass

New York City’s new 15 mph speed limit for electric bikes is officially set to take effect next month, in what city officials claim is a move to improve street safety. But not everyone is convinced the crackdown is targeting the real threat on the roads.

The new limit, approved earlier this year, applies to e-bikes, mopeds, and other micromobility vehicles operating in city bike lanes. Riders caught exceeding 15 mph could face warnings or citations, though the exact enforcement strategy remains murky. The NYPD says it will focus on “education first,” but given the city’s track record, that could just be the calm before the ticket storm.

The rule comes amid growing concerns from some residents and officials about rising speeds among e-bike riders, especially delivery workers who often rely on throttle-equipped bikes to meet tight deadlines. But while the new speed cap is aimed at micromobility vehicles, there’s a noticeable omission: cars, trucks, and SUVs, which continue to be allowed to travel at 25 mph – and in practice, often much faster – even though they pose exponentially more risk to vulnerable road users and are responsible for orders of magnitude more deaths each year.

It’s a move that raises eyebrows and has resulted in thousands of publicly-submitted comments that the New York Department of Transportation has seemingly ignored.

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After all, the majority of traffic fatalities in New York City don’t involve e-bikes. They involve cars. And while some e-bike riders certainly ride irresponsibly, the blanket limit nearly cuts in half the more widely accepted e-bike speed limits used around the US, and doesn’t even apply to pedal bikes, which can easily exceed such speeds despite nearly identical average weights when factoring in the vehicle and rider. Not to mention, it ignores the critical role that e-bikes play in reducing traffic congestion and emissions, especially in the delivery and commuting sectors.

So while New York is slowing down its most efficient and sustainable form of urban transport, it’s letting the real heavyweights keep their speed. If the goal is safety, then it’s fair to ask: why aren’t cars being asked to go 15 mph too?

Because once again, it seems the rules are written for the powerful – not the vulnerable.

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