Connect with us

Published

4 years ago

on

Aerial view of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant which sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California on March 17, 2011.
Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images

California is not keeping up with the energy demands of its residents.

In August 2020, hundreds of thousands of California residents experienced rolling electricity blackouts during a heat wave that maxed out the state’s energy grid.

The California Independent System Operator issues flex alerts asking consumers to cut back on electricity usage and move electricity usage to off-peak hours, typically after 9 p.m. There were 5 flex alerts issued in 2020 and there have been 8 in 2021, according to CAISO records.

On Friday, Sept. 10, the U.S. Department of Energy granted the state an emergency order to allow natural gas power plants to operate without pollution restrictions so that California can meet its energy obligations. The order is in effect until Nov. 9.

At the same time, the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, owned by Pacific Gas and Electric and located near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, is in the middle of a decade-long decommissioning process that will take the state’s last nuclear power plant offline.  The regulatory licenses for reactor Unit 1 and Unit 2, which commenced operation in 1984 and 1985 will expire in November 2024 and August 2025, respectively.

Diablo Canyon is the state’s only operating nuclear power plant; three others are in various stages of being decommissioned. The plant provides about 9% of California’s power, according to the California Energy Commission, compared with 37% from natural gas, 33% from renewables, 13.5% from hydropower, and 3% from coal.

Nuclear power is clean energy, meaning that the generation of power does not emit any greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming and climate change. Constructing a new power plant does result in carbon emissions, but operating a plant that is already built does not.

California is a strong advocate of clean energy. In 2018, the state passed a law requiring the state to operate with 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045.

The picture is confusing: California is closing its last operating nuclear power plant, which is a source of clean power, as it faces an energy emergency and a mandate to eliminate carbon emissions.

Why?

The explanations vary depending on which of the stakeholders you ask. But underlying the statewide diplomatic chess is a deeply held anti-nuclear agenda in the state.

“The politics against nuclear power in California are more powerful and organized than the politics in favor of a climate policy,” David Victor, professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, told CNBC.

Earthquake country

Diablo is located near several fault lines, cracks in the earth’s crust that are potential locations for earthquakes.

Concerns about nuclear plants and earthquakes grew after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, causing a 45-foot-high tsunami. Cooling systems failed and the plant released radioactive material in the area.

In July 2013, the then on-site Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector for Diablo Canyon, Michael Peck, issued a report questioning whether the nuclear power plant should be shuttered while further investigation was done on fault lines near the plant. The confidential report was obtained and published by the Associated Press, and resulted in an extensive review process.

The Hosgri fault line, located about 3 miles away from Diablo Canyon, was discovered in the 1970s when construction was in early stages and the NRC was able to make changes to the research and construction plans. Peck’s filing brought attention to another collection of nearby fault lines — the Shoreline, Los Osos and San Luis Bay.

All of these discussions of safety are set against a backdrop of shifting sentiment about nuclear energy in the United States.

“Since Three Mile Island and then Chernobyl there has been a political swing against nuclear—since the late 1970s,” Victor told CNBC. “Analysts call this ‘dread risk’ — a risk that some people assign to a technology merely because it exists.  When people have a ‘dread’ mental model of risk it doesn’t really matter what kind of objective analysis shows safety level. People fear it.”

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA -JUNE 30: Anti nuclear supporters at Diablo Canyon anti-nuclear protest, June 30, 1979 in San Luis Obispo, California. (Photo by Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.)
Bob Riha Jr | Archive Photos | Getty Images

For citizens who live nearby, the fear is tangible.

“I’ve basically grown up here. I’ve been here all my adult life,” Heidi Harmon, the most recent mayor of San Luis Obispo, told CNBC.

“I have adult kids now, but especially after 9/11, my daughter, who was quite young then, was terrified of Diablo Canyon and became essentially obsessed and very anxious knowing that there was this potential security threat right here,” Harmon told CNBC.

In San Luis Obispo County, a network of loud sirens called the Early Warning System Sirens is in place to warn nearby residents if something bad is happening at the nuclear power plant. Those sirens are tested regularly, and hearing them is unsettling.

“That is a very clear reminder that we are living in the midst of a potentially incredibly dangerous nuclear power plant in which we will bear the burden of that nuclear waste for the rest of our lives,” Harmon says.

Also, Harmon doesn’t trust PG&E, the owner of Diablo Canyon, which has a spotted history. In 2019, the utility reached a $13.5 billion settlement to resolve legal claims that its equipment had caused various fires around the state, and in August 2020 it pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a fire caused by a power line it had failed to repair.

“I know that PG&E does its level best to create safety at that plant,” Harmon told CNBC. “But we also see across the state, the lack of responsibility, and that has led to people’s deaths in other areas, especially with lines and fires,” she said.

Heidi Harmon, former mayor of San Luis Obispo
Photo courtesy Heidi Harmon

While living in the shadow of Diablo Canyon is scary, she is also well aware of the dangers of climate change.

“I’ve got an adult kid who was texting me in the middle of the night asking me if this is the apocalypse after the IPCC report came out, asking me if I have hope, asking me if it’s going to be okay. And I cannot tell my kid that it’s going to be okay, anymore,” Harmon told CNBC.

But PG&E is adamant that the plant is not shutting down because of safety concerns.

The utility has a team of geoscience professionals, the Long Term Seismic Program, who partner with independent seismic experts to ensure the facility remains safe, Suzanne Hosn, a spokesperson for PG&E, told CNBC.

The main entrance into the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant in San Luis Obispo, Calif., as seen on Tues. March 31, 2015.
Michael Macor | San Francisco Chronicle | Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

“The seismic region around Diablo Canyon is one of the most studied and understood areas in the nation,” Hosn said. ”The NRC’s oversight includes the ongoing assessment of Diablo Canyon’s seismic design, and the potential strength of nearby faults. The NRC continues to find the plant remains seismically safe.”

A former technical executive who helped operate the plant also vouched for its safety.  

“The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is an incredible, marvel of technology, and has provided clean, affordable and reliable power to Californians for almost four decades with the capability to do it for another four decades,” Ed Halpin, who was the Chief Nuclear Officer of PG&E from 2012 until he retied in 2017, told CNBC.

“Diablo can run for 80 years,” Halpin told CNBC. “Its life is being cut short by at least 20 years and with a second license extension 40 years, or four decades.”

Local power-buying groups don’t want nuclear

PG&E offered a very different reason for closing Diablo Canyon when it set the wheels in motion in 2016.

According to legal documents PG&E submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission, the utility anticipated lower demand — not for energy in general, but for nuclear energy specifically.

One reason is a growing number of California residents buying power through local energy purchasing groups called community choice aggregators, the 2016 legal documents say. Many of those organizations simply refuse to buy nuclear.

There are 23 local CCAs in California serving more than 11 million customers. In 2010, less than 1% of California’s population had access to a CCA, according to a UCLA analysis published in October. That’s up to more than 30%, the report said.

The Redwood Coast Energy Authority, a CCA serving Humboldt County, strongly prefers renewable energy sources over nuclear, Executive Director Matthew Marshall told CNBC.

“Nuclear power is more expensive, it generates toxic waste that will persist and need to be stored for generations, and the facilities pose community and environmental risks associated with the potential for catastrophic accidents resulting from a natural disaster, equipment failure, human error, or terrorism,” said Marshall, who’s also the president of the trade association for all CCAs in California.

Consequently, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority has refused all power from Diablo Canyon.

There are financial factors at play, too. CCAs that have refused nuclear power stand to benefit financially when Diablo shuts down. That’s because they are currently paying a Power Charge Indifference Adjustmentfee for energy resources that were in the PG&E portfolio for the region before it switched over to a CCA. Once Diablo is gone, that fee will be reduced.

Meanwhile, CCAs are aggressively investing in renewable energy construction. Another CCA in California, Central Coast Community Energy, which also decided not to buy nuclear power from Diablo Canyon, has instead invested in new forms of energy.

PALM SPRINGS, CA – MARCH 27: Giant wind turbines are powered by strong winds in front of solar panels on March 27, 2013 in Palm Springs, California. According to reports, California continues to lead the nation in green technology and has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita, even with a growing economy and population. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Kevork Djansezian | Getty Images News | Getty Images

“As part of its energy portfolio in addition to solar and wind, CCCE is contracting for two baseload (available 24/7) geothermal projects and large scale battery storage which makes abundant daytime renewable energy dispatchable (available) during the peak evening hours,” said the organization’s CEO, Tom Habashi.

Technically, California’s 2018 clean energy law requires 60% of that zero-carbon energy come from renewables like wind and solar, and leaves room open for the remaining 40% to come from a variety of clean sources. But functionally, “other policies in California basically exclude new nuclear,” Victor told CNBC. 

The utility can’t afford to ignore the local political will.

“In a regulated utility, the most important relationship you have is with your regulator. And so it’s the way the politics gets expressed,” Victor told CNBC. “It’s not like Facebook, where the company has protesters on the street, people are angry at it, but then it just continues doing what it was doing because it’s got shareholders and it’s making a ton of money. These are highly regulated firms. And so they’re much more exposed to politics of the state than you would think of as a normal firm.”

Cost uncertainty and momentum

Apart from declining demand for nuclear power, PG&E’s 2016 report also noted California’s state-wide focus on renewables, like wind and solar.

As the percentage of renewables continues to climb, PG&E reasoned, California will collect most of its energy when the sun shines, flooding the electricity grid with surges of power cyclically. At the times when the electricity grid is being turbocharged by solar power, the constant fixed supply of nuclear energy will actually become a financial handicap.

When California generates so much energy that it maxes out its grid capacity, prices of electricity become negative — utilities essentially have to pay other states to take that energy, but are willing to do so because it’s often cheaper than bringing energy plants offline. Although the state is facing well-publicized energy shortages now, that wasn’t the case in 2016.

PG&E also cited the cost to continue operating Diablo, including compliance with environmental laws in the state. For example, the plant was has a system called “once-through cooling,” which uses water from the Pacific Ocean to cool down its reactors. That means it has to pump warmed ocean water back out to the coastal waters near Diablo, which alarms local environmental groups.

Finally, once the wheels are in motion to shut a nuclear plant down, it’s expensive and complicated process to reverse.

Diablo was set on the path to be decommissioned in 2016 and will operate until 2025. Then, the fuel has to be removed from the site.

“For a plant that has been operational, deconstruction can’t really begin until the fuel is removed from the reactor and the pools, which takes a couple years at least,” Victor told CNBC. Only then can deconstruction begin.

Usually, it takes about a decade to bring a nuclear plant offline, Victor told CNBC, although that time is coming down.

“Dismantling a nuclear plant safely is almost as hard and as expensive as building one because the plant was designed to be indestructible,” he said.

Politics favor renewables

All of these factors combine with a political climate that is almost entirely focused on renewables.

In addition to his academic roles, Victor chairs the volunteer panel that is helping to oversee and steward the closing of another nuclear power plant in California at San Onofre. There, an expensive repair would have been necessary to renew the plant’s operating license, he said.

Kern County, CA – March 23: LADWPs Pine Tree Wind Farm and Solar Power Plant in the Tehachapi Mountains Tehachapi Mountains on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Kern County, CA.(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Irfan Khan | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

“The situation of Diablo is in some sense more tragic, because in Diablo you have a plant that’s operating well,” Victor said. “A lot of increasingly politically powerful groups in California believe that [addressing climate change] can be done mainly or exclusively with renewable power. And there’s no real place for nuclear in that kind of world.”

The pro-nuclear constituents are still trying. For example, Californians for Green Nuclear Power is an advocacy organization working to promote Diablo Canyon to stay open, as is Mothers for Nuclear.

“It’s frustrating. It’s something that I’ve spent well in excess of 10,000 hours on this project pro bono,” said Gene Nelson, the legal assistant for the independent nonprofit Californians for Green Nuclear Power.

“But it’s so important to our future as a species — that’s why I’m making this investment. And we have other people that are making comparable investments of time, some at the legal level, and some in working on other policies,” Nelson said.

Even if California can eventually build enough renewables to meet the energy demands of the state, there are still unknowns, Victor said.

“The problem in the grid is not just the total volume of electricity that matters. It’s exactly when the power is available, and whether the power can be turned on and off exactly as needed to keep the grid stabilized,” he told CNBC. “And there, we don’t know.”

“It might be expensive. It might be difficult. It might be that we miss our targets,” Victor told CNBC. “Nobody really knows.”

For now, as California works to ramp up its renewable energy resources, it will depend on its ability to import power, said Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford. Historically, the state has imported hydropower from the Pacific Northwest and Canada, and other sources of power from across the West.

“California will be increasing renewable energy every year from now on,” Jacobson told CNBC. “Given California’s ability to import from out of state, there should not be shortfalls during the buildout.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla prototype sparks speculation: a Model Y, maybe slightly smaller

Published

2 hours ago

on

July 4, 2025

By

Tesla prototype sparks speculation: a Model Y, maybe slightly smaller

A new Tesla prototype was spotted again, reigniting speculation among Tesla shareholders, even though it’s likely just a Model Y, potentially a bit smaller, and the upcoming stripped-down, cheaper version.

Over the last few months, there have been several sightings of what appears to be a Model Y with camouflage around Tesla’s Fremont factory.

It sparked a lot of speculation about it being the new “affordable” compact Tesla vehicle.

There’s confusion in the Tesla community around Tesla’s upcoming “affordable” vehicles because CEO Elon Musk falsely denied a report last year about Tesla’s “$25,000” EV model being canceled.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

The facts are that Musk canceled two cheaper vehicles that Tesla was working on, commonly referred as “the $25,000 Tesla” in early 2024. Those vehicles were codenamed NV91 and NV92, and they were based on the new vehicle platform that Tesla is now reserving for the Cybercab.

Instead, Musk noticed that Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y production lines were starting to be underutilized as the Company faced demand issues. Therefore, Tesla canceled the vehicles program based on the new platform and decided to build new vehicles on Model 3/Y platform using the same production lines.

We previously reported that these electric vehicles will likely look very similar to Model 3 and Model Y.

In recent months, several other media reports reinforced this, and Tesla all but confirmed it during its latest earnings call, when it stated that it is “limited in how different vehicles can be when built on the same production lines.”

Now, the same Tesla prototype has been spotted over the last few days, and it sent the Tesla shareholders community into a frenzy of speculations:

Electrek’s Take

As we have repeatedly reported over the last year, the new “affordable” Tesla “models” coming are basically only stripped-down Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

They might end up being a little smaller by a few inches, and Tesla may use different model names, but they will be extremely similar.

If this is it, which is possible, you can see it looks almost exactly like a Model Y.

It’s hard to confirm if it’s indeed smaller because of the angle of the vehicle compared to the other Model Ys, but it’s not impossible that the wheelbase is a bit smaller – although it’s hard to confirm.

Either way, the most significant changes for these stripped-down, more affordable “models” are expected to be cheaper interior materials, like textile seats instead of vegan leather, no heated or ventilated seats standard, no rear screen, maybe even no double-panned acoustic glass and a lesser audio system.

As previously stated, the real goal of these new variants, or models, is to lower the average sale price in order to combat decreasing demand and maintain or increase the utilization rate of Tesla’s current production lines, which have been throttled down in the last few years to now about 60% utilization.

If this trend continues, Tesla would find itself in trouble and may even have to close its factories.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Ethereum is powering Wall Street’s future. The crypto scene at Cannes shows how far it’s come

Published

2 hours ago

on

July 4, 2025

By

Ethereum is powering Wall Street's future. The crypto scene at Cannes shows how far it's come

Ethereum succeeded beyond anyone's expectations, says network co-founder Vitalik Buterin at EthCC

CANNES — Wall Street’s new plumbing is being built on Ethereum and this week its architects took over the same French Riviera villas and red carpet venues that host the Cannes Film Festival in May.

The Ethereum Community Conference, or EthCC, took over the beachside town that was swarming with crypto founders, developers, and some of the institutional giants now building atop the infrastructure.

The crypto elite climbed the iconic red-carpeted steps of the Palais des Festivals — a cinematic landmark now repurposed as the stage for Ethereum’s flagship European event.

“The atmosphere this year was palpable in Cannes,” said Bettina Boon Falleur, the powerhouse behind EthCC for the past seven years. “The prestige of the location, combined with the quality of talks, has reinforced Ethereum’s stature and purpose in the wider ecosystem.”

Private parties sprawled across cliffside estates and exclusive resorts, but the conversations were less about price action and more about the blockchain’s evolving role as the back-end of global finance.

EthCC, now in its eighth year, has tracked Ethereum’s trajectory from scrappy experiment to institutional backbone.

“That impact was unmistakable this year,” Falleur said. “From Robinhood embracing decentralized finance infrastructure via Arbitrum to local governments like the City of Cannes exploring deeper integration with the crypto economy.”

Indeed, one of the boldest moves came this week from Robinhood, which became the first publicly traded U.S. company to launch tokenized stocks on-chain.

At a product showcase held inside a Belle Époque mansion overlooking the sea, Robinhood unveiled a sweeping new crypto strategy — including the ability for European users to trade tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs via Arbitrum, a Layer 2 network built on Ethereum.

The announcement helped push Robinhood stock past $100 for the first time, capping off a week of fresh all-time highs and a more than 30% rally since being snubbed by the S&P 500 during a recent rebalance.

Inside the Palais des Festivals, ETHCC draws founders, developers, and institutions into the same halls that host the world’s biggest film premieres — this time, for the future of finance.

MacKenzie Sigalos

Ether, the token native to the Ethereum blockchain, was up nearly 6% on the week and several public equities tied to the blockchain have rallied alongside it.

BitMine Immersion Technologies, a company that mines bitcoin, gained more than 1,200% since announcing it would make ether its primary treasury reserve asset. Bit Digital, which recently exited bitcoin mining to “become a pure play” ethereum staking and treasury company, gained more than 34% this week. And SharpLink Gaming, which added more than $20 million in ether to its balance sheet this week, jumped more than 28% on Thursday.

Ether ETF inflows are rising again too — a sign that institutional investors are warming back up.

Ether is still down more than 20% this year and lags far behind bitcoin in market cap and adoption. But funds tracking ETH have seen two straight months of mostly net inflows, according to CoinGlass data. Still, ether ETFs total just $11 billion — compared to $138 billion in bitcoin ETFs.

Institutions aren’t betting on Ethereum for hype — they’re betting on infrastructure.

Even as prices stall and the network faces headwinds from slower base layer revenues and faster rivals like Solana, the momentum is shifting toward utility.

“Ethereum is getting plugged into these core transactional systems,” Paul Brody, global blockchain leader at EY, told CNBC on the sidelines of EthCC. “Investors, savers, people moving money — they are going to start shifting from some of the older mechanisms of doing this into Ethereum ecosystems that can do these transactions faster, cheaper, but also very importantly, with significant new functionality attached to it.”

Crypto founders and developers climb the iconic red-carpeted steps of the Palais des Festivals — a familiar backdrop for the Cannes Film Festival, now repurposed for Ethereum’s flagship European event.

MacKenzie Sigalos

Deutsche Bank recently announced it’s building a tokenization platform on zkSync — a faster, cheaper blockchain built on top of Ethereum — to help asset managers issue and manage tokenized funds, stablecoins, and other real-world assets while meeting regulatory and data protection requirements.

Coinbase and Kraken are also racing to own the crossover between traditional stocks and crypto.

Coinbase has filed with the SEC to offer trading in tokenized public equities, a move that would diversify its revenue stream and bring it into more direct competition with brokerages like Robinhood and eToro.

Kraken announced plans to offer 24/7 trading of U.S. stock tokens in select overseas markets.

BlackRock‘s tokenized money market fund, BUIDL — launched on Ethereum last year — offers qualified investors on-chain access to yield with redemptions settled in USDC in real time.

Stablecoins, meanwhile, continue to serve as the backbone of Ethereum’s financial layer.

Circle’s USDC — the second-largest stablecoin — still settles around 65% of its volume on Ethereum’s rails. According to CoinGecko’s latest “State of Stablecoins” report, Ethereum accounts for nearly 50% of stablecoin market share.

“The builders and contributors at EthCC aren’t chasing the next bull run,” Falleur said, “they’re laying the groundwork to make Ethereum home for the next billion users.”

Even as newer blockchains tout faster speeds and lower fees, Ethereum is proving its staying power as a trusted network.

Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder, told CNBC in Cannes that there is an assumption that institutions only care about scale and speed — but in practice, it’s the opposite.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin delivers a keynote at ETHCC, laying out the network’s next steps — and its values test — as institutional adoption accelerates.

EthCC

“A lot of institutions basically tell us to our faces that they value Ethereum because it’s stable and dependable, because it doesn’t go down,” he said.

Buterin added that firms often ask about privacy and other long-term features — the kinds of concerns that institutions, he said, “really value.”

Tomasz Stańczak, the new co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, said institutions are choosing Ethereum for the same core reasons.

“Ten years without stopping for a moment. Ten years of upgrades, with a huge dedication to security and censorship resistance,” he said.

He added that when institutions send orders to the market, they want to be “absolutely sure that their order is treated fairly, that nobody has preference, that the transaction actually is executed at the time when it’s delivered.”

Those guarantees have become increasingly valuable as stablecoins and tokenized assets move into the mainstream.

The Senate’s recent passage of the GENIUS Act, along with Circle’s IPO, gave the industry a regulatory tailwind and helped reinforce Ethereum’s role as the infrastructure layer for tokenized finance.

Ethereum’s core values — neutrality, security, and censorship resistance — are emerging as competitive advantages.

The real test now is whether Ethereum can scale without losing its values.

“We don’t just want to succeed,” Buterin said from the mainstage of the Palais this week. “We want to be something that is worthy of succeeding.”

He said the hope is that future generations will look back and see a network that truly delivered openness, freedom, and permissionless access to the masses.

White-clad guests dance poolside at the rAAVE party in Cannes.

MacKenzie Sigalos

But the week didn’t end in the conference halls, it closed with tradition. On the balcony of Villa Montana, overlooking the Bay of Cannes, the rAAVE party lit up.

White-clad guests sipped cocktails as the DJ spun by the pool, haze curling from smoke machines.

This year, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov and DeFi icon Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave, stood atop the balcony overlooking the crowd and the light-dotted skyline of Cannes.

It was a fitting snapshot of the momentum behind Ethereum’s institutional rise and symbolic of Web3’s shift from niche experiment to financial mainstay.

WATCH: Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev explains ‘dual purpose’ behind trading platform’s new crypto offerings

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev explains 'dual purpose' behind trading platform's new crypto offerings

Continue Reading

Environment

July 4th edition: first savings on Aventon Pace 4 smart cruiser e-bike $1,699, Bluetti’s new Elite 100 V2 station at $379, Velotric, Rad, Worx, more

Published

4 hours ago

on

July 4, 2025

By

July 4th edition: first savings on Aventon Pace 4 smart cruiser e-bike ,699, Bluetti's new Elite 100 V2 station at 9, Velotric, Rad, Worx, more

Happy 4th of July, everyone! We’ve got a jam-packed Green Deals for you today, with plenty of new and returning low prices worth considering before they’re gone. Headlining today’s edition is the first chance at savings on Aventon’s new Pace 4 Step-Through Cruiser e-bike that comes with many theft-deterring smart features at $1,699. That’s not all we have in the EV category either, as Velotric has dropped its Fold 1 Lite e-bike to a new $599 low, while Rad Power has added the RadTrike to its 4th of July Sale through this weekend only at its $1,399 low. We also have the launch of Bluetti’s new Elite 100 V2 Portable Power Station with bonus exclusive savings for our readers that takes things to $379. The rear is being brought up by two outdoor tool deals, with the first being Worx’s 20V JawSaw Cordless PowerShare Chainsaw at its best pricing of the last 12 months for $109, as well as Kärcher’s K1700 Electric Pressure Washer falling to $130. Plus, we’ve rounded together all the live savings across EVs, power stations, tools, appliances, and more within our one-stop-shop July 4th Green Deals hub in the links at the bottom of the page.

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.

Aventon offers first savings on new Pace 4 step-through cruiser e-bike loaded with theft-deterring smart features at $1,699

As part of its ongoing 4th of July Sale through July 8, Aventon has included the very first cash savings on its new Pace 4 Smart Step-Through Cruiser e-bike at $1,699 shipped. This model was released to the market back in April carrying a $1,799 price tag, which we’ve only seen get some brief accessory additions so far, but no previous price cuts. During this sale through July 8, however, Aventon is giving folks their first chance at savings with a $100 markdown, setting the bar for future discounts, whenever they may reappear.

Aventon has been releasing many upgraded smart models of its popular legacy e-bikes, and the Pace 4 Step-Through Cruiser e-bike is one of the latest to arrive – plus, the first to get any discounted pricing. Coming with three colorway options, it cruises onto the scene with a 500W rear hub motor (peaking at 864W) and a removable internal 733Wh battery. It’s been given an IPX6 water-resistant construction, and comes with three customizable PAS levels that support you for up to 70 miles on a single charge (relying on the throttle reduces this mileage). It starts as a class 2 e-bike with a 20 MPH top speed, unless you live in a state that allows its 28 MPH max speed to be unlocked.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Along with the many notable design features like the torque sensor, Tektro hydraulic front and rear brakes, the 8-speed Shimano derailleur, integrated front and rear lighting, and color display, the big standout coming along for the ride is the added smart features. Keeping theft-deterrence in mind, Aventon has given this model security features that include a startup password, remote rear wheel locking, an onboard alarm that pairs with the “unusual activity detection” to send notifications, over-the-air updates done automatically through the display, and more.

Be sure to also check out the full lineup of Aventon’s 4th of July Sale offers, which are seeing annual lows hitting several popular legacy models that have otherwise gone un-budged from their 2025 pricing, like the Aventure 2 All-Terrain e-bike at $1,599 or the Level 2 Commuter e-bike down at $1,399, among others.

Bluetti Elite 100 V2 portable power station

Get exclusive bonus savings on Bluetti’s new Elite 100 V2 1,024Wh LiFePO4 power station launching at $379

As part of its ongoing early Prime Day Sale through July 7, Bluetti has launched its newest backup power solution – plus, the exclusive bonus savings we secured for our readers extends here! You can now pick up the brand’s new Elite 100 V2 Portable Power Station at $379.05 shipped, after using the exclusive code 9TO5TOYS5OFF at checkout. This new model will be carrying a $799 price tag outside of discounts, with this sale giving you the chance at the first cash savings while it’s still fresh to the market. You’re looking at a combined 53% markdown that saves you $420 off the tag and sets the bar for future discounts.

Bluetti’s new Elite 100 V2 station follows along the path set by its previous Elite 200 V2 release, albeit in a smaller size. It brings a 1,024Wh LiFePO4 battery capacity to your campsite and/or travel needs, weighing just 25 pounds with a hidden handle for easy portability. It provides up to a 1,800W steady output and surges as high as 2,700W when needed, boasting 11 port options to cover devices and appliances: four ACs, two USB-Cs, two USB-As, two DCs, and a car port. It comes rated for up to 4,000+ charging cycles, giving you backup power support for many years to come.

You can recharge its battery via several ways – starting through a standard wall outlet that will have it back to 80% in just 45 minutes or to a full battery in 70 minutes. There’s also a 1,000W max solar input to take advantage of the sun’s rays, which fills the entire battery in around 70 minutes with sunny conditions. There are also options for charging through your car’s auxiliary port as you drive, a generator, and dual AC and solar charging.

Don’t miss out on Bluetti’s early Prime Day Sale that is seeing up to 50% in initial discounts and includes exclusive 5% bonus savings for our readers – all from $239 through July 7.

Velotric Fold 1 Lite e-bike

Velotric’s low-cost Fold 1 Lite e-bike just got even more budget-friendly with solid features at a new $599 low

As part of its ongoing 4th of July Sale/Prime Day Sale, Velotric is offering the best pricing ever on its Fold 1 Lite e-bike at $599 shipped. This model came onto the scene last August with a $1,099 price tag as a lighter alternative to its standard folding e-bike, which we’ve only seen discounted as low as $999 during the sales since then. Now, with this latest sale event, Velotric is making this low-cost folding model even more budget-friendly with a 45% markdown that cuts $500 off the tag, landing it at a new all-time low price.

Starting as a low-cost and lighter alternative to the Velotric’s Fold 1 e-bike, this newer Fold 1 Lite variation e-bike weighs in at 61 pounds in all (with a 440-pound total payload), which isn’t the lightest of models, but comes in under the weights of its standard and plus counterparts – not to mention well under those models’ pricing too. It’s been equipped with a 500W rear hub motor paired alongside a 486Wh battery, providing 20 MPH default top speeds that can be unlocked to 28 MPH if you live in states with laws allowing such. In terms of travel range, it has five PAS levels that support you up to 48 miles, or you can travel up to 40 miles according to the brand when using the throttle for pure electric cruising.

Of course, being a folding e-bike, you’ll save plenty more space when not riding, as it folds to the smallest of the brand’s sizes at 38-inch (length) by 19-inch (width) by 33-inch (height). There are quite a few solid features here too for such a low price, including puncture-resistant tires with fenders over each, hydraulic disc brakes, front and rear lighting – the latter of which boasts brake lighting, a 1.8-inch LCD screen for setting adjustments and performance data with a USB port to charge devices, among others.

Be sure to check out the full Velotric 4th of July Sale lineup that is getting up to $720 in savings via price cuts and free bundled gear – including on new models – many of which are also seeing their best annual pricing.

Rad Power RadTrike electric tricycle

Rad Power’s RadTrike is added to July 4th savings through the weekend only at its $1,399 low

As part of its ongoing 4th of July Sale, Rad Power Bikes has added its RadTrike electric tricycle to the lineup only through the weekend at $1,399 shipped, while the rest of the discounted models will retain their savings through July 9. Normally fetching $1,699 at full price, we’ve only spotted two previous discounts on this model in 2025, both of them only taking things down to $1,499. The deal here, however, gives you an even greater $300 in savings, bringing the costs back down to the lowest price we have tracked for the first time this year.

Rad Power Bikes’ RadTrike is a leisurely commuter for first-time and older riders, providing far more stability than standard models for those with physical limitations. It’s been given a 750W brushless-geared hub motor and a 480Wh battery that provides 14 MPH top speeds and up to 55+ miles of PAS support (five levels) on a single charge. On days where you’re not looking to do any manual pedaling, you can take advantage of the half-twist throttle for electric riding at a reduced mileage.

This model isn’t just for commutes and joyrides, and makes a great option for errand running thanks to the included rear cargo rack. There’s also the solid lineup of additional features, including puncture-resistant tires with fenders over each, an integrated taillight with brake light functionality, an LED headlight, and a simple display to switch settings and check battery levels. Notably, it’s the only model from the brand with reverse throttling, giving limited riders more versatile mobility to back up.

Be sure to check out the full lineup of Rad Power’s 4th of July Sale that will be running longer than the above deal to July 9 and includes second-chance savings on the new Radster Trail Off-Road and Radster Road Commuter e-bikes, and more from $999.

Worx 20V jawsaw cordless powershare chainsaw

Get added safety working on the ground: Worx 20V JawSaw with guards and retractable blade now at $109

Amazon is offering the Worx 20V JawSaw Cordless PowerShare Chainsaw for $109 shipped. It’s mostly been keeping to its $170 full price over the last year, with discounts in that 12-month period only going as low as $130 for Black Friday and Christmas, while 2025 has only seen it fall as low as $136. While we have seen it go as low as $89 in past years, today’s deal comes in as the best price we’ve tracked in 12 months, with a 36% markdown that cuts $61 off the tag.

This uniquely designed chainsaw from Worx boasts fully protective guards and an extendable blade that retracts back into its base, making it ideal for working directly on the ground over traditional chainsaws. That blade spins up to a max 1,350 RPM, able to cut through materials that are up to 4 inches in diameter. The chain will be kept at optimal tension levels automatically, with a oiler doing the same to keep everything lubricated and running smoothly. It weighs in at just 7.1 pounds so comfort and control is not lost, letting users of various sizes safely operate it.

Karcher K1700 electric pressure washer

Clear away outdoor muck with Kärcher’s K1700 electric pressure washer with a max 2,125 PSI at $130

Amazon is offering the Kärcher K1700 Electric Pressure Washer at $129.99 shipped. It’s coming down from its $190 price tag here with the biggest savings we’ve seen in nearly three months, which saw the price remain above $144 with discounts in that timeframe. While it’s gone as low as $100 in the past, you’re looking at one of the best prices we’ve tracked over the last year, beaten out by falls to $120 at the top of 2025 and falls to $105 last seen in early April.

No matter the time nor season, there will always be a buildup of grime that needs cleaning on your home’s exterior, as well as walkways, the driveway, patio furniture, and more – and you can power through all that cleaning with this electric pressure washer from Kärcher. It strips away the muck with up to its max 2,125 PSI and 1.46 GPM flow rate, and features a convenient on/off foot pedal and an onboard 0.5-gallon detergent tank for increased cleaning efficiency. It even comes with a detacheable storage unit that keeps the 20-foot hose, wand, and three included nozzles nice and organized where you can always find them.

Ford Mustang e-bike

Best Summer 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.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending