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Life-cycle assessments are ways to gauge the impact of any product or process. What is the cost of a system over a defined period of time? Life-cycle assessments are really important as we consider the transition to renewable energy sources, especially as we share insights into a zero emissions future with newbies or cynics.

Life-cycle assessments provide an exhaustive overview of the upstream (material sourcing and delivery) and downstream (product distribution, use, and disposal) impacts associated with any given system. Originally designed to focus on environmental impacts by scientists, they now have been extended to examine social and economic impacts, sometimes called life-cycle costing, by policymakers and decision-makers. The most comprehensive evaluations begin with the extraction of raw material; move to the various steps of production, implementation, and operation; and extend all the way to the energy use of carriers to perform work.

Life-cycle analysis considers both upfront cost of production and incremental costs of operation and depreciation. As a data-intensive methodology, it incorporates all inputs and outputs, requires detailed information, and is organized into databases known as life-cycle inventories.

What Do the Scientists Say about Energy Resources & their Life-Cycle Assessments?

life-cycle assessmentsExecutive summaries from a variety of scientific white papers can offer us life cycle insights into different energy sources. Here are a few to peruse.

Active Transportation: Life-cycle analysis provides a comprehensive view of the environmental impact of transportation infrastructure due to processes involving construction, operation, and maintenance.

  • Airplanes show the highest GHG emissions — 3 times that of cars and 6 times that of buses.
  • Cars or buses show higher GHG emissions when considering life-cycle impacts than the results without the life-cycle impacts because the GHG impact of manufacturing and operating automobiles and buses could be greater than that of other modes.
  • Walking does not require any tools, so its life-cycle impact is minimal compared to other modes.
  • The GHG impact of producing and maintaining bicycles is much smaller than that of automobiles or public transportation vehicles.
  • On balance, active transportation modes produce far less emissions than other modes even after taking into account all the life-cycle impacts.

Biomass: Co-firing biomass as a means of GHG abatement becomes economically competitive with traditional carbon capture and sequestration only after an incentive is in place to mitigate emissions.

  • The point at which co-firing becomes an attractive option depends on the potential value of CO2, the level of an emissions penalty, and the type of plant.
  • The break-even value would either represent the amount required on the sale of the captured CO2 in the capture cases, or a benefit received for the use of biomass as a fuel source in the non-capture cases, when compared to the economics of a supercritical (SC) PC plant without capture or co-firing.
  • This value would need to be reached before incentivizing either CO2 capture or biomass co-firing. The emissions penalty would be the minimum value required to encourage the use of capture technology or abatement using biomass.

Hydropower: The assessment considers various ecological influence groups which could be generally categorized as — global warming, ozone formation, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, human toxicity, water consumption, stratospheric ozone depletion, ionizing radiation, and land use.

  • Though water itself is not lethal, the electricity production process involves many stages, which creates environmental issues.
  • Furthermore, the transportation medium of these elements to the plant location releases hazardous particles i.e., carbon monoxide, dust, and carcinogenic particles.
  • Among the key impact groups, the whole outcomes show that a substantial ecological influence occurred at non-alpine region plants over alpine region plants. The reason behind this is that the long distance transportation of raw materials in non-alpine region hydropower plants due to unavailability at nearby locations where raw materials of the alpine based plants is available at nearby locations.
  • The maximum impact is occurred at fine particulate matter formation impact category due to freshwater eutrophication category by both types of hydropower plants. The reason behind these impacts is the amount of toxic materials present as constituent of plant structure and its electricity production steps.

Natural Gas: This analysis takes into account a wide range of performance variability across different assumptions of climate impact timing.

  • Natural gas-fired baseload power production has life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 35% to 66 % lower than those for coal-fired baseload electricity.
  • The lower emissions for natural gas are primarily due to the differences in average power plant efficiencies (46% efficiency for the natural gas power fleet versus 33% for the coal power fleet) and a higher carbon content per unit of energy for coal in comparison to natural gas.
  • Natural gas-fired electricity has 57% lower GHG emissions than coal per delivered megawatt-hour (MWh) using current technology when compared with a 100-year global warming potential (GWP) using unconventional natural gas from tight gas, shale, and coal beds.

Petroleum: Petroleum is produced from crude oil, a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, various organic compounds, and associated impurities.

  • The crude product exists as deposits in the earth’s crust, and the composition varies by geographic location and deposit formation contributors. Its physical consistency varies from a free flowing liquid to nearly solid. Crude oil is extracted from geological deposits by a number of different techniques.
  • When comparing transportation GHG emissions, both the tailpipe or tank-to-wheel (TTW) emissions, and the upstream or well-to-tank (WTT) emissions are considered in the full well to wheel (WTW) life cycle.
  • Extracting, transporting, and refining crude oil and bio-based alternatives on average account for approximately 20-30% of well-to-wheels (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the majority of emissions generated during end use combustion in the vehicle phase (TTW).
  • GHG emissions in the generic cases range from ≈105 to 120 g of CO2/MJ [gasoline basis, full fuel cycle, lower heating value (LHV) basis] when co-produced electricity displaces natural-gas-fired combined-cycle electricity.
  • The carbon intensity varies with the energy demand of TEOR, the fuel combusted for steam generation, the amount of electric power co-generated, and the electricity mix. The emission range for co-generation-based TEOR systems is larger (≈70−120 g of CO2/MJ) when coal is displaced from the electricity grid (low) or coal is used for steam generation (high). The emission range for the California-specific cases is similar to that for the generic cases.

Solar: Life-cycle assessment is now a standardized tool to evaluate the environmental impact of photovoltaic technologies from the cradle to the grave.

  • The carbon footprint emission from PV systems was found to be in the range of 14–73 g CO2-eq/kWh, which is 10 to 53 orders of magnitude lower than emission reported from the burning of oil (742 g CO2-eq/kWh from oil).
  • Negative environmental impacts of PV systems could be substantially mitigated using optimized design, development of novel materials, minimize the use of hazardous materials, recycling whenever possible, and careful site selection. Such mitigation actions will reduce the emissions of GHG to the environment, decrease the accumulation of solid wastes, and preserve valuable water resources.
  • Following a report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the volume of PV panel waste could globally yield a value of up to 60–78 million tons by 2050. Recycling solar cell materials can also contribute up to a 42% reduction in GHG emissions.

Wind: Wind power presents minimal emissions and environmental impacts during the working phase, being considered as a “cleaner” generation source. But not all stages of wind power are so efficient.

  • The extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, and transportation as part of wind power construction have significant emissions of CO2 and environmental impacts.
  • Not only will improvements in logistics, transportation, a mixed electricity supplement, and a more efficient equipment production reduce CO2 emissions from wind power construction, new basic materials and innovative built techniques may decrease CO2 emissions and energy demand.
  • Decommissioning stage may present a reduction of the energy consumption and CO2 emissions through reusing equipment, recycling critical materials in the end of life cycle, reducing the extraction of raw materials and the total consumption of resources.
  • Such changes may create unexpected fluctuations in the market, such as shortages of supplies and dependence on exporters.

Of course, there are many other types of energy sources and other data analyses to consult to consider life cycle assessments. For more ideas, try Life Cycle Analysis of Energy for a good starting point.

Infographic retrieved from Department of Energy

Image retrieved from NASA

 

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EcoFlow Easter Sale takes 60% off units with free gear + major EcoCredit rewards, Lectric one-day-only e-bike price cuts to new lows, more

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EcoFlow Easter Sale takes 60% off units with free gear + major EcoCredit rewards, Lectric one-day-only e-bike price cuts to new lows, more

Today’s Green Deals are kicking off April with some major savings, led by EcoFlow’s newly launched Easter Sale that is taking up to 60% off power stations, along with scheduled flash sales, free gear at pricing thresholds, and even larger EcoCredit rewards – including bonus savings – than we’ve seen in past sales. Among the lineup, there’s the DELTA 2 Solar Generator bundle that comes with an expansion battery and two 110W solar panels down at a $1,049 low, among many others. We also spotted Lectric’s one-day-only April Fools flash sale that isn’t joking around as its XP 3.0 e-bikes lead a bunch of price cuts and changed-up bundle packages at new $899 and $1,099 lows. Lastly, EGO is continuing its Power+ savings event with its EGO POWER+ 56V 15-inch String Trimmer that comes with a 2.5Ah battery at $159, along with plenty more lawn care solutions at discounted rates. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s new low price on the NIU BQi-C3 Pro e-bike, the $400 discount on Segway’s latest Max G3 e-scooter, 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.

EcoFlow Easter Sale takes up to 60% off power stations with free gear, increased EcoCredit rewards, more – all from $169

Now that we’ve switched over to April, EcoFlow has launched its Easter Sale through April 14, with up to $3,737 taken off power stations, complete with scheduled flash sales, free gear at certain thresholds, and higher EcoCredit rewards for members than we’ve seen. Of the two web-exclusive offers this time around, we spotted the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station bundle with a smart extra battery and two 110W solar panels for $1,049 shipped. This package would normally run you $2,596 at full price, and we don’t often see this combination of gear all bundled together either – with past sales mostly offering either the panels or the expansion battery. The deal here comes in as a 60% markdown that puts $1,547 back in your pocket to give you the lowest price we have tracked.

There’s some solid additional savings and promotions going on during this sale, starting with you getting a free Power Hat ($129 value) on orders over $500 or two 125W solar panels ($499 value) on orders over $3,000. From there, we’re seeing increased rewards for members (free to sign-up + get 800 EcoCredits), with standard membership giving you 3x EcoCredits and Plus members scoring 3.5x EcoCredits – plus, you can redeem any you already have to get 5% in extra savings off your order at checkout. On top of this, you’ll also be getting an additional 500 EcoCredits for each order you place during the sale’s timeframe.

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EcoFlow’s DELTA 2 power station makes a great companion for outdoor travels, and trips in general – plus, it can certainly handle keeping essentials running at home should you find yourself in a sudden blackout. This bundle starts you off at a 2,048Wh LiFePO4 capacity that you can further expand to 3,072Wh with an additional expansion battery. It boasts 15 output ports, through which it can dish out up to 1,800W of steady power that is able to surge up to 2,200W for larger backup needs.

The increased power output, as well as charging times, are increased from the brand’s X-Boost tech that is present here, giving you an 80% battery in just 50 minutes when plugged into a wall outlet, or you can wait a little longer at 80 minutes for a full battery. The included solar panels in the bundle give you the option to recharge via the sun’s rays, which you can increase up to a maximum of 500W of input. There’s also the option to connect it to your car’s auxiliary port or utilize its max 1,100W of DC input.

EcoFlow Easter Sale DELTA Pro deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale DELTA Pro 3 deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale DELTA Pro Ultra deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale on-the-go power deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale expansion battery deals:

EcoFlow Easter Sale solar panel deals:

EcoFlow’s other deals:

You can view the entirety of this sale on the landing page here through April 14, and be sure to keep your eyes open for the flash savings that are scheduled to drop on April 4, 7, 10, and 13-14. We spotted the brand’s newest release, the RIVER 3 Plus Portable Power Station, getting its first discount at Amazon a few days ago, which took costs down to a new $189 low for as long as the savings last.

Lectric Xp 3.0 e-bike

Lectric cuts prices on best-selling XP 3.0 e-bikes to new lows starting from $899 (Today only), more

Lectric has launched an April Fools flash sale through the rest of the day that is taking $100 off all its XP 3.0 e-bikes, plus some additional price cuts from previous sales’ higher rates and bundle change-ups on other models – no joke! Through the day until midnight tonight, you can now score the standard XP 3.0 e-bikes for $899 shipped and the XP 3.0 Long-Range e-bikes for $1,099 shipped. These models are getting brought down off their $999 and $1,199 price tags, with no bundles of free gear coming along – though much of the popular gear that usually comes in bundles are discounted on their landing pages. While we saw the long-range models drop to $1,139 at the end of February and ride through March, this is the first price cut we’ve spotted on the standard models, dropping either version of these popular e-bikes to new all-time low prices.

There’s a reason Lectric’s XP 3.0 e-bikes are the best-selling in America: not only do they offer reliable commuting power, but they do so at a far more affordable rate than most other brands on the market – plus, with these price cuts, the pot is only being sweetened further. The folding frame on any of these e-bikes house a 500W hub motor that peaks at 1,000W, delivering 20 MPH speeds unless you live within a state that permits the higher 28 MPH speeds.

The big difference (and big choice) here will depend entirely on just how far you need it to carry you throughout the day, with its pedal assistance providing you with 45 miles of travel riding the standard models and up to 65 miles of travel riding the long-range models. Yes, don’t worry, there are throttles to go entirely electric, though keep in mind doing so will decrease your traveling range. Along with the free add-on gear, you’ll also enjoy some quality stock features, like the integrated rear cargo rack, puncture-resistant tires, 180mm hydraulic disc brakes, the previously mentioned foldable body, an LCD display, and more.

Lectric XP 3.0 e-bike price cuts – no jokes here! (Today only):

Lectric XPedition 2.0 offers with up to $654 bundles:

Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $557 bundle

Lectric ONE LR e-bike with $467 bundle

Lectric XP Trike with $420 bundle

Lectric XPeak 2.0 offers with up to $316 bundles and price cuts:

Lectric XP Lite 2.0 offers with up to $177 bundles:

EGO 56V 15-inch split-shaft cordless string trimmer

Get those weeds under control with EGO’s 56V 15-inch cordless split-shaft string trimmer at $159

Amazon is offering the EGO POWER+ 56V 15-inch String Trimmer with 2.5Ah battery for $159 shipped. Coming down off its more recent $180 rate that is down from its original $200 price tag, this package has mainly kept to its MSRP for most of the last year, with discounts dropping things lowest to $149 back in May 2024 and completely skipping over it for Black Friday and Christmas sales. Today’s deal shaves $21 off the recent going rate ($41 off in total) to give you the third-lowest price we have tracked, sitting just $10 above the low from last summer’s start.

With spring here and many folks jumping back into outdoor upkeep around the home, this is a great opportunity to do away with the noise and fumes of gas guzzlers for an electric solution. This split-shaft string trimmer from EGO delivers a 15-inch cutting swath that is easier to replace broken lines thanks to the rapid-reload head. It also comes with a variable speed control for more versatility in the jobs your tackling, as well as an IPX4 weather resistance that can handle sudden weather changes while you’re still working.

Other notable EGO lawncare deals:

We’ve covered a lot of amazing deals from EGO over the last few weeks that are still going strong. Be sure to check them out before the savings abruptly end:

Best New Year 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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GM is beating EV rivals by giving buyers more choices at lower prices

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GM is beating EV rivals by giving buyers more choices at lower prices

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GM’s electric vehicle sales nearly doubled in the first three months of the year, with impressive growth across all brands. Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US, with the electric Equinox and Blazer rolling out, while Cadillac is quickly making a comeback in the luxury segment. Even GMC just had its best first quarter ever. With the broadest selection of models in the industry, GM continues outpacing EV rivals.

Here’s how GM is outpacing EV rivals in the US

After all four of its brands notched double-digit growth in the first quarter, GM led the US auto industry in total, retail, and fleet sales.

GM sold 693,363 vehicles in the first three months of 2025, 17% more than last year. According to Rory Harvey, GM’s president of global markets, the company outpaced every other major automaker, “and the driving force is our portfolio.”

With the “broadest portfolio of EVs in the industry,” GM is emerging as a real EV competitor in the US. GM’s electric vehicle sales nearly doubled (+94%) in the US with 31,887 EVs sold in Q1.

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Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US, led by the new electric Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado. In Q1, GM sold 10,329 Chevy Equinox, 6,187 Blazer, and 2,383 Silverado EVs.

Chevy-fastest-growing-EV-brand
Chevy Equinox EV LT (Source: GM)

Starting at $34,995, GM calls the Chevy Equinox EV “America’s most affordable 315+ miles range EV.” The 2025 Equinox EV LT FWD has an EPA-estimated range of up to 319 miles.

Cadillac had its best first quarter since 2008, with retail sales up 21%. Although Lyriq sales slipped 26% to 4,300, the luxury brand delivered the first Optiq (1,716) models, Cadillac’s most affordable EV, during the quarter. GM’s luxury brand had its best retail market share since 2014.

Cadillac's-most-affordable-EV
Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)

GMC had its best first quarter, with EV sales surging by 183%. The Hummer EV, including the pickup and SUV versions, saw higher demand, with sales doubling to nearly 3,500. The new GMC Sierra EV contributed another 1,249 to the total. With the 2026 Sierra EV starting at $25,000 less, GMC is poised to see even more demand.

2026-GMC-Sierra-EV-AT4-Elevation
2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4 (left) and Elevation (right) trims (Source: GMC)

Thanks to its wide selection of electric SUVs, pickups, and luxury models, GM expects to remain the second-largest seller of EVs in the US after Tesla.

GM will round out its portfolio with the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV, which is expected to arrive later this year or in early 2026.

Ready to test one out for yourself? We’ve got you covered. You can use our links below to find deals on popular Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EVs at a dealer near you.

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Tesla is sitting on $200 million worth of Cybertruck inventory

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April 1, 2025

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Tesla is sitting on 0 million worth of Cybertruck inventory

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Tesla has about $200 million worth of Cybertrucks in inventory in the US, as the truck is extremely difficult to sell.

A year and a half into production, Cybertruck production has ramped up, and inventory is building up.

Last year, Tesla could blame low Cybertruck deliveries on the production ramp, the more expensive Foundation Series, and the lack of access to the $7,500 tax credit.

All of those excuses are not available to Tesla this year. The Cybertruck is simply proving challenging to sell, and the automaker has to throttle down production to avoid building up too much inventory.

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This proved problematic in March as Tesla had to put a containment hold on the Cybertruck in anticipation of a recall of units produced to date over a trim falling off the truck.

At the production level, the fix was introduced on March 21st and Tesla still needs to fix Cybertrucks delivered to customers.

In the meantime, Tesla finds itself holding more Cybertruck inventory than ever, with almost 2,400 Cybertrucks in new inventory available (via Tesla-Info):

That’s around $200 million worth of Cybertrucks.

With Tesla having issues selling new Cybertrucks, the automaker is reportedly not taking any as trade-ins. Many Cybertruck owners reported trying to trade-in the truck for a new vehicle and they were told that the automaker currently doesn’t accept its own vehicle as a trade-in.

Some owners who have had their trucks in service for extended periods of time are also trying to get Tesla to take the truck back, but the company is forcing them to go through the Lemon Law process.

It’s not surprising to see Tesla not wanting to take back used Cybertrucks as their prices are falling fast.

Used Cybertruck prices are down 55% year over year, 13% over the last three months, and 6% over the last month.

As Tesla doesn’t take the Cybertruck as a trade-in, other used car dealers are also reticent about buying the vehicle. They have been known to give low-ball offers to potential sellers as they wait to see where the price will stabilize.

Electrek’s Take

I think we are far from the bottom. With this kind of inventory on hand, I expect Tesla to introduce discounts. The company is likely waiting to completely sell off its Foundation Series inventory before giving bigger discounts on the regular version.

Then, Tesla is expected to launch the RWD at a cheaper price, which is also likely to affect used prices.

That’s all while Tesla is already throttling down Cybertruck production.

I am really curious to see where this vehicle program is going. I know many have already written it off, but who knows? Maybe it can improve it with a mid-cycle update next year, and it can make a comeback?

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