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Tesla Powerwall was powering 44,000 homes in Puerto Rico during the latest island-wide grid outage due to a hurricane.

The number of Powerwalls on the island is much higher than expected.

In 2017, Puerto Rico’s power grid was badly destroyed by a strong hurricane.

At the time, Tesla had somewhat recently launched its energy division and its Powerwall home battery pack. The company saw an opportunity to help the region and showcase its new product. Tesla focused its then limited Powerwall production on supplying Puerto Rico with battery packs that could provide backup power in case of outages.

We reported that the company focused on critical services. For example, along with the Powerwalls, Tesla deployed a series of Powerpack systems on the Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra for a sanitary sewer treatment plant, the Arcadia water pumping station, the Ciudad Dorada elderly community, the Susan Centeno hospital, and the Boys and Girls Club of Vieques.

The automaker’s energy division also deployed a solar+battery system at a hospital in Puerto Rico.

Less than a year after the natural disaster, Tesla claimed that it had 11,000 energy storage projects underway. That was a surprising number, but now a few years later, we learn that Tesla has kept going and now has Powerwalls at 44,000 homes in Puerto Rico.

Tesla made the announcement on Twitter in response to Powerwall owners reporting the performance of their home battery packs:

The report of the Powerwall performance in Puerto Rico comes after the island was hit by another hurricane in September.

Five years after the devastating hurricane Maria, the island’s power grid was still not ready to take on another strong hurricane and shut down for days in large parts of the island.

However, many homeowners added home battery packs, like Tesla Powerwalls, to their electrical systems over the last few years, and they managed to keep the lights on during the latest hurricane. Many of those battery systems are also connected to solar power, which enables homeowners to operate off-grid.

Tesla’s Powerwalls are not the only home battery packs on the island, though, as other companies have released competing products in recent years.

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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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