Connect with us

Published

on

Less than six months after Geely Group announced a new outdoors-centric marque called Radar Auto, the nascent brand has launched its first electric pickup truck in China – the RD6. Production is officially underway overseas and order books have opened, starting at an MSRP around $25,000.

Radar Auto may be a new name to you, but Geely shouldn’t be. Geely Auto is an automotive subsidiary of the larger Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd umbrella. The group is one of the top 10 largest automotive manufacturers in China and is the parent company to several EV brands we cover regularly, including JIDULotus, Volvo Cars, and ZEEKR. Geely also co-owns Polestar alongside Volvo.

In November of 2021, we covered news out of China that Geely Auto had established an independent electric pickup truck marque spun out of the Geely Commercial Vehicle Group. At the time, the new brand was unnamed, but Geely insiders revealed that the company was already benchmarking Rivian as the new pickup standard, with plans to deliver an all-electric pickup truck of its own in China.

This past July, we learned the name of the Geely marque would be Radar Auto and got our first glimpse of its flagship pickup – the RD6. After opening pre-orders in late September, Radar Auto celebrated the official launch of the RD6 electric pickup in China this week as production kicks off.

  • electric pickup China
  • electric pickup China

RD6 electric pickups to arrive in China January 2023

Much of what we’ve recently learned about Radar Auto and its RD6 pickup has come from the automaker’s Weibo page, which has posted a myriad of images and video from the launch event and beyond.

Each RD6 electric pickup comes standard with a single motor that delivers up to 200 kW of power can accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 6.9 seconds. Now that orders are open, Chinese customers can choose between three battery pack options offering the following CLTC ranges:

  • 63 kWh – 400 km (249 mi)
  • 86 kWh – 550 km (342 mi)
  • 100 kWh – 632 km (393 mi)

The version of the RD6 with the 249 mile range starts at price of RMB 178,800, which is approximately $24,870. Although this electric pickup is only being sold in China right now, that level of pricing is significantly lower than any electric truck being sold in the US right now.

The 86 kWh battery pack is available on two different versions of the RD6 priced at RMB 198,800 ($27,650) and RMB 228,800 ($31,825). The top-tier, long range version is priced at RMB 268,800 ($37,390) which is still ridiculously affordable by US standards.

Other RD6 features include 6 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities, plus 220V and 12V interfaces. Production is underway in China with first deliveries expected in January of 2023. Sadly, no plans for US sales just yet, but you never know.

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

Continue Reading

Environment

The first giant 15 MW turbine is up at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm

Published

on

By

The first giant 15 MW turbine is up at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm

Germany’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, EnBW’s He Dreiht, just hit a big milestone: The first enormous turbine is now up in the North Sea.

He Dreiht – which means “it spins” in Low German – is using Vestas’s massive 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the first project in the world to install them. Just one spin of one of the rotors can generate enough electricity to power four households for an entire day.

When it’s finished, He Dreiht will have 64 mega turbines cranking out 960 megawatts (MW) of clean power – enough to supply around 1.1 million homes. And it’s being built without any government subsidies.

EnBW, one of Germany’s major energy companies, has been working in offshore wind for more than 15 years, but He Dreiht is their biggest project yet. “It will play a key role in helping us to significantly grow our renewable energy output from 6.6 GW to over 10 GW by 2030,” said Michael Class, who heads up EnBW’s generation portfolio development.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

The project is a win for Vestas, too. “With the installation of the first V236-15.0 MW, we have reached an important milestone for both the He Dreiht project and our offshore ramp-up, which helps Germany build a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.

He Dreiht is located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Helgoland. At peak times, more than 500 workers will be out at sea building the farm, using a fleet of more than 60 ships. EnBW’s offshore team in Hamburg is running the show.

The installation process is a major operation. The 64 foundations were already set in the seabed last year. Parts for the turbines are loaded onto the installation vessel Wind Orca in Esbjerg, Denmark, and shipped out in a 12-hour journey to the construction site. From there, the turbines are lifted into place. Meanwhile, crews are also working on internal wind farm cabling.

A partner consortium made up of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP, and Norges Bank Investment Management owns 49.9% of the shares in He Dreiht.

Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build


To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla gives update on Tesla Semi factory, says on track for volume production in 2026

Published

on

By

Tesla gives update on Tesla Semi factory, says on track for volume production in 2026

Tesla has released a quick update about its Tesla Semi factory in Nevada. It says that it is on track for volume production of the electric semi truck in 2026.

The Tesla Semi was first scheduled to go into production in 2019, but it has faced numerous delays.

Now, it appears that there is finally some momentum to bring it to volume production.

For the last two years, Tesla has been working to build a new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada, where it builds the battery packs and drive units for most of its electric vehicles built in North America.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Today, Tesla released a “progress update on the factory, confirming that it finished building and it’s now working on deploying the production lines:

Tesla had previously mentioned aiming for volume production by 2025, but it is now only talking about starting production toward the end of the year and ramping up next year.

The automaker reiterated its planned production capacity of 50,000 units.

We recently reported that an early Tesla Semi customer, Ryder, stated that the electric truck program is experiencing more delays and a price increase described as “dramatic.”

They now expect to take deliveries of their first trucks later in 2026 and said that the price has increased “dramatically,” leading them to scale back their pilot program from 42 to 18 Tesla Semi trucks.

When originally unveiling the Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker mentioned prices of $150,000 for a 300-mile range truck and $180,000 for the 500-mile version. Tesla also took orders for a “Founder’s Series Semi” at $200,000.

However, Tesla didn’t update the prices when launching the “production version” of the truck in late 2022. Price increases have been speculated, but the company has never confirmed them.

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

Continue Reading

Environment

Vietnamese solar giant Boviet opens first US factory in North Carolina

Published

on

By

Vietnamese solar giant Boviet opens first US factory in North Carolina

Vietnamese solar panel maker Boviet Solar just opened the doors to its first US factory — a huge new PV module plant in Greenville, North Carolina.

The company dropped $294 million into the state-of-the-art facility, which will pump out Boviet’s Gamma Series monofacial and Vega Series bifacial solar panels. They’re using advanced PERC and N-Type solar cell tech, which basically means these panels are built to deliver higher efficiency and better performance across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.

The Greenville factory’s first phase is now online with an annual PV module output capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). For Phase 2, which is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2026, Boviet will invest another $100 million to add 600,000 square feet and ramp up to another 2 GW. It will make high-efficiency solar cells.

Once both phases are complete, Boviet’s campus will cover more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and R&D space. It’s one of the biggest clean energy manufacturing projects North Carolina has ever seen.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

The jobs impact is significant, too. The first phase will create 460 skilled local jobs. Phase 2 is expected to add another 908, bringing the total to over 1,300 direct jobs, plus nearly 2,000 more indirect jobs across the region. That’s good news for Pitt County’s economy, real estate market, and workforce training programs.

“This facility is not just creating jobs, but creating opportunity, innovation, and a stronger foundation for eastern North Carolina,” said Senator Kandie Smith. Governor Josh Stein added that Boviet Solar’s move shows how North Carolina is leading the way in clean energy growth.

Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus


If you’re an electric vehicle owner, charge up your car at home with rooftop solar panels. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing on solar, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –ad*

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

Continue Reading

Trending