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After being originally introduced in 2021, yet faltering before the finish line, a federal incentive for electric bicycle purchases is back on the table. If it passes, Americans could receive a $1,500 tax credit for the purchase of an electric bike.

The Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act has just been reintroduced to the US House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Congressional Bike Caucus Chair Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Mike Thompson (CA-04), and Adam Schiff (CA-30).

Electric bicycle use has seen a steady increase over the last few years as more Americans adopt the light, fast, and efficient alternative form of transportation.

The addition of a battery and assist motor to an otherwise conventional bicycle has helped turn e-bikes into car replacers for many Americans. However, the high cost of e-bikes compared to traditional pedal bicycles has kept them out of reach for many commuters who could use them most.

Electric bicycle prices start at around $600-$800 for budget models, but premium e-bikes can cost as much as 10 times those prices. Thus, an e-bike tax credit has long been seen as a way to help get these effective small-format EVs into the hands of more Americans.

As Rep. Panetta explained:

Many people are looking to get out of their cars and get on to e-bikes not just for recreation, but also for transportation purposes. Although we’re seeing more people on them in our communities, more needs to be done to ensure that everybody across our country has access to an e-bike. By incentivizing Americans to own and use e-bikes, we are allowing them the chance to help improve the quality of life in our communities and tackle the climate crisis in our country.

Lectric XPedition e-bike

The federal tax credit outlined in the E-BIKE Act would cover up to 30% of the cost of a new electric bike, up to a maximum credit of $1,500.

In order to qualify, the e-bike would have to be priced at less than $8,000.

According to PeopleForBikes, “the credit would be allowed once per individual every three years or twice for a joint-return couple buying two electric bicycles. New to this version is this addition of income caps that parallel existing electric vehicle tax credit caps: an annual salary of $150,000 for single filers, $225,000 for heads of households, and $300,000 for those filing jointly.”

The incentive is designed to make electric bicycles more accessible to lower-income Americans, as Rep. Blumenauer explained:

With an e-bike, anyone can be a bike commuter, but the high cost discourages too many consumers. That is why I am so excited about the E-BIKE Act. Let’s get more people off of the highway and into the bike lanes.

ride1up Turris

The E-BIKE Act was originally introduced in 2021 and then was rolled into legislation that ultimately became the Inflation Reduction Act. However, the electric bike incentive was one of many provisions of the proposed legislation that was whittled away in order to garner majority support to pass the bill.

After the former federal e-bike incentive stalled, many cities and states picked up the slack and created their own local incentive programs.

Denver’s e-bike rebate program is, perhaps, one of the most famous in the US, originally offering $400 off the purchase of a new e-bike. The program quickly exhausted its funding before being renewed this year with a slightly lower $300 rebate on new e-bikes. Vouchers will be given out in a half dozen rounds throughout the year, with the first round already being scooped up within 20 minutes of going live.

Colorado will soon be playing catch-up by launching its own e-bike incentive program. Colorado may beat California to the punch with a statewide rebate program, but it won’t be the first. That honor goes to Vermont’s statewide e-bike incentive program. The Vermont program may have helped inspire similar statewide e-bike rebates that are currently being proposed in New York and Oregon.

If you’re looking for some of the best electric bikes in the market at every price range, check out our compilation. Electrek has tested more electric bikes than anyone else, compiling detailed articles and videos to cover their features, advantages, and disadvantages.

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The Tesla Diner has been open for 12 days and it’s going kinda rough so far

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3 hours ago

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August 2, 2025

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The Tesla Diner has been open for 12 days and it's going kinda rough so far

Tesla opened its retro-futuristic “Tesla Diner” last Monday, July 21st. It’s a cool concept and the realization of a plan that was first talked about in 2018… but in the 12 days since it opened, it hasn’t been all roses so far.

The diner has been through a few twists and turns since it was first proposed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on a conference call in 2018. At first, the plan was to build it alongside a Supercharger location in Santa Monica, but the restaurant portion didn’t get off the ground and Tesla just build a Supercharger location there instead.

Then Tesla moved the project to Hollywood… on Santa Monica Blvd. So, kind of still Santa Monica, right? It took the place of an old Shakey’s Pizza, and has been under construction for quite some time.

The plans were to offer a diner with a Supercharger, carhop service, large drive-in movie screens and a retro-futuristic aesthetic around it all. It opened on July 21st, at 4:20pm (420 being a reference to Musk’s reported drug addictions), delivering all that, along with a merchandise shop and one of Tesla’s Optimus robots serving popcorn.

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Pretty much immediately, the Diner had quite a festive atmosphere. The line to get food has reportedly consistently been an hour or more long since it was opened, which speaks to the site’s popularity – but perhaps also a failure to provide the kind of rapid service that a fast casual diner with car service might seek to offer.

Given that the site is also a Supercharger, one would expect to have a premium on fast service, so that cars don’t end up parked in spots for too long which could otherwise be used for fast charging (Tesla charges idle fees for EVs which charge for too long and clog up chargers, but we’ve heard conflicting information over whether these idle fees apply to people waiting for food at the Diner)

One remedy for these long lines, though, is Tesla’s in-car computer, which cleverly allows drivers to order food from inside their car ahead of time while navigating to the site. Tesla then knows when the driver will show up, based on in-car navigation, and theoretically can have the order ready by then – but perhaps that will become more relevant once lines die down.

In theory, it definitely does seem like a “Supercharger done right.” We’ve covered several instances of these, charging plazas that aren’t just a place to charge, but which offer other amenities that drivers might want while charging – like ROVE’s Santa Ana “full service” charger with grocery store, lounge and car wash; or Rivian’s “Outpost” locations. And we definitely want to see more of this, giving people things to do while they’re charging, which can lead to electric roadtrips feeling even better than gas ones.

But so far the Diner hasn’t been without its problems, and we’ve heard a number of them in the past 12 days.

Some of the problems Tesla Diner has seen since opening

Both during construction and now that the site is open, many of the site’s neighbors aren’t particularly happy, according to a 404 media article including several interviews. An apartment block directly beside the site has seen significant turnover and vacancies as renters were fed up with years of construction, operating 14 hours a day, and loud generators that also emitted polluting exhaust.

Residents in the article were afraid to use their full names, lest they be exposed to abuse by Tesla fans as a result – something that we at Electrek can attest to, having received similar responses after writing truthful articles about the company.

Some renters have had their windows blocked by the 40-foot-tall movie screen, and while the screen doesn’t produce sound itself (that’s piped through vehicle speakers), it does have fans on the back of it which make a constant whir – thus blocking their view and adding noise pollution.

And since the diner is open 24/7, there’s no reprieve from the hustle and bustle, which has also caused traffic backups along the small nearby streets and has forced the apartment building to reinforce its entry door.

Much of this could be blamed on the planning commission, perhaps, for allowing the project to go on as-is – assuming Tesla was upfront about the site’s uses. And some of the chaos will calm down once the novelty of the site goes down, and some noise is to be expected for those living in a relatively busy part of the LA area in the first place. One resident did say they liked the hustle and bustle, but according to the article, this resident seems to be in the minority.

Beyond the planning issues and busy nature of the site, there have been several operational issues so far.

On the very first day, Tesla’s popcorn-scooping Optimus robot failed. Tesla has touted its expertise with “real-world AI,” using its Optimus robots as an example, showing the robot’s dexterity and ability to do factory tasks. But the problem is, in most public displays of the robot so far, it has been teleoperated – that is, remote controlled by a human. Reportedly, Diner employees confirmed that the popcorn-bot was teleoperated, despite doing quite a simple and repetitive task.

The robot also has multiple tenders – videos show Diner employees handing popcorn containers to it, as it can’t separate the containers itself, and having to refill the popcorn machine and clean up any dropped popcorn. Combine those employees and the reported teleoperator for the robot, and this feels like we’re seeing a decrease in labor efficiency here, rather than an increase.

One widely-shared report showed perishable items stacked outside – but given that it was just a single photo, it seems likely that these items were mid-delivery.

More concerningly, TMZ reported that a woman was struck on the head by an awning/umbrella, and her husband claimed that she appeared confused and briefly lost consciousness afterwards. The LA Fire Department responded and the woman left the scene without an ambulance.

And of course, as is the case with anything Tesla these days, the Diner has attracted controversy. In Los Angeles – a city which is currently being occupied by nazi-like goons who are demanding that residents show their papers lest they be kidnapped and potentially shipped to a death camp – the man who last year became the largest individual global funder of the fascist regime that is now causing these illegal disappearances is not very popular. And you don’t have to go far back to remember when Musk himself said that his current actions are “not good for America or the world.”

Tesla locations in the LA area (and around the globe) have been subject to routine “Tesla Takedown” protests for months, starting after Musk did two clear nazi salutes and had spent his first few weeks in an advisory role in which he recommended that the US government haphazardly and illegally cut thousands of important jobs, increasing government chaos and ballooning the US deficit.

The protests also note Musk’s recommendation to cut USAid, an incredibly effective and relatively inexpensive international soft power program for the US, cuts of which are projected to cause millions of deaths globally (USAID is credited with saving 91 million lives from 2001-2021).

On the Diner’s first day, a lone protester showed up, a harbinger of things to come. Then, on it’s first weekend, the protest became much more significant – with protesters erecting two “wacky waving inflatable arm men” designed to look like Musk and repeatedly mimic his nazi salutes.

Another protest is scheduled for later today, starting at 4PM, and Tesla Takedown plans to protest from 4-7pm every Saturday and Sunday until further notice.

Finally, one video called the whole thing, and particularly the long line for dining, a “disaster.” It pointed out the difficulty a new Ioniq 6 owner was having with operating his Tesla app to grab a Supercharge (Tesla’s network is now open to Hyundai EVs). This did not appear to be a site-specific problem, rather an issue with the Tesla app as best we can tell, but the frustration of all the traffic chaos must not have made attempts to find a solution any easier.

While Tesla does have a spotlight on everything it does, this seems like a significant collection of difficulties and unforced errors for less than two weeks of operation (hmm, where have we seen something similar before…). Let’s see if they’re able to iron out the kinks.

The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you 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. It has 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 Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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This 50% recycled glass solar panel performs like brand new

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15 hours ago

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August 2, 2025

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This 50% recycled glass solar panel performs like brand new

recycled glass solar panel
Photo: SOLARCYCLE

Solar panel recycler SOLARCYCLE and Arizona State University just proved that solar panels made with recycled glass work just as well as new ones.

In a new collaboration with Arizona State’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the solar recycling company created a prototype solar panel – what they call a “mini module”– using 50% recycled glass pulled from end-of-life solar panels. The mini module matched the performance of panels made entirely with new materials.

The research was led by Dr. Zachary Holman, Arizona State’s vice dean for research and innovation, and his team. Researcher Kate Fisher built and tested two sets of panels: one using only new glass, and the other using a 50/50 mix of new and recycled glass cullet. The recycled material came from panels processed using SOLARCYCLE’s technology.

Using industry-standard power conversion efficiency tests, the results were clear: There was no statistically significant difference in how the two types of panels performed.

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“This is exactly the kind of result we hope for when industry and academia collaborate,” said Holman. “Together, we proved that you don’t have to sacrifice performance to build solar panels more sustainably.”

This isn’t just a one-off science experiment. SOLARCYCLE says the recycled-glass panel is part of a bigger plan to make solar manufacturing more circular – and less wasteful. The company plans to build a solar glass factory in Cedartown, Georgia, next to its existing recycling factory. It’ll be the first in the world to use recycled cullet like this at commercial scale.

“By proving we can manufacture new solar panels using recycled materials that produce at peak performance levels, we’re taking a major step toward making the solar industry more sustainable, scalable, and self-reliant,” said SOLARCYCLE’s CTO and co-founder, Pablo Dias.

Read more: SOLARCYCLE’s new plant will recycle 25% of all US end-of-life solar panels in 2030

The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you 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. It has 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 Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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EcoFlow TRAIL power stations launch from $113, Exclusive Bluetti Apex 300 savings (up to $3,150 off), Lectric Back to School Sale, more

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19 hours ago

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August 1, 2025

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EcoFlow TRAIL power stations launch from 3, Exclusive Bluetti Apex 300 savings (up to ,150 off), Lectric Back to School Sale, more

We’re closing this week’s Green Deals coverage with some major launches and one of our favorite e-bike brand’s next big sale, starting with the launch of EcoFlow’s new TRAIL 200 DC 60,000mAh and TRAIL 300 DC 90,000mAh power stations, along with plenty of bundle options and some extra savings – all starting from $113. Following right behind it is the exclusive early-bird savings (up to $3,150) on Bluetti’s new Apex 300 Versatile Power Station and bundles that start from $1,439, as well as Lectric’s Back to School Sale that is taking up to $654 off e-bike bundles, with many seeing increased packages, like the XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes that are getting $365 in free gear starting from $999. We also have Greenworks’ Pro-grade 2,700 PSI electric pressure washer back at its 2025 low, as well as Worx’s 20V PowerShare 10-inch cordless chainsaw, and more waiting for you below. Plus, all the hangover savings at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s exclusive new ENGWE Engine Pro 2.0 folding e-bike low price, Anker’s eufy SoloCam S220 solar security camera savings, 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 launches new TRAIL 60,000mAh and 90,000mAh power stations with bundles, free gear, and extra savings from $113

EcoFlow is launching its newest and most compact series of power stations with some significant savings, starting with the TRAIL 200 DC 60,000mAh Portable Power Station at $113.05 shipped, after using the code 25EFTRAFF at checkout for an additional 5% off, while the TRAIL 300 DC 90,000mAh Portable Power Station is at $151.05 shipped, after using the same promo code – and both are also getting a free RAPID 30W GaN Charger ($26 value) along with the purchase. These two new personal backup power solutions will go for $200 and $250 at full price, getting cut down to $119 and $159 in initial discounts, but you’ll also be shedding an extra $6 and $8 thanks to the bonus savings code – for combined $113 and $125 markdowns (including the free chargers) that set the bar for future discounts. Head below to learn more and browse all the bundle offers.

These new EcoFlow TRAIL 200 DC and 300 DC power stations are the brand’s most compact backup power solutions to date, rivaling Anker’s PowerCore Reserve/C200 DC/C300 DC stations in their portability and performance. The 200 DC model weighs in at four pounds and sports a 60,000mAh LiFePO4 battery, while the 300 DC is under six pounds, sitting higher at a 90,000mAh LiFePO4 capacity. You’ll get up to 220W and 300W output power with these units, with the 200 DC providing two 12W USB-A ports, a 140W USB-C port, and a 100W USB-C port, while the 300 DC has the same USB-A ports but two 140W USB-C ports and a 120W car outlet.

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The EcoFlow TRAIL DC power stations come with loads of protection measures against overvoltage, overloading, short circuiting, various temperature spikes or drops, overcurrent, and more. There are also built-in woven handles that make carrying them all the easier, though with their small designs, they can also easily stow away inside your bag. You can charge both via a standard wall outlet at up to 200W or 280W speeds, with the 300 DC bringing a 110W max solar input into the mix for solar charging.

***Note: The extra savings has not been factored into any of the prices below, so be sure to use the code 25EFTRAFF at checkout for an additional 5% off your order. All the following offers also come with a free RAPID 30W GaN Charger too!

EcoFlow TRAIL power station launch offers:

Bluetti Apex 300 versatile power station

Score up to $3,150 in exclusive savings on Bluetti’s new Apex 300 versatile power station and bundles starting from $1,439

Bluetti is officially launching its new Apex 300 Versatile Power Station along with several bundle options at up to $2,600 off in initial early-bird discounts alongside an exclusive 10% bonus savings for our readers. Things start with the lone Apex 300 Power Station at $1,439.10 shipped, after using the exclusive code 9TO5TOYS10F at checkout for an additional 10% off your order. This new backup power unit will normally fetch $2,399 at full price once the early-bird savings ends, but you can take advantage of these first-time savings now to score a $960 markdown that sets the bar for future discounts in the future. Head below to get the rundown on this station’s capabilities and check out the many bundle offers also available.

If you want to learn more about this all-new power station’s monstrous capabilities and the many bundle offers we’re seeing during this launch, be sure to check out our original coverage of these exclusive deals here.

lectric xp lite 2.0 e-bike

Head back to school on Lectric’s XP Lite 2.0 folding e-bikes with $365 in free gear from $999, more bundles up to $654 off

Lectric has launched its Back to School Sale that is offering up to $654 in free gear accompanying e-bike purchases, with a bunch of models seeing increased bundle sizes this time around – plus some select accessory savings too. One such model is the XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes that are all coming with $365 in free gear at $999 shipped, while the XP Lite 2.0 JW Long-Range e-bike gets the same bundle at $1,099 shipped. You’d normally have to pay $1,364 and $1,464, respectively for these same packages at full price, but as you’re likely aware by now, the savings come in the form of the bundled gear rather than actual price cuts on the bikes themselves. We’ve been seeing these models getting much smaller bundles between $100 and $200 over the last few months, but now they’re increasing in size just in time for students prepping for their upcoming class commutes. Head below for more on these and the other deals during this sale.

If you want to learn more about these lightweight models or the other e-bike bundle deals, be sure to check out our original coverage of this sale here.

greenworks pro 2,700 PSI electric pressure washer stands in driveway in front of garage door

Get 2,700 PSI power through this Greenworks Pro-grade electric pressure washer + foam cannon at $360

Amazon is bringing back the best pricing of 2025 on the Greenworks Pro 2,700 PSI Electric Pressure Washer with Foam Cannon at $359.99 shipped. This particular model with the added foam cannon bundle isn’t available directly from the brand’s website, with it normally fetching $450 at full price. In 2025 we’ve seen three previous discounts to this same repeating rate, with today’s deal following suit for a fourth-time opportunity, giving you a 20% markdown for $90 in savings at the second-best price we have tracked – $45 above the all-time low last spotted during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

If you want to learn more about this electric pressure washer, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

man cutting log with Worx 20V PowerShare 10-inch cordless chainsaw

Worx’s 6.2-pound 20V PowerShare 10-inch cordless chainsaw returns to annual $100 low, more from $158

Amazon is returning the best 2025 pricing on the Worx 20V PowerShare 10-inch Cordless Chainsaw for $99.99 shipped. It’s coming down off its usual $120 price tag, and is currently going for as much directly from the brand’s website. It was priced down to $104 during Prime Day, with that rate beaten out here today as the best price we have tracked in 2025 – landing it just $11 above the all-time low that we haven’t seen in quite some time. Head below to learn more about this model and its pole saw bundle counterpart option.

If you want to learn more about this model or its pole/chainsaw upgrade package, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

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.

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