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Ford will announce a larger extended-range battery option for their market-leading E-Transit electric van on May 11. The new battery will have an estimated 186 miles of range.

We’re at ACT Expo this week, the industry’s largest advanced truck expo, where we met with Ted Cannis, CEO of Ford Pro, Ford’s commercial vehicle arm. Cannis gave us some insight into how Ford’s commercial vehicle programs are going.

But more importantly, he also gave us an exclusive tip that Ford will release an extended range E-Transit option on May 11, with a 186-mile range, up from the current E-Transit’s 126 miles. The current 126-mile option will remain available as a base model for fleets who don’t want to pay for more than what they need.

Ford may be using the same or similar battery pack from the F-150 Lightning base model for this. The Lightning has a 98kWh battery, which would be about the size we would expect from the E-Transit extended range battery, given their relative ranges (about 50% more range, about 50% more battery). We’ll get more specific information on the battery on May 11.

The new E-Transit will include a faster AC charger at 19.2kW, enabling faster charging from Ford’s 80-amp Charge Station Pro or any other charger capable of delivering enough juice. With about 100kWh of battery, this means it will take about five hours to charge from 0%-100%.

Cannis told us that in speaking with commercial customers, Ford has found that charging is one of the main points of concern for fleets. Some fleets have it easy, with vehicles with light-duty cycles that return to a depot every night.

But Ford offers the E-Transit in several different configurations to be used by all sorts of fleets and businesses, and some of them don’t have as reliable charging access as others. For example, some fleet vehicles get taken home by workers, and some of those workers might live in apartments or places that don’t have convenient charging.

So with faster AC charging and a bigger battery, this should help enable more fleets to make use of the E-Transit. Cannis mentioned that these improvements could be of particular interest to some construction fleets, who sometimes have to move long distances from site to site, or any fleet that has a niche situation that only allows more occasional charging.

We’ve seen a lot of companies building interesting solutions on the E-Transit, from school buses to RVs. To step away from fleet solutions for a moment, bigger batteries could definitely be of interest to the latter group, to overlanders who will move a long distance in one day and then park for a while at their next stop.

Winnebago used the E-Transit to build its first electric RV, and our own Scooter Doll got a chance to try it out.

Ford currently has approximately half the electric van market in the US and Europe, making it the market leader by a significant margin. The next-biggest producer of electric vans is Rivian, but it serves only one customer at the moment – Amazon.

In its first year, the E-Transit has already helped save 745,000 gallons of gas over 12 million miles, and Ford says it can help reduce lifetime fleet CO2 by 57%.

Order banks will open later this quarter, but we’ll learn more information about that, and about the new extended-range E-Transit, on May 11.

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U.S. and Britain to sign flurry of major nuclear power deals during Trump’s state visit

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U.S. and Britain to sign flurry of major nuclear power deals during Trump’s state visit

A Thames Valley Police officer from the Police force’s Specialist Search Unit, accompanied by police dog Jack, carries out security searches outside of Windsor Castle in Windsor, on September 12, 2025, ahead of the State Visit by US President Donald Trump.

Jordan Pettitt | Afp | Getty Images

The U.S. and U.K are expected to sign a flurry of major new deals during U.S. President Donald Trump‘s state visit to Britain this week, seeking to kickstart a “golden age” of nuclear power.

Some of the multi-billion-pound agreements set to be inked include plans by U.S. and U.K. companies to build up to 12 advanced new modular reactors in Hartlepool, a port town in northeast England, and a push to develop data centers powered by small modular reactors (SMRs) in Nottinghamshire.

The cross-Atlantic partnership is hoped to generate thousands of jobs, speed up the process of building new nuclear power stations and unlock billions in private investment.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday said the two countries were “building a golden age of nuclear” that would put them “at the forefront of global innovation and investment.”

The deal announcement reaffirms both the U.S. and U.K.’s embrace of nuclear power, particularly when it comes to fueling the energy-intensive data centers needed to train and run massive artificial intelligence tools.

X-Energy, a U.S.-based company aiming to develop high-tech nuclear plants, and British Gas owner Centrica said the Hartlepool plans would generate enough power for up to 1.5 million homes and create up to 2,500 jobs.

The companies also estimate the overall program could deliver at least £40 billion ($54.25 billion) in economic value.

The Sizewell A and B nuclear power stations, operated by Electricite de France SA (EDF), in Sizewell, UK, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

U.S.-based Holtec meanwhile said plans to build advanced data centers powered by SMRs in Nottinghamshire would be worth around £11 billion. The project is set to be jointly developed by Holtec, EDF and Tritax.

SMRs promise to have smaller and lighter footprints than traditional power plants, potentially making them cheaper and quicker to build when they are fully commercialized.

Amazon and Google both signed deals last year to develop SMRs in the U.S., as tech giants increasingly turn to nuclear power to fulfill the growing energy demands of data centers.

‘A true nuclear renaissance’

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E-quipment highlight: Greenworks 60V cordless electric chainsaw

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E-quipment highlight: Greenworks 60V cordless electric chainsaw

Greenworks’ latest 60V cordless chainsaw delivers performance that rivals many gas models, but without the harmful emissions or annoying pull cord. Whether dropping saplings, pruning thick limbs, or clearing up trails after a storm, this battery-powered tool is ready to work.

First released at last year’s CES show in Las Vegas, Greenworks’ 60V li-ion battery packs enough power for 100 clean cuts of the saw’s 16″ blade, and its lightweight, 12.5 lb. frame, tool-less chain tensioner, and automatic oiling system come together for convenient maintenance and easy-to-control power.

When it’s time to get to work, the chainsaw’s brushless electric motor can spin the chain at more than 10,000 rpm with (the company claims) about 20% more torque than a 42cc gas chainsaw for fast, confident cuts through hard woods while keeping noise and vibration to a minimum.

That low-noise and fume-free operation makes Greenworks’ chainsaws an upgrade for both the operator and the neighborhood.

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Greenworks’ 60- and 80-volt batteries aren’t just for chainsaws, either. Greenworks’ batteries can power more than 75 indoor and outdoor products – including hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, even riding lawn mowers, and the STEALTH fat-tire electric mini-motorcycle that made its debut earlier this year.

“Greenworks is proud to offer comprehensive battery-powered solutions for everyone, from homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts to major commercial landscaping contractors,” Klaus Hahn, Greenworks’ President, explained at its launch. “These innovations further our company’s vision of building a more powerful future with clean energy, and they illustrate our tagline ‘Life. Powered. By Greenworks.’”

Greenworks 60V chainsaw specs


  • up to 100 cuts on a single charge with the included 2.5Ah battery on 4×4 wood
  • 20% more torque and faster cutting than a 42cc gas chainsaw
  • no prime, no choke, no pull with no aggravating pull cord
  • 2.0 kW (2.7 hp) max output
  • brushless motor provides more power, longer run-times, and extended life​

The Greenworks 60V 16″ brushless cordless chainsaw, a 2.5Ah battery, and charger are available online for $299.99 – but it’s on sale for “just” $189.99 (or $192.49, with the 18″ arm) on Amazon through September 18th.

If you needed another reason to check it out, the company claims using the electric chainsaw instead of a gas unit saves as much carbon emissions as driving 11,000 miles.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Greenworks, via 9to5Toys.


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107 global partners back XCMG push to electrify the mining industry

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107 global partners back XCMG push to electrify the mining industry

Heavy mineral and metals mining is one of the dirtiest industries on the planet, but Chinese equipment giant XCMG doesn’t think it has to stay that way. To prove it, the company has unveiled a sweeping pledge to electrify and decarbonize mining — and they’re dragging over 100 global partners with them.

Along with with 107 global industry partners from 26 countries, Chinese equipment brand XCMG has issued a Joint Declaration on Global Zero-Carbon Smart Mining, aiming to electrify, automate, and otherwise decarbonize international mining. The pledge addresses 12 key areas including electrification, autonomous operation, net-zero emissions, circular economy, technology sharing, international cooperation, and smarter maintenance strategies.

“As a global leader in zero-carbon smart mining solutions, XCMG is committed to addressing industry bottlenecks through integrating new energy equipment, intelligent control systems and full-lifecycle services,” said Yang Dongsheng, chairman of XCMG Group. “We have resolved the four core challenges of energy infrastructure, new energy equipment portfolios, smart mining management systems and financial support, aiming to help our customers achieving both business growth and environmental wins.”

It’s always great to see efforts like this to decarbonize. But those efforts mean millions of new equipment assets to replace the millions of existing diesel assets deployed currently.

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As luck would have it, XCMG is perfectly positioned to offer those zero-emissions equipment assets. The company says it has, “the complete mining equipment solutions for open-pit and underground mines, as well as its smart construction ecosystem.”

XCMG will sell you the future, today


XCMG & BHP sign global framework agreement on mining equipment supply
XDR80TE-AT autonomous haul truck concept; via XCMG.

Multinational mining companies like Fortescue are saving up to $400 million per year on fuel costs alone with the few assets its electrified (or repowered) already, there are more than environmental reasons to push for a coalition like this — especially if you’re XCMG, whose BYD-developed battery swap technology puts them a step or three ahead of even the excellent equipment options from Volvo CE.

With a strong hand in the autonomous haul truck race and ultra-competitive pricing to back their electric plays, it seems like XCMG is about to get serious as it expands its reach into the Western world. It’s no wonder the legacy brands are running scared and hiding behind the bogus “messy middle” propaganda!

SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG, via Construction Briefing.


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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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