House Republicans voted yesterday to scrap “wasteful” energy efficiency rebates – and also voted to spend $19.1 billion on nuclear warheads.
Republicans vote to scrap energy efficiency rebates
Republicans passed HR 4394, “Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024,” in a 210-199 vote yesterday afternoon (with only one Republican no vote).
The bill cuts $5.58 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act – or what the Republicans call “wasteful Washington spending.”
The cuts to the Inflation Reduction Act include (and I am directly quoting from a summary of the bill):
$4.5 billion for rebates for new electric appliances or installation of home electrification projects, including the replacement of gas stoves and appliances;
$1 billion for states and local governments to adopt net zero and implement the latest
building energy codes; and
$200 million for installation training for home energy efficiency and electrification projects.
But hey, at least there’s an 8% boost from 2022 for nuclear weapons stockpiling and infrastructure.
Electrek’s Take
The Inflation Reduction Act is not only the best chance the US has had for decades to reduce emissions in order to combat climate change, but it also grows the economy and saves Americans money. It’s created a huge domestic manufacturing boom, which, in turn, is creating hundreds of thousands of jobs that upskill workers in preparation for the unstoppable shift to renewables. It helps Americans reduce their energy bills and make their homes more comfortable in the face of extreme weather.
Here are a couple of personal examples. I have a heat pump hot water heater because our water heater was old and inefficient – it sounded like an airplane when it fired up and cost a fortune in energy bills.
My new Rheem heat pump hot water heater costs $109 a year to run. Heat pump hot water heaters generally cost between $1,500 and $3,000. The Inflation Reduction Act provides a $2,000 tax credit to everyone, regardless of income, for this efficient smart appliance. Low-income households (under 80% of Area Median Income) qualify for rebates that cover 100% of heat pump water heater costs up to $1,750, and that can be combined with the tax credit. The Inflation Reduction Act also funds training for technicians so they have the skills to install heat pump water heaters.
Our house also needed its electrical panel replaced this summer. That qualifies for a $600 tax credit, again, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. This isn’t “wasteful spending” to my family; we needed that help as part of an essential and costly upgrade. The tax credit really takes the sting off, and now our panel is up to code.
So not only did the Republican Party waste time by voting to dismantle essential parts of the Inflation Reduction Act – because it’s ultimately going to be vetoed by the White House – they voted to spend $19.114 billion on the US’s nuclear weapons stockpile.
Nuclear weapons, like climate change, are a fundamental threat to humanity. “Wasteful spending.” This you, GOP?
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While much of the Western world is still figuring out how to get more people on electric bikes, China just flipped a switch, and the results are staggering. Thanks to a generous nationwide trade-in program rolled out around six months ago, China has seen an explosive surge in electric bicycle sales, with over 8.47 million new e-bikes hitting the road in the first half of 2025 alone.
The program, which offers subsidies to riders who trade in their old, often outdated electric bikes for newer, safer, and more efficient models, has sparked a new e-bike sale boom in a country already dominated by e-bike travel. In major provinces like Jiangsu, Hebei, and Zhejiang, over one million new e-bikes were sold in each region in just six months. That’s a tidal wave of e-bike sales.
The incentives vary depending on location and the model being traded in, but for many consumers, the subsidies cover a substantial portion of a new e-bike’s price – enough to turn a “maybe next year” purchase into a “right now” upgrade. And these aren’t just budget bikes either. The program has driven demand for higher-quality models with better batteries, safer braking systems, and more reliable electronics, accelerating both adoption and innovation across the industry.
The move has proven successful in replacing the millions of older models with lower-quality lithium-ion batteries that had posed safety risks around the country. Instead, China has pushed for higher-quality lithium-ion batteries, a return to a newer generation of higher-performance AGM batteries, and even interesting new sodium-ion battery options.
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Most e-bikes in China look more like what we’d consider seated scooters
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, more than 8.4 million consumers have participated in the e-bike trade-in program so far, contributing to a sales increase of 643.5% year-over-year and more than doubling sales month-over-month. Meanwhile, production of new electric bicycles rose by nearly 28%, as manufacturers scrambled to meet demand. The sales boosts have already been seen in the financial reports of major industry players like NIU.
And it’s not just the big players benefiting – over 82,000 small independent e-bike dealers reported average sales increases of ¥302,000 (around US $42,000), giving a serious boost to local economies.
What’s particularly striking here is how fast this happened. The program was officially launched late last year as part of a broader effort to stimulate domestic consumption and phase out outdated vehicles and appliances. But while most analysts expected gradual growth, the e-bike sector responded much more quickly. In less than a year, the trade-in subsidies have reshaped the electric bicycle market, creating a consumer-driven boom that shows no signs of slowing.
For those of us watching from outside China, it’s hard not to wonder what might happen if other countries tried something similar. While most families in Chinese cities already own an electric bike and thus see this as an opportunity to trade it in for a newer model, Western countries like the US are still figuring out how to stimulate commuters into buying their first e-bike.
It’s too soon to know exactly how long the boom will last or whether the momentum will carry into 2026 and beyond. We’ve seen bicycle industry bubbles grow and burst before. But one thing’s clear: with the right incentives, even modest ones, it’s possible to ignite real, large-scale change. China just proved it with nearly 8.5 million new e-bikes to show for it.
And if you’re wondering what it looks like when a country takes electric micromobility seriously, this is it.
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Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!
In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.
Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.
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The numbers are in and they are all bad for Tesla fans – the company sold just 5,000 Cybertruck models in Q4 of 2025, and built some 30% more “other” vehicles than it delivered. It just gets worse and worse, on today’s tension-building episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got day 1 coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, reports that the Tesla Optimus program is in chaos after its chief engineer jumps ship, and a look ahead at the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 2 set to bow early next year, thanks to some battery specs from the Kia EV2.
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