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If you’re already familiar with Tern, then it’s likely from the company’s critically-acclaimed urban cargo e-bikes, often see in cities shuttling children to school behind parents or whisking home an entire family’s grocery load. But now the premium electric bike maker is tackling an entirely new market and heading off-road with its latest unveiling: the Tern Orox adventure cargo e-bike.

The new e-bike, just unveiled today, harnesses the same quality design and premium engineering that we’ve come to expect from Tern, yet applies it to a very different type of ride.

That means a focus on off-road riding that still employs many of our favorite Tern features, such as the passenger seating, dual battery options, and of course the incredibly high attention to detail when it comes to overbuilding for robustness and safety.

And applying those concepts that the company has honed on previous urban models is exactly the path Tern had hoped to follow, explained Tern Team Captain Josh Hon:

“Six years ago, we introduced the GSD with the belief that a compact and easy-to-ride bike capable of carrying passengers and cargo would get people out of their cars and onto bikes. We were right, and we love seeing all the amazing things people are doing with the GSD in crowded cities. But we also realized that there are plenty of places people want to go that are unpaved. And they want to bring their gear. For those trips, we made the Orox.”

A big part of the Orox’s design is centered around giving riders the choice of where they want to explore, from city bike lanes to unkept nature trails. That even includes a wide range of tire sizes to fit different types of riding. Orox’s frame and fork are designed to let riders swap in their choice of 26 x 5”, 27.5 x 4” or 29 x 3” wheels/tires.

The bike is rated to carry an impressive 180 to 210 kg (397 to 462 lb) of load in off-road and on-road riding, respectively, meaning riders can bring just about the entire campsite or a significant portion of their kid’s kindergarten class along for the ride. And with two frame sizes and styles, the Tern Orox can fit riders from 155 to 195 cm in height (5’1″ to 6’5″), or up to 130 kg (286 lb).

The Orox uses Bosch’s Performance Line CX motor with 85 Nm of torque and up to 340% assistance. When outfitted with two of Bosch’s massive 800 Wh batteries, the bike offers a maximum range of over 300 km (186 miles). Plus riders get to take advantage of all the other Bosch system perks, such as the eBike Flow app for bike locking, anti-theft alarm, and GPS-tracking.

Riders will be able to choose from different component loadouts as well, including options for a Gates Carbon Drive belt-drive system with a Rohloff 14-speed internal geared hub or a Shimano Deore XT 1×12 chain drive system. A set of powerful 4-piston Magura hydraulic disc brakes will also offer impressive stopping performance.

A set of 14 braze-ons around the frame provides plenty of cargo-mounting and accessory options, and riders also get to take advantage of the heavy-duty Atlast Kickstand XL for easier cargo loading.

Riders in Europe and North America will see the Tern Orox enter bike shops in April of this year, with other markets set to follow. Pricing will start at $6,499 / €6,799 / £5,900 in various markets, positioning the bike as a premium off-roader in line with some of Tern’s highest-rated bikes yet.

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Honda deploys Peterbilt 579EV electric semi out of Alabama plant

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Honda deploys Peterbilt 579EV electric semi out of Alabama plant

A new, all electric Peterbilt 579EV is in-service at Honda’s Lincoln, Alabama assembly plant, where it’s busy transporting newly-built Honda cars from the plant to a nearby railhead for shipment to dealers across the country.

Part of a pilot program between Honda, Alabama Power, and Virginia Transportation Corp., the new electric semi truck will help stakeholders gather data about the practicality and performance of the battery-powered Pete and use it to generate case studies for broader electrification initiatives. Other supporters of the pilot project include the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition and, of course, Peterbilt.

“We remain committed to delivering for our customers and the environment,” offered Leo Doire, owner and CEO of Virginia Transportation Corp. “Our new Peterbilt 579EV model will be tested to determine how well it performs against the high productivity demands of our operations. The partners we have at the table will help us maximize this opportunity and prepare to scale up if we get the results we are hoping for.”

The truck itself has been spec’ed to be perfect for the kind of short haul and drayage applications Honda has in mind. This particular Peterbilt 579EV is fitted with PACCAR’s 400 kWh battery and a 670 hp electric motor good for an impressive 2,050 lb-ft of peak torque at 0 rpm.

The truck offers 150 miles of operating range and can be charged in about 3 hours on a 120 kW charger installed specifically for that purpose. A charger, it should be noted, that was partially paid for by Alabama Power.

“Alabama Power’s ‘Make Ready’ program provides businesses with valuable rebates to help reduce the upfront costs of installing EV infrastructure,” says Alabama Power Electric Transportation Manager Hasin Gandhakwala. “We are committed to partnering with customers who are exploring state and federal grant opportunities. Alabama Power is dedicated to advancing EV technologies to better serve the needs of our customers.”

The electric semi is a continuation of a decarbonization project Honda initiated in 2011, when the company recruited Virginia Transport Corp. to help find ways to reduce emissions at its Alabama facilities. VTC’s efforts have led to changes that displaced more than 475,000 gallons of diesel in 2023 alone.

Electrek’s Take

Peterbilt 579EV at Alabama Honda plant; via Alabama Power.

With the big Pete’s 82,000 lb. GVWR and 150 miles of range between charging sessions, it seems like these guys will be making a lot of back-and-forth runs between the Honda plant and the CSX terminal to me. Here’s hoping they see the benefits of electrifying the rest of their vehicle transport fleets somewhat sooner than later.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Alabama Power.

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Solar and storage projects make headlines, but will they survive? (Interview)

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Solar and storage projects make headlines, but will they survive? (Interview)

On today’s episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got big solar breaking ground all over, despite the incoming administration’s supposed lack of love for home-grown clean energy. Our guests today walk us through home solar, energy storage, and more.

Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations sitewide. Learn more by clicking here.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news!

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!

Read more: Saldivar’s Trucking: first owner-operator to deploy Volvo VNR Electric semi.

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Tesla turns to its ‘Tesla Electric’ utility service to help sell cars

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Tesla turns to its 'Tesla Electric' utility service to help sell cars

Tesla is now using ‘Tesla Electric’, its electric utility service in Texas, to help sell cars with a new incentive.

After gaining experience through its virtual power plants (VPPs), Tesla took things a step further with the launch of “Tesla Electric” back in 2022.

Instead of reacting to specific “events” and providing services to your local electric utilities, as Tesla Powerwall owners have done in VPPs in California, Australia, and a few other markets, Tesla Electric is actively and automatically buying and selling electricity for Tesla Powerwall owners – providing a buffer against peak prices.

The company is essentially becoming an energy retailer.

Tesla Electric is currently only available to Powerwall owners in Texas and the UK, but the company has plans to expand its products through this new division.

The company has been growing its Tesla Electric userbase in Texas and now it plans to use it to help sell cars.

Tesla has two different plans under the program:

Feature Tesla Electric Fixed Plan Tesla Electric Dynamic Plan
Pricing Structure Competitive fixed rate for electricity, with a discounted rate during low-cost hours. Competitive variable rate, with higher rates during peak demand periods.
Contract Term 12-month commitment. Month-to-month flexibility.
Unlimited Vehicle Charging Available for an additional $15/month per vehicle, allowing unlimited charging. Available for an additional $25/month per vehicle, allowing unlimited charging.
Powerwall Credits Earn $400 credit per year per Powerwall by participating in the Tesla Virtual Power Plant, with Tesla managing the Powerwall to share energy with the grid when needed. Earn $120 credit per year per Powerwall by participating in the Tesla Virtual Power Plant, with the customer managing the Powerwall to optimize earnings.
Energy Sharing with Grid Sell energy back to the grid at a fixed rate per kWh. Sell energy back to the grid at 90% of the real-time market price per kWh.

The first one enable you to charge your electric car for just $15 a month.

With this new incentive, Tesla is brining that down to $5 a month for a year for people who take delivery by the end of the year:

Get $5/mo Unlimited Overnight Charging With Tesla

To get unlimited overnight charging for $5 per month per vehicle for a full year, you must complete the following steps by December 31, 2024:

  1. Order and take delivery of a new Tesla vehicle
  2. Sign up for the Tesla Electric Fixed Plan

To be eligible, you need to live in an area of Texas that allows you to choose your electricity provider, be a new Tesla Electric member and take delivery of a new Tesla vehicle. Promotion is subject to change at any time.

This appear to be part of Tesla’s effort to deliver a record number of more than 515,000 vehicles in Q4 in order for its annual deliveries not to be down for the full year.

ver the last few weeks, we have been reporting on a series of sale incentives that Tesla has put in place to make sure it has the demand to achieve this record quarter.

In Europe, it includes a year of free Supercharging and heavy discounts.

In the US, there are also good inventory discounts, 3 months of free Supercharger and FSD, FSD transfer, and more.

And everywhere, Tesla is heavily subsidizing loans with lower interest rates.

But it’s the first time that Tesla is using such a targeted incentive, at the state level, and using its Tesla Electric program.

It’s interesting.

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