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A new 38 port electric truck charging depot and maintenance hub is coming online to service Southern California’s ports and logistics centers, along with 50 new electric trucks from Volvo and Daimler.

Today’s charger opening is part of California’s Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI), a cooperation between various levels of California government to increase electric truck deployment, particularly in vulnerable communities. This is the second stage of the JETSI project, with the first stage being a 32-port charger opened by Schneider last June.

It’s the first of its kind – that we know of anyway – that functions solely as an electric truck charging hub and maintenance facility. No diesel trucks on this property.

This project is being done with NFI, another supply chain and logistics company which operates across much of North America, in cooperation with Electrify America and Southern California Edison. Today’s 38-port charger project is located in Ontario, near Los Angeles and home to many warehouses and logistics operations to service the nearby ports.

The twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles – situated immediately next to each other in Long Beach, California – each accept more containerized traffic than any other port in America. Between the two, roughly 40% of America’s containerized goods come through these ports.

These goods then move on drayage trucks between the ports and California’s Inland Empire, the valley just east of Los Angeles.

As a result, the area is heavily polluted, with logistics traffic being a major contributor. The LA metro area has some of the most-polluted air in the US.

And so, deploying electric trucks here is a huge priority for California government. In California’s new Advanced Clean Fleets rule, these drayage trucks were targeted first – in fact, as of January 1st of this year, you can no longer deploy a new diesel drayage truck in the state. So today’s deployment is no longer all that exceptional in terms of powertrain, but the size and government cooperation make it exceptional.

The California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission put $27 million in funding into the JETSI project, with additional funds coming from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, Port of Long Beach, and Southern California Edison. The project is part of California Climate Investments, a program that puts billions of dollars from California’s cap-and-trade funds into service in reducing emissions.

The chargers will be capable of speeds up to 350kW, with about 7MW of combined capacity across the 38 ports. The trucks will include Freightliner’s eCascadia and Volvo’s VNR Electric.

NFI’s charger will also include solar and battery storage, with 1MW of solar and 8MWh of battery storage on-site, though both of these won’t be installed until later this year.

In all, the JETSI project stands to displace 5.5 million gallon-equivalents of diesel fuel over its lifetime, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8,200 tons per year and criteria pollutant emissions by 5 tons per year.

Electrek’s Take

Just like the last time we visited one of these big truck charging hubs, the drive out to the event was quite striking. As we got closer to the site, the freeway got more and more packed with diesel trucks, taking over the road one lane at a time.

And sure enough, driving behind all those diesel trucks is a stinky endeavor. The soot coming from the tailpipes of diesel trucks makes a mess of everything – including, especially, the lungs of nearby communities.

Lots of trucks around – and empty space because some of them are already out making deliveries

So getting to the charger itself and seeing a nice, new, clean parking lot – and one that will stay that way because there’s not going to be a lot of soot-making, oil-dripping pollution machines hanging around all day – was pretty great.

But, as we always mention, it’s going to take a lot more depots like this to electrify everything. This is just one project, and the entire Inland Empire is full of truck depots like this.

So this may be a first of its kind, but it’s going to need to be the first of many in order to finally clean up the air around these parts.

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When will Tesla cars be capable of unsupervised full self-driving (SAE Level 5)?

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May 8, 2024

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Elon Musk outlines upcoming Tesla Full Self-Driving updates

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May 8, 2024

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Elon Musk outlines upcoming Tesla Full Self-Driving updates

Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta 10.69 barrier

Elon Musk has given an update with an outline for Tesla’s upcoming Full Self-Driving (FSD) software updates.

With FSD v12 and the upcoming launch of Tesla’s dedicated Robotaxi, there’s a lot of excitement around Tesla’s self-driving effort.

Musk is again in the too-familiar position of predicting that the automaker is close to releasing a true self-driving system, but the path to get there is still far from clear.

Now the CEO is providing some new comments on the upcoming release schedule for FSD:

“12.4 has almost completely retrained models. The final touches are for comfort, as it sometimes accelerates or brakes too fast for most people’s taste.”

Tesla FSD drivers are currently on 12.3.6 and the .4 update is expected to be a bigger step change, which Musk appears to confirm by saying that Tesla “completely retrained” the models.

The CEO recently said that Tesla is no longer constrained by training compute power after bringing more capacity online, giving the FSD team more opportunities to retrain neural nets with increasingly cleaner data.

Musk then continued about Tesla’s upcoming updates:

12.5 and 12.6 are in various stages of testing. We’re getting into rare, complex situations, for example: going down a narrow, one-way road, encountering a road closure and having to reverse out to find a new route. That closure also needs to be communicated to the rest of the fleet, so you don’t get a whole bunch of Teslas stuck down a road.

There’s no timeline for these upcoming updates beyond the fact that they are currently in internal testing, but Musk did say that v12.4 could come to the Tesla fleet as soon next week.

Electrek’s Take

Again, I’ve been impressed with v12.3.3-4. I’ve just got v12.3.6, but I haven’t had time to test it yet. I plan to do that this weekend. Also, I’ve been saying that if I start seeing decent improvements with the upcoming updates, I think I’ll start to see a clearer path to Tesla finally delivering on its promise – or at least a level 4 self-driving system.

However, as usual, when talking about FSD and especially when praising the system, I think it’s important to remind everyone that the keyword in ‘Supervised Full Self-Driving’ is ‘Supervised.’ Drivers need to remain attentive at all times and ready to take control.

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Save up to $400 on NIU electric scooters starting from $210, Anker SOLIX C800 Plus, EGO Power+ pole saw, and more

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May 8, 2024

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Save up to 0 on NIU electric scooters starting from 0, Anker SOLIX C800 Plus, EGO Power+ pole saw, and more

Headlining today’s Green Deals is the NIU Mother’s Day sale that is taking up to 46% off a selection of electric scooters, like the KQi1 Pro Electric Kick Scooter at $270. It is joined by Anker’s latest C800 Plus Portable Power Station that’s fallen back to its $499 low, as well as the EGO Power+ 10-inch Telescopic LED Cut Line Indicator Pole Saw Kit at $304. Plus, more hangover Green Deals still alive and well.

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.

NIU Mother’s Day sale takes up to 46% off electric scooters

NIU has launched a Mother’s Day sale that is taking up to 46% off a selection of its electric scooter models through May 19. The biggest of these discounts and subsequently the most affordable of the models (aside from one for kids) is the NIU KQi1 Pro Electric Kick Scooter for $269.98 shipped. Normally fetching $499, this model saw a handful of discounts over the last year, often to its lowest rates during major sales events, with higher rates being more long-term at other retailers like Best Buy. Most recently we saw it fall to $300 during NIU’s Earth Day sale last month, with this month’s deal coming in as an even greater 46% markdown off the going rate that beats our previous mention by $30, giving you $229 in savings and landing it at the lowest price we have tracked.

Equipped with a 250W motor (450W peak) and a 243Wh battery, the NIU KQi1 Pro can reach top speeds of 15.5 MPH with a range of 15.5 miles on a single charge and it can handle up to a 14% incline. You’ll have four riding modes to choose from (E-save, sport, custom, pedestrian) as well as a dual braking system of a front drum brake with rear regenerative braking alongside pneumatic tires with “excellent shock absorbtion.” It also features a headlight, taillight, a foldable frame, a backlit LED display, and an array of smart capabilities through the NIU app, such as allowing you to lock your scooter, check your riding statistics, and even customize your scooter’s settings.

More NIU Mother’s Day discounts:

Anker’s latest SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station returns to $499 low

The official Anker Amazon storefront is offering its SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station for $499 shipped, after clipping the on-page $150 off coupon. Down from its $649 price tag, this is only the third official discount since the device’s release in March, which saw a similar launch discount down to the $499 low. You can get a full rundown on what to expect from our initial launch coverage, or head below. All-in-all, you’re looking at a repeat 23% markdown off the going rate, which also matches the current discount on Anker’s website as well and returns costs to the all-time lowest price we’ve seen. You’ll also find bundle options available, with it coming with a 100W or 200W solar panel for $698 or $1,048, after clipping the on-page coupons.

The SOLIX C800 Plus sports a compact 768Wh capacity with 1,600W of power output. It can fully recharge in just 58 minutes via a wall outlet, 7.2 hours via your car, or just under three hours when paired with 300W of solar panel input. It features two water-resistant LED camping lights that have three modes to choose from: a candlelight mode that covers up to 10m², a flood light mode that covers up to 20m², and a flashlight mode that covers up to 20m² – all of them lasting up to eight hours.

The lights can be easily recharged by stowing them back inside the top of the power station’s case, and they even come with a versatile retractable pole arm that can be used as a hanger, tripod, or selfie stick when not being used to extend the camping light’s reach. To cover your other devices and appliances, you’ll have five AC ports, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and a car port. You’ll also be able to completely monitor and control its settings through the Anker SOLIX app, including enabling and disabling ports via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. You can also score the same model without the camping lights for $50 less, after clipping the on-page $150 off coupon.

EGO Power+ 10-inch Telescopic LED Cut Line Indicator Pole Saw Kit now $304

Amazon is offering the EGO Power+ 10-Inch Telescopic LED Cut Line Indicator Pole Saw Kit for $304 shipped. Down from its $399 price tag, it only saw a few discounts over the last year, with four of them dropping costs to the same $299 low – the most recent being in February. Today’s deal comes in as a 24% markdown off the going rate and lands at the second-lowest price we have tracked. This 10-inch pole saw introduces an LED cut line indicator that improves visibility and accuracy when working under dark, shaded canopies and low light conditions. It’s brushless motor gives low vibrations for better control and extended life, while the 56V ARC lithium-ion battery allows it to make up to 100 cuts on a single charge. It features a telescopic carbon fiber shaft that extends out to a maximum length of 16 feet, a 10-inch bar, and 1/4-inch chain which all together can deliver smooth, precise cuts with a chain speed of 20 meters-per-second. It also has a quick-adjust handle and a shoulder strap for added comfort and control.

Spring e-bike deals!

Jackery 2000 Pro portable power station being held by handle within post for NIU electric scooter

Other 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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