Juiced takes $599 off its RipCurrent S e-bike for 50 units only
Juiced Bikes has launched a limited-stock flash sale on its RipCurrent S Fat-Tire e-bike at $1,800 shipped for the first 50 models purchased. Normally fetching $2,399, this e-bike has seen more regular discounts as the last year has progressed, with Black Friday sales seeing a short-lived drop to $1,599 and Christmas sales taking it further to the $1,399 low. This model has received more discounts as the new year has progressed, albeit at often higher rates – not counting the Valentine’s Day bundle sale that saw it brought down to $999 after first purchasing one at regular price. Today though, we’re seeing the biggest deal of 2024 yet – coming in as a $599 markdown that lands at the third-lowest price we have tracked.
Coming in only two colorways (black and red), the RipCurrent S e-bike comes in with far more power and torque than most of the brand’s other models. It tops out at 28 MPH for up to 70+ miles on a single charge thanks to the 1,000W rear-gear hub motor alongside its G2 52V battery. It has a unique combination cadence and torque pedal assistance sensors that eliminate the lag that one might feel with traditional 12-magnet cadence sensors alone. You can also expect the full features accessory detail with this model as well: thumb throttle, LCD display, hydraulic disc brakes, rear storage rack, tire fenders, ergonomic handle grips, a 1,050-lumen headlight, 9-speed transmission, and even puncture-resistant tires.
Traeger Pro 34 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker at new $500 low
Amazon is offering the Traeger Pro 34 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker for $499.95 shipped. Down from its $700 price tag, this model only saw four short-lived discounts over 2023, with three of them repeating to $600 and the fourth to $609. It has been left out of sales since the new year began, and has spent the time riding its MSRP through the last four months. Today’s deal comes in to break up the stagnation as a $200 markdown that lands at a new all-time low in time for you to prepare for grilling season.
Backyard get-togethers are a staple of summer, and what better way to show off to your friends, family, and neighbors than by making their mouths water with hungering anticipation? The Treger Pro 34 provides 884 square-inches of cooking space to cover all your guests’ appetites, able to hold 8 chickens, 7 racks of ribs, or 40 burgers all at once. With a max temperature of 450 degrees, achieved by using wood pellets as a fuel source for maximum flavor and reduced emissions lower than that of charcoal, it offers the versatility of grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, and braising. And keeping the heat at your preferred levels is far easier with the precision temperature control, giving you the chance to brag like any professional pit master when the parties finally start. There’s a few bundle options to consider, as well: you can get the grill and a 20-pound bag of Mesquite wood pellets for $518, or perhaps you want to get the grill and an insulation blanket instead for $633, or you can get the grill with a folding shelf and grill cover for $670.
More wood pellet grills and smokers seeing discounts:
Leviton Level 2 Smart EV Charger now $621
Amazon is offering the Leviton Level 2 Smart Electric Vehicle Charger for $621.46 shipped. Down from its newer $750 list price, after falling from its original $999 MSRP just before the new year began, for the last three months this model has been plateaued with an unmoving price. Today’s deal comes in to shake up the monotony as a $129 markdown that drops costs to the second-lowest price we have tracked – just $27 above the all-time low from early Black Friday sales.
Equipped with an industry standard SAE J1772 cable, this EV charger is compatible with most of the popular brands filling the streets recently – Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Subaru, and even Tesla with a Tesla-supplied adapter. It comes with a water-resistant enclosure to protect it from the elements if installed outside your garage (just make sure you have the required 60A breaker needed for hardwired installation) – and don’t worry about the cable either, as it’s designed to prevent freezing and cracking for longer-lasting usage.
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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Tesla has confirmed it has given up on plans to make a Cybertruck range extender to achieve the range it originally promised on the electric pickup truck.
It started refunding deposits for the $16,000 extra battery pack.
When Tesla unveiled the production version of the Cybertruck in late 2023, two main disappointments were the price and the range.
The tri-motor version, the most popular in reservation tallies before production, was supposed to have over 500 miles of range and start at $70,000.
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Tesla now sells the tri-motor Cybertruck for $100,000 and only has a range of 320 miles.
The dual-motor Cybertruck was supposed to cost $50,000 and have over 300 miles of range. In reality, it starts at $80,000 and has 325 miles of range.
However, Tesla had devised a solution to bring the range closer to what it originally announced: a separate battery pack that sits in the truck’s bed. Tesla called it a “range extender.” It costs $16,000 and takes up a third of the Cybertruck’s bed.
Even though the Cybertruck has been in production for a year and a half, the range extender has yet to launch.
At the time, Tesla also reduced the range that the removable battery pack adds to the Cybertruck to “445+ miles” rather than “470+ miles” for the dual motor – a ~25-mile reduction in range.
Last month, Electrek reported that Tesla has quietly removed the range extender from the Cybertruck online configurator, where buyers could reserve it with a “$2,000 non-refundable deposit.”
At the time, we speculated that Tesla was most likely giving up on the product.
Sure enough, the automaker has now confirmed that it doesn’t plan to produce the range extender.
A Tesla Cybertruck owner contacted Electrek to share communication that Tesla started sending to Cybertruck owners who reserved the range extender, letting them know that the product is dead.
Tesla wrote in the email:
“We are no longer planning to sell the Range Extender for Cybertruck.”
The automaker says that it will start processing refunds for the deposits.
Here’s Tesla’s communication about the Cybertruck range extender in full:
Update to Your Cybertruck Range Extender Order
Hi [redacted],
Thank you for being a Cybertruck owner.
We are no longer planning to sell the Range Extender for Cybertruck. As a result, we will be refunding your deposit in full. The amount will be returned to the original payment method used for the transaction.
Thank you for your understanding.
The Tesla Team
Electrek’s Take
There could be many reasons why Tesla has given up on the product.
The range extender was confirmed to take 30% of the Cybertruck’s bed, and Tesla needed to install and remove it at a service center. Owners couldn’t remove them themselves. I think it was pretty much dead on arrival at $16,000.
But I think it could also be as simple as it’s not worth producing due to demand – both due to insufficient people reserving it and not enough Cybertruck buyers to create a market for the range extender.
Therefore, the range extender is dead for the same reason that the Cybertruck RWD now has the same battery pack as the AWD instead of a smaller pack for less money: the Cybertruck is a commercial flop, and it’s not a high-volume program enough to justify making several battery pack sizes, including a removable one.
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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USTPO) has denied Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi”. which it has been using to refer to its long-promised self-driving vehicles.
CEO Elon Musk has been using the term “robotaxi” for years.
At first, it was to refer to what its existing consumer vehicles (Model S, X, 3, Y and Cybertruck) would become once it finally delivers on its “full self-driving” promises– something that was supposed to happen by the end of every year for the last 6 years.
However, Tesla held its ‘We, Robot’ event in October 2024, where it unveiled two new vehicles, a dedicated robotaxi vehicle and a self-driving ‘Robovan’ – pictured above.
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Musk referred to the dedicated robotaxi vehicle as both a ‘Robotaxi’ and ‘Cybercab’.
Now, Techcrunch reports that USTPO has denied Tesla’s trademark application for being too generic:
Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi” in reference to its vehicles has been refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for being too generic, according to a new filing. Another application by Tesla to trademark the term “Robotaxi” for its upcoming ride-hailing service is still under examination by the office.
USTPO notes that other companies and media have used the term ‘robotaxi” to refer to other self-driving vehicles.
The decision is “non-final”. Tesla can still appeal the decision.
Tesla also saw its trademark application for ‘Cybercab’ halted as USTPO reviews other applications using the term ‘cyber’.
Electrek’s Take
I don’t think Tesla should get a trademark for ‘Robotaxi’. It’s indeed too generic. ‘Cybercab’ should be fine though. If Tesla was able to get Cybertruck, it should be able to get ‘Cybercab’.
I hope the Cybercab works out better for them than the Cybertruck has so far.
But it’s tough to make a steering wheel-less vehicle works if you haven’t solved self-driving.
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California and 16 other states have sued the government for illegally withholding $5 billion in funds that Congress earmarked for EV charging, calling the action “another trump gift to China.”
The federal NEVI (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, pushed for and signed by President Joe Biden.
Among other things, the IIJA dedicated $5 billion in funding to expanding EV chargers, in order to give more Americans access to EV ownership, and allow them to unlock the fuel cost and health savings that EV owners, and communities with high EV penetration, enjoy.
The NEVI program was even the main driver of Tesla opening up its charging port and creating the NACS standard, due to the law’s requirement that federal funding can only go to charging stations that have open access to multiple brands of vehicle. Tesla’s Superchargers used to be open only to Teslas, but after this law passed, Tesla started opening them up to other brands.
So, NEVI is a great program, and it’s helping Americans to save on fuel and maintenance costs, reducing barriers to charging, and making the world cleaner for everyone who breathes air.
So of course, the enemy of America currently occupying the White House (despite there being a clear Constitutional remedy for this crisis) opposes it.
In February, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), at the behest of convicted felon Donald Trump, froze funding for the NEVI program, even though that funding was already allocated by Congress for this purpose. Who knew a felon would break the law?
Now, states are pushing back against the illegal funding freeze, as 17 states, led by California, Colorado and Washington, are suing the FHWA to free up the funds that were allocated to them.
Among those arguments is something we’ve mentioned manytimeshereonElectrek: that republican efforts to diminish the US EV industry are a “gift to China,” who have well and truly taken the lead in the global EV industry, and other countries – particularly the US – are just not doing enough to keep up.
When America retreats, China wins.
President Trump’s illegal action withholding funds for electric vehicle infrastructure is yet another Trump gift to China – ceding American innovation and killing thousands of jobs.
Instead of hawking Teslas on the White House lawn, President Trump could actually help Elon – and the nation – by following the law and releasing this bipartisan funding.
Oddly, despite Mr. Trump’s clear opposition to the well-being of Americans, and particularly to the well-being of the American auto industry, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, perhaps America’s most high-profile auto CEO, donated hundreds of millions of dollars to this anti-EV candidate. He has used tortured logic to claim that raising the price of his products by $7,500 relative to the competition won’t hurt his business, but that’s just wrong.
Pausing that funding not only puts charger plans into chaos (something Musk is no stranger to), it also means that Tesla can’t use money that it created an entire charging standard just to get a piece of.
The lawsuit requests that a court stop Mr. Trump’s illegal actions and permanently halt the FHWA from withholding these funds.
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