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Yesterday was a day of EVs (check our summer e-bike deals list below before the sales end), while today’s Green Deals are here to cover power station units across three major brands – and you won’t want to skip out on these discounts. First, we have Bluetti’s 3-part Prime Day sale that will not only be running through July while taking up to 43% off the company’s offerings, but also includes ramping deals, extra savings opportunities, gifts, and a giveaway with some truly amazing prizes! Next, there’s the latest release from EcoFlow, the new DELTA Pro 3 Portable Power Station that is launching with a $500 discount to $3,199, along with a handful of bundle savings options too. Then, to close out the week, Goal Zero’s Yeti 500 Portable Power Station has just fallen to a new $360 low. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals that are 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.

Bluetti’s 3-part Prime Day sale takes up to 43% off power stations, expansion batteries, and bundles through July

Bluetti has launched its Prime Day sale through July 31 that will be taking up to 43% off the company’s power stations and bundle combos in three stages – with plenty of extra savings opportunities being thrown in. From now through July 15 you’ll be able to save on the Bluetti units below, with July 16 dropping additional offers alongside Amazon’s Prime Day deals, before the “last call” period lays out the last of the prospective discounts between July 17 and 31. One of the notable standouts today is the AC180 Portable Power Station for $579 shippedafter using the on-page promo code AC180420 at checkout for $420 off. Down from its usual $999 price tag, we only recently saw the price drop this low, with the first and only previous occurrence being from 2 weeks over at Amazon, where it currently matches in price. Today, this deal comes back to repeat the 42% markdown and return costs to the all-time lowest that we have seen.

The AC180 LiFePO4 power station gives you peace of mind that wherever you may be or may be headed, your charging and power needs are met with a 1,152Wh capacity and 11 versatile output ports – four ACs, four USB-As, one USB-C, one DC, and one wireless charging pad for personal devices. In just 45 minutes you can have it recharged up to 80% battery via a standard wall outlet, or hook up a 500W solar input for solar charging that takes 2.8 to 3.3 hours instead. You’ll have all the usual smart controls to monitor and adjust settings through the BLUETTI app on your tablet or smartphone. Head below for more.

And as we said before there are plenty of extra savings opportunities that Bluetti has thrown in during this Prime Day sale to take advantage of. Depending on how much money you spend on your total order, you can also shave off a little extra money from the cost – orders over $1,500 get an additional $150 off, orders over $2,000 get an additional $200 off, and orders over $3,000 get an additional $300 off – with all three vouchers found at the top of the main sale’s page.

Bluetti Pre-Prime Day power station discounts:

Bluetti Pre-Prime Day expansion battery discounts:

Bluetti Pre-Prime Day solar generator discounts:

Bluetti Pre-Prime Day home backup discounts:

There are more goodies and gifts being given away by Bluetti too – as with most of the company’s sales, you can take advantage of membership rewards, which you can learn more about here. Next, there is Bluetti’s Giveaway contest that is giving away tons of prizes – with two grand prize winners getting vouchers for 100% off discounts on Prime Day orders. You can learn more about the contest and its many prizes here. And lastly, when you reach certain price thresholds in your cart, the company will also gift you with Bluetti-brand lifestyle items; pins/stickers, canvas bag, cups, and outdoor tableware sets.

EcoFlow launches new DELTA Pro 3 Portable Power Station with $500 off discount and bundle savings options

EcoFlow has launched its latest addition to its lineup of home and portable energy storage devices, the DELTA Pro 3 Portable Power Station for $3,199 shipped through July 23, after using the on-page $500 off discount. Launching with a $3,699 MSRP, this is the very first chance to save on this all-new device that comes in with a generous $500 markdown on the standalone model, with bundle savings available as well. This discount also marks the first recorded low pricing point for the forseeable future, with no telling how long it’ll take to see another discount after this deal ends next month. You can learn more about this device below, or by reading through our initial launch coverage.

The new DELTA Pro 3 arrives with a massive 4,096Wh capacity that can be expanded up to 48,000Wh with additional equipment, as well as a 4,000W power output. The power output can also be expanded up to 12,000W when you connect three of these power stations together. The unit can be fully recharged in a variety of more ways than previous units – seven solo-source charging options and 18 combination charging options to be precise – with a standard wall outlet getting it back to 80% battery in just 50 minutes, along with other options at differing speeds via solar (2,600W input max), EV, automotive cigarette outlets, dual PV charging, and more.

It has the same smart control functionality as other models, accessed through the EcoFlow app via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, as well as 14 output ports to cover your various devices needs: seven ACs, two USB-As, two USB-Cs, and three DCs. This is the first of EcoFlow’s units to include the company’s X-Core 3.0, an integrated architecture system that is designed to offer far superior host safety, performance, and intelligence improvements – pulled from commercial-grade and EV technologies and placed inside a power station for the first time. It also boasts increased surge power for more demanding appliances, the fastest charging capabilities, quieter and cooler operations, improved battery management, longer battery lifespans, explosion-proof battery packs, more advanced parallel capacity expansion, and smart home energy management.

There are also a few bundle options to consider here, especially for those of you looking to go all out and incorporate all the bells and whistles needed for full home backup solutions. First, you can waylay the $500 discount to instead receive a free 400W solar panel along with the power station for $3,699, which is valued together at $4,898. You can bundle the power station alongside a DELTA Pro 3 Extra Battery to achieve a doubled capacity for $5,498, down from $6,298. For outdoor enthusiasts on the move, you can grab the power station with a 800W Alternator Charger and a Smart Generator Adapter for $3,799, instead of its usual $4,298. And then there is the home backup option that has the power station and EcoFlow’s Smart Home Panel 2 for $4,798, down from $5,598 – which bumps up to a discounted $7,098 if you need it installed for you.

Goal Zero Yeti 500 portable power station within post for Bluetti Prime Day sale

Goal Zero Yeti 500 Portable Power Station falls 28% to new $360 low

Courtesy of Goal Zero’s Amazon storefront, you can now get the company’s Yeti 500 Portable Power Station for $359.96 shippedafter clipping the on-page 20% off coupon. Normally fetching $500 since its release in January, we’ve only seen two previous discounts in the last six months, first to $400 in April, then to the former $375 low during Memorial Day sales. Today it returns at an even lower rate, coming in as a combined 28% markdown that beats our previous mention by $15 and carving out a new all-time low.

The Yeti 500 power station is a 6th generation model that was designed to bring better support to folks during casual explorations like on camping trips, at tailgate parties, for road trips, and more. It provides a 499Wh capacity with 500W of power output (1,000W surge), and can be hooked up to a solar panel with a max input of 200W – giving you a full charge in around 3 hours – or you can utilize its fast-charging capabilities via a wall outlet and recharge it in just 90 minutes. Your small appliance and device charging needs will be covered by the two AC ports, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, plus the bonus car port.

More Goal Zero Amazon power station discounts:

Goal Zero Amazon bundle discounts:

Summer e-bike deals!

MOD Bikes MOD Easy 3 e-bike within post for Bluetti Prime Day sale

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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McDonald’s puts 10 Volvo VNR Electric class 8 semi trucks to work

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McDonald's puts 10 Volvo VNR Electric class 8 semi trucks to work

Ten brand-new Volvo VNR Electric semi trucks will be supporting food and beverage deliveries to select McDonald’s restaurants in the greater Montreal and Toronto areas in the coming weeks.

Martin Brower is a supply chain solutions provider for global restaurant chains, and it’s actually Martin Brower, as McDonald’s logistical partner, that’s taking delivery of the ten electric Volvo semi trucks. “McDonald’s has been a like-minded collaborator for many decades with aligned goals,” said Julie Dell’Aniello, president, Martin Brower Canada. “Together, our companies share similar commitments to test alternative-fuel vehicles.”

The deployment of these 10 trucks by Martin Brower follows on from a pilot with the electric tractor in Montreal that was launched back in 2022.

“It’s exciting to see a powerhouse brand like McDonald’s working with their partners to help decarbonize the transportation of goods,” said Matthew Blackman, managing director for Canada, Volvo Trucks North America. “It’s a testament to the performance and reliability of the Volvo VNR Electric that these global leaders are choosing to scale their trial of battery-electric vehicles where feasible.”

Earlier this month, Volvo Trucks North America announced a new Truck-as-a-Service (TaaS) business model called Volvo on Demand designed, “to enable small and medium-sized truck fleets to minimize the upfront investments typically associated with transitioning to battery-electric vehicles, and free up credit lines that can be used towards business growth.”

Volvo began delivering electric trucks in 2018, and has continued to expand its commercial lineup with dedicated refuse models from both its Volvo and Mack Truck brands, as well as the new Mack MD Electric, production of which began earlier this year.

Electrek’s Take

Volvo Trucks electric

Volvo’s first-mover position in the North American market has led to a number of companies choosing to adopt its HDEVs, and the anticipated next-generation VNL Electric will only give it a bigger lead in the space.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Trucks.

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Walmart first major retailer in North America to deploy hydrogen semi truck

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Walmart first major retailer in North America to deploy hydrogen semi truck

Walmart Canada continues its march towards a 100% alternative fuel fleet with the deployment of its first hydrogen fuel cell-powered Nikola Tre.

With the deployment of this truck, Nikola says Walmart Canada has become the first major retail chain in North America to introduce a hydrogen fuel cell electric semi truck to its fleet.

“We’re proud to be introducing Walmart Canada’s first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle as a major milestone on our journey to becoming a regenerative company,” said Gonzalo Gebara, president and CEO, Walmart Canada. “This is a first for a retailer in Canada and is an example of how we will continue to push forward, embrace new technology and spark change within the industry.”

The Nikola HFCEV is a Class 8 tractor with a range of about 800 kilometers (over 400 miles) “per tank” and an 82,000,000 GCWR that can, when compared to a conventional semi, avoid putting nearly 100 metric tons of CO2 tailpipe emissions into the air each year – which is one of the reasons electrifying the commercial truck sector is so critical.

“People might wonder why build a semi truck?” said Elon Musk, at Tesla’s Nevada gigafactory in late 2022, when the company delivered a handful of semi trucks to Pepsi. “It’s 20% of US vehicle emissions.”

Walmart isn’t waiting on Tesla

Walmart Canada and the Nikola Tre HFCEV.

Back in April, Reuters reported that retailers like Walmart and Pepsi were becoming frustrated by long waits and continued delays for Tesla’s electric semi trucks, and were turning to rival electric-truck makers as the moved to decarbonize their trucking fleets.

“Walmart Canada has an ambitious plan to power 100% of our fleet with alternative power. We’re proud to be the first retailer in Canada to introduce a hydrogen fuel cell semi-truck to our fleet as a major milestone towards achieving that goal,” said Michael Buna, senior director, national fleet, Walmart Canada. “As we work to be more sustainable in our day-to-day fleet operations, embracing additional types of alternative power allows us to go further, faster.”

Electrek’s Take

Coyote Container completes historic trip in fuel cell truck
Image via Coyote Container.

Nikola’s hydrogen-powered trucks seem to be a popular choice among fleet buyers – a group that seems especially susceptible to the not-quite-true promise of five-minute refueling stops that proponents of hydrogen often repeat on social media.

Still, it seems to be a solution that’s slightly better than diesel. And, until hydrogen’s fans figure out that battery-electric is the best way forward, it seems like this change might be better than no change at all.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Nikola; Reuters.

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Failure to meet surging data center energy demand will jeopardize economic growth, utility execs warn

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Failure to meet surging data center energy demand will jeopardize economic growth, utility execs warn

The sun sets behind power lines near homes during a heat wave in Los Angeles, Sept. 6, 2022.

Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images

The largest utility companies in the U.S. are warning that the nation is facing a surge of electricity demand unlike anything seen in decades, and failure to rapidly increase power generation could jeopardize the nation’s economy.

After a more than decade-long period of largely flat growth, electricity demand is poised to skyrocket by 2030 as the artificial intelligence revolution, the expansion of chip manufacturing, and the electrification of the vehicle fleet all coincide as the U.S. is trying to address climate change.

The tech sector’s build out of data centers to support AI and the adoption of electric vehicles alone is expected to add 290 terawatt hours of electricity demand by the end of the decade, according to a report released by the consulting firm Rystad Energy this week.

The expected demand from data centers and electric vehicles in the U.S. is equivalent to the entire electricity demand of Turkey, the world’s 18th largest economy, according to Rystad.

“This growth is a race against time to expand power generation without overwhelming electricity systems to the point of stress,” said Surya Hendry, a Rystad analyst, in a release following the report’s publication.

‘The stakes are really, really high’

The major tech players – Amazon, Alphabet’s Google unit, Microsoft and Meta – are urgently requesting more power as they bring data centers online that in some cases require a gigawatt of electricity, said Petter Skantze, vice president of infrastructure development at NextEra Energy Resources. To put that in context, a gigawatt is equivalent to the capacity of nuclear reactor.

NextEra Energy, parent of Skantze’s subsidiary, is the largest power company in the S&P utilities sector by market capitalization and it operates the biggest portfolio of renewable energy assets in the nation.

“This is a different urgency coming. They need this load to drive the next iteration of growth,” Skantze told the Reuters Global Energy Transition conference in New York City this week. “They’re showing up now at the utility and they’re banging on the door and they’re saying I need to put this resource on the grid,” the executive said.

A big challenge will be whether enough resources are available to connect those large data center projects to the power grid, Skantze said. The stakes are high for the U.S. economy, the executive said.

“If I can’t get that power capacity online, I cannot do the data center. I cannot do the manufacturing. I can’t grow the core businesses of some of the largest corporations in the country,” Skantze said. “The stakes are really, really high. This is a new environment. We have to get this right.”

NextEra CEO John Ketchum told investors earlier this month that U.S. power demand will increase by 38% over the next two decades, a fourfold increase over the annual rate of growth in the previous 20 years. NextEra expects much of the demand to be met by renewables and battery storage, Ketchum said. The company has a 300-gigawatt pipeline of renewable and storage projects.

‘Energy security brings national security’

Southern Company, the second-largest utility in the U.S. by market cap, is also seeing a historic wave of electricity demand. The power company is headquartered in Atlanta, one of the fastest growing data center markets in the U.S. with 723 gigawatts under construction in 2023, up 211% over the prior year, according to real estate services firm CBRE.

Southern Company CEO Chris Womack said the company is seeing a level of demand not seen since the advent of air conditioning and heat pumps in the South in the 1970s and 1980s. The utility is expecting demand to grow by three or four times, he said.

“A lot of this is dependent and contingent upon what we see with artificial intelligence and all those large learning models and what data centers will consume,” Womack said. “You’re also seeing in the Southeast, this incredible population growth and you’re seeing all this onshoring with manufacturing.”

Supplying the demand with reliable power is a matter of economic and national security, Womack said. Southern expects 80% of the demand through the end of the decade to be met by renewables, he said.

But he argued that nuclear and natural gas will be crucial to backing up wind and solar, which still face challenges in supplying power when weather conditions are not at their peak.

Nuclear has got to be a big part of this mix, of [the] decarbonization focus as we go forward to make sure we’re having the power and the energy and the electricity this economy needs,” Womack told the Reuters Global Energy Transition conference. The U.S. needs more than 10 gigawatts of new nuclear power to help reliably meet demand while meeting climate goals, he said.

“Energy security brings national security, also brings about and supports economic security,” Womack said. “We’ve got to balance and meet the needs of sustainability. But — to ensure that we can continue to have a growing, a thriving economy — we got to get the energy piece right.”

In Northern Virginia, the largest data center market in the world by a wide margin, Dominion Energy is navigating three transitions simultaneously, CEO Robert Blue said. The transition toward clean energy is occurring as the U.S. is simultaneously moving to run everything on electric power and turn everything into data, Blue told the Reuters conference.

Echoing the Southern’s CEO, Blue said Dominion is adding “an incredible amount of renewables” to keep the system operating, but other energy sources will also be needed.

“We’re going to need to look at natural gas, and potentially even further technologies, whether that’s small modular reactors or hydrogen, if we’re going to manage our way through those, the intersection of those three transitions,” Blue told the Reuters conference.

Small modular reactors are an evolution of nuclear power that is still under development. The small reactors are viewed by many in the industry as potential breakthrough technology because they are, in theory, less capital intensive and easier to site than traditional nuclear power.

Blue also warned that electrifying everything comes with the trade off of making people even more dependent on the grid. This makes security of the grid crucial the country’s future, he said.

“As we electrify everything, people are going to become more and more reliant on the grid,” Blue said. “And so we need to make sure that we keep that secure from physical and cyber threats.”

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