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Today’s Green Deals are once again being led by Rad Power’s latest sale, which has its RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru e-bike dropping to a new $1,299 low. We also spotted a new low price on Bluetti’s AC50B 448Wh LiFePO4 Portable Power Station at $279. Hitting our radar for the first time today is the Vvolt Centauri SE Commuter e-bike which is getting a $700 discount to $2,599 and features some quality design choices. We have a budget-friendly low price on Greenworks’ 40V 14-inch Cordless Electric Push Mower, while EcoFlow launches a 24-hour flash sale on its GLACIER Portable Refrigerator/Freezer. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s rare bundle discount on the Xtracycle Stoker Off-Road Cargo e-bike or the new low on Anker’s SOLIX C800 power station, and more.

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.

Rad Power RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru e-bike falls to new $1,299 low in latest sale

Rad Power is switching up its fall sales through September 25, with two models tailored to the versatile needs of the season and beyond, while also continuing the only deal we’ve seen on its newer models. The RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru e-bike sees the biggest discount among the offers at $1,299 shipped. More recently fetching $1,599 after Rad lowered prices across its older models at the start of 2024, this model has not been as prolific in savings as its high-step counterpart that has been retired after dropping to clearance lows. Before 2024 we mainly saw it drop to $1,799, with all the discounts after New Year’s Day only seeing costs fall as low as $1,399. Today’s sale marks its official descent lower as $300 is taken off its newer price tag, dropping it to a new all-time low price.

Visiting my family down in the swamps of Virginia and the Carolinas allowed me to hop aboard a RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru e-bike and enjoy it first-hand, which I discuss in my Travel Kit here. It’s a well-built and enjoyable ride, with its 750W brushless geared hub motor and semi-integrated 672Wh battery providing a solid 45 miles of travel and 20 MPH max speeds. Five levels of pedal assistance kick in with little effort, assisting in extending mileage to its fullest over the lesser travel distance only using the throttle allows.

As I mentioned in my Travel Kit coverage, this model is a great companion for rides on the streets and for when things go off-road, as the thick Kenda Juggernaut puncture-resistant tires easily tackled the swampy and varying terrain, with the water-resistant connectors providing added protections during these parts of my journeys. Along with these, the bike also comes equipped with a 7-speed Shimano derailleur, fenders to go over both wheels and a solid LCD display to monitor and switch through its settings.

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RadRover 6 Step-Thru e-bike

Bluetti’s AC50B 448Wh LiFePO4 Portable Power Station starts from new $279 low

We just spotted a great new deal through Bluetti’s official Amazon storefront on its AC50B Portable Power Station for $279 shipped, after clipping the on-page $20 off coupon. A quick note here: some folks are seeing the additional $20 off, and sadly some may not. Normally priced at $399, this newer model has only seen three previous discounts since it hit the market back in March, with the first two dropping costs to $299, and the most recent one from July’s Prime Day sales taking things further to $284. Today, Prime Day’s pricing has been dethroned after such a short period to mark a new all-time low, which gives you back $120 in savings and beats out the current discount on Bluetti’s website. There is one bundle option on this unit, coming with a 120W solar panel for $448, after clipping the on-page 10% off coupon.

Not a goliath like some of the larger campsite and home-supporting models on the market, the AC50B arrives as a far more compact unit clocking in at just 14.8 pounds, which houses the 448Wh LiFePO4 battery and pumps out a solid 700W of output power (1,000W peak). There’s a generally well-rounded amount of ports here too, with a car port, a USB-A port, and two of both USB-C and AC ports. The unit’s own battery recharges to 80% of its capacity in about 45 minutes when you plug it into a wall outlet, thanks to its upgraded turbo charging mode. You also have its solar charging capabilities as an option too, with a full battery reached in just 3 hours alongside a 200W panel. When considering its design, capabilites, and the full array of remote smart controls, this unit is a sound investment for folks in need of temporary power solutions over more year-round coverage.

RadRover 6 Step-Thru e-bike

Save $700 on the Vvolt Centauri SE Commuter e-bike at $2,599

Running alongside the release of its newest Centauri II e-bike, Vvolt is offering a price cut on its Centauri SE Commuter e-bike that is down at $2,599 shipped. This model usually runs for $3,299 most days, with this being the first discount that we’ve covered here at 9to5Toys since the brand hit our radar. You’re looking at a solid $700 being slashed from its usual costs here, which brings the price down into a more affordable range, especially when you consider some of its features and its quality design.

The Centauri SE e-bike cruises onto the scene with a streamlined design and sleek frame while boasting a 28 MPH max speed and 60-mile travel range. It possesses a 350W custom-tuned Ananda mid-drive motor that peaks at 650W alongside a 490Wh removable battery, with only pedal assistance available – supported by both internal torque and cadence sensors for fast pick-up. Rather than any chain drives, this model has been given a Gates CDX Carbon Belt Drive for extended lifespans, quieter operations, and throwing out any need for grease – which means no more accidental stains on your clothes/skin too!

Depending on which size you choose, it only weighs in at a more minor 52 pounds, which should be quite manageable for folks who aren’t as physically gifted or even older – especially if you live in a building with stairs you’ll have to carry it up and down. There’s an integrated front and rear lighting system, bolstered by reflective graphics to provide 360 degrees of visibility to those around you when you’re riding through the darker hours of the day. Other notable features include Kenda Kwest anti-puncture tires, Tektro 720 hydraulic disc brakes, an Enviolo internal rear hub transmission, and a full-color display.

RadRover 6 Step-Thru e-bike

Greenworks 40V 14-inch cordless electric push mower offers budget-friendly reliability at new $187 low

Homeowners on a budget and landscaping hustlers rejoice! Amazon is giving folks a great chance to land some quality savings on the Greenworks 40V 14-inch Cordless Push Lawn Mower for $187.49 shipped. Normally this model would cost you $270, which still isn’t that bad for a reliable electric mower like this, but the price is all the sweeter with the large 31% markdown that gives you back a solid $83 in savings while also landing it at a lower price than we have ever tracked – beating our previous mention at its former low by $25.

With this Greenworks mower, you’ll be adding a reliable piece of equipment to your lawncare routines at a price that isn’t weighing down or straight burning through your wallet – plus, you can forget the noise, fumes, and extra expenses associated with gas-guzzling models. The main body fits a 40V brushless motor inside the 14-inch poly deck, all running off a single removable 4.0Ah battery (which can be switched out with others that you may already have).

It provides a full hour of runtime to tackle your yard, with a five-position height adjustment that ranges from 1-1/4-inch to 3-3/8-inch cutting heights and a push-button start. It has also been designed with a folding frame for easier storage and a 2-in-1 functionality that can either bag your clippings or mulch them to be used in your flower beds.

EcoFlow

EcoFlow one-day flash sale drops GLACIER portable dual-zone fridge/freezer with ice maker to $599 low

Today, EcoFlow has launched its penultimate 24-hour flash sale for its current Disaster Campaign sale that ends September 22, with its GLACIER Portable Refrigerator bundled with a plug-in battery down at $599 shipped through the rest of the day. Normally this package with the battery would run you $1,398, but today’s short-term sale is providing a large 57% markdown that saves you $799 and lands this smart device down at the lowest price we have tracked.

While the warmer parts of the summer are coming to a close as fall weather moves in, EcoFlow’s GLACIER can still be quite the handy device to bring along with you on your autumn outings. This portable refrigerator boasts dual-zone compartments (36L or 38L as single-zone), one for cooling and one for freezing, accessed by removing the divider, with separate remote smart controls for each one through the EcoFlow app. On top, it even has a section dedicated to its 120W compressor for integrated ice-making action – specifically “18 solid ice cubes in 12 minutes,” which you don’t see in the other big contenders on the market. It even beats out its competitors in run time, with the included battery giving you up to 40 hours of power before needing to be plugged in or recharged.

Speaking of recharging, there are three options for this model: solar charging with a max 240W panel takes just 2.1 hours with fair conditions, which takes slightly longer at 2.2 hours when plugged into a standard wall outlet – plus, there’s a DC charging option too, taking 2.1 to 4 hours (depending on whether it’s connected to 24V or 12V).

Don’t miss out on all the great discounts that EcoFlow’s Disaster Campaign sale is offering until September 22, which you can look through in full here on this landing page. 

Summer e-bike deals!

RadRover 6 Step-Thru e-bike

Best 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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Tesla’s ‘more affordable’ Model Y spotted uncamouflaged on highway

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October 3, 2025

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Tesla's 'more affordable' Model Y spotted uncamouflaged on highway

What looks to be Tesla’s long-rumored “more affordable model” has been spotted testing on a highway, without any camouflage. But before you get too excited, it’s just a Model Y with some cheaper parts – and a price that’s not much different than we’ve seen on other Teslas.

For many years, Tesla had planned to build a much more affordable vehicle, starting around $25k. This vehicle was nicknamed the “Model 2,” and would have offered the most affordable entry point into the EV market, at least in the West.

But that project was abruptly canceled by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as first reported by Reuters and immediately denied by Musk. Reuters was later shown to be correct in its report, as many who follow Tesla might have expected, given Musk’s constant overpromising (and often outright lies).

In its place, Tesla started offering vague promises about “more affordable models,” starting in its Q1 report in April 2024. Tesla later specified that these would enter production in the first half of 2025.

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The language Tesla used suggested that the cheaper vehicles would be new models, which means more than one model, and not just based on a current Tesla model. But we reported that this was unlikely to be the case, and that the new models would just be a stripped-down Model Y.

The first-half deadline Tesla set came and went, but on Tesla’s Q2 call, it said that “first builds” were produced in June. On the same call, Musk said that the “new affordable model” is… the Model Y.

We first saw the “more affordable” Model Y out and about in Chinese spy shots, which included exterior videos and even a peek at the interior. However, in those spy shots, the front and rear of the vehicle were covered with camouflage, suggesting that there would be some changes in those areas Tesla didn’t want to leak yet.

Tesla doesn’t seem to mind those leaks anymore (especially after a low-res website leak), as a Model Y was spotted driving on the highway with no camouflage whatsoever, offering a look into what Tesla was hiding underneath those covers.

The pictures were posted to reddit by Fantastic_Train_7270, and show a Model Y with Florida manufacturer plates.

The nicely clear front end photos show that the car is missing the front light bar that was added with the Juniper refresh, instead reverting to separate headlights – though both are quite narrow, like the headlights on the Juniper.

The rear end is also missing its light bar, instead replaced by a horizontal black line. The line does not have the “T E S L A” badging, as the Juniper refresh has.

The model also has new aerodynamic wheels, which should help add a little range (and may make up for a smaller battery pack, though we don’t have information yet on whether battery size is part of the decontenting associated with the “more affordable” model).

Other than the lack of light bars, the front and rear look quite similar to the Juniper refresh. However, one concerning detail is that the rear trunk lid does not seem to fit snugly into the place it’s supposed to fit, instead encroaching onto the top of the plastic rear fascia.

We don’t know what might have caused this, but we do know that we’ve seen Model Ys with poor color matching on body panels before – but that’s a lot less of a problem than a body panel that seems to be misaligned by the better part of an inch, visible from a longish distance shot on a highway.

Of course, it’s just a prototype, but this is also the reason prototypes have camouflage, so the public can’t see fiddly bits like this ahead of release.

While these photos don’t show us anything of the interior, information from a recent software update gives us some hints as to what has been removed. In addition to removing the glass roof, coat hooks and 8″ rear screen (as could be seen in the Chinese spy shots), the software update suggests that the Model Y will have no ambient LED lights, single-axis seat controls, and simpler air vents.

The fact that this vehicle was spotted without camouflage, alongside the fact that this vehicle has shown up in recent software updates, suggests that release may be imminent. We had expected that it might be released in China first as has been the case with some other Tesla models lately, but the vehicle’s presence on US roads means that it might see a release here soon too.

And if it is releasing soon, it would be at an important time. Tesla just had its first positive sales quarter in some time, but that was primarily due to the expiration of the $7,500 US EV tax credit, which pulled forward demand. That means Teslas are now going to be $7,500 more expensive for US buyers, as of yesterday. So anything Tesla can do to cut prices will be a big deal.

We don’t know for certain how much cheaper the “more affordable” Model Y will be, but estimates (and a leak) suggest a base price of $40k – so, a savings of $5k over the current $45k base price, or $2,500 under the current base price of the Model 3, neither of which are as low as the lowest prices we’ve seen Teslas sell for before. Quite a far shout from the actually affordable $25,000 car we were all promised for so long.

Also, that price would still be a $2,500 price increase compared to the deal which was available just two days ago, before tax credit expiry. And Tesla has its own CEO to thank for that price hike, given he unwisely spent $200 million campaigning for the anti-EV forces that are now making his company’s products less affordable.

The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.


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EV Apocalypse PART TWO | BMW and Jeep deals, Tesla shareholder revolt

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3 hours ago

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October 3, 2025

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EV Apocalypse PART TWO | BMW and Jeep deals, Tesla shareholder revolt

On today’s surprising episode of Quick Charge, Tesla had its first good sales quarter in a while as the EV tax credit expiration spiked demand, but a number of big shareholders still want Elon gone! Press play to find out why!

We’re also highlighting new EV deals from BMW and Jeep – but it’s not all rosy news for Stellantis’ EV fans. The eagerly anticipated, ultra-fast Banshee edition may never see the light of day.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Climate XChange, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to help states pass effective, equitable climate policies. The nonprofit just kicked off its 10th annual EV raffle, where participants have multiple opportunities to win their dream EV.

Visit CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek to learn more!

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

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (most weeks, anyway). 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.


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OpenAI’s Sora 2 is putting safety and censorship to the test with stunningly real videos

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3 hours ago

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October 3, 2025

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OpenAI's Sora 2 is putting safety and censorship to the test with stunningly real videos

OpenAI's Sora 2 sparks AI 'slop' backlash

Fresh off a $6.6 billion share sale that made it the world’s most valuable private company, OpenAI’s TikTok-style video app, powered by its new artificial intelligence model, Sora 2, is going viral.

Despite the gated release that requires an invite code, the video creation tool has already shot to the number three spot on Apple‘s App Store and sparked a wave of deepfakes, including a viral clip of CEO Sam Altman shoplifting GPUs.

Internally, the rollout has reignited a long-running debate inside OpenAI about how to balance safety with creative freedom.

A person familiar with internal strategy at the company said leadership views strict guardrails as essential, but also worries about stifling creativity or being perceived as censoring too much.

That tension remains unresolved.

OpenAI’s culture has long favored speed, often shipping new tools ahead of rivals and letting the public adapt in real time.

One former employee, who asked not to be named to discuss internal matters, told CNBC that during their tenure, OpenAI leadership had a pattern of prioritizing fast launches. That strategy was on full display after China’s DeepSeek released a powerful model at the end of last year that was cheaper and faster to build than anything out of Silicon Valley.

OpenAI responded within weeks, debuting two new models in what was widely viewed as a defensive move to preserve its lead.

But OpenAI has a key advantage: Its growing institutional muscle.

Once a scrappy research lab in San Francisco’s Mission District, the company has since become more structured, enabling it to spin up cross-functional teams more quickly and accelerate the development and deployment cycles for products like Sora.

OpenAI said Sora includes multiple layers of safeguards meant to prevent unsafe content from being generated, using prompt filtering and output moderation across video frames and audio transcripts. It bans explicit content, terrorist propaganda, and material promoting self-harm. The app also uses watermarks and bans likeness impersonation.

But some users have already found ways to skirt those protections.

Sora 2, the AI model powering OpenAI’s app, is a sharp improvement over the first version. The new system generates longer, more coherent clips that look strikingly real.

Multiple viral videos feature Altman after he granted permission for his likeness to be used on the platform, while others depict popular cartoon characters like Pikachu and SpongeBob SquarePants in unsettling roles.

The content has fueled criticism that OpenAI is once again moving faster than its own guardrails. Its use of copyrighted material — unless rights holders opt out — is consistent with the company’s current policy, though that approach is being challenged in court.

Altman has brushed off concerns, saying in a post on X that Sora is as much about transparency — showing the public what the technology can do — as it is about building commercial momentum to fund OpenAI’s broader ambitions around artificial general intelligence.

The launch comes amid intensifying competition. Meta rolled out Vibes last week, a new short-form AI video feed inside its Meta AI app. Google has Veo 3, while ByteDance and Alibaba have also debuted rival systems.

OpenAI, meanwhile, just committed to fresh spending of $850 billion, deepening its push into infrastructure and next-gen models.

OpenAI hits milestone $500 billion valuation

Experts say the push into video isn’t just about drawing more users into the ecosystem with another sticky consumer app.

Professor Hao Li, a leading expert in video synthesis, told CNBC that most AI systems today are still trained on linguistic data like books and internet text. But to move toward general intelligence, he said, models need to learn from visual and audio information, much like a baby discovers the world through sight.

“We use AI to generate content to then train another model to perform better,” he said.

Li added that his lab already uses AI-generated video to enhance model performance, feeding synthetic data back into the system.

It’s part of a broader trend among researchers who see video generation as a way to simulate reality and help models reason more like humans.

Former OpenAI executive Zack Kass, whose forthcoming book “The Next Renaissance: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential” explores the societal implications of artificial intelligence, echoed that view.

On the broader question of how model makers should approach deployment, Kass argued that the trade-offs of releasing powerful technology early are worth it.

“There are two alternatives to building in the open: Not building at all, or building privately. And those alternatives, to me, are worse,” he told CNBC. “If we have a groundbreaking technology, I think people should know about it and use it so that we can all update to it.”

WATCH: OpenAI cements status as the world’s most valuable private company

OpenAI cements status as the world's most valuable private company

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