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Leading today’s Green Deals is the latest Christmas sale that we spotted from NIU, with up to 42% being taken off its e-scooter lineup, like the KQi2 Pro Electric Kick Scooter that hit a new $379 2024 low. From there, we have a returning low price on Goal Zero’s Yeti 1500X Portable Power Station at $779, as well as a new low rate for Hoverfly’s entry-level H3 16-inch Folding e-bike down at $423. Lastly, we have two Rexing EV charger adapters and one extension cable for Tesla drivers/owners at up to $100 off and starting from $50. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Jackery Christmas flash sale that ends tonight, 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.

NIU Christmas sale drops beginner-friendly KQi2 Pro electric kick scooter to new $379 2024 low

NIU’s Christmas sale is offering plenty of low prices – returning and new – through December 24 on a small collection of KQi series electric kick scooters at up to 42% off. One notable new price is on the beginner-friendly KQi2 Pro Electric Kick Scooter that is down at $379 shipped. Usually going for $649 outside of these sales, this model ended last year at the $369 low that hasn’t been seen again since. Over 2024, discounts have kept the price above $380 (usually over $400), but that’s changing here today as its previous Black Friday rate gets beaten out by $1, saving you $270 at the lowest price of the year – only $10 above the all-time low from 2023. You’ll also find this same scooter matching in price at Amazon.

A great and affordable pick for both newbie riders and veterans who don’t want to shell out too much cash, NIU’s KQi2 Pro electric kick scooter arrives as a balanced model to assist you through most commuting needs. You’ll get a 25-mile travel range on a single charge at up to top speeds of 17.4 MPH thanks to the paired 300W motor and 48V battery. It even sports regenerative brakes to extend your riding time by recycling energy alongside the four riding modes (e-save, sport, custom, pedestrian). The IP54 water-resistance protections here ensure being caught in sudden inclement weather or riding after the fact won’t threaten the scooter’s life. You’ll also be getting an LED headlight and taillight, a secondary front drum brake, a foldable body, and an LED dashboard display to adjust settings – which you can also do through the companion app on your smartphone.

Best NIU Christmas sale e-scooter deals for beginners:

Best NIU Christmas sale e-scooter deals for experts:

NIU Christmas sale best-selling e-scooter deals:

NIU’s Christmas sale is even offering a bunch of bundle options to save on two e-scooters bought together, which you can browse in full on the landing page here.

Goal Zero Yeti 1500X power station

Through its official Amazon storefront, Goal Zero is offering a return low on its Yeti 1500X Portable Power Station at $779.18 shippedafter clipping the on-page $500 off coupon. Normally going for $1,300 these days, but priced at $1,279 since November, it’s spent most of the year keeping between $1,100 and $1,234 on Amazon. We spotted it hitting this same rate on Black Friday and holding out until Cyber Monday’s end, but that same low price is back again today to save you $521. There are also two discounted bundle options here, with the station coming with a 100W solar panel for $866after clipping the on-page $584 off coupon, or with two accordion-folding 200W solar panels for $1,775after clipping the on-page $220 off coupon.

More of an outdoor and job site-tailored brand of backup power solutions, Goal Zero’s Yeti 1500X power station provides you with a 1,516Wh battery capacity that dishes out an impressive 2,000W output that surges up to 3,500W. Through its 10 output ports, you can keep the power on for devices, appliances, tools, and more. The battery takes up to 14 hours to recharge via a wall outlet, which can be sped up to just 3-hour charge times with a Goal Zero Yeti X 600W Power Supply. You can also utilize up to its 600W max input to take advantage of solar charging, as well as an additional recharge option by connecting it to your car.

NIU Christmas sale

Hoverfly’s H3 16-inch folding e-bike is an affordable entry-level option for beginners at new $423 low

We just spotted a great collection of beginner-friendly e-bike deals at Amazon on the Hoverfly H3 16-inch Folding e-bike starting from $423.20 shipped for its black and white colorways, with the other colorways getting some decent savings too. Down from its $500 price tag here, with higher $560+ rates direct from Hoverfly and elsewhere, we saw it drop furthest in price back over September when it hit $425. That rate is getting beaten out here today though, saving you $77 off the going rate ($137+ off its higher MSRPs) and carving out a new all-time low price by $2. It even beats out its pricing direct from Hoverfly right now that has it down at $530.

A great starter bike that certainly won’t break the bank, Hoverfly’s H3 model provides a solid 15.5 MPH max speed from its 350W brushless hub motor (500W peak) that is powered by the removable 280.8Wh battery, with added support from its three simplified riding modes: a traditional bike mode, electric mode, and PAS mode. When it is switched to the PAS mode, you’ll benefit from support for up to 25 miles on one charge. It features fully adjustable handlebars and saddle to fit a wider range of rider heights, as well as front shock absorbers, an integrated rear cargo rack, a headlight and taillight, 16-inch wheels, and a foldable bike frame.

Other Hoverfly e-mobility deals:

Rexing EV charger adapters for Tesla drivers

Save up to $100 on these EV charger adapters and extension cable for Tesla drivers starting at $50

Tesla drivers are in luck today as Best Buy is offering some solid discounts across three popular Tesla-focused add-on adapters, starting with the Rexing J1772 to Tesla EV Charger Adapter for $49.99 shipped. Normally priced at $80, we’ve mainly seen this adapter drop to either $50 or the $45 low during one-day sales, with the savings today taking $30 off the price to return costs to the second-lowest price. This device arrives rated for a maximum 80A input and a 240V output, allowing Tesla drivers to gain wider access to level 1 and 2 EV chargers by using home and portable setups your non-Tesla driving family and friends may have.

If you happen to own a Tesla S, 3, X, or Y – or if you’re looking to grab a last-minute gift for someone who does – there’s also the Rexing CCS to Tesla Adapter for $130, down from $200. We have seen it go for $100 much earlier in the year, but more often than not it usually only sees a drop to $150, so this 35% markdown is a great opportunity at some extra savings. Adding this adapter to your glovebox gives you wider-ranging charging access at over 5,000 CCS level 3 fast-charging stations across the country, providing you with up to 250kW or 250A speeds.

Lastly, suppose you happen to own one of Tesla’s home chargers, like the popular level 2 Wall Connector or the Universal Wall Connector, or you regularly frequent other charger stations with a lack of reach. In that case, you may want to add on some extra length to the cable with Rexing’s Tesla Extension Charging Cable for $200, saving you $100 off the usual going price. Fully compatible with the many chargers and connectors for the Tesla Models S/3/X and Y EVs, you’ll get an additional 20 feet of length now with this cable, which supports up to 240V/48A speeds. Do remember though, it unfortunately does not work with the supercharger stations.

Best ongoing holiday e-bike deals!

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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Porsche is cutting nearly 2,000 jobs in Germany as its EV struggles worsen

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Porsche is cutting nearly 2,000 jobs in Germany as its EV struggles worsen

Porsche plans to cut 1,900 jobs in Germany by 2029 as it struggles with slumping EV sales. The luxury sports car maker has already warned of lower profits this year. With plans to reduce its workforce, is Porsche sounding the alarm?

Porsche to cut jobs in Germany as EV sales lag

After announcing last week that it expects profit margins of around 10% to 12% this year, significantly lower than its long-term 20% target, Porsche said it would launch new internal combustion (ICE) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles in response.

The company warned that developing the new models and other battery-related projects would cost an extra 800 million euros ($830,000) in 2025.

It looks like the situation could be even worse than expected. Porsche said it would cut 1,900 jobs at two German plants by 2029 (via Bloomberg), blaming “challenging geopolitical and economic conditions.” The sites include Porsche’s Zuffenhausen and Weissach plants, where it aims to reduce around 15% of the workforce.

The job cuts are expected to be voluntary, including through early retirement and layoff packages. A job security agreement is still in effect for employees in Germany until 2030.

Porsche-job-cuts
Porsche Macan EV (Source: Porsche)

Porshe also plans to take a “restrictive approach” to hiring, hinting growth could be slower over the next few years.

Porsche’s global deliveries dropped 3% last year, driven by a sharp decline in China, one of its most profitable markets in recent years.

Porsche-job-cuts
New 2025 Porsche Taycan GTS (Source: Porsche)

As domestic EV makers like BYD, XPeng, Li Auto, Geely, and others gain momentum with advanced new models, foreign automakers continue to get squeezed out of the market.

A report from Germany’s Handelsblatt suggested other Volkswagen-owned brands could follow Porsche’s lead by introducing more ICE and PHEV models. The Volkswagen Golf, T-Roc, Tiguan, and Audi A3 are potential candidates, but we reportedly won’t see them until after 2030.

Porsche-job-cuts
2025 Porsche Taycan (Source: Porsche)

In an email to Bloomberg, the company confirmed that “Volkswagen has not changed its plans to phase out the combustion engine in Europe by the early 2030s,” adding it will “react flexibly to possible market changes.”

Electrek’s Take

While Volkswagen, Porsche, and most leading global automakers have cited slowing demand for EVs, the numbers prove otherwise.

According to Rho Motion, 1.3 million electric vehicles were sold globally in January 2025. Although that’s down from the record 1.9 million in December due to typical seasonality, the market has grown 18% from January 2024.

While Porsche continues investing in outdated gas-powered vehicles, EV leaders like BYD are doubling down on software, AI, connectivity, smart driving features, and other tech that buyers are looking for.

BYD just launched 21 of its best-selling vehicles this week with its new “Gods Eye” smart driving system for free. Although BYD is best known for its affordable EVs, like the Seagull and Dolphin, it’s expanding into Porsche territory with several new luxury models under its Denza and Yangwang brands rolling out. And BYD is only one example. Several Chinese EV makers, such as XPeng and NIO, are also expanding, with new models arriving.

Can Porsche keep up? Or will it continue falling behind as the global market shifts to electric vehicles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Trump metal tariffs could slow data center growth and disrupt power grid, analyst says

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Trump metal tariffs could slow data center growth and disrupt power grid, analyst says

The old economy is still very much out of favor right now, says Carlyle's Jeff Currie

President Donald Trump‘s steel and aluminum tariffs could slow data center growth by exacerbating the shortage of key components in the electric grid, according to a leading commodity analyst at Carlyle.

Big Tech missed Wall Street expectations for their cloud segments last week due in part to a shortage of transformers, said Jeff Currie, chief strategy officer of energy pathways at Carlyle.

Transformers are crucial pieces of equipment that ramp the voltage of electricity up and down, enabling its distribution from power plants to end customers such as data centers.

“What are transformers? They’re just big chunks of metal,” Currie told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday. “So if you put tariffs disrupting supply chains it just aggravates that situation.”

Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft missed revenue targets for their cloud segments in their most recent quarterly financial results, sending their stocks lower. Microsoft’s Azure cloud business has been struggling with supply shortages. Demand for Alphabet’s AI products is exceeding available capacity.

“We are in a tight supply-demand situation, working very hard to bring more capacity online,” Anat Ashkenazi, Alphabet’s chief financial officer, told investors on the company’s Feb. 4 earnings call.

The world’s largest transformer manufacturer, Hitachi Energy, warned late last year that the industry is overwhelmed with demand for the equipment.

“Ramping up capacity is definitely an issue. It’s not easy and it will probably not ramp up fast enough,” CEO Andreas Schierenbeck told The Financial Times in a Nov. 3 interview. Schierenbeck told the FT that utilities that need transformers would have to wait up to four years if they don’t already have one reserved.

Transformer capacity might need to more than double or triple through 2050 compared with 2021 levels to keep up with demand as infrastructure ages and the economy is electrified, according to a study published in March 2024 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Trump’s aluminum tariffs could also disrupt the grid by bringing manufacturing of the energy-intensive metal back to the U.S., Currie said.

“If you think AI is power intensive, aluminum is a whole different world,” Currie said. “It is six times more power intensive than AI data centers. So bringing it onshore in an environment in which AI data centers are already expected to consume any excess power, this would be incredibly disruptive to power grids.”

“There is a reason it was outsourced to begin with,” said the analyst, who headed up commodities research at Goldman Sachs for decades. He is known for bold, and often bullish, calls on oil prices, including his predictions of a China-driven surge in the 2000s.

Don’t miss these energy insights from CNBC PRO:

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Tesla Takeover: protests planned at Tesla stores globally this weekend

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Tesla Takeover: protests planned at Tesla stores globally this weekend

Tesla is being targeted by protests organized at its stores around the globe. The demonstrations planned for this Saturday appear to be a grassroots movement without a clear goal or leadership.

The protestors are calling it the “Tesla Takeover”.

The movement appears to have started on Bluesky, a social media platform that spun off of Twitter before Elon Musk bought it and turned it into X.

Several bigger accounts on Bluesky, including Anonymous, the infamous hacker group, have promoted the effort.

As stated in the post, the main goal appears to be protesting Elon Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and only owns 13% of the company, but he is seen as having complete control over the automaker.

Many people believe that it is warranted to target Tesla to protest Musk because he used his wealth from the company to acquire Twitter and finance Donald Trump’s campaign, which both resulted in what many see as a takeover of the US government by the wannabe technocrat.

Ralph Ballart, a long-time Tesla owner and Electrek reader, made us aware of the planned protests. He planned to attend the rally at his local Tesla store in California, and he shared his personal reason for wanting to boycott Tesla:

I have a 2015 Model S and the only reason I want Tesla sales to decline is to get Musk out as CEO and get someone like JB Straubel to replace him.

Straubel is a Tesla co-founder and long-time CTO who left in 2019 to found Redwood Materials. More recently, he joined Tesla’s board of directors.

Other than Anonymous, there doesn’t seem to be any organization behind the protests. People are promoting them locally to get activists at Tesla stores worldwide on Saturday at 11AM.

They are using the hashtag #TeslaTakeover, which is ironic because it used to be the name of a Tesla event organized by John Stringer, one of Musk’s biggest shills.

As we recently reported, Tesla stores around the world have been targets of vandals lately to protest against Musk.

However, in this case, it seems that the protesters are planning to stay civil and exercise their freedom of speech – encouraging people to boycott Tesla to send a message to Musk.

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