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Hyundai’s cheapest EV is now available in Japan. Starting at just $18,000, the new Hyundai Inster EV is the most affordable electric car in its segment, even cheaper than BYD’s Dolphin.

Hyundai’s cheapest Inster EV is now available in Japan

Since re-entering the market in early 2022, Hyundai has only introduced several vehicles in Japan, including the IONIQ 5, Kona Electric, and Nexo FCEV.

The Inster EV is Hyundai’s fourth electric car, and it could be its biggest hit so far. On Friday, Hyundai opened orders for its newest EV in Japan. Starting at just 2,849,000 yen, or around $18,000, the Inster is Hyundai’s cheapest electric vehicle on the market.

Hyundai unveiled the Inster for the first time at the Busan Mobility Show in Korea last summer. It’s already rolling out in Europe and Korea.

In its home market, the Inster is known as the Casper Electric and has already become one of Korea’s top-selling EVs.

Powered by a 49 kWh battery, the Inster is rated with up to 195 miles (315 km) driving range in Korea. In Europe, the Casper Electric gets up to 221 miles (355 km) WLTP range. The low-cost EV is available in Japan with 42 or 49 kWh battery options.

Hyundai-cheapest-EV-Japan
Hyundai Inster EV (Source: Hyundai)

Buyers in Japan can choose from three trims with prices ranging from 2,849,000 yen ($18,000) to 3,575,000 yen ($22,700).

At 3,830 mm long, 1,610 mm wide, and 1,615 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,580 mm, the Inster EV is slightly smaller than BYD’s Dolphin (4,290 mm long, 1,770 mm wide, 1,570 mm tall, wheelbase of 2,700 mm).

Hyundai-cheapest-EV-Japan
Hyundai Inster EV interior (Source: Hyundai Japan)

Hyundai’s new EV undercuts the Dolphin, which starts at around $24,500 (3.63 million yen), as one of Japan’s most affordable electric cars.

The new low-cost electric car should help boost Hyundai’s sales in the region. Last year, Hyundai sold just over 600 vehicles in Japan, while BYD sold over 2,200. Since entering Japan in 2023, BYD has launched several top-selling EVs, including the Dolphin, Atto 3 SUV, and Seal.

Hyundai Inster EV trim Starting Price
Casual 2,849,000 yen ($18,000)
Voyage 3,355,000 yen ($21,300)
Lounge 3,575,000 yen ($24,500)
Hyundai Inster EV price by trim in Japan

Hyundai’s new EV will also compete with Japan’s top-selling electric car, the Nissan Sakura, which costs around $16,500 (2.6 million yen).

Will the Hyundai Inster break into Japan’s EV market? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

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The first giant 15 MW turbine is up at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm

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The first giant 15 MW turbine is up at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm

Germany’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, EnBW’s He Dreiht, just hit a big milestone: The first enormous turbine is now up in the North Sea.

He Dreiht – which means “it spins” in Low German – is using Vestas’s massive 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the first project in the world to install them. Just one spin of one of the rotors can generate enough electricity to power four households for an entire day.

When it’s finished, He Dreiht will have 64 mega turbines cranking out 960 megawatts (MW) of clean power – enough to supply around 1.1 million homes. And it’s being built without any government subsidies.

EnBW, one of Germany’s major energy companies, has been working in offshore wind for more than 15 years, but He Dreiht is their biggest project yet. “It will play a key role in helping us to significantly grow our renewable energy output from 6.6 GW to over 10 GW by 2030,” said Michael Class, who heads up EnBW’s generation portfolio development.

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The project is a win for Vestas, too. “With the installation of the first V236-15.0 MW, we have reached an important milestone for both the He Dreiht project and our offshore ramp-up, which helps Germany build a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.

He Dreiht is located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Helgoland. At peak times, more than 500 workers will be out at sea building the farm, using a fleet of more than 60 ships. EnBW’s offshore team in Hamburg is running the show.

The installation process is a major operation. The 64 foundations were already set in the seabed last year. Parts for the turbines are loaded onto the installation vessel Wind Orca in Esbjerg, Denmark, and shipped out in a 12-hour journey to the construction site. From there, the turbines are lifted into place. Meanwhile, crews are also working on internal wind farm cabling.

A partner consortium made up of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP, and Norges Bank Investment Management owns 49.9% of the shares in He Dreiht.

Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build


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Tesla gives update on Tesla Semi factory, says on track for volume production in 2026

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Tesla gives update on Tesla Semi factory, says on track for volume production in 2026

Tesla has released a quick update about its Tesla Semi factory in Nevada. It says that it is on track for volume production of the electric semi truck in 2026.

The Tesla Semi was first scheduled to go into production in 2019, but it has faced numerous delays.

Now, it appears that there is finally some momentum to bring it to volume production.

For the last two years, Tesla has been working to build a new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada, where it builds the battery packs and drive units for most of its electric vehicles built in North America.

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Today, Tesla released a “progress update on the factory, confirming that it finished building and it’s now working on deploying the production lines:

Tesla had previously mentioned aiming for volume production by 2025, but it is now only talking about starting production toward the end of the year and ramping up next year.

The automaker reiterated its planned production capacity of 50,000 units.

We recently reported that an early Tesla Semi customer, Ryder, stated that the electric truck program is experiencing more delays and a price increase described as “dramatic.”

They now expect to take deliveries of their first trucks later in 2026 and said that the price has increased “dramatically,” leading them to scale back their pilot program from 42 to 18 Tesla Semi trucks.

When originally unveiling the Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker mentioned prices of $150,000 for a 300-mile range truck and $180,000 for the 500-mile version. Tesla also took orders for a “Founder’s Series Semi” at $200,000.

However, Tesla didn’t update the prices when launching the “production version” of the truck in late 2022. Price increases have been speculated, but the company has never confirmed them.

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Vietnamese solar giant Boviet opens first US factory in North Carolina

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Vietnamese solar giant Boviet opens first US factory in North Carolina

Vietnamese solar panel maker Boviet Solar just opened the doors to its first US factory — a huge new PV module plant in Greenville, North Carolina.

The company dropped $294 million into the state-of-the-art facility, which will pump out Boviet’s Gamma Series monofacial and Vega Series bifacial solar panels. They’re using advanced PERC and N-Type solar cell tech, which basically means these panels are built to deliver higher efficiency and better performance across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.

The Greenville factory’s first phase is now online with an annual PV module output capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). For Phase 2, which is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2026, Boviet will invest another $100 million to add 600,000 square feet and ramp up to another 2 GW. It will make high-efficiency solar cells.

Once both phases are complete, Boviet’s campus will cover more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and R&D space. It’s one of the biggest clean energy manufacturing projects North Carolina has ever seen.

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The jobs impact is significant, too. The first phase will create 460 skilled local jobs. Phase 2 is expected to add another 908, bringing the total to over 1,300 direct jobs, plus nearly 2,000 more indirect jobs across the region. That’s good news for Pitt County’s economy, real estate market, and workforce training programs.

“This facility is not just creating jobs, but creating opportunity, innovation, and a stronger foundation for eastern North Carolina,” said Senator Kandie Smith. Governor Josh Stein added that Boviet Solar’s move shows how North Carolina is leading the way in clean energy growth.

Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus


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