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Today’s Green deals are bringing you three flash sales with some big savings – two on e-bikes, one on power stations. Leading the group is Rad Power’s flash sale with two end dates (January 20 and January 29), price cuts, free accessory offers, and free extra battery opportunities across many models, like the RadRunner 2 Utility e-bike at $1,299 and coming with an extra battery for double the travel distance, among others. We then have a 24-hour flash sale from EcoFlow that is taking up to 50% off three of the brand’s most popular power stations, starting with the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station with a free waterproof bag at $499. At the rear is Heybike’s Ranger S Folding e-bike with $208 in free gear at $1,099 through the weekend. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s $1,500 in savings on Jackery’s flagship solar generator bundle, the deals on Aiper’s robotic pool cleaners, 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.

Hop on Rad Power’s RadRunner 2 ‘jack-of-all-trades’ e-bike at $1,299 and get a free extra battery (Save $649)

Rad Power has launched a flash sale through January 20 (with some deals continuing past to January 29) with up to $699 in savings across a solid selection of e-bikes – complete with free extra battery offers too. One such offer getting the doubled mileage in Rad Power’s flash sale is the popular RadRunner 2 Utility e-bike at $1,299 shipped. Regularly priced at $1,499 after the summer’s tariffs hit, we saw it go as low as $1,199 in pre-summer sales, with July being the last time we saw its lowest rate before getting its price upped by $100. Today’s deal returns costs to the second-lowest price overall and the lowest price tracked since summer saving you a total of $649 in all.

Rad Power has named the RadRunner 2 Utility e-bike as its “jack-of-all-trades” model, ready to assist you through just about anything – errands, commutes, joyrides, and more. You’ll enjoy a 50-mile travel range (doubled to 100 miles with the extra battery) at up to its 20 MPH top speed thanks to the combination of its 672Wh battery and 750W brushless-geared hub motor. There are four levels of PAS here, with a simplified control panel to adjust settings as you want/need them. Stocked features include a rear-mounted cargo rack that offers a 120-pound payload, puncture-resistant fat tires, a standard LED headlight, and an integrated taillight with both brake light and flash mode capabilities.

Rad Power flash sale e-bike deals (ending January 20)

  • RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike: $1,099 (Reg. $1,599)
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles
  • RadRunner 3 Plus Utility e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
    • comes with free extra battery
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles (90+ with extra battery)
    • add both to cart for automatic discount

Extended Rad Power flash sale e-bike deals (ending January 29)

  • RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,799)
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles
  • RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike: $1,899
    • 20 MPH for up to 60+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount
  • Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount
  • Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount
  • RadWagon 5 Cargo e-bike: $2,399
    • 28 MPH for up to 60+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount

***Note: With the following battery pack discounts – be sure to check compatibility with your existing model before ordering. Discounts will be automatically applied in the cart.

Rad Power flash sale e-bike accessory deals (ending January 29)

EcoFlow DELTA power stations

EcoFlow 24-hour flash sale takes up to 50% off three sizes of LiFePO4 power stations with free gear starting from $499

As part of its ongoing New Year sale, EcoFlow has launched a 24-hour flash sale that is dropping three of its power stations (some coming with free gear) to some of the lowest rates we have seen recently. Starting from the smallest and working up, the first offer is on the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station that comes with a waterproof bag at $499 shipped. Normally priced for $999 at full, we’ve only seen it go lower twice before – once to $489 during October’s Prime Day and the other taking things to $399 for short-lived Cyber Monday savings. Today, you’re not only getting $500 off the going rate, but you’ll be doing so $50 under the rate we saw during Black Friday sales while also getting the free waterproof bag for added protection.

A great travel companion for trips out of the home, the DELTA 2 provides you with 1,024Wh of LiFePO4 capacity that expands up to 3,000Wh by adding an extra battery (bundle option for $999 here). It pumps out power at up to 1,800W speeds, surging to 2,200W, through its 15 port options. The station’s battery can be brought back to 80% in 50 minutes via a wall outlet, while a full charge will take a little longer at 80 minutes. You can also take advantage of up to 500W of solar charging capabilities to refill the battery in three to six hours – or you can invest in the brand’s alternator charger to charge up as you drive.

The second of these short-term deals is the DELTA Pro Portable Power Station that gets a free transfer switch (letting you back up your circuit breaker with the station) for $2,099 shipped, with the station alone normally priced at $3,699. You’re getting plenty more here starting at a 3,600Wh LiFePO4 capacity (which expands to 25kWh with additional equipment) that provides 3,600W of output (surging to 7,200W) through 14 ports. A wall outlet tops its battery off in 1.8 hours, with its full 1,600W of solar input giving you a recharge in 2.8 hours.

Lastly, there’s the full home backup option in the DELTA Pro Ultra Portable Power Station for $4,699 shipped, down from $6,098, which comes at the second-lowest price we’ve seen direct from the brand. It starts at an even higher 6,100Wh LiFePO4 capacity with a 7,200W output, but that can easily be bolstered up to 90kWh capacity and a 21.6kW output with multiples of its full setups connected together. Outside of its 5.6kW to 16.8kW solar input range, a wall outlet will juice up the battery in two hours, with EV piles, and generators also an option.

And be sure to also check out EcoFlow’s full phase 2 of New Year savings across its lineup while it lasts – these deals will officially be ending at the end of January 19.

Heybike Ranger S e-bike

Heybike’s Ranger S Folding e-bike with $208 in free gear falls to $1,099 in weekend flash sale

Heybike is having a flash sale opportunity through January 19 on its popular Ranger S Folding e-bike at $1,099 shipped while also coming with free baskets worth $208. Normally this e-bike and the bundle would run you $1,707 ($1,499 for the e-bike alone) all together, but this combined 36% markdown is saving you $608 off that rate while things last. We have seen it go lower, primarily during Black Friday sales and random flash sales earlier in the year when it would fall to $999, as well as a one-day $899 low on November 29, which we haven’t seen again since. Regardless, this is still a solid chunk of savings – plus the included baskets ups the utility of this reliable commuter.

The Ranger S Folding e-bike cruises into view as one of the most popular and best-selling models from under Heybike’s flag, and it’s not hard to see why at such a low price compared to other big names on the market. You can choose between the standard 750W (1,400W peak) or the upgraded 1,000W (1,800W peak) rear hub motors, which will really come down to how much speed and incline-tackling power you need for your area. Keep in mind that the 1,000W model comes with a higher $1,299 price tag ($400 off). Both models come with a 692Wh battery and five pedal assistance levels – with a cadence sensor for the 750W model and a superior torque sensor for the 1,000W model. You’ll be cruising around town for up to 55 miles on these models at 28 MPH top speeds for the 750W motor and a faster 32 MPH top speed for the 1,000W motor.

It even comes with an improved 4A charger that comes in twice as strong as the average e-bike chargers we usually see, cutting down charging times to just four hours to get a full battery. There are plenty of solid features here too, like the folding step-thru frame, the 20-inch fat tires that come with fenders over top each, an LED headlight, a LED taillight with brake lighting that’s been integrated into the rear cargo rack, a hydraulic front suspension fork, hydraulic disc brakes, and a smart LCD display, among others.

The other model that often keeps side by side in popularity with the Ranger S is the brand’s Mars 2.0 Folding Fat Tire e-bike that is also still benefitting from its New Year discounts at $999 with free baskets too. You can check out the full lineup of offers while they last on the landing page here.

Best New Year EV 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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Trump wants coal to power AI data centers. The tech industry may need to make peace with that for now

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3 hours ago

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May 17, 2025

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Trump wants coal to power AI data centers. The tech industry may need to make peace with that for now

Energy Sec. Wright: Trump's duties provide 'no tariffs on energy'

President Donald Trump wants to revive the struggling coal industry in the U.S. by deploying plants to power the data centers that the Big Tech companies are building to train artificial intelligence.

Trump issued an executive order in April that directed his Cabinet to find areas of the U.S. where coal-powered infrastructure is available to support AI data centers and determine whether the infrastructure can be expanded to meet the growing electricity demand from the nation’s tech sector.

Trump has repeatedly promoted coal as power source for data centers. The president told the World Economic Forum in January that he would approve power plants for AI through emergency declaration, calling on the tech companies to use coal as a backup power source.

“They can fuel it with anything they want, and they may have coal as a backup — good, clean coal,” the president said.

Trump’s push to deploy coal runs afoul of the tech companies’ environmental goals. In the short-term, the industry’s power needs may inadvertently be extending the life of existing coal plants.

Coal produces more carbon dioxide emissions per kilowatt hour of power than any other energy source in the U.S. with the exception of oil, according to the Energy Information Administration. The tech industry has invested billions of dollars to expand renewable energy and is increasingly turning to nuclear power as a way to meet its growing electricity demand while trying to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that fuel climate change.

For coal miners, Trump’s push is a potential lifeline. The industry has been in decline as coal plants are being retired in the U.S. About 16% of U.S. electricity generation came from burning coal in 2023, down from 51% in 2001, according to EIA data.

Peabody Energy CEO James Grech, who attended Trump’s executive order ceremony at the White House, said “coal plants can shoulder a heavier load of meeting U.S. generation demands, including multiple years of data center growth.” Peabody is one of the largest coal producers in the U.S.

Grech said coal plants should ramp up how much power they dispatch. The nation’s coal fleet is dispatching about 42% of its maximum capacity right now, compared to a historical average of 72%, the CEO told analysts on the company’s May 6 earnings call.

“We believe that all coal-powered generators need to defer U.S. coal plant retirements as the situation on the ground has clearly changed,” Grech said. “We believe generators should un-retire coal plants that have recently been mothballed.”

Tech sector reaction

There is a growing acknowledgment within the tech industry that fossil fuel generation will be needed to help meet the electricity demand from AI. But the focus is on natural gas, which emits less half the CO2 of coal per kilowatt hour of power, according the the EIA.

“To have the energy we need for the grid, it’s going to take an all of the above approach for a period of time,” Kevin Miller, Amazon’s vice president of global data centers, said during a panel discussion at conference of tech and oil and gas executives in Oklahoma City last month.

“We’re not surprised by the fact that we’re going to need to add some thermal generation to meet the needs in the short term,” Miller said.

Thermal generation is a code word for gas, said Nat Sahlstrom, chief energy officer at Tract, a Denver-based company that secures land, infrastructure and power resources for data centers. Sahlstrom previously led Amazon’s energy, water and sustainability teams.

Executives at Amazon, Nvidia and Anthropic would not commit to using coal, mostly dodging the question when asked during the panel at the Oklahoma City conference.

“It’s never a simple answer,” Amazon’s Miller said. “It is a combination of where’s the energy available, what are other alternatives.”

Nvidia is able to be agnostic about what type of power is used because of the position the chipmaker occupies on the AI value chain, said Josh Parker, the company’s senior director of corporate sustainability. “Thankfully, we leave most of those decisions up to our customers.”

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark said there are a broader set of options available than just coal. “We would certainly consider it but I don’t know if I’d say it’s at the top of our list.”

Sahlstrom said Trump’s executive order seems like a “dog whistle” to coal mining constituents. There is a big difference between looking at existing infrastructure and “actually building new power plants that are cost competitive and are going to be existing 30 to 40 years from now,” the Tract executive said.

Coal is being displaced by renewables, natural gas and existing nuclear as coal plants face increasingly difficult economics, Sahlstrom said. “Coal has kind of found itself without a job,” he said.

“I do not see the hyperscale community going out and signing long term commitments for new coal plants,” the former Amazon executive said. (The tech companies ramping up AI are frequently referred to as “hyperscalers.”)

“I would be shocked if I saw something like that happen,” Sahlstrom said.

Coal retirements strain grid

But coal plant retirements are creating a real challenge for the grid as electricity demand is increasing due to data centers, re-industrialization and the broader electrification of the economy.

The largest grid in the nation, the PJM Interconnection, has forecast electricity demand could surge 40% by 2039. PJM warned in 2023 that 40 gigawatts of existing power generation, mostly coal, is at risk of retirement by 2030, which represents about 21% of PJM’s installed capacity.

Data centers will temporarily prolong coal demand as utilities scramble to maintain grid reliability, delaying their decarbonization goals, according to a Moody’s report from last October. Utilities have already postponed the retirement of coal plants totaling about 39 gigawatts of power, according to data from the National Mining Association.

“If we want to grow America’s electricity production meaningfully over the next five or ten years, we [have] got to stop closing coal plants,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC’s “Money Movers” last month.

But natural gas and renewables are the future, Sahlstrom said. Some 60% of the power sector’s emissions reductions over the past 20 years are due to gas displacing coal, with the remainder coming from renewables, Sahlstrom said.

“That’s a pretty powerful combination, and it’s hard for me to see people going backwards by putting more coal into the mix, particularly if you’re a hyperscale customer who has net-zero carbon goals,” he said.

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Bollinger Motors circles the drain as court cases, debts pull it down

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4 hours ago

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May 17, 2025

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Bollinger Motors circles the drain as court cases, debts pull it down

Bollinger Motors was placed into receivership and could soon face liquidation.

A federal court judge in Michigan has placed the once-promising electric truck brand Bollinger Motors’ assets into receivership following claims that the company’s owners still owe its founder, Robert Bollinger, more than $10 million.

Bollinger Motors first came to fame in the “draw a truck, get a billion dollars” stage of the EV revolution that saw Nikola rise to a higher market cap than Ford for a brief time. Robert Bollinger wasn’t able to capitalize quickly enough to get his trucks into production, though – and a late stage pivot to sell the brand to Mullen Automotive and launch a medium-duty commercial truck doesn’t appear to have been enough to save it.

Now, Automotive News is reporting on some of the more convoluted details of the Mullen purchase deal, with Robert (for ease of distinguishing the man from the brand) claiming that Mullen Automotive owes him more than $10 million for a loan he made to the company in 2024.

Just how Robert ended up giving Mullen Automotive $10 million to take his eponymous truck brand off his hands is probably one of those capitalistic mysteries that I’ll never understand, but Mullen’s response was perfectly clear: they didn’t even bother to show up to court.

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Bollinger claims that at least two suppliers are also suing Mullen for unpaid debts. As such, the Honorable Terrence G. Berg has put the Bollinger brand into receivership, and its assets have been frozen in preparation for everything being liquidated. Worse, for Bollinger, the official court filings reveal a company that is really very much doing not awesome:

The testimony and evidence—which Defendant’s counsel conceded accurately reflected Defendant’s finances—showed that Defendant is in crisis. For months Defendant has owed more than twenty million dollars to suppliers, contractors, service providers, and owners of physical space. These debts are owed to parties who are critical for Defendant’s functioning. CEO Bryan Chambers testified that Defendant was locked out of its production facilities on May 5, 2025, and that the owner of the production facilities was seeking to permanently evict Defendant. The Court heard that Defendant had been prevented from accessing its critical manufacturing accounting system for a short time at the end of April 2025, before making a partial payment to restart services.

US DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN

I’m not sure if you caught all that, but Bollinger’s CEO has been locked out the company’s facilities and getting evicted, the company is more than $20 million in debt, and that debt is owed to people Bollinger absolutely needs in order to keep going.

You can read the full court decision, which I’ve embedded here, below. Once you’ve taken it all in, feel free to rush into the comments to say you told me so, since I really thought hoped the Bollinger B1 had a shot. Silly me.

Bollinger v. Bollinger case

SOURCES: Automotive News, Justia, Yahoo!.

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This vast 1.3 GW Indiana solar farm will power 200,000 homes

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18 hours ago

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May 16, 2025

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This vast 1.3 GW Indiana solar farm will power 200,000 homes

Indiana solar farm
Photo: Bechtel

Mammoth Solar, a 1.3 gigawatt (GW) solar farm in northern Indiana, is now powering into its biggest construction phase yet, cementing its place as one of the largest solar projects in the US.

The solar farm is set to increase Indiana’s solar capacity by more than 20% once it’s fully online. And with construction ramping up this month, developer Doral Renewables has given Bechtel Full Notice to Proceed on the design, engineering, and construction of three major phases of the project: Mammoth South, Mammoth Central I, and Mammoth Central II. Together, these phases will generate 900 MW of clean energy.

That’s enough electricity to power around 200,000 homes with clean energy, helping Indiana shift away from fossil fuels while boosting the local economy.

Construction is already underway, and over the next two years, Bechtel will install around 2 million solar panels, with about half of them made in the US. The company is also handling all engineering, procurement, and construction work, using its digital project management tools and autonomous tech to keep everything on track.

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At the peak of the buildout, Mammoth Solar is expected to create over 1,200 jobs, with at least 15% of those set aside for apprenticeships.

Bechtel says its success will hinge on strong collaboration with local trades and vendors. The company is working closely with craft professionals and is committed to being a reliable community partner throughout construction.

Once the solar farm is complete in 2027, Doral Renewables plans to roll out agrivoltaics across the site. That means livestock grazing and crop cultivation will happen right alongside energy production, giving farmers in the area a way to keep working their land while supporting clean energy development.

Read more: Solar adds more new capacity to the US grid in 2024 than any energy source in 20 years

If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. 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. They have 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 Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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