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Closing out this week’s Green Deals, we have Bluetti’s latest Home Backup Sale with up to $3,500 in savings on a selection of backup power solutions, like the new Elite 200 v2 Portable Power Station that has dropped down to its $999 low for the second time ever, among others. We also spotted EGO’s standard Z6 42-inch Zero-Turn Electric Riding Lawn Mower with four 10Ah batteries hitting a new $3,999 low. Then there’s some additional deals from Lectric and Rad Power, like Lectric’s $200 off promotion on extra batteries for double mileage – which are available with select e-bike purchases starting from $999, as well as Rad’s RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike and RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike starting from $1,299. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s $500 off preorder deal on Segway’s new Ninebot MAX G3 eKickScooter, Jackery’s Spring Sale offers, 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.

Bluetti Home Backup Sale drops new Elite 200 v2 2,073.6Wh LiFePO4 power station back at $999 low

Bluetti is having a Home Backup Sale that is taking up to $3,500 off a selection of power stations and solar generator bundles – with most of these offers hundreds of dollars cheaper than at Amazon. One notable low price this go around is on the brand’s new Elite 200 v2 Portable Power Station for $999 shipped. This model just released back in November carrying a $1,699 price tag, which we’ve mainly seen fall to $1,099 in most sales so far and going lower to $999 for the first time in last month’s Valentine’s Day sales. Today’s deal is giving you a second chance at its lowest tracked price, saving you $700 while equipping you with the latest backup power solution from under Bluetti’s flag. It’s even beating out Amazon, where it is still listed at its full price.

A perfect addition to your travel and camping setups, Bluetti’s new Elite 200 v2 power station provides you with a 2,073.6Wh LiFePO4 capacity, delivering up to 2,600W of output normally and ramping up to 5,200W for larger appliance needs. There are eight ports to cover your device’s needs: four ACs, two USB-As, two USB-Cs, and one DC port. It comes featuring the brand’s Turbo Boost tech with built-in MPPT modules for faster recharging, only taking 50 minutes to refill 80% of the battery when utilizing its dual AC and DC charging capabilities. Of course, there’s also the options for standard wall charging, car charging, or you can take advantage of the sun’s rays with up to a maximum 1,000W solar input. It’s also been designed to work at 16dB “whisper-quiet” levels, so you won’t be disturbed at times when you’re trying to relax or sleep.

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Bluetti’s hottest home backup sale picks:

Bluetti’s emergency home backup sale deals:

Bluetti’s home backup sale solar generator combo deals:

You can browse everything Bluetti’s Home Backup Sale is offering on the landing page here.

EGO Z6 electric riding mower

EGO’s standard Z6 42-inch zero-turn electric riding mower with four 10Ah batteries hits new $3,999 low (Save $1,500)

Amazon is now offering the EGO Power+ Z6 42-inch Zero-Turn Electric Riding Lawn Mower with four 10Ah batteries at $3,999 shipped. This combination of mower + batteries usually costs $5,499 at full price, which we’ve only really seen budge occasionally by $200 to $300 since July. Before summer 2024, the lowest we saw it drop to was $4,499, making today’s deal all the better. You’re looking at a $1,500 markdown here, which gives you the best savings we’ve tracked at the lowest price to date. You’ll also find its upgraded counterpart with four 12Ah batteries and the brand’s e-STEER wheel at a new $4,999 low right now too.

Powered by the included batteries, this 42-inch riding mower from EGO operates via its four independent brushless motors for up to two acres of lawncare duty on a single two-hour charge. What’s really great here for those already investing in the brand, is that your other 56V batteries can fill the additional two spaces in order to increase its runtime further. It provides three different driving modes – control, standard, and sport – normally cruising along at up to 8 MPH speeds.

You’ll have ten cutting height levels to choose from (1.5 to 4.5 inches), as well as the 3-in-1 functionality for bagging, mulching, and side-discharges. There’s also the premium features like the LED lights for when you work during darker hours, as well as a USB charging port for your devices – plus, there’s even Bluetooth app connection to enable a remote key from your phone, full control of your mowing experience, easy battery monitoring and firmware updates.

If you want to upgrade to bigger batteries for longer runtimes, or would prefer a LCD display integrated into a steering wheel design, be sure to check out the ongoing low price on its 12Ah battery/e-STEER counterpart.

Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bike as part of extra battery promotion

Running alongside Lectric’s ongoing Spring Forward Sale, as well as the new $1,099 lows we’re seeing in the switched-up closeout sales on the XPedition 1.0 and XPeak 1.0 e-bikes, the brand is also running a special promotion that takes $200 off an extra battery (normally $500) for longer travel times when purchasing from a selection of models. One of the included models that the extra battery will very much pair nicely with is Lectric’s XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes, which also get $206 in free gear at $1,299 shipped. The bundle package on it right now would normally cost you $1,505 at full price, which seems to be the average size of free gear we’ve seen on this model. The free gear includes a rear cargo rack, fenders for both wheels, a phone mount, and an accordion bike lock. Head below to see the other e-bikes benefitting from the $200 off extra battery discount.

Coming in both high-step and step-thru designs, Lectric’s XPress 750 commuter e-bike has been my main source of crossing larger distances in NYC for a while now, especially with my e-scooter only able to make it around my immediate area. The removable 14Ah battery powers the 750W rear hub motor (which peaks at 1,310W) to provide 20 MPH speeds for me (up to 28 MPH when permitted by state laws) for up to 60 miles when utilizing its five PAS levels (supported by a torque sensor). Of course, if you spring for the extra battery at $300, you’ll get up to 120 miles of travel, which should be more than enough for most folks, as I take mine out for hours at a time and have not run the battery to empty once yet, though I usually don’t rely on the throttle which would drain things much faster.

There’s a bunch of other solid features to praise on such a low-priced e-bike, like the puncture-resistant tires, hydraulic mineral oil brakes, front suspension fork, a 7-geared freewheel paired with a Shimano derailleur, removable pedals, a thru-axle wheel attachment system for tool-free installations, kickstand, a hidden cable routing system, an integrated headlight and taillight, and a full-color LCD display with a USB-A port to charge your personal devices, especially if you use them as a GPS while riding.

Lectric XP Lite 2.0 with up to $557 in free gear (up to 160 miles with battery):

Lectric ONE LR e-bike with $467 in free gear (up to 120 miles with battery):

Lectric XP Trike with $419 in free gear (up to 100 miles with battery):

You can also check out the full lineup of e-bike deals from Lectric’s Spring Forward sale here, and be sure to also check out the closeout sales on the XPedition 1.0 and XPeak 1.0 e-bikes that are getting up to $455 in free gear at new low prices starting from $1,099.

Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike

Commute and more on Rad’s cargo-hauling RadWagon 4 and folding RadExpand 5 e-bikes starting from $1,299

We’ve seen a lot of top-notch deals coming from Rad Power’s latest sale (ending March 12), like the three continuing low prices on the RadRunner Utility e-bikes, the rare RadTrike discount, or the RadCity 5 Plus commuter getting a free extra battery. Looking back in on the sales, there are two other solid options in the lineup for your space-saving and cargo hauling needs, starting with the RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike at $1,299 shipped. Normally priced at $1,599, we’ve seen it go as low as $1,199 in the past (last seen in October), though more often it drops to this same $1,299 rate on average. This $300 markdown gives you some solid savings on a more manageable model that doesn’t take up as much space – all at the third-lowest price we have tracked.

Rad Power’s RadExpand 5 is a space-saving model with a folding design that makes it far more manageable for folks with limited space – whether you plan to store it inside closets, car trunks, RVs, and more. The 750W brushless geared hub motor and 672Wh battery provide a 20 MPH top speed for up to 45+ miles on a single outing when the four PAS levels are activated, with a throttle for pure electric riding that will lessen its travel distance. Among its additional features, you’ll have a 7-speed MicroShift derailleur, a standard LED headlight alongside an integrated taillight that offers brake light functionality, both of which automatically activate when daylight drops low enough. You’ll also get some cargo-hauling support from the integrated rear rack with a 55-pound limit, fenders to go over both wheels, a water-resistant wiring harness, and an LED display.

Now if you tend to need more cargo hauling power for packages, kids, and the like, the brand’s RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike is definitely the way to go, and it’s currently down at $1,499 shipped from its usual $1,799 price tag. The integrated rear cargo rack here has a 120-pound payload, which explains why I see so many of these around NYC taking kids to and from daily appointments. The combination of its 750W rear hub motor and 672Wh battery provides the same speed and travel range as the above model, supported by five levels of pedal assistance. Stock features include an auto-on headlight and integrated taillight with brake lighting, custom 22-inch by 3-inch tires with fenders over each, a 7-speed Shimano derailleur, a water-resistant wiring harness, and a backlit LCD display that has a USB port to charge your phone with.

As I’ve mentioned before, you only have until the end of March 12 to take advantage of all the great deals we’re seeing from Rad Power’s sale – with the RadRunner low prices specifically lasting for as long as supplies do.

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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Several Waymo self-driving I-Pace electric cars set on fire in LA riots

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June 9, 2025

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Several Waymo self-driving I-Pace electric cars set on fire in LA riots

At least 5 Waymo self-driving I-Pace electric cars were set on fire amid protests that turned violent in Los Angeles this weekend.

It could represent as much as 5% of Waymo’s fleet in Los Angeles being destroyed.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched several raids in the Los Angeles area last week that triggered large-scale protests across the city over the weekend.

The protests were mostly peaceful and aimed to bring attention to federal agents indiscriminately arresting and detaining people, but in some cases, they were violent clashes with the police.

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Things took a turn for the worse with President Trump calling the National Guard.

There have been several instances of rioting, looting, and general property damage.

In a unique case, it appears that one or more rioters purposely called multiple Waymo vehicles to Arcadia and Alameda streets, where they slashed the vehicles’ tires, broke the windows, and wrote anti-ICE messages on them.

At around 5 PM on Sunday, the Waymo vehicles were set on fire:

With the ongoing protests, the fire department couldn’t get access to the vehicles and they eventually completely burned down:

Waymo is believed to be operating a fleet of about 100 self-driving cars in the Los Angeles area. Therefore, a significant percentage of the fleet was burned down today.

The company completes over 120,000 rides per week in California, but it operates a bigger fleet in the Bay Area and covers a big service area than in LA.

Waymo shouldn’t have too many issues replenishing its fleet, considering it recently acquired over 2,000 Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles to more than double its entire fleet over the next year.

The company currently operates over 1,500 vehicles across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin.

With a high utilization rate, the relatively small fleet has already taken significant market shares of those ride-hailing markets. It is estimated that Waymo accounts for approximately 20% of the ride-hailing market in San Francisco.

The new vehicles are going to enable Waymo to expand into new markets.

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‘Bitcoin Family’ hides crypto codes etched onto metal cards on four continents after recent kidnappings

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2 days ago

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June 7, 2025

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'Bitcoin Family' hides crypto codes etched onto metal cards on four continents after recent kidnappings

The Taihuttus on a ski trip to Sierra Nevada in southern Spain. They sold everything they owned in 2017 to bet on bitcoin — and now travel full-time as a family of five.

Didi Taihuttu

A wave of high-profile kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency executives has rattled the industry — and prompted a quiet security revolution among some of its most visible evangelists.

Didi Taihuttu, patriarch of the so-called “Bitcoin Family,” said he overhauled the family’s entire security setup after a string of threats.

The Taihuttus — who sold everything they owned in 2017, from their house to their shoes, to go all-in on bitcoin when it was trading around $900 — have long lived on the outer edge of crypto ideology. They travel full-time with their three daughters and remain entirely unbanked.

Over the past eight months, he said, the family ditched hardware wallets in favor of a hybrid system: Part analog, part digital, with seed phrases encrypted, split, and stored either through blockchain-based encryption services or hidden across four continents.

“We have changed everything,” Taihuttu told CNBC on a call from Phuket, Thailand. “Even if someone held me at gunpoint, I can’t give them more than what’s on my wallet on my phone. And that’s not a lot.”

CNBC first reported on the family’s unconventional storage system in 2022, when Taihuttu described hiding hardware wallets across multiple continents — in places ranging from rental apartments in Europe to self-storage units in South America.

The Taihuttu family dressed up for Halloween in Phuket, Thailand, where they recently moved homes after receiving disturbing messages pinpointing their location from YouTube videos.

Didi Taihuttu

As physical attacks on crypto holders become more frequent, even they are rethinking their exposure.

This week, Moroccan police arrested a 24-year-old suspected of orchestrating a series of brutal kidnappings targeting crypto executives.

One victim, the father of a crypto millionaire, was allegedly held for days in a house south of Paris — and reportedly had a finger severed during the ordeal.

In a separate case earlier this year, a co-founder of French wallet firm Ledger and his wife were abducted from their home in central France in a ransom scheme that also targeted another Ledger executive.

Last month in New York, authorities said, a 28-year-old Italian tourist was kidnapped and tortured for 17 days in a Manhattan apartment by attackers trying to extract his bitcoin password — shocking him with wires, beating him with a gun, and strapping an Apple AirTag around his neck to track his movements.

The common thread: The pursuit of crypto credentials that enable instant, irreversible transfers of virtual assets.

Exodus CEO: U.S. buying bitcoin would be a global signal — but taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill

“It is definitely frightening to see a lot of these kidnappings happen,” said JP Richardson, CEO of crypto wallet company Exodus. He urged users to take security into their own hands by choosing self-custody, storing larger sums on hardware wallets, and — for those holding significant assets — exploring multi-signature wallets, a setup typically used by institutions.

Richardson also recommended spreading funds across different wallet types and avoiding large balances in hot wallets to reduce risk without sacrificing flexibility.

That rising sense of vulnerability is fueling a new demand for physical protection with insurance firms now racing to offer kidnap and ransom (K&R) policies tailored to crypto holders.

But Taihuttu isn’t waiting for corporate solutions. He’s opted for complete decentralization — of not just his finances, but his personal risk profile.

As the family prepares to return to Europe from Thailand, safety has become a constant topic of conversation.

“We’ve been talking about it a lot as a family,” Taihuttu said. “My kids read the news, too — especially that story in France, where the daughter of a CEO was almost kidnapped on the street.”

Now, he said, his daughters are asking difficult questions: What if someone tries to kidnap us? What’s the plan?

One of the steel plates the Taihuttu family uses to store part of their bitcoin seed phrase. Didi etched it by hand using a hammer and letter punch — part of a decentralized storage system spread across four continents.

Didi Taihuttu

Though the girls carry only small amounts of crypto in their personal wallets, the family has decided to avoid France entirely.

“We got a little bit famous in a niche market — but that niche is becoming a really big market now,” Taihuttu said. “And I think we’ll see more and more of these robberies. So yeah, we’re definitely going to skip France.”

Even in Thailand, Taihuttu recently stopped posting travel updates and filming at home after receiving disturbing messages from strangers who claimed to have identified his location from YouTube vlogs.

“We stayed in a very beautiful house for six months — then I started getting emails from people who figured out which house it was. They warned me to be careful, told me not to leave my kids alone,” he said. “So we moved. And now we don’t film anything at all.”

“It’s a strange world at the moment,” he said. “So we’re taking our own precautions — and when it comes to wallets, we’re now completely hardware wallet-less. We don’t use any hardware wallets anymore.”

To throw off would-be attackers, Didi Taihuttu encrypts select words from each 24-word seed phrase — then splits the phrases into four sets of six and hides them around the world.

Didi Taihuttu

The family’s new system involves splitting a single 24-word bitcoin seed phrase — the cryptographic key that unlocks access to their crypto holdings — into four sets of six words, each stored in a different geographic location. Some are kept digitally through blockchain-based encryption platforms, while others are etched by hand into fireproof steel plates using a hammer and letter punch, then hidden in physical locations across four continents.

“Even if someone finds 18 of the 24 words, they can’t do anything,” Taihuttu explained.

On top of that, he’s added a layer of personal encryption, swapping out select words to throw off would-be attackers. The method is simple, but effective.

“You only need to remember which ones you changed,” he said.

Part of the reason for ditching hardware wallets, Taihuttu said, was a growing mistrust of third-party devices. Concerns about backdoors and remote access features — including a controversial update by Ledger in 2023 — prompted the family to abandon physical hardware altogether in favor of encrypted paper and steel backups.

While the family still holds some crypto in “hot” wallets — for daily spending or to run their algorithmic trading strategy — those funds are protected by multi-signature approvals, which require multiple parties to sign off before a transaction can be executed.

The Taihuttus use Safe — formerly Gnosis Safe — for ether and other altcoins, and similarly layered setups for bitcoin stored on centralized platforms like Bybit.

Didi Taihuttu during a recent visit to Sierra Nevada, Spain. The family’s lifestyle — unbanked, nomadic, and all-in on bitcoin — makes them outliers even in the crypto world.

Didi Taihuttu

About 65% of the family’s crypto is locked in cold storage across four continents — a decentralized system Taihuttu prefers to centralized vaults like the Swiss Alps bunker used by Coinbase-owned Xapo. Those facilities may offer physical protection and inheritance services, but Taihuttu said they require too much trust.

“What happens if one of those companies goes bankrupt? Will I still have access?” he said. “You’re putting your capital back in someone else’s hands.”

Instead, Taihuttu holds his own keys — hidden across the globe. He can top up the wallets remotely with new deposits, but accessing them would require at least one international trip, depending on which fragments of the seed phrase are needed. The funds, he added, are intended as a long-term pension to be accessed only if bitcoin hits $1 million — a milestone he’s targeting for 2033.

The shift toward multiparty protections extends beyond just multi-signature. Multi-party computation, or MPC, is gaining traction as a more advanced security model.

Didi, Romaine, and their three daughters live largely off-grid, managing crypto through decentralized exchanges, algorithmic trading bots, and a globally distributed cold storage system.

Didi Taihuttu

Instead of storing private keys in one place — a vulnerability known as a “single point of compromise” — MPC splits a key into encrypted shares distributed across multiple parties. Transactions can only go through when a threshold number of those parties approve, sharply reducing the risk of theft or unauthorized access.

Multi-signature wallets require several parties to approve a transaction. MPC takes that further by cryptographically splitting the private key itself, ensuring that no single individual ever holds the full key — not even their own complete share.

The shift comes amid renewed scrutiny of centralized crypto platforms like Coinbase, which recently disclosed a data breach affecting tens of thousands of customers.

Taihuttu, for his part, says 80% of his trading now happens on decentralized exchanges like Apex — a peer-to-peer platform that allows users to set buy and sell orders without relinquishing custody of their funds, marking a return to crypto’s original ethos.

While he declined to reveal his total holdings, Taihuttu did share his goal for the current bull cycle: a $100 million net worth, with 60% still held in bitcoin. The rest is a mix of ether, layer-1 tokens like solana, link, sui, and a growing number of AI and education-focused startups — including his own platform offering blockchain and life-skills courses for kids.

Lately, he’s also considering stepping back from the spotlight.

“It’s really my passion to create content. It’s really what I love to do every day,” he said. “But if it’s not safe anymore for my daughters … I really need to think about them.”

WATCH: ‘Bitcoin Family’ tracks moon cycles to make crypto investment decisions

'Bitcoin Family' tracks moon cycles to make crypto investment decisions

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Morgan Stanley upgrades this mining stock as best pick to play rare earths

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2 days ago

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June 7, 2025

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Morgan Stanley upgrades this mining stock as best pick to play rare earths

A wheel loader operator fills a truck with ore at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California, January 30, 2020.

Steve Marcus | Reuters

The rare-earth miner MP Materials will enjoy growing strategic value to the U.S., as geopolitical tensions with China make the supply of critical minerals more uncertain, according to Morgan Stanley.

The investment bank upgraded MP Materials to the equivalent of a buy rating with a stock price target of $34 per share, implying 32% upside from Friday’s close.

MP Materials owns the only operating rare earth mine in the U.S. at Mountain Pass, California. China dominates the global market for rare earth refining and processing, according to Morgan Stanley.

“Geopolitical and trade tensions are finally pushing critical mineral supply chains to top of mind,” analysts led by Carlos De Alba told clients in a Thursday note. “MP is the most vertically integrated rare earths company ex-China.”

Beijing imposed export restrictions on seven rare earth elements in April in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It has kept those restrictions in place despite trade talks with U.S.

Trump removed some restrictions Wednesday on the Defense Production Act, which could allow the federal government to offer an above market price for rare earths. MP Materials is the best positioned company to benefit from this, according to Morgan Stanley. Its shares rose more than 5% on Thursday.

MP Materials is developing fully domestic rare earth supply chain in the U.S. and plans to begin commercial production of magnets used in most electric vehicle motors, offshore wind wind turbines, and the future market for humanoid robots, according to Morgan Stanley.

The investment bank expects MP Materials to post negative free cash flow this year and in 2026, but the company has a strong balance sheet should accelerate positive free cash flow from 2027 onward.

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