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Tesla has sent a response to Transport Canada about its sudden incentive cash grab from March, stating that this is standard process and suggesting that the incentives were for backdated sales that Tesla hadn’t filed yet.

Until recently, Canada had a $5,000 incentive for electric vehicle purchases, similar to the US $7,500 federal incentive from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

That ended earlier this year, though as the incentive program ran out of money more quickly than expected, and it didn’t look like the government was going to refill the program anytime soon. Canada is also currently going through a contentious federal election process, so it was unlikely for its government to move on refilling this incentive while things are shaken up.

So, the government communicated in January that the program would run out of money soon – very soon – giving dealers only a few days to claim incentives.

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Then in March, it was reported by the Toronto Star that something suspicious had happened with Tesla, as it had filed for 8,653 EV sales within the last 72 hours of the Canadian rebate incentive, an abnormally high number.

One Tesla locations in particular, Quebec City, claimed 4,000 rebates over the course of a weekend, which is physically impossible for a location of that size, and represents about a ~20x spike in daily deliveries for the location. Another location in Etobicoke reportedly claimed 2,528 rebates over the weekend, which is more than all the rebates that location had previously claimed combined.

The alarm was raised by the Canadian Auto Dealers Association, which said its dealers as a whole had been left out of around $10 million in rebates representing 2,295 cars. Dealerships claimed that “Tesla gamed the system” and that “they cleared everyone else out.”

As a result of this, on March 25 Tesla had $43 million in rebates frozen as the government investigated what went on with this sudden spike in incentive filings.

Fast forward to now, and Tesla Canada has responded to the back-and-forth claiming that it didn’t do anything weird, simply filed a number of backlogged applications, as is normal for the program.

In a letter dated March 28 obtained by Electrek, Fereshteh Zeineddin, Tesla’s director of sales and service for Canada, says that Tesla’s filings were normal and that Transport Canada, the government office responsible for administering the incentive program, should know better.

The incentive is structured such that a dealership can offer a discount upfront to customers, then get reimbursed later by the government after filing for that incentive. Which Tesla points out means these are not grants to Tesla, but rather grants to Canadian customers which are then handled by Tesla.

Tesla claims that backlogged filings have always been allowed, and says that it has always complied with program rules and has had good standing with the Canadian government as a result.

However, Tesla does not specifically state in the letter how many of its weekend filings were for backdated sales.

Tesla says it was “shocked” that it didn’t hear about the incentive investigation directly from the government, and instead had to learn about it through the media. It suggests that it might pursue legal action if payments aren’t resumed, though that it does understand that it may not get payments for every delivery depending on program funding.

Finally, Tesla plays the victim in the letter, saying that as a result of Transport Canada’s investigation into these incentive filings, Tesla employees have suffered negative public perception and are increasingly facing harassment and verbal abuse by Canadians.

Electrek’s Take

We’re still skeptical of Tesla’s incentive claims, even after reading the letter.

The thousands of incentives filed over the course of one weekend would represent several months of incentive backlog. While disorganization is nothing new for Tesla, it still does seem questionable that Tesla’s 1,400-employee Canadian subsidiary would ignore tens of millions of dollars of revenue for several months.

And complaints about a lack of communication from the government could fall under that same umbrella – if Tesla is truly disorganized enough to leave these tens of millions on the table, maybe they’re also disorganized enough not to receive communication from the government regarding the incentive program.

Tesla does, after all, have no communications department and recently lost its head of policy who had previously been acting as an impromptu communications department on twitter. Instead, Tesla now uses the twitter feed of its CEO as its primary form of communication, but he’s apparently too busy literally defending Hitler instead of managing the company that made him the vast majority of the wealth that he is now channeling into anti-EV entities.

So, surely the reason for Tesla’s negative public perception in Canada is all because of this Transport Canada investigation, and it couldn’t possibly have any other source… right?

Tesla’s policy personnel and overseas employees are definitely having to walk a thin line right now, and this seems like another example of that.

Currently, public perception of the company is down specifically because of its CEO, Elon Musk, who seems determined to embarrass himself in public every day and bring his company down with him.

He’s attached his own persona to Tesla so loudly and publicly over its existence that the two are inextricable in the minds of many – we even quite often hear people refer to Tesla, a company that has over a hundred thousand employees, as “he,” rather than the proper “it” or “they,” with people using Elon Musk himself as synecdoche for the entire company (which he barely does any work at).

But Tesla employees can’t say that, because it is also well known that Musk has a vindictive management style, and that anything that is even perceived as a lack of support can result in retaliation (remember when we were blocked by a so-called first amendment lover for protecting his customers?).

So they’re having to walk a thin line right now – advocating for Tesla’s interests without pointing out the elephant in the room, which is that the company is being run by an idiot who is determined to run it into the ground while also doing all he can to spread white supremacy around the globe.

More specifically, Canadian public perception of Tesla is down more than most due to Musk’s close association with convicted felon Donald Trump, who recently wandered back into the Oval Office (despite that there exists a clear legal remedy for insurrectionists), and who has been working to shatter the close friendship between US and Canada by restricting the free trade of goods across the longest border in the world.

Tesla knows this, as it submitted a letter to the US Trade Representative stating that Tesla could become target of retaliatory tariffs, and it already has.

This incentive pause is one of those examples. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s transport minister, specifically mentioned the illegal tariffs imposed upon Canada as part of the government’s skepticism about these incentives:

No payments will be made until we are confident that the claims are valid. I also directed my department to change the eligibility criteria for future iZEV programs to ensure that Tesla vehicles will not be eligible for incentives so long as the illegitimate and illegal U.S. tariffs are imposed against Canada.

That’s not the only Canadian government representative who has made a similar statement about Tesla. When British Columbia Energy Minister Adrian Dix recently removed Tesla products from a charging incentive rebate program, he stated:

I thought they shouldn’t be made available on a public subsidy program right now. I don’t think anyone in British Columbia needs to be told why, and I think most people would support their removal from that list.

It’s ironic that Tesla’s incentive grab was pointed out by the Canadian dealer lobby. Dealer lobbies have long been the largest legal thorn in Tesla’s side, even moreso than the oil industry – while oil has done its fair share of propaganda to discredit electric cars, dealer lobbies have been responsible for stopping Tesla’s ability to sell in several areas, specifically in the US and also around the world, due to Tesla’s direct sales model which threatens traditional auto dealers.

The irony here is that Musk’s current political allies include auto dealerships, which are one of the most republican sectors in America. They are feeling more represented than ever on the federal level, which could lead to more trouble for Tesla’s sales model.

Another irony lies in Tesla’s mention of the 1,400 Canadians employed by Tesla. While those employees, like most Tesla employees, are either just doing it as a job or are truly interested in advancing EVs, that number does pale in comparison to the thousands of Canadian job losses already caused by the administration that Elon Musk is the world’s biggest monetary and rhetorical supporter of. And while some employees might still care about the mission, Tesla’s CEO doesn’t. So spare us the crocodile tears on that one.

So its clear that the “public perception” problem isn’t about one report, it’s about the one guy who we all know is the source of the public perception problem – and basically every other problem with Tesla right now.

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Greenworks 80V Venture all-terrain e-bike at new $1,425 low, EGO dual-port mower bundle $550 low, Hiboy, EcoFlow flash sale, more

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May 12, 2025

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Greenworks 80V Venture all-terrain e-bike at new ,425 low, EGO dual-port mower bundle 0 low, Hiboy, EcoFlow flash sale, more

Where we ended last week with a lead Greenworks deal, we’re kickstarting this week’s Green Deals in a similar fashion. We spotted Greenworks’ 80V Venture 20-inch All-Terrain Utility e-bike on its own dropping to a new $1,425 low, with an option to bundle it from Best Buy with a battery and charger for $1,650. Next, EGO’s 56V 21-inch Cordless Electric Dual-Port Self-Propelled Lawn Mower is coming along with two 5.0Ah batteries at a new $550 low. We also have four e-bikes from Hiboy seeing solid discounts, led by the starter-friendly EX6 Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike for $900. Lastly, we have EcoFlow’s latest 24-hour flash sale on a DELTA Pro Power Station bundle with a transfer switch for $1,999, or its Smart Home Panel 2 at $1,399. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals from last week are in the links at the bottom of the page, collected together in our Electrified Weekly roundup, including the preorder bundles on Lectric’s new XP4 e-bikes.

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.

Pair your existing batteries with Greenworks’ 80V Venture 20-inch all-terrain utility e-bike at new $1,425 low

Amazon is dropping the price lower than ever on the brand’s 80V Venture 20-inch All-Terrain Fat Tire Utility e-bike (EV only) to $1,424.99 shipped. Priced at $2,100 direct from Greenworks, it carries a lower $1,900 tag at Amazon, where it rarely sees discounts compared to its commuter and mountain bike counterparts. Of the price cuts we have seen, things have only really been brought down between $1,600 to $1,700, with today’s deal giving you a greater $475 in total savings off its going rate at Amazon and $675 off Greenworks’ direct pricing, where a 60V counterpart is currently seeing no discounts – marking a new all-time low. You can also find it at Best Buy coming with a battery and charger for $1,649.99 shipped, which is the only bundle option available among the three retailers.

One of the three e-bikes from Greenworks’ e-transportation lineup, the Venture Utility model comes as an all-terrain means to get around, whether that’s via paved streets or dirt trails. It comes equipped with a 750W brushless rear hub motor that can hit 20 MPH top speeds and can utilize any of your 80V batteries you own for the ecosystem’s tools. When we have seen it with an included battery, it’s been an 80V 4.0Ah model that affords up to 22 miles of travel with its three PAS levels on a single charge of up to 60 minutes.

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The 26-inch by 4-inch Kenda fat tires provide solid traction for on and off-road riding, with a 7-speed Shimano derailleur, dual mechanical disc brakes, an LED headlight, an IPX4 water-resistance rating against light rain, and a digital LCD display. Along with the real-time performance data the display provides, you’ll also be able to connect via Bluetooth for personalization of its settings and tracking your journeys around town.

EGO 56V 21-inch cordless electric dual-port lawn mower

Get more power for longer jobs with EGO’s 56V 21-inch cordless dual-port mower with two 5.0Ah batteries at new $550 low

Amazon is offering the EGO POWER+ 56V 21-inch Cordless Electric Dual-Port Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with two 5.0Ah batteries at $549.99 shipped. Carrying a $799 price tag, in 2025 we’ve mainly seen it bouncing between $743 and $647 after it went as low as $591 during Christmas sales. Today’s deal is bringing costs down even further, as this 31% markdown cuts $250 off the tag for a new all-time low price, beating our previous mention by $57.

Much like the brand’s cordless electric pressure washer, this EGO mower merges a brushless motor with the brand’s PeakPower system for more power and longer-lasting runtimes. This design provides you with two slots to utilize the included 5.0Ah batteries simultaneously for up to 80 minutes of continuous use. There are six positions of cutting height levels available here, from 1.5 inches to 4 inches, as well as a variable speed control and 3-in-1 functionality for rear bagging, side discharging, and/or mulching. You’ll be able to tackle lawn duties at lower light levels thanks to the LED headlights, with the whole thing sporting a weather-resistant construction for times you may be suddenly interrupted by rain and need to get it out of the elements.

Hiboy EX6 Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike

Cruise up to 75 miles on Hiboy’s ergonomic EX6 step-thru e-bike at $900

Hiboy currently has four e-bikes at discounted rates, with the brand’s popular EX6 Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike down at $899.98 shipped. While this EV carries a $1,580 MSRP on its tag, we more regularly see it discounted down at or below $1,000, including Amazon and Best Buy – the latter of which is currently matching this sale’s price. While we have seen it go as low as $800 in the past, you’re still looking at the third-lowest price we have tracked, which gives you $100 off its usually discounted rate and $680 off its MSRP.

A great starter model for new riders, as well as a more budget-friendly option for folks looking for some serious commuting power, Hiboy’s EX6 e-bike provides up to 25 MPH top speeds and up to 75 miles of travel on a single charge, depending on your riding conditions. The 500W brushless geared hub motor is paired with a removable 48V waterproof battery to achieve this performance, with three pedal assistance modes optimizing its power output for the higher end of its travel range. There is also a standard bicycle mode for the usual cardio, as well as a throttle to go pure electric when you don’t want to pedal, though keep in mind this reduces the mileage.

It’s been designed to be more ergonomically comfortable for those longer ventures around town, especially if you’re using it to get some cardio in. There’s some other solid features like the 7-speed Shimano derailleur, a hydraulic suspension fork, 20-inch all-terrain fat tires, fenders, dual disc brakes, a bright headlight, a rear cargo rack, an IPX4 splash/waterproof rating, and an LCD display.

Hiboy’s other current e-bike deals:

EcoFlow DELTA Pro power station with transfer switch

Pick up EcoFlow’s DELTA Pro with a transfer switch or the Smart Home Panel 2 starting from $1,399 (Today only)

As part of its ongoing second phase of Spring-to-Summer savings, EcoFlow has launched the next of its 24-hour flash deals, with two offers running through midnight PDT. The first of these offers bundles the brand’s DELTA Pro Portable Power Station with a transfer switch for $1,999 shipped. This home backup combo normally goes for $4,098 at full price, with the few discounts we’ve seen, mostly in the form of past flash offers, have taken the price down to $2,099 at most, which is where Amazon currently has it priced at. We’re getting an even better deal while the savings last here though, totaling $2,099 that goes back in your pocket for a new all-time low.

One of the brand’s tried and true expansive backup power solutions, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro comes ready to support you through trips and emergencies with a 3,600Wh LiFePO4 capacity that can be added to with the dedicated smart extra batteries and additional power stations to bump things all the way to 25kWh. It covers appliance needs with up to 3,600W of steady output power, which can surge up to 7,200W for hungrier devices, provided through its 14 port options: five AC ports, four USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, two DC ports, and a car port.

Plugging the station into a wall outlet can have you back to a full battery in 1.8 hours, while connecting up to its max 1,600W of solar input with ideal sunny conditions can do the same in 2.8 hours. You’ll get the usual array of remote smart controls through its app, and the included transfer switch in this bundle allows for support of your home or RV, coming pre-wired for an easier time installing it. When utilizing it for your home, you’ll have selective backup over your indoor circuit breaker, which you can learn more about here.

The second of these flash offers is taking the brand’s Smart Home Panel 2 and dropping it down to $1,399 shipped from its full $1,899 tag, returning it to the second-lowest price we have tracked and also matching over at Amazon. The successor to the brand’s transfer switch is a whole-home hub option for folks with the brand’s DELTA Pro Ultra or DELTA Pro 3 power station setups that gives you smarter management control over multiple sources, including any solar roof panels and/or gas generators.

Be sure to check out the full lineup of EcoFlow’s Spring-to-Summer deals while they’re still around through May 18, complete with bonus sitewide savings and longer-running discounts on its newest WAVE 3 portable AC/heater.

Best Spring 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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I bought a $390 electric bicycle directly from China. Here’s what showed up

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3 hours ago

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May 12, 2025

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I bought a 0 electric bicycle directly from China. Here's what showed up

Some of my regular readers may remember that I backed a risky-looking Indiegogo campaign for an ultra-low-cost electric bicycle that sounded almost too good to be true. I clearly advised readers against it, but I figured it might still be interesting to take on the risk myself to see what would happen.

This is the culmination of that story.

Now to be fair, I’m no beginner when it comes to buying weird EVs sight unseen directly from China. I’m the guy who imported that white electric mini pickup truck that went super viral several years ago (and the truck is still going strong!), not to mention Chinese electric boats and other fun things I’ve brought in.

And so when I saw an Indiegogo campaign for a super weird-looking electric bike called the Mihogo Mini, I knew I had to have one. With a starting price of $390, it sounded too good to be true, but that has rarely stopped me before.

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When this story last left off, I had thrown down the cash and started my waiting game. Despite the promise of delivery a mere two months later, it actually took around eight months, but a bike box did eventually arrive in my family’s driveway. And to answer the question many of you are wondering, yes, this was pre-tariff insanity, back when a $390 e-bike only cost $390 instead of $899.

If you want to see my full unboxing and testing of the bike, check out my fun video here, which includes a super catchy riding song à la the Simpson’s “Canyanero”.

As promised, my tiny e-bike emerged in all its glory from that small bike box! It wasn’t big or powerful, but it was still pretty awesome. The little thing immediately got up to around 20 mph (32 km/h) despite its modest 350W rear hub motor. The 48V 16Ah battery is even surprisingly large at 768 Wh of capacity! These figures might not sound mindblowing, but for a cheap and diminutive e-bike, they’re downright impressive.

The front suspension fork might be tiny with what appears to be around an inch (25 mm) of travel, but it still counts as suspension. And the 12″ tires, each wrapped in an equally tiny fender, add a smidge more cushion to the ride.

For such a small and inexpensive e-bike, you may be surprised to see that it comes with a fairly detailed color LCD screen that can project turn-by-turn navigation arrows from your phone, a folding handlebar stem, and even front & rear LED lighting. It’s also IP65 rated, meaning you can get it splashed without worrying about instantly shorting out the electronics.

But the coolest feature of all, at least in my opinion, is the wishbone-style frame that creates a hollow cavity in the middle to fit a storage bag (included with the bike). While riding around, you can reach down into your mid-trunk and fish out a water bottle, your phone, or a bag of snacks to keep you going strong.

At just $390, of course there are several sacrifices to be made here. The saddle is pretty far from what most would consider to resemble any form of ‘comfort’, and the small wheels paired with the single-speed drivetrain means that pedaling at above 10-12 mph (16-20 km/h) doesn’t add much more speed. You’re almost entirely reliant on using the hand throttle to go any faster.

Despite its small size, it’s also a bit chunky at 41 lb (19 kg), meaning you’re not going to want to carry it up too many flights of stairs by yourself.

The bike is also quite compact and thus it probably wouldn’t fit someone over 5’10” (178 cm). I’m 5’7″ (170 cm) and it felt ok to me, but it’s obviously built with a domestic Chinese audience in mind, not taller Westerners. They claim it will fit riders up to 6’4″ (195 cm), but only so much as those circus bears technically fit on those tricycles.

For $390 though, it is hard for me to complain about it too much. You even get disc brakes and five color options, which is around three more color options than a lot of big-name e-bike brands in the US!

Don’t risk it like I did

Please don’t do what I did – there are plenty of Indiegogo campaigns that have ended badly, with folks never getting the e-bike or e-scooter they ordered. I went into this accepting that I was taking a big risk and knowing full well that I’d have to be ok with getting screwed over. I figured if a bike arrived, I’d get a nice video and article out of it. And if a bike didn’t, perhaps there’d be an article in that, too. But please don’t take this as a blanket endorsement for backing largely unknown e-bike companies in somewhat questionable crowdfunding campaigns.

I’m glad it paid off for me, and I honestly really like the little thing. It’s a shame that they raised the price up to $599 after the campaign ended (and briefly raised it up to $899 after my video came out and they apparently tried to capitalize on all the orders they were suddenly getting). For now it seems to be back to $599 while the company waits to see if they’ll have to raise prices again due to the Trump tariffs.

In the meantime, I’ll keep enjoying my weird little e-bike. Mihogo, Mihogo!

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GM hires Tesla’s former head of Autopilot and Aurora co-founder

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4 hours ago

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May 12, 2025

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GM hires Tesla's former head of Autopilot and Aurora co-founder

GM announced that it has hired Sterling Anderson, who is known for being the early head of Tesla Autopilot and co-founder of self-driving startup Aurora.

Anderson joined Tesla in 2014 to lead the Model X program, but he is better known for being the early leader of the Autopilot program at Tesla from 2015 to 2016.

He left the automaker to co-found Aurora, a self-driving startup, with Chris Urmson, a founding member of Google’s self-driving project, which became Waymo.

In recent years, Aurora has been focused on bringing self-driving technology to trucks.

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Today GM announced that Anderson will joined the company in a new role of “Chief Product Officer” starting on June 2.

GM wrote about the role in an email:

In this newly created role, Sterling will oversee GM’s end-to-end product lifecycle, ensuring a cohesive strategy that integrates hardware, software, and services to deliver exceptional quality, performance, and user experiences across our global portfolio of gas-powered and electric vehicles.  

In his new role, Sterling will have several direct reports, including another former Tesla exec, Kurt Kelty, who now leads GM’s Battery, Propulsion and Sustainability team. He will also oversee Global Manufacturing & Product Engineering, Research & Development (led by Josh Tavel), Software and Services Product (led by Bariş Cetinok), and Vehicle Product Programs, Product Safety, Integration & Motorsports (led by Ken Morris).

GM president Mark Reuss: 

“With decades of leadership in automotive engineering, tech start-ups, and software innovation, Sterling is absolutely the right person to help us accelerate the pace of progress across the entire portfolio and to build vehicles with the design, performance, and technology that our customers want and expect.”

Anderson has an extensive educational background in robotics and expertise in motion planning and autonomous controls, which could indicate the direction GM is taking for its products.

Electrek’s Take

Former Tesla execs are now holding prominent roles on the product side of several major US automakers.

Doug Field leads Ford’s electric vehicle division, and Anderson has the top product role at GM.

What I like about this is that many of Tesla’s early employees, like Field and Anderson, were true believers of Tesla’s mission to accelerate the advent of electric transport.

Now they get to push this agenda in legacy automakers, which can have a great impact on that mission.

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