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We’re kicking off this week’s Green Deals with EcoFlow’s Spring-to-Summer Sale, which is taking up to 52% off power stations along with new offers and bonus savings. One of the new bundles we’re seeing gives you the DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station with two 130W solar panels and an 800W alternator charger for $1,709. We also spotted Lectric cutting prices on its XP 3.0 e-bikes to new lows of $799 and $999, while Segway has announced tariff hikes on select models starting May 1, with those EVs currently up to $300 off and starting from $170. Lastly, we have a one-day-only sale on the Greenworks 80V 750 CFM Cordless Handheld Blower that comes with a 2.5Ah battery for $180. 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.

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.

Gear up for outings with up to 52% off EcoFlow power stations + bonus savings in latest sale, deals from $209

EcoFlow has launched its Spring-to-Summer Sale running through May 7 and taking up to 52% off its power station lineup, complete with new offers and sitewide bonus savings. Among the new units and bundles making their debut, including the brand’s new WAVE 3 Portable AC unit, we spotted a solid combination in the brand’s DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station that is coming along with two 130W solar panels and an 800W alternator charger for $1,709.05 shipped, after using the sitewide promo code EFRVSALEAFF at checkout for the additional 5% off. This collective package would normally cost you $3,497 at full price, giving you a significant 49% discount straight out of the gate. The deal only gets better with the 5% bonus savings attached, which totals $1,788 in all that has been cut from the price. You won’t find this bundle at Amazon either, with the station and alternator charger combo sitting at its full rate of $1,799 right now.

A sizeable companion for your out-of-the-house travels, as well as offering some backup support during unexpected emergencies, EcoFlow’s DELTA 2 Max covers your devices and appliances with a 2,048Wh LiFePO4 capacity that you can expand up to 6,144Wh by adding expansion batteries. The 2,400W power output through its 15 ports should handle most of your appliances, though, for larger needs, the X-Boost mode can be activated to increase the output up to 3,400W too.

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It allows for two solar inputs to be hooked up to reach a maximum of 1,000W for recharging, or you can take advantage of its dual-charging capabilities using solar alongside a standard wall outlet for 80% battery in 43 minutes, among other options. On top of the solar generator capabilities that the panels provide, the alternator charger gives you another way to recharge the battery by simply hooking the station to your car and hitting the road.

***Note: The 5% sitewide coupon has not been factored in to the prices below, make sure to enter the code EFRVSALEAFF at checkout to score the maximum savings!

EcoFlow’s other new arrival bundles (2x EcoCredits):

  • DELTA 3 Plus (1,024wh) with 500W alternator charger and free bag: $949 (Reg. $1,188)
  • WAVE 3 Portable AC with add-on battery and 500W alternator charger: $1,699 (Reg. $2,587)
    • Comes with free 110W solar panel

EcoFlow’s Spring-to-Summer Sale deals for outings:

EcoFlow’s Spring-to-Summer Sale deals for weekend trips:

EcoFlow’s Spring-to-Summer Sale deals for extended trips:

EcoFlow’s Spring-to-Summer Sale deals for home backup:

EcoFlow’s solar accessory deals:

EcoFlow’s other add-on accessory deals:

You can shop through EcoFlow’s entire Spring-to-Summer Sale on the landing page here.

Lectric XP 3.0 e-bike

Lectric cuts prices on its best-selling XP 3.0 e-bikes with 45 to 65 miles of travel to new lows of $799 and $999

Alongside the ongoing Earth Day Sale bundles, Lectric has switched up the Lightning Deals on its XP3.0 e-bikes, getting rid of any bundled gear in favor of offering them with price cuts to new all-time low rates. While these flash savings last, you’ll find the brand’s Standard XP 3.0 models down at $799 shipped while the Long-Range XP 3.0 models are dropping to $999 shipped. Normally priced at $999 and $1,199, respectively, we’ve only seen a few rare $100 flash price cuts in the past, with the savings coming in doubled during this limited-time sale. With $200 off the going rate, you’ll be scoring these already affordable best-sellers at new all-time low prices.

Lectric has been a major leader in the EV market for the last number of years, with these XP 3.0 models taking the mantle as the best-selling e-bikes in America, which isn’t hard to see why with their solid performance and lower prices, especially at these new lows. Regardless of which you choose, they all come with a folding frame that condenses them down for easier storage, each with a 500W hub motor that peaks at 1,000W and can top out at either 20 or 28 MPH speeds, depending on your state’s laws.

The only real difference (aside from the step-over/step-thru designs) is the battery size and the travel distance they provide, with the Standard models carrying you up to 45 miles while the PAS is activated and the Long-Range models going further to 65 miles. There are throttles for when you want to cruise off pure electric power, though keep in mind that this will decrease your travel range. They also come stocked with an integrated rear cargo rack, puncture-resistant tires, 180mm hydraulic disc brakes, and an LCD display.

Lectric is also continuing its Earth Day Sale bundle pricing across its other e-bike models, which you can shop in our original coverage of the sale here, or on the landing page here.

Segway eKickScooter

These Segway EVs are currently up to $300 off ahead of tariff price hikes on May 1 – deals start from $170

Segway has announced that it will be increasing prices on a selection of its EVs due to tariffs starting May 1, with many of the models now seeing short-term discounts ahead of the price hikes. Among the included models is many of the brand’s latest releases, including the Ninebot F3 eKickScooter that is currently down at $699.99 shipped. This model launched at the top of the month with a $250 preorder discount off its $850 price tag. With the initial preorder savings over, you’re now looking at a $150 markdown off the going rate, which drops costs to the second-lowest price we have tracked. There’s no telling how high the price will rise in a few days, so this might just be the best post-launch discounts we’ll see for a while, with it beating Amazon by $45. Head below for more on this model and the other EVs that will be rising in price.

***Note: the brand is offering a free service package valued at $129 on select purchases that includes an extended 6-month warranty and shipping protections for the F3, MAX G3, GT3 SuperScooter, and the ZT3 Pro through May 11. You can learn more about it on the landing page here.

Commuting is the name of the game with Segway’s new F3 eKickScooter, which comes with a brushless motor that can peak at 1,000W of output to tackle up to 20% inclines while also offering faster pick-ups to its 20 MPH max speed. There’s also a 477Wh battery here that provides ample travel range at up to 44 miles on a single charge. There’s been some smart innovations (discussed further below) that take things to the next level, while also coming stocked with 10-inch self-sealing jelly tires, a larger footboard, front hydraulic and rear elastomer suspension, a 6W auto-on headlight, brake lighting, turn signals, a front mechanical disc brake, as well as a rear electronic brake, and a 2.4-inch TFT smart display with navigation and caller ID – plus, the whole thing sports an IPX6 water-resistance rating.

As mentioned, there are a bunch of new smart features on this model, one of the biggest of which is the Apple Find My capabilities and Airlock proximity locking/unlocking – which can both be accessed through the companion app, with the latter’s distance also being fully adjustable. It’s also been given the brand’s SegRange optimization that improves travel range by 20%, as well as the SegRide Stability Enhancement System that improves handling by making it far more resistant to disturbances you ride over and slipping on wet roads, even at its top speeds.

Segway’s other EVs seeing price hikes May 1:

  • C2 Lite eKickScooter: $170 (Reg. $200)
    • 9.9 MPH for up to 5.9 miles
  • C2 Pro eKickScooter: $270 (Reg. $300) | $39 cheaper at Amazon
    • 12.4 MPH for up to 9.3 miles
  • S2 Self-Balancing Scooter: $500 (Reg. $600)
    • 11.2 MPH for up to 21.7 miles
  • ZT3 Pro All-Terrain Electric Scooter: $1,000 (Reg. $1,300) | matched at Amazon
    • 24.9 MPH for up to 43.5 miles
    • Traction Control System, Apple Find My, auto proximity locking, more
  • MAX G3 eKickScooter: $1,100 (Reg. $1,400) | $100 cheaper at Amazon
    • 28 MPH for up to 50 miles
    • Traction Control System, Apple Find My, auto proximity locking, more
  • GT3 SuperScooter: $1,600 (Reg. $1,700) | matched at Amazon
    • 31 MPH for up to 45 miles
    • Traction Control System, Apple Find My, auto proximity locking, more
  • GoKart Pro 2: $2,000 (Reg. $2,300) | matched at Amazon
    • can be reassembled into a S Max self-balancing scooter
    • can be used as an indoor racing controller
  • Xyber Electric Bike: $3,000 (No price cut)
Greenworks 80V 750 CFM Cordless Handheld blower

Clear debris with up to 750 CFM air flow from this 80V Greenworks cordless handheld blower at $180 (Today Only)

As part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is offering the Greenworks 80V 750 CFM Cordless Handheld Blower with a 2.5Ah battery for $179.99 shipped through the rest of the day. Usually fetching $250 at full price, you’re looking at a 28% markdown off the going rate while these savings last, which saves you $70 at the second-lowest price we have tracked – just $10 above the low that we last saw during Christmas sales. The closest match to this model you’ll find at Amazon is this 500 CFM blower for $170 right now, while Greenworks’ direct site is offering a refurbished version at $200 or a brand new model with some additional gear at full price.

With this Greenworks leaf blower in your arsenal, you’ll get plenty of strong force hitting up to 170 MPH speeds to clear out leaves and debris from around your home. The included 2.5Ah battery provides a 60-minute runtime on a single charge, with it easily switching out with other batteries from the brand you may already have for extended duties. It’s been given a quieter design thanks to the brushless motor and also sports a variable speed trigger for on-demand power bumps as you need them, complete with a cruise control and turbo function – plus, the whole thing comes in much lighter than other models at just 8.82 pounds.

We’ve got some hangover Greenworks deals holding onto their savings from last week, like the combo bundle that gives you a 60V 540 CFM leaf blower alongside a 13-inch string trimmer and a 4.0Ah battery for $165 or the brand’s 40V 12-inch Cordless Compact Chainsaw that is down at $128.

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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What messy middle? Orange EV has logged over 10 MILLION all-electric hours!

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October 4, 2025

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What messy middle? Orange EV has logged over 10 MILLION all-electric hours!

DHL reaches 50 electric truck milestone with Orange EV, plans to double down

Orange EV may not be a household name like Mack or Kenworth, but this small-ish maker of all-electric heavy duty terminal tractors is making a name for itself where it matters: on the job. And this week, the company’s deployed fleet logged its ten millionth hour of operation!

Despite claims from oil-backed “efficiency” groups and fossil-backed hydrogen propaganda to the contrary, battery-powered heavy-duty EVs are proving themselves more than capable of getting the job done today, with millions upon millions upon millions of over-the-road miles as proof. Now, Orange EV is throwing its own data into the mix, with a deployed fleet of HDEVs that’s logged ten million hours of operation across more than 27 million low-speed, extreme duty miles.

“Ten million hours makes one thing clear: Orange EV has taken electric terminal trucks from possible to proven,” said Kurt Neutgens, President and CTO of Orange EV. “Our 340 customers are operating at an average of 97% uptime, with no compromises, proving you can cut costs, boost performance, and improve health and safety all at once.”

What might be more impressive than the miles covered, though, is how few trucks Orange has deployed to get to that number. The company reports that multiple units have already surpassed 30,000 hours of active service while others still are approaching a full decade of daily use — and all of them are still running on their original Orange-designed LFP battery packs.

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“Diesel yard trucks rarely achieve this level of durability, but Orange EV delivers with every truck,” adds Neutgens, a former Ford engineer. “Every hour of safe, reliable operation raises the bar for what fleets should expect from their equipment.”

Since delivering its first customer truck back in 2015, Orange EV has deployed more than 1,600 trucks across 40 states and four Canadian provinces. Together, these trucks have eliminated approximately 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide and saved fleets over $100 million (US) in fuel and maintenance costs alone. And, in more than 10 million hours of duty, not a single Orange EV yard truck battery has experienced a thermal event.

Electrek’s Take

e-TRIEVER electric terminal truck; via Orange EV.

Over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, we had a chance to talk to Orange EV founder Kurt Neutgens ahead of last year’s ACT Expo for clean trucking. On the show (available here), Kurt explained how his experience at Ford helped inform his design ideology, and that the Orange EV was designed to be cost competitive with diesel options, even without subsidies.

Give it a listen, then let us know whether you think the big yard dogs’ success will help debunk the “messy middle” myths or not, in the comments.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Orange EV.

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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.


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Inside the uranium plant at the center of U.S. plans to expand nuclear power

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12 hours ago

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October 4, 2025

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Inside the uranium plant at the center of U.S. plans to expand nuclear power

Why U.S. companies are reopening uranium mines

EUNICE, NEW MEXICO — Paul Lorskulsint was a shift manager at a brand new uranium enrichment facility deep in the American Southwest when catastrophe struck Japan in 2011.

A massive tsunami and earthquake had caused a severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Thousands of miles away in Eunice, New Mexico, Lorskulsint turned on the television to make sure his team could witness what was happening across the Pacific Ocean.

Lorskulsint knew the disaster in Japan was a watershed moment for the nuclear industry. The plant where he was leading an operations shift had just opened in 2010, after the European uranium enricher Urenco had spent years building the facility in anticipation of growing demand.

Over the ensuing decade, public support for nuclear power diminshed and a dozen reactors closed in the U.S. as the industry struggled to compete against a flood of cheap natural gas and renewable energy. Demand for the low enriched uranium that fuels nuclear plants dwindled.

“The price of what we sold basically went through the floor,” Lorskulsint, who is now the chief nuclear officer at Urenco USA, told CNBC. Urenco’s long-term contracts with utilities insulated the facility during the downturn, he said, but the price drop put further expansion plans on hold.

Paul Lorskulsint, Chief Nuclear Officer, Urenco USA talks about the uranium enrichment process.

Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Headquartered outside London, Urenco is joinly owned by the British and Dutch goverments and two German utilities. Its New Mexico facility is the only commercial enrichment facility left in the U.S. The last U.S.-owned commercial facility in Paducah, Kentucky, closed in 2013 and its owner the United States Enrichment Corporation went bankrupt during the downturn after Fukushima.

Fourteen years later, the situation has reversed once again. Urenco USA is racing to expand its enrichment capacity. The nuclear industry is gaining momentum as electricity demand in the U.S. is projected to surge from artificial intelligence and the push to expand domestic manufacturing. Doubts persist about whether U.S. power supplies will ramp up quick enough to meet the needs. Increasing uranium enrichment will be a key part of the process, despite the history of past disappointments. 

Also, U.S. enriched uranium supplies are at risk. The U.S. still imported 20% of its enriched uranium from Russia in 2024, a legacy of the now shattered hope for friendship between the two countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War.

The U.S. will completely ban the import Russian uranium by 2028 in repsonse to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leaving a gapping supply deficit just when Washington, the utilities and the tech sector are developing the most ambitious plans in decades to build new reactors.

Nuclear plants like Palisades in Michigan, Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania and Duane Arnold in Iowa are planning to restart operations this decade after closing years ago. The tech sector is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring advanced reactors online in the 2030s to help power their computer warehouses that train and run AI applications.

“It is a pivotal moment, the next five to 10 years for the nuclear industry,” Lorskulsint said. “We’re going to have to have to deliver on time, on schedule and continue to maintain that momentum, which is a significant challenge.”

Employees at Urenco USA receive a cylinder of feed material for enrichment process.

Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Expansion plans

In deeply divided Washington, support for nuclear power is one of the few issues that can still muster some bipartisan support. President Donald Trump wants to quadruple nuclear power by 2050, a significant increase over President Joe Biden’s previous goal to triple it by that date.

The U.S. has only built one new nuclear plant from scratch in the past 30 years, raising doubts about whether such ambitious plans can be realized. But any effort big or small to expand nuclear power in the U.S. will run through Urenco’s facility in New Mexico.

The plant currently has capacity to supply about a third of U.S. demand with $5 billion invested in the facility to date. Urenco is expanding its capacity in New Mexico by 15% through 2027 as utilties replace Russian fuel. It has installed two new centrifuge cascades for enrichment this year. But Urenco’s expansion alone won’t fill the Russian supply gap, Lorskulsint said.

“Our competitors will have to expand in order to make sure that as a whole the industry is still supplied,” he said. “We’re building quickly as we can to make sure that the the industry is not short handed.”

As Russian fuel is banned from the U.S., the Trump administration is pushing for 10 new large reactors to start construction this decade. Alphabet is investing in about 2 gigawatts of new nuclear, Amazon has committed to more than 5 gigawatts, and Meta wants to bring up to 4 gigawatts online.

Urenco USA Facilities in Eunice, New Mexico.

Adam Jeffery | CNBC

The industry is worried about the supply gap, Lorskulsint said, but filling it “is not an insurmountable task.”

Urenco USA is a candidate to receive a contract from the Department of Energy to produce more low-enriched uranium, part of U.S. efforts to standup a domestic nuclear supply chain. The contract would allow the New Mexico facility to expand further with the construction of a fourth production building.

Urenco’s competitors are also seeking support from the Energy Department to build out U.S. enrichment capacity. France’s Orano is planning to build a facility in Oak Ridge, Tennesse, with operations potentially starting in the 2030s.

Publicly traded Centrus has a facility in Piketon, Ohio, where it plans to produce low-enriched uranium, but it hasn’t yet started commercial operations. Centrus is the successor company to the United States Enrichment Corporation that went bankrupt in 2013.

Centrus stock has gained more than 400% this year as investors bet on a growing demand for enriched uranium due to U.S. plans to expand nuclear power.

Paul Lorskulsint, Chief Nuclear Officer, Urenco USA talks about the uranium enrichment process next to centrifuge cascade.

Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Supply chain bottlenecks

But enrichment is just one stage in a long supply chain that will be stretched by growing demand. Uranium delivered to the U.S is often mined in Canada and it is then converted into intermediate state called uranium hexafluoride that is the feedstock for enrichment.

The feedstock is spun in Urenco’s centrifuges to increase the presence of the isotope Uranium-235 to 5%, the level needed for most nuclear plants. The enriched uranium is then shipped to fuel fabricators that manufacture the pellets that go into reactors in power plants.

U.S. nuclear plants are facing cumulative supply gap of 184 million pounds of uranium through 2034, according to the Energy Information Administration.The biggest bottleneck right now for Urenco is the conversion of uranium into the feedstock for enrichment, Lorskulsint said. There are only three facilities in the Western world located in Canada, France and Illinois that convert uranium into feedstock.

“Every portion of the supply chain is going to have to expand, it’s not just about enrichment,” Lorskulsint said. “We need more of everything but conversion right now is the bottleneck.”

The nuclear supply chain may not be the biggest challenge in the end, the executive said. The ageing U.S. electric grid could prove to be the real constraint on building new nuclear due how long it takes to complete upgrades, he said. While this could slow Urenco down, it won’t stop the expansion, he said.

“We came here when the market demanded it,” Lorskulsint said of Urenco’s investment in the U.S. “We were here when the market didn’t demand it. And we are now expanding to make sure that we can still support as much as the market needs from us.”

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Lawsuit blames Cybertruck door handles for death of three teens after Tesla crash

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October 3, 2025

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Lawsuit blames Cybertruck door handles for death of three teens after Tesla crash

cybertruck piedmont crash
Photo: California Highway Patrol

Two Bay Area families are suing Tesla over the death of their 19-year-old daughter and 20-year-old son after a crash which left them and one other teenager dead, trapped inside the vehicle due to what the lawsuit alleges is poor door handle design.

The lawsuit traces back to a 2024 crash on Thanksgiving Eve in Piedmont, California, where a Cybertruck carrying four college students crashed into a tree and a wall, causing a fire. As a result of the crash, the Cybertruck’s electronic door handles no longer worked, and the passengers were trapped inside.

A surveillance video released by the California Highway Patrol showed the Cybertruck’s final moments, rounding a curve at high speed and seeming to lose control of the rear of the vehicle as it crested a hill, with a large flash seen in the video after the Cybertruck leaves the frame.

A friend in another vehicle that had been following the Cybertruck stopped and managed to break the front passenger window after “ten to fifteen hits” with a fallen tree branch and pull one passenger out of the vehicle, but the other three passengers died inside of asphyxia from smoke inhalation and had burns on their body.

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Tesla vehicles typically do receive high scores for passenger safety in crash tests, and Tesla has touted its “armor glass” as being hard to break (despite a famously failed demo at the Cybertruck’s introduction). And it appears that the occupants did not die from the crash impact itself, but rather from being trapped inside and the resulting smoke and burns.

Krystal Tsukahara, 19
Jack Nelson, 20
Soren Dixon, 19
Photos: City of Piedmont

The three college students who died were 19 year old Krysta Tsukarahara and Soren Dixon, and 20 year old Jack Nelson. Dixon had been driving the vehicle, and post-crash investigations discovered that all three had been under the influence at the time of the crash. All were high school friends home from college for Thanksgiving and had spent the night out together on what is known to be one of the worst drunk driving nights of the year.

After the crash, Tsukahara’s family filed a lawsuit against the estate of Dixon, the driver of the car. The car belonged to Dixon’s relative.

The Tsukaharas have now amended their case to include Tesla as a defendant after post-crash investigations suggested the car’s design contributed to the deaths, blaming door handles that are difficult to operate and doors and windows that are hard for rescuers to access for their child’s death. Nelson’s family filed a separate lawsuit, with the same allegation.

Tesla’s door handles in focus

Tesla vehicles have electronic door handles, with outer door handles that are flush against the vehicle. This enhances the sleek look of the exterior, and also leads to small aerodynamic gains.

However, it also leads to confusing operation, as each car the company has released so far has had a different door handle in a different place on the vehicle with a different method of operation than the last.

This also means that the outer door handles can be hard to operate in an emergency situation. In the crash described above, the rescuer had to bash at the Cybertruck’s window “ten to fifteen” times, after having failed to punch it out with his fist. An externally operable door handle would have perhaps resulted in a different outcome.

Further, the interior door release can be confusing in an emergency situation. Normally one just presses the interior door release button, which operates electronically. However, when there’s a problem with the vehicle, that system can become disconnected and require a manual release.

Every Tesla has a manual release, but it’s often hidden in a place that passengers may not know to look, or may have difficulty finding in an emergency scenario, especially for rear seat passengers.

On the Cybertruck, the front manual door release is relatively easy to access, just in front of the window switches. Indeed, sometimes passengers will accidentally pull this lever rather than the electronic door release (which is not recommended, as it can damage the window trim). In the event of this crash, at least one passenger was described as “barely conscious,” and thus operation of the door handle may not have been an option.

Front manual door release
Rear manual door release, step 1
Rear manual door release, step 2
Cybertruck’s manual door releases. From Tesla’s Cybertruck owners manual

But the rear release is much harder to find. To access it, one must remove a rubber mat from the map pocket, revealing a mechanical release cable with a loop on the end, then pull it forward.

Tsukahara’s parents say that she “was alive after the crash. She called out for help. And she couldn’t get out.” It is conceivable that simpler door handles may have resulted in a different outcome, though three of the vehicle’s doors were obstructed by the wall and tree that it had crashed into. The right rear door, the seat occupied by Nelson, was unobstructed, according to the Nelsons’ lawsuit.

Tesla’s other cars have similarly hidden mechanical door releases in the rear, under carpet under the seat in the Model S, under the map pocket in the Model 3 and Model Y, or behind the speaker grille in the Model X.

These designs have resulted in criticism, and have been the focus of government agencies recently. Tesla is currently being investigated by the NHTSA over its door handle design, and Tesla has confirmed that it is finally redesigning its handles.

Elsewhere in the world, Chinese auto regulators are mulling a ban on retractable door handles, as many sleek new EVs have taken on the trend that Tesla started with its flush door handles.

There have been several lawsuits against Tesla for deaths in its vehicles, often associated with the company’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving systems. The company typically chooses to settle these lawsuits out of court, despite CEO Elon Musk stating “we will never surrender/settle an unjust case against us, even if we will probably lose,” though it did refuse to settle a recent case and ended up with a $243 million judgment against it, in the first Tesla ADAS case that reached trial.

While this crash had nothing to do with the company’s driver assist systems, it will be interesting to see how Tesla responds to this lawsuit.

The two cases are Nelson v Tesla Inc. and Tsukahara v Dixon, both filed in the California Superior Court in Alameda County. Tsukahara’s case has been set for trial in February 2027.

Electrek’s Take

When I was in high school, a very similar accident happened. A large SUV was speeding around a curve, lost control, and rolled. The teenagers inside were under the influence, though the driver wasn’t in this case. It was national news, and significantly affected our community.

Many other communities have felt the same. It’s a common story. And yet, we still keep building these giant, lumbering land yachts, thinking that it enhances safety when it does not.

But that’s somewhat of an aside here. If the Cybertruck were more nimble or less “impenetrable,” maybe the crash results would have been different. But the focus on door handles is one simple, clear change that would have saved lives in this instance.

Tesla has always had weird door handles, and the door handles have always ended up causing some sort of problem. Whether it be overly complicated latches which make repair costly as in the Model S, overly complicated door which delay release like the Model X, oddly-placed manual door releases that can cause abnormal wear on the Model 3 and Y, or even the svelte door handles on my original Roadster which are currently giving me a weird problem I can’t even explain here, this is a pattern.

And the pattern doesn’t just apply to door handles, but to much of how Tesla works as a company, with the “move fast and break things” approach common in technology. While Tesla has been innovative, those innovations sometimes have come with less consideration for safety than they perhaps should have.

Now, with these Cybertruck deaths, maybe we can finally get a little reason and have Tesla be more normal with its door handles, at least.

The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. 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. It has 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 Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.


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