California’s rollercoaster of an electric bicycle voucher program, designed to make the highly effective transportation alternative affordable for more California residents, has hit yet another bumpy section of track. This time, a “technical issue” is being blamed for the second tranche of vouchers being delayed indefinitely, causing yet another headache for the beleaguered California E-Bike Incentive Program.
The program was set to launch its second round last night, opening its application window for one hour to distribute 1,000 more vouchers worth up to $2,000 off of an electric bicycle.
But program’s operators announced just before the application window was set to close yesterday that the website had experienced technical problems.
Unlike the first round of the incentive program, last night’s application window was designed to last for an hour, giving every eligible California resident who entered the website during the window an equal chance at receiving a voucher. That system was designed as an improvement to the first round, which was widely criticized for its “first come, first served” approach that rewarded fast typing and clicking to exhaust the first 1,500 vouchers in mere seconds.
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However, the timing of the announcement last night meant that many hopeful applicants were left waiting on the website for an hour before learning that the application round was being delayed indefinitely.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board, which administers the program, said the board is investigating the issues and attempted to troubleshoot the problems “in real time.” The program “ultimately made the decision to reschedule once it became clear that not everyone was able to access the waiting room,” said CARB’s Lindsay Buckley.
It is unclear how many people entered the website during the one-hour application window, but the first round of applications launched last December saw over 100,000 people vying for the limited number of vouchers.
Despite occasional issues like these, such e-bike voucher programs are a powerful motivator for cities and states aiming to shift more trips away from cars and toward sustainable transportation. By directly reducing the upfront cost of an electric bike – often thousands of dollars – these incentives make e-bikes accessible to a broader population, especially lower-income riders who may not be able to afford one otherwise. And unlike subsidies for electric cars, which tend to benefit wealthier households, e-bike voucher programs often deliver a much higher return on investment in terms of mode shift, equity, and emissions reductions.
The benefits don’t stop at access. These programs help normalize e-bike use in urban and suburban areas, accelerating cultural adoption and proving that two wheels can be a practical alternative to four. Cities that have rolled out vouchers, like Denver and San Diego, have seen immediate surges in ridership and have reported that many recipients use their e-bikes as replacements for car trips.
As policymakers look to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and hit climate targets, e-bike vouchers offer a fast, scalable, and cost-effective tool that delivers results where it matters most: in people’s daily lives. Despite California’s own voucher program repeatedly hitting roadblocks, these types of programs have proven invaluable to making real changes in the accessibility of important commuting alternatives to cars.
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VW’s US EV lease deals just went from hero to zero. Federal tax credits are now dead, the automaker has wiped out up to $12,000 in lease incentives on the ID.4, and ended $10,500 in discounts on the ID. Buzz. The move bucks the trend as other brands continue to sweeten their EV lease offers.
As of September 30, 2025, Volkswagen offered up to $12,350 in lease cash on the ID.4, depending on configuration. That included a $7,500 federal lease tax credit for lessees as Bonus Customer Cash, plus $3,500 to $4,850 in Dealer Lease Cash. It made the ID.4 one of the top EV lease deals around.
On October 1, those incentives vanished. While the ID.4 still has a 0% APR equivalent lease rate, drivers lost more than $12,000 in savings overnight. The ID. Buzz took a similar hit. Last month, the 2025 ID. Buzz offered $10,500 off MSRP between the $7,500 tax credit and $3,000 Dealer Lease Cash. Now, almost all lease cash is gone. VW Credit is offering just $750 in Dealer Lease Cash, and weirdly, not on models with two-tone paint. According to CarsDirect’s lease calculator, the lowest-priced ID. Buzz trim now carries an effective monthly cost topping $1,000 — a considerable jump.
For comparison, the ID. Buzz Pro S was previously advertised at $589 a month for 36 months with $5,999 due at signing, or an effective monthly cost of $756.
The ID.4 lease once cost just $233 a month, making it one of the cheapest EVs to lease. According to updated estimates, that figure is now north of $800 – that’s hair-raising.
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Meanwhile, VW’s rivals are going in the opposite direction. Ford extended its Mustang Mach-E lease deals through early January. Subaru’s updated 2026 Solterra still qualifies for the $7,500 lease credit, and Jeep replaced the expiring EV lease credit with equivalent bonus cash.
If you really want a Volkswagen, though, there’s some good news: financing deals haven’t changed. The 2025 ID.4 continues to offer 0% APR for 72 months, and buyers of the ID. Buzz can still get up to $3,250 in Bonus Customer Cash through November 3, a perk unavailable to lessees.
It kinda seems like VW doesn’t want to lease their EVs anymore…?? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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EcoFlow’s extended Prime Day savings take up to 60% off TRAIL compact power stations at new lows from $104
As part of its extended Prime Day Sale, EcoFlow is continuing to offer the best rates yet on its new TRAIL series of power stations, with extra sitewide savings too. You can pick up the TRAIL 200 DC 60,000mAh Portable Power Station at $103.55 shipped, after using the code 25PDFAFF at checkout for an additional 5% off, while the TRAIL 300 DC 90,000mAh Portable Power Station is down at $141.55 shipped, after using the same code. What’s more, you’ll be getting a free RAPID 30W GaN Charger too (valued at $26), with the prices here also beating out Amazon by up to $7. These new charging solutions launched back at the top of August carrying $200 and $250 MSRPs, which we saw brought down to $113 and $151 with launch savings, dropping further to these rates for the earlier phase of the brand’s Prime Day Sale. You’re getting an extended period to pick them up at the best rates we have tracked, with a total $96 and $108 in savings off the going rates on top of the additional $26 in free gear. Head below to also check out their bundle options.
We’ve been seeing many of our favorite backup power brands releasing similar-sized devices to rival the ones from Anker SOLIX, which might have kicked off the trend with its popular PowerCore Reserve/C200 DC/C300 DC stations. EcoFlow’s smaller TRAIL 200 DC power station is a 4-pound unit with a 60,000mAh LiFePO4 battery, with the 300 DC model bumping things up to a 90,000mAh LiFePO4 capacity. These stations deliver up to 220W and 300W output through their four or five port options. The 200 DC sports two 12W USB-A ports, a 140W USB-C port, and a 100W USB-C port, while the 300 DC has the same USB-A ports but two 140W USB-C ports and a 120W car outlet.
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EcoFlow’s TRAIL power stations have a bunch of protections built right in against overvoltage, overloading, short circuiting, and much more – with both also being given built-in woven handles to make carrying them easier when not stashed inside a bag. Recharging from a standard AC outlet provides 200W or 280W speeds, with the 300 DC model being the one boasting a 110W maximum solar input via an appropriate panel.
***Note: Remember to use the sitewide code 25PDFAFF at checkout to score these prices below!
Bring home Leviton’s 48A level 2 EV chargers with or without smart controls starting from $514
Amazon is offering the Leviton 48A Hardwired Level 2 Smart EV Charger at $599.20 shipped, with this being from carried-over Prime Day savings. Normally fetching $749 at full price, discounts have almost entirely kept costs above $629 over the year, with a single fall further to the $527 low back during July’s Prime Day event. While the savings last here, you’re looking at a 20% markdown from the going rate that cuts $150 off the tag for the second-lowest price we have tracked. Of course, if you want to save a bit more and don’t mind losing the in-app smart controls, you can pick up the standard EV charger variant at $514.28 shipped, down from $643.
Get a more adaptive cleaning experience with Greenworks’ Pro 3,000 PSI electric pressure washer at $320
Amazon is now offering the newest Greenworks Pro 3,000 PSI Electric Pressure Washer at $319.99 shipped. Normally fetching $450 at full price, discounts over the year have largely kept costs above $330, save for a few drops to the $292 low until Prime Day cut the tag to $305. If you missed out on the two-day-only Prime rate, you can get it for just $15 higher in price while these savings last. You’re still getting a solid $130 markdown here, which lands it at the third-lowest price we have tracked and equips you with the latest and most powerful of the brand’s electric pressure washers.
Birdfy’s Nest Polygon smart solar birdhouse is back at $200 low + more from $290 (Today only)
As part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is offering the Birdfy Nest Polygon Smart Solar Birdhouse with camera back at $199.99 shipped, as well as two bird feeder discounts, also only lasting through the rest of the day (more on those below the fold). While it carries a $300 MSRP direct from the brand (currently priced $20 higher), we’ve been seeing it more often keeping between $240 and $260 elsewhere, with discounts regularly falling between $220 and $210 over the year. This low price first appeared in July and repeated once in September, and now it’s back again to give you a $40 to $60 markdown off the going rate for the best price we have tracked. It’s also beating out Amazon’s pricing by $20 right now too.
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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Tesla is now selling retrofit turn signal stalks for Model 3 vehicles in the US, after having deleted the stalks in its update of the Model 3. At first, they were only available in China for certain cars, for the equivalent of ~$350. Now they’re available in the US, but for $595 instead.
In August, Tesla updated its China website with a new accessory: turn signal stalks. This led to speculation as to when or if the product might make it to the US, and today, it has.
That sounds like the setup for a joke (ha ha, those Tesla drivers never using their signal, am I right?!?! (…. I am a Tesla driver and I always use my signals, get off it everyone)), but for those who are out of the loop, it’s actually a solution to a self-inflicted problem by Tesla a few years ago.
The Tesla Model 3 Highland refresh, released in 2023, came with quite a lot of updates. The model had been out for 6 years without major changes, and got quite a slew of them including better sound dampening, a new front end, a slower steering ratio (not a fan of this change), ventilated seats, rear touchscreen, and so on.
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But one of the more controversial changes, within the various cost-cutting that Tesla did to offer these improvements, was the deletion of the turn signal stalk.
Tesla had already been moving in this direction, with the introduction of a “yoke” wheel on the Model S, which didn’t have stalks and used buttons on the wheel for turn signals and the vehicle touchscreen to change gears.
But the deletion of the turn signal stalk, even on a car with a normal steering wheel, was quite controversial. Even though some drivers have gotten used to using the buttons on the steering wheel, or letting FSD signal for you when it decides to change lanes, the convenience and familiarity of a turn signal stalk was still hard to give up for many.
This all happened in 2023, and Tesla got a lot of flack for it, but didn’t relent for some time. Then, in January of 2025, Tesla released the Model Y Juniper refresh, with many of the same changes that the Model 3 had seen.
In that refresh, Tesla did change the steering wheel, including removing the gear selection lever… but also brought back the turn signal stalk. Reason finally ruled the day.
And now, we’re finally seeing the problem get rectified… first in China, but now it’s available in North America, for $595. The installation includes shipping and labor costs to install the stalk, steering wheel, and column control module.
The stalks seem to be available now. So if you want to set up your appointment, you can head over to Tesla’s website, or find the new item in your Tesla app (which the website will direct you to, anyway).
Interestingly enough, the stalks are more widely available in North America than in China. In China, only vehicles that were produced after February 7, 2025 qualify for the stalks, whereas in the US, it seems that all non-stalk Model 3s will qualify, as the website states that any vehicle produced in 2024 or 2025 can install the retrofit. Given that the Highland Model 3 didn’t come out in North America until January 2024, that should mean all of them can get this stalk installed.
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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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