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This adorable little Italian farm robot packs a radioactive punch — the ICARO X4 helps the country’s storied vineyards to combat harmful fungi and mildew by blasting it with UV-C radiation.

Developed by Italian equipment manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo, the ICARO X4 farm robot was designed to navigate around Italy’s famous vineyards autonomously while also determining the best time to treat the crops to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria based on humidity and temperature data it gathers with its own onboard weather station, as well as “locally trained” weather pattern algorithms. Crucially, the ICARO can do so without the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides.

ICARO X4 is a technological product comprising 16 patents, each with its own specific function. The key element of the robot is its large, foldable UV-C emitting panels, which are emitted and applied to the plant to be treated simply by passing the panel a few centimeters from the leaves. Applying UV-C rays of a specific wavelength to the plant triggers a biological mechanism that stimulates the plant’s immune defenses. The UV-C rays also break down the DNA of pathogens such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis, preventing them from developing on the plant.

maschio gaspardo, via world fira

The ICARO robot is equipped with UV generating light panels on both sides between the axles that extend like wings (Icaro = Icarus, get it?).

Once in position, the “wings” are lowered over the vines, stopping a few inches away from the leaves for optimal treatment (read: radiation blasts). According to the manufacturer, each of the ICARO robots can keep up to 15 hectares (about 37 acres) of vineyard free from fungi and mildew, potentially reducing a farm’s chemical fungicide use by 70%.

Maschio Gaspardo ICARO X4

ICARO X4 at World FIRA 2024; via Maschio Gaspardo.

The ICARO X4 is driven by electric motors, and can be fitted with a 2-cyl. Kohler diesel motor that serves as a range-extender when the batteries are low — a crucial feature that enables the robot to work for up to 72 consecutive hours (3 days) during the summer months, when molds and mildews run rampant.

The company showed the ICARO X4 at World FIRA this past weekend, and says that five such robots were already in operation in France and Italy, with plans to sell more throughout the year — but they’re not cheap. Each ICARO comes with a €115,000 price tag.

Electrek’s Take

Using fewer pesticides is a crucial step towards long-term sustainable farming, and if you can do that with a range-extended electric farm bot that happens to also be super adorable? So much the better. The odds that it will irradiate a random Italian wall lizard and turn it into some kind of monstrous Godzilla creature are probably minimal, too … right?

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Save hundreds on Power Station eBikes and snag gift giveaways during Mokwheel’s Black Friday Sale

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Save hundreds on Power Station eBikes and snag gift giveaways during Mokwheel's Black Friday Sale

Unique eBike manufacturer Mokwheel has made a quick name for itself by bringing Power Station electric bikes to the market. During Mokwheel’s exclusive Black Friday Sale, there’s no better time to get one of the company’s power bank eBike models, like the Obsidian, Basalt, or Obsidian ST. You can learn more below.

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Mokwheel Sale

Mokwheel has carved its own spot in the eBike market

Mokwheel may be a newer company on your radar, but its history is heavily rooted in the last decade of micromobility. From 2014 onward, the company’s founders found great success in other segments of the electric mobility scene, including products like hoverboards and electric scooters.

However, those founders decided to create Mokwheel because they saw a gap in the market for a power station eBike that had yet to be done before. That market entry began with the Mokwheel BASALT, an all-purpose/all-terrain e-bike fusion integrated with power station technology.

By rethinking the design of the average eBike to offer more sustainability and accessible power on the go, Mokwheel has built out an impressive portfolio of electric bikes, many of which feature power station technology as well as safety and quality assurance through UL certification.

Mokwheel is celebrating Black Friday with a huge sale, including hundreds of dollars off power station electric bikes, which you can learn more about below.

Mokwheel Sale

What is a power station electric bike, anyway?

Mokwheel’s lineup of “power station electric bikes” is essentially a category of eBike equipped with solar charging capabilities. Mokwheel has brought an added layer of sustainability to the eBike space, extending off-grid capabilities for its riders while offering free backup energy from the sun.

The core of this technology is Mokwheel’s 1,000-watt inverter and high-efficiency solar panels. The components combine to help power the eBike using the sun’s energy and run multiple devices like phones and laptops, which can be connected simultaneously.

These capabilities transform the Mokwheel eBikes into versatile, portable power solutions for all outdoor adventures, ensuring the bike and your devices remain charged and ready to use.

Mokwheel’s lineup of power station solar charging eBikes has expanded to six different models, including its two newest bikes, the Obsidian and Obsidian ST, which are currently on sale in honor of Black Friday.

The Obsidian ST Power Station Bike / Source: Mokwheel

Mokwheel has sales on Obsidian power station bikes

Mokwheel’s Obsidian models are its high-end power station eBike offerings. They feature full suspension to ensure a smooth ride on any terrain.

It features a high-capacity battery for extended range, a powerful motor for steep inclines, and is designed for the ultimate e-biking experience. Available in either a high-step or step-through (ST) design, the Obsidian power station bikes provide the same impressive specs, apart from a higher payload capacity on the high-step version (400 lbs. vs. 350 lbs. on the Obsidian ST).

Both Obsidian bikes are propelled by a 1,000-watt motor powered by a 48V, 19.6 Ah battery pack. The pack can deliver between 60 and 80 miles of range on a single charge and can boost the bikes to a top speed of 28 mph.

In addition to a full front and rear suspension, the Obsidian and ST feature 26″x4″ puncture-resistant fat tires, hydraulic brakes, and solar charging capabilities. Please note that Mokwheel’s inverters and solar panels are sold separately. However, the inverter can be added as a gift during the company’s current Black Friday sale.

Both Obsidian models usually cost $2,999 each but are currently on sale for $2,099 (-$900 off) during Mokwheel’s Black Friday Sale. Be sure to check out more of those deals below.

Don’t miss out on Mokwheel’s Black Friday sale

While Mokwheel’s deal on the Obsidian models offers the largest discount, the company’s Black Friday Sale offers many other discounts and some gift incentives for specific purchases.

For example, customers who purchase any two eBikes during Mokwheel’s Black Friday Sale can choose between a complimentary bike rack or a pet trailer, both valued at $500.

Those who opt for a single eBike purchase (excluding the Mesa Lite 2.0, Tor-plus, and Mesa Plus ST) can choose between a deluxe accessory pack or a spare battery. Both gifts are valued at $600.

The Black Friday Sale offers a gift option if you want one of the three excluded Mokwheel bikes listed above. Purchases of the Mesa Lite 2.0, Tor-plus, or Mesa Plus ST come with a basic accessory pack with a front basket and padded seat, valued at $355.

Other Black Friday Sale deals include $600 off the Basalt and Basalt ST power station bikes and $400 off Mokwheel’s Asphalt eBike. Explore all the deals Mokwheel has to offer during its Black Friday Sale, taking place now. However, quantities are limited, so take advantage of the savings while the bikes last!

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Tesla boosts referral reward to $2,000 discounts on new EVs, even Cybertruck

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Tesla boosts referral reward to ,000 discounts on new EVs, even Cybertruck

Tesla has boosted its referral rewards to a $2,000 discount on new electric vehicles in the US, even its brand new Cybertruck.

In April, Tesla ended its referral program after it became much less popular under its latest “point system” that could be redeemed for only limited features and products.

The automaker brought it back in August with a more straightforward program that gives direct discounts on new cars for buyers and gives Tesla credits that can be applied to anything for referrers.

Now, Tesla has given the first boost to the program since bringing it back a few months ago.

In short, Tesla has boosted the discount new buyers get when purchasing a new Tesla vehicle through a referral link:

In the US, it’s now a $2,000 discount for new buyers on Tesla’s entire vehicle lineup.

Even the Cybertruck is $2,000 off and now basically starts at $78,000:

In Canada, Tesla also boosted the program, but it is available only on a few vehicles, namely Model Y, Model S, and Model X.

The discount is now $2,600 CAD when using a referral code:

It’s not too surprising not to see the Cybertruck on the list in Canada as Tesla only just now started deliveries in the market, but it’s more surprising not to see the Model 3. It looks like Tesla feels it has enough demand for the vehicle in the market not to offer any referral discount.

This boosted referral program is only the latest of many sale incentive examples that Tesla has put in place this quarter to try to achieve record deliveries.

n Europe, the incentives include a year of free Supercharging and heavy discounts on inventory vehicles.

In the US, there are also good inventory discounts, 3 months of free Supercharger and Full Self-Driving subscription, FSD transfer, and more.

More recently, Tesla also slashed the lease price of the base Model Y and even offered discounted home charging under Tesla Electric for those taking delivery of new vehicles.

And everywhere, Tesla is heavily subsidizing loans with lower interest rates.

Electrek’s Take

This is the most discounts and sale incentives that I’ve have ever seen Tesla implement in a single quarter. It’s clear that the automaker is going all out to try to get the demand for 515,000 deliveries in the quarter.

I can’t lie. These are some great deals. Hard to pass in some cases.

I am even sweetening the deal myself locally. For people in Quebec who order and take delivery this quarter with my referral code, I’m offering a free Universal Tesla Connector for your home charging needs. I still have 4 available. First come, first save basis. You simply have to reach out to me right after delivery so I can confirm on my side that you used the code.

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Lotus is the latest automaker to fall for extended-range plug-in hybrids

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Lotus is the latest automaker to fall for extended-range plug-in hybrids

Extended-range EVs are having their moment. And now Lotus is abandoning its strategy to become an all-electric brand by 2028 and shifting over to extended-range plug-in hybrid models starting in 2026. Here’s why.

Extended-range EVs, or EREVs, have become a siren call to automakers struggling to reach buyers with pure electric vehicles, serving as a sort of middle ground between kind of an electric car but also a plug-in hybrid, helping to break through to drivers still worried about getting stranded with no charge. So that, too, is where Lotus is going, with the Geely-owned UK brand saying that rolling out extended-range hybrids globally will help it reach its 2026 target of 30,000 sales. It’s a major departure from their earlier vision.

Lotus, has been mixing in some “lifestyle” EVs, including an SUV, to its sports-car lineup, but has struggled to meet its volume targets, Automotive News Europe reports. The problem Lotus says is that luxury buyers are reluctant to go full-electric.

Lotus says it sold 7,617 cars through September, including the Eletre SUV and Emeya large sedan, both all-electric vehicles – as well as it Emira sports car, once said to be the brand’s last ICE model.

Lotus also sells a full-electric hypercar, the Eveya.

But the company’s target of 12,000 sales this year is “definitely challenging,” Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said on the company’s third-quarter earnings call last week.

At the Guangzhou Motor Show in China, he said: “Luxury car engines are already very powerful, and the driving experience is quite similar, with eight-cylinder and 12-cylinder engines performing well,” according to the report.

Shifting to hybrids, the company hopes, will be the solution, with the brand eyeing the production of a “Super Hybrid” technology with ultra-fast plug-in charging. The electric motor will paired with a turbocharged combustion engine to extend the overall range to 680 miles (1,094 km).

Of course, an interesting motivator, too, is that hybrids are not affected by tariffs by the European Union on BEVs imported from China, with both the Eletre and Emeya built in China. In Europe, Geely’s BEVs are subject to a 28.8% duty under new EU tariff regulations, designed to counter what has been deemed as unfair government subsidies from China to its automakers.

Porsche has also announced that it will keep building ICE models across its model range to “meet customer demand,” shifting away from its all-electric plans.

Photos: courtesy of Lotus


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