New York-based real estate developer LeFrak has installed the largest rooftop solar array on a high-rise multifamily residential building in New Jersey.

The Beach, a 336-unit waterfront rental tower in Jersey City’s Newport neighborhood, now hosts a 180kW, 450-panel rooftop solar system that will offset 13% of the building’s carbon emissions, equivalent to removing 37 gas-powered cars from the road annually. Sunkeeper Solar, a Brooklyn-based solar energy company, installed the nearly $1 million system.

The new rooftop solar offsets energy produced by electrical systems used in The Beach’s common area spaces, including those that power elevators and lighting, as well as cooling and ventilation in the high-rise building’s lobby and amenities. The Beach’s roof design and the building’s orientation optimize the amount of solar power generated by the system.

“Solar makes sense on multi-family buildings, and especially because Jersey City is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, projects like this should become the bar for new development. Going solar saves consumers money, reduces air pollution, and creates a more resilient energy grid – solar is a double green amenity,” said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. 

Last year, LeFrak partnered with EV-sharing platform Envoy to offer Newport residents exclusive car-sharing benefits and access to a fleet of on-site electric vehicles, representing Envoy’s first expansion into New Jersey.

Read more: A record $847M raise powers a commercial rooftop solar wave

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It’s official. Kia has now confirmed plans to launch the EV2 next January. The electric SUV will be an even smaller, more affordable model to sit below the EV3.

Kia confirms EV2 will launch in January 2026

Kia is on an EV launch spree. After revealing three new mass-market EV models, the EV3, EV4, and EV5, in October 2023, the Korean automaker is preparing to launch a fourth.

The new lineup is part of Kia’s “EVs for all” strategy, with prices ranging from $30,000 to upwards of $80,000. Kia launched the EV5 in China, starting at around $20,000 (149,800 yuan) in November 2023. Last year, Kia followed it up with the EV3, which is now rolling out in Europe for around $38,000 (36,000 euros).

Kia will introduce the EV4 globally this year, or what it calls “an entirely new type of sedan.” Depending on the market, it’s expected to start at around $30,000 to $40,000 as a potential Tesla Model 3 challenger.

On the company’s Q4 and full-year 2024 earnings call this week, Kia confirmed plans to launch the EV2 in January 2026. The EV2 will be built at its Zilina, Slovakia plant, Kia’s first manufacturing facility in Europe.

Although it was not showcased during its 2023 EV day, Kia CEO Ho-Sung Song told Autocar that the EV2 would go on sale in 2026 with a target price of around $30,000 (£25,000) in Europe. In Korea, prices could start as low as $15,000 (KRW 20 million).

Kia’s CEO stressed that building affordable EVs is “very important” for the brand. It will also help “the European market that is in need of smaller [electric] vehicles too,” Song added.

Ahead of its official debut, the EV2 has been caught in public testing a few times, revealing a Soul-like design. You can expect an exterior look similar to the EV3 and EV5, featuring Kia’s new Opposites United design.

Like other models in the lineup, it’s expected to feature Kia’s new Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) operating system inside. The setup includes a dual 12.3″ driver display and infotainment screens.

Like the EV3 and EV5, the EV2 is expected to be based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, providing over 300 miles (605 km WLTP) of range.

Earlier today, we learned that Kia will launch the EV5 in Canada next year, but not in the US. The EV5 will even include a native NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers. So, for those of you in the US, don’t get too excited. Given the lack of demand for smaller cars, the EV2 is not expected to arrive in the US. Hopefully, Kia will surprise us.

Source: TheKoreanCarBlog, Kia

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s wild Q4 earnings, a new BMW iX, some EVs not making it to the US, and more.

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