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An aerial view of Phillips 66 oil refinery is seen in Linden, New Jersey, United States on May 11, 2022.

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A perfect storm is taking place in the diesel market, with dwindling diesel reserves, a drought on the Mississippi River pushing more product to rail and truck, and a possible rail strike leading to a surge in prices that is expected to continue.

Diesel prices have increased by 33% for November deliveries.

“The national average price for diesel today is $5.30 per gallon and is expected to go up 15 to 20 cents in the next few weeks,” said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, LLC.

Reserves for diesel this time of year have not been this low since 1951, with the greatest shortfall in the Northeast region including New York and New England.

“This is not only constricting the ability of farmers to export the soybeans and grain they grow but also to receive the fuel and fertilizer they need to operate,” said Mike Steenhoek executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition of the low water conditions that have turned the Mississippi River from a multi-lane interstate to a two-lane highway.

“Now adding insult to injury is the increased uncertainty that railroads will be able to provide an effective lifeline during this critical time. It’s a vivid reminder that it is not enough to produce a crop or have demand for that crop. Having a reliable supply chain that connects supply with demand is also essential for farmers to be successful,” Steenhoek said.

Two rail unions recently voted down a labor deal needed to avert a national strike in the coming months.

East Coast refineries operating at max capacity

Diesel inventories in the New York/New England markets are facing an acute crisis, down over 50% since last year and at the lowest level since 1990, according to Lipow.

Lipow said East Coast refineries are making as much diesel as they can and dependent on tankers and barges for supply, any weather delay causes a terminal to run out of product..

According to the EIA, East Coast refineries operated at 100% capacity in June and July.

“Last week, they operated at 102% of capacity,” Lipow said. “No more supply is forthcoming from the four East Coast refineries.”

Diesel fuel and heating oil are the problem children of the petroleum complex, says Again Capital's Kilduff

New England’s diesel supply issues were made worse when a Canadian refinery in Newfoundland shut down in 2020 as the pandemic impacted on demand.

The Midwest is also seeing supply constraints, pushing up costs for farmers.

“In visiting with a number of farmers, the consensus, of course, is that diesel costs are one more incursion into profitability,” Steenhoek said. “As far as getting supplies, it looks like those areas most dependent upon the river are experiencing the biggest challenge. A couple of farmers told me diesel supply via their local vendor is day to day.” 

Jones Act restrictions on foreign vessels

In order for the Northeast to receive more diesel, the fuel needs to be imported from another country or a tanker from the Gulf Coast, but that is not allowed because of the Jones Act,  also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, which prohibits a foreign vessel from transporting all goods between two U.S. ports.

“The Jones Act requires all cargo transported between U.S. ports be carried on ships that are U.S. flagged and built, and mostly owned and crewed by Americans,” said Captain Adil Ashiq, United States Western region executive for MarineTraffic.

According to MarineTraffic, the 56 Jones Act tankers are being used. One way to add more supply quickly is for the Department of Homeland Security to temporarily waive the act for foreign vessels to move the fuel. The Jones Act was last waived for a tanker filled with diesel from the Gulf to go to hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico where the energy was needed for power generators.

As a result of the small quantity of U.S.-owned and operated tankers available for energy transport, the price to book a Jones Act tanker is about double that of a foreign-flagged tanker. For example, a Jones Act tanker carrying 300,000 barrels of diesel from Houston to Boston costs approximately 16 cents per gallon. If the Jones Act was waived, a foreign flag tanker carrying the same amount of fuel and heading to the identical location is estimated to cost half, 8 cents per gallon. This 8-cent per gallon difference translates into a $1 million savings per tanker. This is one of the reasons why energy traders favor using foreign flag tankers versus Jones Act tankers.

“If the [Biden] administration wants to replenish New England gasoline or distillate inventories at the expense of exports, they need to waive the Jones Act for refined products loading on the Gulf Coast for delivery to New York, New Jersey, and New England,” Lipow said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think they will do it until it is too late.”

Traders profit, Russia ban looms

Traders are diverting tankers away from Europe to the U.S. because the price of U.S. diesel is now higher than in Europe so they can make a larger profit. So far, two tankers have arrived and unloaded.

According to MarineTraffic, the tanker Thundercat was originally destined for the Netherlands after being loaded in the Middle East with about 650,000 barrels (the equivalent of 27 million gallons) of diesel. It went to New York. Another tanker, Proteus Jessica, loaded in the Singapore area with a similar diesel supply also headed to New York.

For regions including New England, competition with Europe for diesel supplies will intensify next year when an EU ban on Russian refined product purchases is implemented, Lipow said. Diesel exports are of particular interest with the date of February 5, 2023, when the EU sanctions on Russian refined oil products begin, said BIMCO’s chief shipping analyst Niels Rasmussen, adding that 90% of the EU’s import volumes are diesel.

“The EU must replace on average 2 million tons of diesel imports from Russia,” Rasmussen said. “In addition, the International Energy Agency has estimated that the EU’s demand for refined products will increase by 300,000-500,000 barrels per day during winter to meet heating demands.”

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Bluetti Earth Day Sale takes up to 54% off power stations, Lectric XP 3.0 cargo bundles from $999, Aiper solar smart pool monitor, more

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April 16, 2025

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Bluetti Earth Day Sale takes up to 54% off power stations, Lectric XP 3.0 cargo bundles from 9, Aiper solar smart pool monitor, more

Today’s Green Deals are being led by Bluetti’s Earth Day Sale that is taking up to 54% off power stations and solar generator bundles, like the one we’re seeing on the AC180 Portable Power Station that comes with a 350W solar panel back at its $902 low, among plenty of others. That’s not the only Earth Day savings, as Lectric switches to its holiday-themed sale with up to $654 in free gear accompanying e-bikes, adding cargo-capable packages to the XP 3.0 e-bikes starting from $999. We just spotted the first savings on Aiper’s new solar-powered HydroComm Smart Pool Monitor that offers 5-in-1 testing at $200 off, as well as the first of EcoFlow’s phase 2 Mega Sale flash offers that bundle either the DELTA 2 or DELTA Pro Ultra power stations starting from $849 and only lasting through the rest of the day. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s second phase EcoFlow Mega Sale offers, the launch discount on Hiboy’s U2 Pro Electric Scooter, and more.

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.

Bluetti’s Earth Day Sale returns the AC180 1,152Wh LiFePo4 bundle with a 350W panel to $902 low

Bluetti is launching its Earth Day Sale through April 27 with up to 54% being taken off its power station lineup, complete with bonus savings. One solid option for your upcoming out-of-the-house ventures is the brand’s popular AC180 Portable Power Station bundled with a 350W solar panel for $901.55 shipped, after using the promo code Earth5 at checkout for an additional 5% off. This package would normally fetch $1,499 at full price, with past sales, particularly Black Friday, having seen it fall to this same low rate. The savings are returning here with the hopes of helping you enjoy Mother Nature even more thoroughly at a 40% markdown, slashing $597 off the going rate and returning it to the lowest price we have tracked and can currently find. This price is also beating out Amazon’s pricing by $47.

Bluetti’s AC180 power station is a solid backup power option for camping trips, with it carrying a 1,152Wh LiFePO4 capacity that covers devices and appliances with its 1,800W output that can surge up as high as 2,700W if needed. There are 11 ports to connect to for off-grid power: four ACs, four USB-As, one USB-C, one DC, and even a 15W wireless charging pad. You can regain 80% of its battery in as little as 45 minutes when plugged into a wall outlet, or you can get that same recharge in 2.8 to 3.3 hours when utilizing its maximum 500W of solar input, with alternate options available via a carport or a generator. It’s rated for 3,500+ life cycles, meaning you could use and recharge it every day for over nine and a half years, at least, before having any concerns.

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***Note: None of the prices below have had the extra savings factored in, so be sure to use the promo code Earth5 at checkout to score the maximum savings!

Bluetti’s best Earth Day Sale camping companions:

Bluetti’s best Earth Day Sale road tripping companions:

Bluetti’s best Earth Day Sale work-from-home companions:

Bluetti’s Earth Day Sale on-the-go charging solution deals:

Bluetti’s Earth Day Sale solar panel deals:

You can browse the entirety of Bluetti’s Earth Day sale on the landing page here.

Lectric XP 3.0 e-bike

Load up and head out with Lectric’s cargo-equipped XP 3.0 e-bike bundles at up to $455 off from $999 in Earth Day savings

Lectric has switched over to its Earth Day Sale pricing taking up to $654 off its e-bike bundles, with its popular best-selling XP 3.0 e-bikes getting a mix of bundle options. You’ll find the standard models getting $295 in free gear at $999 shipped, while the Step-Thru Long-Range models are getting $355 in free gear at $1,199 shipped and the Black Step-Over Long-Range model getting the largest package of $455 in free gear at $1,199 shipped. These bundles would normally run you $1,294, $1,554, and $1,654, respectively. While these aren’t the largest bundles we’ve seen, they are providing the occasional cargo-ready add-on gear that is perfect for outdoor treks, especially while enjoying nature on trips. The $295 bundles offer the steel-encased front and rear cargo baskets, rear-view mirrors, a phone mount, and an accordion-style bike lock. From there, the $355 bundle trades the mirrors for an Elite headlight while the $455 bundle gives you the same with the addition of a suspension seat post and wide comfort saddle.

Lectric’s XP 3.0 models are the best-selling e-bikes in America, offering reliable commuting power alongside extremely affordable rates. The folding frames on any of these e-bikes house a 500W hub motor that peaks at 1,000W, delivering 20 MPH speeds unless you live within a state that permits the higher 28 MPH speeds.

The big difference between your choices here will depend entirely on just how far you need it to carry you, with its pedal assistance providing you with 45 miles of travel riding the standard models and up to 65 miles of travel riding the long-range models. And for when you’re not feeling like pedaling, there are throttles to go entirely electric, though keep in mind doing so will decrease your traveling range. Along with the free add-on gear, you’ll also enjoy some quality stock features, like the integrated rear cargo rack (which the basket attaches to), puncture-resistant tires, 180mm hydraulic disc brakes, an LCD display, and more.

Lectric XP 3.0 e-bike offers with up to $455 bundles:

Lectric XPedition 2.0 offers with up to $654 bundles:

Lectric XP Trike with $420 bundle:

Lectric XP Lite 2.0 LR e-bike offers with up to $365 bundles:

Lectric XPeak 2.0 offers with up to $316 bundles:

Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $316 bundle:

Lectric ONE LR e-bike with $220 bundle:

Aiper Smart Pool Monitor

Aiper’s solar HydroComm smart pool monitor provides 5-in-1 testing of your water with first savings at $300

Coming at us by way of its official Amazon storefront, Aiper is now offering the first chance at savings on its new HydroComm 24/7 Smart Pool Monitor at $299.99 shipped, after clipping the on-page $50 off coupon. Having been introduced to the world back at CES 2025 with a $500 price tag, this is the first chance at savings that we’ve seen, with Aiper’s direct site matching the deal, as well. All-in-all, you’re looking at a combined $200 markdown here that equips your pool with intelligent 5-in-1 testing that can run for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Be sure to head below to learn more about this device and check out the discounts we’re seeing on the brand’s robot pool cleaners.

There’s no more need to have several different testing kits for when you need to check the various levels of your pool once you’ve added Aiper’s new HydroComm monitor to the water. It provides 5-in-1 testing thanks to the advanced detection head, giving you accurate read-outs for your pool’s pH, ORP, EC, TDS, and temperature. What’s more, it comes solar-powered, so it can continue running for 24/7, ready to provide you the information you need, whenever you need it – and should there be any cloudy days where sunlight isn’t available, there’s also the DC port to plug it in.

Aiper’s in-ground pool cleaning robot deals:

  • Scuba S1: $580 (Reg. $700) | matched at Aiper
    • for pools up to 1,600 square feet in size
    • floor/wall/water line cleaning
  • Scuba S1 Pro: $950 (Reg. $1,200) | matched at Aiper
    • for pools up to 2,150 square feet in size
    • floor/wall/water line cleaning
  • Scuba X1 (newest model): $1,199 (Reg. $1,799) | matched at Aiper
    • for pools up to 2,150 square feet in size
    • floor/wall/waterline cleaning

Aiper’s above-ground pool cleaning robot deals:

Aiper’s other robot deals for all pool types:

EcoFlow DELTA 2 power station bundle

Cover campsite and home backup with EcoFlow’s DELTA 2 and DELTA Pro Ultra flash sale bundles starting from $849

For today only, as part of EcoFlow’s second phase Mega Sale that is running through April 25, you’ll find flash offers taking up to 52% off two varying backup power solutions, with the first being the bundled DELTA 2 Portable Power Station that comes with an expansion battery and a waterproof bag at $899 shipped or you can grab just the station and battery from Amazon at $849 shipped. The 3-in-1 bundle from the direct sale normally goes for $1,877 at full price, which we don’t normally see, as it’s usually the station and the bag that get bundled for $449 or $499 in these flash savings. Outside of these short-term discounts, the station and battery combo averages around $999 with the cuts, meaning you’ll be getting one of the best values while these deals last, regardless of whether you go with or without the additional bag.

A solid option to support you through outdoor travels as you enjoy the Earth’s bounty, EcoFlow’s DELTA 2 power station starts at a 1,024Wh LiFePO4 capacity that will instead be bumped to 2,048Wh thanks to the extra battery, and which can go higher to 3,074Wh with one more added on. It provides you with 15 port options with a steady 1,800W power output that will surge to 2,200W to meet larger appliance needs, bolstered by the X-Boost tech that also improves recharging rates. Plugging the station into a wall outlet will have the battery back to 80% in about 80 minutes, with it also accepting a maximum of 500W of solar input that can refill it in as fast as three hours time, with ideal conditions. With it rated for 3,000 life cycles, you can use and recharge the battery every day for over eight years, so with weekend or non-daily usage it will last you far longer.

The second of these offers gives you the brand’s more comprehensive and expandable DELTA Pro Ultra power station with a trolley for $4,799 shipped, coming down from $6,297 and $200 under the trolley-less offer from Amazon. This is the brand’s most expansive unit that you can invest in over time down the road, giving you a 6.1kWh LiFePO4 capacity to start with up to 7,200W of power output. Those numbers, with the addition of additional equipment, can go as high as a 90kWh capacity and 21.6kWh output with three inverters (stations) that are each given five batteries, which is great for folks looking for whole-home backup setups (especially if you have roof panels to regularly keep it all juiced up, though this will also require the brand’s Smart Home Panel 2).

Be sure to check out the full lineup of EcoFlow’s phase 2 Mega Sale, which is taking up to 65% off an expanded list of units from the first phase, complete with bonus savings and starting from $119 through April 25.

Best New Year 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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Tesla (TSLA) sales continue to slide in California

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1 hour ago

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April 16, 2025

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Tesla (TSLA) sales continue to slide in California

Tesla’s sales are continuing to slide in California. According to the California New Car Dealers Association, Tesla registrations are down 15% in Q1 2025.

California is the most important market for electric vehicles in the US.

While zero-emission vehicles account for only 8% of new vehicle sales in America, they account for more than 20% of new vehicle sales in California.

In terms of overall volumes, more than 28% of electric vehicles sold in the US are sold in golden state.

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Unsurprisingly, this made California a very important market for Tesla.

In 2022, Tesla held 70% of the electric vehicle market in California. The automaker’s deliveries peaked in 2023 in terms of volume, but its market shares slid to 60% due to more competitions.

Now, Tesla’s deliveries are going down in California, along with its EV market shares.

The California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) reports that Tesla registrations were down 15% in Q1 2025:

Tesla registrations in the First Quarter of this year fell 15.1 percent versus year earlier, while registrations for all other ZEVs increased by 35 percent. Tesla’s share of the state electric vehicle market fell from 55.5 percent in 1Q ‘24 to 43.9 percent this year. An aging product lineup and backlash against Elon Musk’s political initiatives are likely key factors for the decline in Tesla BEV market share.

The performance was rough amid growing vehicle sales in California during the same period:

Electrek’s Take

The Model Y changeover certainly had an impact on these results as deliveries were 10,000 units lower than in Q1 2024.

But I would also expect Tesla to suffer from brand damage in California due to its CEO’s meddling in politics. The bulk of Musk’s impact happened in the second half of the first quarter with protests and boycotts following his inauguration salutes and DOGE mess.

Q2 is likely going to be a better test of Tesla’s performance following the brand degradation.

Tesla bulls are hoping that the new Model Y will help, but Tesla doesn’t seem to have a backlog of orders for the redesigned vehicle.

The automaker is going to need to deliver more than 50,000 units in California if it doesn’t want to keep sliding year-over-year in the critical EV market.4

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Elon Musk shut down internal Tesla analysis that showed Robotaxi would lose money

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4 hours ago

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April 16, 2025

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Elon Musk shut down internal Tesla analysis that showed Robotaxi would lose money

Tesla Robotaxi and robobus hero

According to a credible new report, Elon Musk has reportedly shut down an internal analysis from Tesla executives that showed the company’s Robotaxi plans would lose money and that it should focus on its more affordable ‘Model 2’.

In early 2024, we reported that Musk had canceled Tesla’s plan for a new affordable electric vehicle built on its upcoming ‘unboxed’ vehicle platform, often referred to as ‘Model 2’ or ‘$25,000 Tesla’.

Instead, Musk pushed for only its new Robotaxi, also known as Cybercab, to be built on the new platform, and replaced the plans for a next-gen affordable EV with building cheaper versions of the Model Y and Model 3 with fewer features.

This decision culminated a long-in-the-making shift at Tesla from an EV automaker to an AI company focusing on self-driving cars.

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We credit that shift initiated by Musk for the current slump Tesla finds itself in right now, where it has only launched a single new vehicle in the last 5 years, the Cybertruck, and it’s a total commercial flop.

Now, The Information is out with a new in-depth report based on Tesla insiders that describe the decision-making process around the cancellation of the affordable Tesla and the focus on Robotaxi.

The report describes a meeting at the end of February 2024 when several Tesla executives were pushing Musk to greenlight the $25,000 Tesla:

In the last week of February 2024, after a couple of years of back-and-forth debate on the Model 2, Musk called a meeting of a wide range of executives at Tesla’s offices in Palo Alto, Calif. The proposed $25,000 car was on the agenda—a final chance to air the vehicle’s pros and cons, the people said. Musk’s senior lieutenants argued intensely for the economic logic of producing both the Model 2 and the Robotaxi.

After unveiling its next-generation battery in 2020, Musk announced that Tesla would make a $25,000 EV in 2020, but he had clearly soured on the idea by 2024.

He said in October 2024:

I think having a regular $25,000 model is pointless. Yeah. It would be silly. Like, it’ll be completely at odds with what we believe.

The Information says that Daniel Ho, head of Tesla vehicle programs, Drew Baglino, SVP of engineering, and Rohan Patel, head of business development and policy, Lars Moravy, vice president of vehicle engineering, and Franz von Holzhausen, chief designer, all pushed for Musk to greenlight the production of the new $25,000 model.

Omead Afshar, a Musk loyalist who started out as his chief of staff and now holds a wide-ranging executive role at Tesla, reportedly said, “Is there a mutiny?”

The executives pointed to an internal report that didn’t paint a good picture of Tesla’s Robotaxi plan. The report has credibility as Patel commented on it:

We had lots of modeling that showed the payback around FSD [Full Self Driving] and Robotaxi was going to be slow. It was going to be choppy. It was going to be very, very hard outside of the U.S., given the regulatory environment or lack of regulatory environment.

Musk dismissed the analysis, greenlighted the Cybercab, and killed the $25,000 driveable Tesla vehicle in favor of the Model Y-based cheaper vehicle with fewer features.

The information describes the analysis:

Much of the work was done by analysts working under Baglino, head of power train and one of Musk’s most trusted aides. The calculations began with some simple math and some broad assumptions: Individuals would buy the cars, but a large portion of the sales would go to fleet operators, and the vehicles would mostly be used for ride-sharing. Many people would give up car ownership and use Robotaxis. Tesla would get a cut of each Robotaxi ride.

The analysis followed a lot of Musk’s assumptions, such as that the US car fleet would shrink from 15 million a year to roughly 3 million due to Robotaxis having a 5 times higher utilization rate.

They subtracted people who wouldn’t want to switch to a robotaxi for various reasons, arriving at a potential for 1 million self-driving vehicles a year.

One of the people familiar with the analysis said:

There is ultimately a saturation of people who want to be ferried around in somebody else’s car.

After accounting for competition, Tesla figured it would be hard for robotaxis to replace the ~600,000 vehicles it sells in the US annually.

Tesla calculated that the robotaxis would bring in about $20,000 to $25,000 in revenue at the sale and about three times that from Tesla’s share of the fares it would complete over their lifetimes:

The analysts figured Robotaxis would sell for between $20,000 and $25,000, and that Tesla could make up to three times that over the lifetime of the cars through its cut of fares. They added in capital spending and operational costs, plus services like charging stations and parking depots.

The internal analysis assigned a much lower value to Tesla robotaxis than Musk had previously stated publicly.

In 2019, Musk said:

If we make all cars with FSD package self-driving, as planned, any such Tesla should be worth $100k to $200k, as utility increases from ~12 hours/week to ~60 hours/week.

Furthermore, Tesla’s internal analysis pointed toward difficulties expanding into other markets, which could limit the scale and profitability of the robotaxi program. Ultimately, it predicted that it could lose money for years.

Electrek’s Take

For years, this has been one of my biggest concerns about Tesla: Musk surrounding himself with yesmen and not listening to others.

This looks like a perfect example. It was a terrible decision fueled by Musk’s belief that he was smarter than anyone in the room and encouraged by sycophants like Afshar.

Musk has been selling Tesla shareholders on a perfect robotaxi future, but the truth is not as rosy, and that’s if they solve self-driving ahead of the competition, which is a big if.

It’s not new for the CEO to make outlandish growth promises, but it’s another thing to do at the detriment of an already profitable and fast-growing auto business.

The report also supports our suspicions that the shift in strategy contributed to some of Tesla’s talent exodus last year.

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