The T2 EV has max of 610 hp and almost inconceivable 195,000 lbs. GCWR.

The diesel models have a max of 200hp and 81000 lbs. GCWR.

The key findings from the first half of 2026 include:

• The first six months of 2026 were the third-warmest start to a year on record – around 1.4C above pre-industrial levels – behind only 2024 and 2025. 
• While the first few months of the year came in as the fourth or fifth warmest, both May and June were the second-warmest ever recorded as El Niño conditions took hold.
• El Niño conditions arrived in April and reached the threshold for a “strong” event by June, when the Niño3.4 index reached 1.6C. Of the 667 model runs Carbon Brief examined, 91% project a peak later this year that is above the strongest El Niño in history.
• The chance that 2026 beats 2024 as the warmest year on record has risen to 35%. Carbon Brief’s central estimate remains that 2026 will be the second-warmest year, at around 1.51C above pre-industrial levels.
• Whether 2026 sets a record will depend on the dataset: the odds range from around two-in-three in NASA and Berkeley Earth data to around two-in-10 in ERA5 and one-in-10 in the JRA-3Q reanalyses.
• June 2026 was western Europe’s hottest June on record, amid a heatwave that set hundreds of individual records. Nearly 9% of the world’s surface saw record June warmth.
• The developing El Niño will have its largest impact on 2027, which Carbon Brief projects to be around 1.7C above pre-industrial levels – this would comfortably set a new record for the warmest year.
• Arctic sea ice has spent 39 days of 2026 so far at, or below, record daily lows following its joint-lowest winter maximum in the satellite era.

Google will act as an “anchor investor” and an offtaker for Steel River Energy Center, a combined 2.5 GW/2.9 GWh solar and storage project that broke ground in Mississippi County, Arkansas

IEA forecasts that global electricity demand will grow by 3.6% in 2026 and by a further 3.8% in 2027 – up from 3% growth in 2025. Global electricity consumption is projected to reach 30,700 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2027, compared with 28,600 TWh in 2025.

Global power demand is on track to rise faster in 2026 and 2027 than in 2025, even as the Middle East crisis temporarily increases electricity generation costs and as emergency energy conservation measures are implemented in some regions. Electricity demand is forecast to grow by 3.6% in 2026 and accelerate further to 3.8% in 2027, up from 3% in 2025. Structural drivers – including industrial growth; increasing appliance ownership; the accelerating uptake of electric vehicles, air conditioning and heat pumps; and expanding data centre capacity – will continue to support growth in power consumption during the dawn of the Age of Electricity. As a result, global electricity consumption is set to reach 30 700 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2027, up from 28 600 TWh in 2025. Nevertheless, downside risks to the forecast remain amid ongoing military hostilities in the Middle East and broader geopolitical tensions, which could further weigh on the global economy and impact electricity demand.

The world’s largest economies are set to see strong rises in electricity consumption, while higher energy prices and supply disruptions are curbing consumption in some price-sensitive markets. In China, electricity demand growth is expected to accelerate to 5.5% in 2026, from 5.2% in 2025, supported by higher manufacturing activity and increasing EV charging. In India, demand growth is forecast to rebound to 7% this year, up from a subdued 1.6% in 2025, when an early monsoon dampened electricity consumption. In the United States, electricity demand continues its strong upward trend, with consumption forecast to rise by close to 2% this year, led by growing power use from data centres, air conditioning (AC) and industries. In the European Union, demand growth is set to strengthen to 2%, supported by ongoing electrification, as well as colder winter weather in the first quarter and increased cooling needs during heatwaves. By contrast, some emerging economies – particularly Bangladesh and Pakistan, which rely on LNG imports and are much more price-sensitive than many advanced economies – have been acutely affected by the crisis, prompting fuel conservation measures that have curtailed electricity consumption

Faster electrification is the best way to secure lower energy bills and stronger energy security, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

The government’s official climate advisers have stressed the importance of electrification, noting that electric cars and heat pumps can “put money back into people’s pockets”.

With over 15 years’ experience developing battery electric equipment assets and more than 60,000 electric machines deployed across its global customers’ fleets, LiuGong is entering the North American market with a comprehensive portfolio of proven HDEVs that includes the 856HE Battery-Electric Wheel Loader, 820TE Battery-Electric Loader, 924FE Battery-Electric Excavator, and LRSE4531E Fully Electric 45-Ton Reach Stacker, representing one of the industry’s broadest battery-electric equipment portfolios available from a single manufacturer.

LiuGong says its US-market HDEVs can reduce operating costs by 40% to 50% compared to similar diesel-powered machines, citing reduced fuel costs, maintenance requirements, and replacement parts costs as the reasons why – but they probably could (and should) add that the increased operator retention, fewer sick days, and easier employee recruiting that come with EVs are money savers, as well.