Record-breaking EV milestones, the hidden dangers of fossil fuel crime, and a real-world test of what happens when a country bans new gas cars. In China, Nio pulled off an astonishing 175,000 battery swaps in a single day during the Lunar New Year travel rush — about two swaps every second — with drivers in and out in three to five minutes. It's a massive stress test that shows how battery swapping could compete with, or even outperform, traditional refueling for convenience and scale.

• Support The Clean Energy Show on Patreon for exciting perks including a monthly bonus podcast, early access to our content, behind the scenes looks, access to our members-only Discord community and thank-yous in the credits of videos and shoutouts on our podcast! Starting at just $1 per month!

We also examine how fuel theft in Mexico has evolved from small-time pipeline tapping into a billion-dollar criminal enterprise. Cartels now make enormous profits stealing oil and gas, and the consequences can be deadly. The 2019 pipeline explosion in Tlahuelilpan, which killed at least 137 people, remains one of the most tragic examples of how dangerous this underground economy can be. What began decades ago as localized "Robin Hood" style fuel theft has grown into an industrialized operation that in some regions rivals drug trafficking in profitability.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia's 2024 ban on new combustion car sales is turning out to be less dramatic than critics predicted — and more effective. The move was driven largely by economics, as the country had been spending billions annually on refined fuel imports. With major hydropower expansion, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia now has excess clean electricity, growing EV adoption, and dramatically lower monthly fueling costs for drivers.

Plus, South Dakota approves its largest wind farm yet, Waymo surpasses 200 million autonomous miles, France sets a new fusion runtime record, Tesla tops a French reliability study, and a pilot project proves portable solar panels can charge an EV in the sub-Arctic.

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A sixth-anniversary edition packed with clean energy wins, grid chaos, and a few absurd tech headlines. Brian and James start with a major electrification milestone: heat pumps outsold gas furnaces in the U.S. again in 2025, making it two years in a row. Even more telling, in September, heat pumps shipped more than central air conditioners for the first time.

The show then turns to Cuba, where aging oil-fired plants, failing infrastructure, and fuel shortages have led to frequent grid collapses and daily blackouts lasting over 20 hours. But Cuba also hit a solar milestone, generating over 800 MW at midday on Feb. 10, 2026, after adding more than 1 GW of solar in 2025.

In Australia, extreme heat is colliding with prepaid electricity meters, forcing families to top up power in advance or face automatic shutoffs. The episode also highlights solar-powered refrigerated semi-trailers that completed a brutal 1,600 km route with zero diesel burned.

The Lightning Round includes BYD passing Ford, geothermal investment surging, Waymo paying DoorDash to close robotaxi doors, and a drone charged by laser from a mile away.

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Why Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show included a very real reference to the fragility of Puerto Rico's power grid, and what that says about outages, inequality, and the island's long fight for energy reliability. We also cover Japan restarting the world's largest nuclear power plant, and why nuclear is suddenly back in the conversation as countries chase carbon neutrality. In Canada, the federal government is officially bringing back EV rebates, with $2.3B in funding over five years, new eligibility rules, and a $50,000 price cap that leads to some… interesting conversations about who actually benefits. Plus: Australia's grid batteries are exploding in size, battery costs keep falling, and we look at what the last 10 years of EV growth tells us about what the next decade could look like. After the Lightning Round, climate lawyer Glenn Wright joins via letter with an update on coal litigation in Saskatchewan, the backlash facing local communities fighting coal, and a petition that needs signatures before the spring session.

Japan nuclear restart (Power Magazine):
https://www.powermag.com/japan-restarts-unit-at-worlds-largest-nuclear-power-plant/

Glenn Wright / SES press release:
https://environmentalsociety.ca/press-releases/2026/press-release-ses-and-co-applicants-file-notice-of-appeal/

Read about Bad Bunny and the Peurto Rican power grid in depth on Mother Jones.

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Kiké Dueck, a twelve-year-old climate activist from Canada who is already making waves in the fight for a sustainable future, sits down with James. Kiké shares what inspired them to take action at such a young age, the challenges of being a youth voice in a world dominated by adults, and the creative ways young people can make a difference. From school strikes to community organizing, to suing your government, Kiké proves that no one is too young to speak up for the planet.

We also discuss the role of education, how family and friends react to activism, and Kiké's vision for a cleaner, more just world. Their passion and determination are a reminder that the next generation isn't waiting for change—they're creating it.

Listen in for an inspiring conversation full of honesty, courage, and hope for the future.

Topics:

• Saskatchewan Bill 137, pronouns in schools
• Suing the Saskatchewan SaskParty Government - TikTok
• CBC feature: Kiké's Climate strike

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India is electrifying its economy faster than China did at a similar stage of development — and doing it with far fewer fossil fuels. We break down why access to cheap solar and EVs is changing the growth path for emerging economies.

Also this week: a major court ruling in the Netherlands gives the government 18 months to create a legally binding plan to reach net-zero by 2050, after a case brought by residents of Bonaire.

Plus: new research suggests solar panels can recover from UV damage, and we look at why humanoid robots may become a major driver of solid-state battery innovation.

Brian is now convinced Telsa robotaxies are ready to drive the snowy roads of Canada.

UN tax proposal for fossil fuel firms and climate damage
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/01/fossil-fuel-firms-may-have-to-pay-for-climate-damage-under-proposed-un-tax

Wildfire smoke reduced solar output (PV Magazine)
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/01/23/aerosol-divide-in-2025-brings-clearer-skies-to-china-and-smoke-to-europe/

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Big Oil gets caught trying to inhibit EVs and renwables. What starts as a climate investigation turns into allegations of a decades-long antitrust conspiracy to block renewables and electric vehicles — and Michigan's lawsuit could have massive implications for the energy transition. James may need the show's defibrillator.

We also head to Newfoundland, where a hydroelectric dam froze for the first time since the 1960s, forcing generators offline and triggering power conservation across multiple cities during severe winter storms. It's a rare reminder that climate change doesn't just mean warming — it means volatility.

The growing backlash against fat-tire e-bikes in Amsterdam, where safety concerns and ER visits are rising fast

This week's rage includes SaskPower doing their best to prevent EV adoption, grid demand fees, misinformation about EV bus fires, and Ford's alleged lobbying around Trump-era climate rollbacks.

On the brighter side, new satellite data confirms EVs are already delivering cleaner air in California, with measurable drops in nitrogen dioxide linked directly to zero-emission vehicle adoption.

Links mentioned:

BYD suspension video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlNpTLie-aw

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Support The Clean Energy Show

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Store

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Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.

Canada's upcoming allowance of lower-cost Chinese EVs and the politics swirling around it, to real-world winter EV performance, portable batteries quietly saving businesses money, and New Jersey's controversial new e-bike law, this episode blends practical advice, myth-busting, and clean-energy reality checks. Plus, we answer some surprisingly common EV questions from a medical professional, including why putting a wind turbine on a moving car definitely won't work.

A Brooklyn bagel shop using portable batteries to slash demand charges. Answering EV myths: wind turbines on cars, coal-powered grids, battery lifespan, and charging time and what first-time EV buyers should actually know before going electric

Links & sources mentioned:

• Canary Media on Brooklyn bagel shop batteries:
  https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/brooklyn-bagel-shop-plug-in-batteries

• Global solar generation expected to grow 50% in the next two years

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Solar panels could deliver nearly twice today's energy by 2050, according to new research projecting efficiencies above 35%. This week on The Clean Energy Show, James and Brian break down what that means for global solar power, costs, land use, and long-term reliability.

• Support The Clean Energy Show on Patreon for exciting perks including a monthly bonus podcast, early access to our content, behind the scenes looks, access to our members-only Discord community and thank-yous in the credits of videos and shoutouts on our podcast! Starting at just $1 per month!

They also unpack talks between China and the European Union to replace steep EV tariffs with a minimum pricing system, and whether that actually changes anything for electric vehicle buyers. Plus, grid-scale battery storage in the UK continues to surge after back-to-back years of massive growth.

The show also looks at how climate change is cracking homes in London, as extreme heat shrinks clay soils and destabilizes foundations, and reacts to reports of giant airborne wind turbines now flying in China, generating power thousands of feet above the ground.

Topics include:
• Solar panel efficiency above 35% by 2050
• China–EU EV tariff negotiations
• UK grid battery storage boom
• Climate change–driven subsidence in London
• Airborne wind turbines and high-altitude energy
• Sodium-ion batteries, EV market growth, robotaxis, and more

Contact Us

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Support The Clean Energy Show

Join the Clean Club on our Patreon Page to receive perks for supporting the podcast and our planet!

Our PayPal Donate Page offers one-time or regular donations.

Store

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Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.