Micah Toll is an e-bike industry expert, personal electric vehicle enthusiast, battery nerd, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling books DIY Lithium Batteries, DIY Solar Power, The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide and The Electric Bike Manifesto.
The e-bikes that make up Micah’s current daily drivers are the $999 Lectric XP4, the $1,295 Ride1Up Roadster V3, and the $3,299 Priority Current. But it’s a pretty evolving list these days.
You can send Micah tips at Micah@electrek.co, or find him on Twitter, Instagram or TikTok.
Specialized has just released the latest edition to its Turbo e-bike lineup, the Specialized Turbo Vado SL. With “SL” standing for Super Light, this is also one of the lightest e-bikes in Specialized’s lineup, weighing in at as little as 33 lb (14.9 kg).
And while some of Specialized’s lightweight e-bikes have carried heavy price tags, the new Specialized Turbo Vado SL is surprisingly light on the wallet, too.
New Zealand-based rugged electric utility bike company UBCO has expanded its push across Europe after finding success in the Australasia region as well as the US. And as part of the expansion, UBCO isn’t just preparing to increase its product line, it’s also increasing its leadership team as well.
After other leading electric bicycle component suppliers introduced larger batteries last year, Shimano is following their lead with its own set of higher-capacity e-bike batteries.
The Swytch Kit is an e-bike conversion kit that markets itself as ultra-lightweight and easy to use. Most people are likely to find use for the Swytch electric bicycle conversion kit in standard commuting scenarios. That’s how I originally intended to use it.
But I wanted to try putting it through a bit more of a grueling test by taking it off the beaten path, and so I found somewhere the road stopped and the adventure began.
Gazelle doesn’t just make Dutch-style e-bikes, they make actual Dutch e-bikes. As in, they’re built in Holland. And the company’s latest release today of the Gazelle Medeo T9 brings that Dutch heritage to North American riders with a comfort bike designed for both city commuting and recreational trail riding.
If you had to imagine the toughest possible market conditions for the already tentative electric motorcycle industry, having your operations ceased because your country was leading Europe in a global pandemic might be near the top. But somehow that has barely phased Energica, who is now touting impressive sales numbers not just in Europe, but in the US as well.
Electrek has been following the story of the Verge TS electric motorcycle since 2018, when it was just a single rough prototype of a wild new electric motorcycle. Now the Finnish company Verge Motorcycles is showing off their TS electric motorcycle in its final form ahead of anticipated production. And it is rocking the most eye-catching motor we’ve ever seen on an electric motorcycle, which is saying something.
At this time two years ago, shared electric scooters that riders could rent by the minute were the hottest new thing in the world of personal electric transportation. Companies like Lime and Bird saw their valuations balloon north of $1 billion.
But the picture isn’t nearly as rosy anymore, with smaller electric scooter sharing companies shutting down, and larger companies facing significant devaluation.
When we first covered the high-power Delfast TopCop electric bicycle, the company was still pitching its bikes to various police departments around the world. Now we’re hearing some of the first feedback from actual cops who have incorporated the e-bikes into their daily service.
Many electric bicycle and scooter companies have announced discounts for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now Rad Power Bikes, the largest e-bike company in the US, is offering a big $200 discount to a wide range of people who serve their communities.
[October 2020 update: Unfortunately it was discovered that a large number of people who did not qualify for these discounts were abusing the system to take advantage of Rad Power Bikes’ generosity. For that reason, the company has been forced to close the discount offer. The remainder of this article is being left for documentation, but the original discounts for teachers, military, medical services and first responders are no longer available.]
Amazon is great for so many things. But can you get a decent electric bicycle for an ultra-budget price? That’s exactly what I set out to discover when I ordered the Nakto 26″ Cargo Electric Bike.
It’s not really a cargo bike, at least not in the stretched out utility way you’re probably used to. But hey, it includes a front basket and rear rack, plus lights and fenders, all for the cool price of $599. How bad could it be?
Two months ago, NIU announced the European launch of its newest performance-oriented electric scooter, the NIU NQi GTS Sport. Now Americans are set to get their hands on the new electric scooter as NIU prepares for its US launch.
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Boosted was a key leader in the premium electric skateboard market before the company’s untimely demise two months ago. As it tuns out, Boosted was apparently working on much larger projects, including a pair of electric bicycles known as the Boosted Bullet and P2.
Despite concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic would significantly delay rollout of CAKE’s new electric motorcycle platform, the Swedish company has just announced that deliveries of the CAKE Ösa have commenced in the US.
As government-imposed lockdowns spread around the US in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses have been suffering. With people stuck at home and tightening their purse strings, many feared that the hardship would be acutely felt by the scores of electric bicycle companies that have popped up over the last few years.
But as it turns out, the opposite is true. In fact, sales of electric bicycles appear to have exploded recently.
Earlier this year we reported that Suzuki was finally in the process of bringing an electric two-wheeler to market. We pined the fact that it was intended to be a seated electric scooter instead of a full electric motorcycle, but were withholding judgment until we could see the final Suzuki electric scooter.
While we don’t yet have a look at the production prototype, we’ve got the next best thing: Patent image leaks that give us insight into the design.
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It’s no secret that Harley-Davidson has been in a tough financial spot for the last few years. And the figures from Harley-Davidson’s first-quarter earning’s call indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t made the picture any rosier.
But after H-D’s acting CEO Jochen Zeitz laid out the company’s cash preservation plan and profitability strategy to deal with the effects of the global financial downturn, which included reaffirming the company’s commitment to electric motorcycles, the company’s stock price has been on a tear.
Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer Energica had been on a roll before the coronavirus pandemic ravaged Italy and forced nationwide lockdowns. Now Energica is starting up the factory again after certain businesses have received government allowances to resume operations.
The San Diego-based e-bike company Ride1Up has just announced two new models of electric bicycles. The new Ride1Up Core-5 returns a sub-$1k e-bike to the company’s lineup, while the Ride1Up LMT’D offers the highest torque e-bike yet from Ride1Up.
I have frequently written about the benefits of electric motorcycles and how they can play a large role in saving our cities from pollution and congestion. But as beneficial as they are, there are two major factors holding back large scale electric motorcycle adoption: high sticker prices and a general fear/skittishness of motorcycles. That’s why I believe that smaller, urban electric motorcycles like the CSC City Slicker are such an interesting part of the market. They offer the approachability of an electric bicycle or scooter but with high enough speed and power to actually serve as a true city/suburban commuter vehicle.
Oh yea, and they’re ridiculously affordable.
Gogoro is a Taiwanese-based electric scooter and battery manufacturer that has gobbled up market share while competing against traditional gas-powered scooters in its home market. Fans of the company’s electric scooters and novel battery swap technology have long pined for Gogoro to enter the US and Europe. And now Gogoro has announced plans to enter the US market in May under the brand name Eeyo, followed by a European entry later this summer.
But there’s a catch.
Boosted was known as the leader in premium electric skateboards, and even expanded into high-end (and high-power) electric scooters. Thus, news of the company’s bankruptcy and demise came as a shock to their large customer base and to many in the industry.
But now in a strange twist to the Boosted saga, one man has wound up with essentially all of Boosted’s remaining electric skateboard and replacement parts inventory. And he wants to keep the good times rolling.
Xiaomi’s Youpin crowdfunding platform has been used to launch a number of affordable electric bicycles over the last few years. And with each new model, the bikes seem to become increasingly attention-grabbing. Take for example the new Himo Z16 electric bicycle just unveiled for $352.
The Juiced Scorpion has been one of the most highly anticipated electric moped-style bikes of the season. And while the standard Juiced Scorpion has already begun making deliveries, the higher-powered HyperScorpion has eluded pre-order holders for now.