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Micah Toll

MicahToll

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.

Connect with Micah Toll

Wheel-E Podcast: Wooden e-bikes, DJI motors, new laws, more

Wheel-E Podcast by Electrek

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bikes from Esel, Specialized, and Radio Flyer, a pair of new drives from Avinox, new e-bike bills in the works, Royal Enfield’s Flying Flea motorcycle launches, and more.

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Royal Enfield reveals first electric motorcycle specs and they’re ridiculous

Royal Enfield has officially pulled the wraps off the full specifications of its first electric motorcycle, the beautifully designed Flying Flea C6, ahead of its April 10 launch in India. And while there’s a lot to like about the bike on paper, one particular number stands out so much that it almost overshadows everything else.

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Candela’s new P-12 Business electric ferry is luxury soaring just above the waves

Swedish electric boat maker Candela has just unveiled its latest vessel, the P-12 Business, and it’s aiming to do something that’s long felt overdue: make getting to your destination on the water just as enjoyable as the destination itself.

The new ferry builds on Candela’s already impressive P-12 platform, but adds a premium, business-class interior designed for high-end transport routes like resort transfers and urban commuter links. And if you’ve ever stepped off a smooth flight only to be tossed into a loud, wave-slamming speedboat to reach the last leg of your coastal adventure, you’ll immediately understand the problem Candela is trying to solve. 

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Wheel-E Podcast: New Super73s, Heybike Villain, more

Wheel-E Podcast by Electrek

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new electric bicycles from brands like Ride1Up and Heybike, plus comeback stories from Juiced Bikes and Rad Power Bikes, a look at how the answer to high gas prices might have been parked in the corner of your garage this whole time, and more.

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I took a city e-bike out extreme off-roading. Here’s what happened

I’m very much among those who believe “the correct number of e-bikes to have is N+1”. But I’m also a realist (and one who knows that happy wife equals happy life), and so I recognize that we often have to make do with the bike we have. And it was in that vein that I thought it’d be fun to take a city-focused electric bicycle on an off-road trip to see how it would handle. I wanted to show, or perhaps just prove to myself, that my everyday beater city e-bike could perform where you might think a dedicated electric mountain bike or fat tire e-bike would be a necessity.

And if I’m being completely honest with myself, I wound up in a bit over my head. But all is well that ends well, and here I am the next day, slightly sore, but still able to type it out.

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Why lawmakers are trying so hard to slap license plates on e-bikes this year

Many states across the US have spent the last several years promoting electric bikes as a climate solution. California, one of the leaders in e-bike adoption in the US, has funded rebate programs, invested in bike infrastructure, and championed e-bikes as a way to reduce car trips and cut emissions. At the same time, however, another trend has emerged: a sharp increase in youth ridership – and with it, a growing number of complaints about unsafe riding.

Now, some lawmakers in states with high e-bike usage are proposing something that would have sounded unthinkable just a few years ago: license plates for e-bikes.

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Why one tiny detail is breaking US e-bike laws (and it’s not speed)

Spend enough time in the e-bike world, and you’ll start to notice something strange: a huge amount of how we regulate micromobility comes down to one simple question – does it have pedals? That might have made sense a decade ago, but today it’s starting to look increasingly outdated.

And to be clear, this isn’t about whether having pedals is a requisite for being considered an electric bicycle. It surely is. Rather, I think the bigger question here is this: Should it even matter?

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