Micah Toll

In a confusing announcement, eBay has unveiled new plans to ban the sale of electric bicycles by certain users on its platform in the UK. However, the criteria for eligibility and plan specifics both remain unclear.

As Hurricane Milton heads towards Florida’s Gulf Coast threatening a lethal combination of high winds, storm surge, and heavy downpouring rain, here’s a reminder of what to do if you own an electric bike and expect to be in the path of a powerful hurricane.

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 updates from Bosch’s new line of motors and batteries, new e-bikes from brands like Urban Arrow and Engwe, an analysis of a reduction of e-bike fire deaths in NYC, and more.

If you’ve been following the news on electric bicycle fires in the US, you’ll already know that New York City is widely seen as the epicenter, often catching headlines for battery fires. The city hosts more electric scooters and e-bikes than ever before, and yet this year is seeing a drastic drop in fatalities caused by battery fires.

Beam Global, a company that builds sustainable infrastructure solutions for the transportation industry, today unveiled a new off-grid charging platform designed to provide secure charging for up to 12 electric bicycles.

Last week, we reported on news of Gogoro’s founder and CEO, Horace Luke, resigning amid accusations of subsidy fraud by the company in its domestic market of Taiwan. Now we’ve learned that the Taiwanese government has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support the claims of fraud in an investigation relating to an earlier case of misidentified non-domestic components.

Urban Arrow, a major player in the premium electric cargo bike market, has unveiled its newly updated Family Line of eCargo bikes featuring the Bosch Smart System. The cargo bike company, known for its practical and family-friendly front loader design, aims to provide a powerful, sustainable alternative to cars with this launch, targeting families who want to embrace urban mobility with a premium ride.

Bosch has long been a leader in the premium electric bicycle drivetrain market and now looks to further build on its strong foundation with the launch of several new products. Electric mountain bikes (eMTBs), which are a staple of Bosch’s e-bike prowess, are likely to benefit most from the new motor and larger battery options.

I’ve always enjoyed electric watersports devices, and have a long history with everything from electric surfboards to electric boats. But it’s the category of electric sea scooters that likely offers the most accessiblity to the average person, providing fast and fun water excitement without the larger upfront cost and complexity of larger vessels. The Sublue Vapor is the latest in a string of electric sea scooters I’ve tested over the years, and it’s the fanciest one yet.

Which would you rather have, a fast-charging e-bike or one with 217 miles (350 km) of range? With the new Engwe LE20 electric cargo bike, apparently you can have both.

There’s no real beating around the bush here; the Rattan Pinus is one borrowed vowel away from the king of all middle-school humor. But trying to put that aside for just a few moments, the bike itself is actually a really fun ride and pretty darn decent, too. It’s definitely far from a premium-level e-bike, but it’s interesting as a modest budget option!

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 Ride1Up, new e-scooters from NIU, Ted Cruz’s war against safer e-bike batteries, Talaria MX5 fire, Gogoro’s CEO resigning, and more.

Depending on where you live in the US, electrical outages can be anything from a rare occurrence to near certainty. While some only last a few minutes or hours, longer ones can end up spoiling everything in your fridge and lead to an uncomfortable day or two with no air-conditioning or fans. Backup by BioLite is a new home backup battery launched by electronics company BioLite that makes it easy to install your own redundancy before the next storm or power outage.

The Aventura-X EV29 has much of the feel-good charm that comes along with nostalgic Vespa rides, yet without any of the exhaust noise, smell of gasoline, or oily rag on your workbench. I spent a few enjoyable weeks riding this fun little runabout and felt almost like I was cheating, getting the fun vibes without paying the normal entry price of muss and fuss that goes with classic ICE scooters.

Bosch-powered electric bikes rarely get to share the same sentence as the word “low cost,” but Gazelle has a history of bringing quality Dutch-made mid-drive e-bikes to US customers at reasonable prices. The brands’ latest launches in the US keep that legacy alive, delivering new 2024 versions of the Gazelle Medio T9, Medio T9 City, and Ultimate C8.

Horace Luke, the founder and CEO of the world’s leading electric vehicle battery-swapping company Gogoro, just announced his resignation. The move comes during a period of growing financial losses for the company and follows accusations of potential subsidy fraud in its domestic market of Taiwan.

BYD is no stranger to seated electric scooters, having already joined a partnership leveraging its batteries for Singapore-based Scorpio’s high-performance electric scooters. But the carmaker might be interested in producing its own electric motorbikes in house, as revealed by new patent drawings.

Velotric continues to impress me with each new launch, and the Velotric Fold 1 has no plans to ruin that streak. Having spent some solid saddle time with the bike now, I can tell you that this is one of the best electric folders out there right now for e-bike shoppers on a budget.

The Ride1Up Roadster has long been a masterclass in lightweight, efficient e-bike design, offering extremely high bang for your buck in the minimalist electric bike space. Now the company has returned with the latest edition of the popular e-bike, launching the Ride1Up Roadster V3 for an impressive US $1,295.

Candela can’t stop setting or breaking records with its high-tech hydrofoil electric boats. The latest record takes advantage of the vessel’s DC Fast Charging capabilities and ultra-efficient design to quickly cruise between Sweden and Finland.

Electric scooter industry giant NIU is back with another pair of new electric standing scooters just in time for college students headed back to school. The NIU KQi 100P and KQi 100F are laser-focused on portability and affordability, dropping the power level to create compact and budget-priced commuting tools.

When it comes to greening up our transportation systems and reducing the massive carbon footprint left by our daily commutes, there’s a much better solution than trying to get everyone into an electric car. Encouraging increased cycling, whether on electric bikes or good old-fashioned acoustic bikes, has the biggest impact on reduced emissions and the health and well-being of our society. But with safety at the top of the list of concerns for those switching to a two-wheeled commute, more studies are showing that the best way to protect cyclists at the most dangerous point on their rides is to simply let them blow through stop signs in what is commonly known as an “Idaho stop”.

Xtracycle’s reputation precedes it in the bicycling industry, with over two decades of building cargo bikes that ride and feel more like a traditional bicycle. Long known for premium builds, the brand’s line of cargo electric bikes has also carried premium prices. At least until the launch of the new Xtracycle Hopper today, which ushers in not only a new compact format but also a much more attractive price.

It’s a widely held opinion that improving safety in lithium-ion batteries used for electric bikes and e-scooters is generally considered to be a good thing. And yet you may be surprised at why Texas senator Ted Cruz is obstructing a bipartisan bill to improve battery safety in the US. Believe it or not, it largely comes down to a strange culture war over gas stoves.