Micah Toll

As electric bicycles continue to grow in numbers in the US, so too have concerns over the safety of their lithium-ion battery packs. A new safety standard just passed in China may soon have a considerable impact on e-bike fire safety.

A former SONDORS employee has revealed new details regarding the Metacycle electric motorcycle sold by the now-defunct SONDORS e-bike company, describing the project as “a freight train wreck turned into a dumpster fire.”

I recently took a trip to China in order to see for myself how many of the e-bike drive systems and components we use daily in the West were originally designed and produced. And no journey to view the origins of the most popular e-bike components would be complete without a visit to Ananda, one of the largest and most advanced OEMs in the industry.

Ryvid, the Southern California-based manufacturer of the popular Ryvid Anthem electric motorcycle, has just launched its second model based on the same platform. The new Ryvid Outset, priced at just $5,995, is set to become the most affordable highway-capable electric motorcycle in the US.

At the same time, the company announced a major price drop, lowering the Ryvid Anthem to just US $6,495 after moving into a new scaled-up production facility in San Bernadino, California.

Eli Electric, the manufacturer of the popular Eli ZERO electric microcar, announced this morning the opening of reservations in the US.

Yadea, the largest e-bike and e-scooter maker in the world, recently showed off a new small-format folding e-bike at China Cycle 2024, also known as the China International Bike Fair.

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 bike models launched by Pedego, a discussion of the rising trend of potted e-bike batteries, Bosch-powered e-bikes enter Taiwan, I also entered Taiwan to test Gogoro’s new Pulse electric scooter, and I also went to China to visit Yadea’s factory for a tour and test riding. Oh, and a lot more!

It feels like e-bikes powered by Bosch’s popular mid-drive electric motors have been around in just about every market for as long as many of us can remember. But there are still major markets getting their first taste of the highly-engineered drivetrains. Bosch’s mid-drive motors are now entering Taiwan, rolling in on Tern’s Vektron and Quick Haul e-bikes.

When Gogoro rolled out its new high-performance electric scooter, the Pulse, the world got its first glimpse of an entirely new side of the company. Best known for its battery-swapping system and cute, brightly-colored scooters, the Pulse launched an edgy new look for Gogoro. But even more importantly, it also showed off an entire suite of new high-tech innovations.

And so when I received an invite to be the first Westerner to test ride the Pulse and share the experience with the world, I jumped on it. Every company seems to proclaim that their new e-scooter is like none other before, but only the Gogoro Pulse is one of the few that can truly mean it. This electric scooter marks a paradigm shift in what is possible for this form factor and with Gogoro’s swappable battery standard.

A new type of electric bicycle battery is gaining traction in the industry, potentially ushering in unprecedented levels of safety and security for riders. Get ready, because we’re quickly approaching the age of the potted e-bike battery.

Pedego, one of the earliest electric bike brands to enter the US market well over a decade ago, has announced one of its biggest new e-bike rollouts yet. The company launched three new models consisting of the Moto, Cargo, and Trike.

Gogoro, the global leader in battery-swapping for light electric vehicles like scooters and motorcycles, just can’t seem to slow down. After a week full of major news, the company is back with perhaps its biggest announcement lately: a plan for a major partnership that will see the company greatly expand the use of its swappable battery standard.

Oh, and not just for light electric vehicles anymore.

I recently took a trip to China to visit Yadea’s sprawling Anhui factory, which is just one of the company’s eight worldwide manufacturing centers. Together, they produced over 16 million electric vehicles last year, more than all of the big electric car manufacturers combined.

Since these pint-sized electric vehicles are so massively popular, I wanted to go there and try them myself and see what all the fuss was about. As it turns out, there’s a good reason why these are the best-selling little EVs in the world! And now that several of the models are coming to Europe and North America, Yadea’s lineup is looking even more interesting.

Gogoro has been on a roll lately, showing off a steady stream of new scooter models and simultaneously expanding its markets into new countries. Now, the battery-swapping electric scooter leader is adding another pin to the map: Nepal.

I recently took a trip to China, where I had the opportunity to visit one of Yadea’s several global factories used to produce a wide range of light electric vehicle models and styles. As the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, it was a chance to see how the most popular forms of EVs – namely e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric three-wheelers, are built in sophisticated factories featuring high-level quality control processes. The experience was thoroughly eye-opening, and blew my expectations away!

After recently launching its newest electric scooter, the Gogoro JEGO Smartscooter, deliveries of the hot-selling electric scooters are ready to begin. This marks a new page for Gogoro, the world’s largest battery-swapping network operator, and makes swappable battery electric scooters more affordable than ever.

It’s right there in the title. Having followed the electric bicycle industry for 15 years and running, I can pretty much guarantee you that there has never been a better time than right now to buy an e-bike. Here are the top three reasons why.

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 bike launches such as the Juiced JetCurrent Pro and Lectric XPress, Vinfast bringing its electric bike to the US market, the new Yadea Artist full-suspension lightweight electric scooter, waterproof e-bike batteries, and more.

I test a lot of electric bicycles. It’s kind of my whole thing. People tell me I test more e-bikes than anyone else on the internet, but who’s counting, right? Yet here’s the thing: most of my e-bike testing involves just riding around on e-bikes to see how well they perform.

This time though, I got the chance to try something entirely different. That’s right, I chucked an e-bike battery from the new Velotric Discover 2 into a tub full of water just for the hell of it.

E-bikes simply aren’t niche anymore. The US has awoken to the fact that electric bikes can replace cars for many around-the-town trips and even on longer commutes. But what if you need to take multiple kids to school or want to drive your family around the neighborhood without using a car? That’s where an electric rickshaw can come in handy, and the SixThreeZero EVRYjourney Electric Tricycle Rickshaw is one heck of a great way to do it.

Sure, it’s a mouthful of a name, but it works so well that I will look past that long moniker. Plus, I’m probably just going to call it a rickshaw, for short.

With Gogoro already surpassing one million swappable EV batteries in circulation, the company’s energy network has become something of a de facto standard in swappable batteries for e-motorcycles and scooters. Now, the company is announcing the next phase of its expansive GoStation network, rolling out over a dozen new 100% renewable energy-powered stations.

VinFast, the Vietnamese automaker known for its portfolio of electric vehicles, has officially introduced its VF DrgnFly electric bike to the U.S. market. It’s a move that the company says further solidifies its presence in the global push toward sustainable mobility.

In what should no longer come as a surprise to anyone, Phoenix-based Lectric Ebikes has done it again. With today’s launch of the Lectric XPress, the maker of North America’s #1 best-selling electric bike just entered yet another e-bike category with a new model designed to crush the competition.

Yadea, a global leader in electric mobility including scooters, mopeds, e-bikes, and more, has just launched two new full-suspension electric scooters. The Yadea Artist offers a lightweight, affordable ride, while the Yadea Elite Max adds more power and performance to the package.