Micah Toll

JackRabbit has made a name for itself by doing things differently in the e-bike world, and now the company is taking that same unconventional approach into cargo territory. This week, the San Diego-based micromobility brand unveiled the new MG Cargo, an ultra-lightweight cargo e-bike that aims to deliver serious hauling capability without the size and weight penalty that typically comes with the category.

A billion-dollar valuation is a headline that’s hard to ignore. And when it’s attached to a new e-bike brand spun out of a company like Rivian, it’s even harder not to get swept up in the excitement.

But zoom out for a moment, and a more complicated picture starts to emerge.

As electric bicycles continue to grow in popularity and grab headlines, regulatory debates are heating up. More states are clamping down on how and where e-bikes can be ridden, and even what constitutes an e-bike.

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 Segway’s new cargo bikes, pedal-by-wire drive systems, semi-solid-state batteries for electric bicycles, more laws on the way, Yozma IN10 review, and more.

A new e-bike drive system in development is aiming to do something pretty radical: get rid of the mechanical connection between your pedals and the rear wheel entirely and replace it with a copper wire. Or more accurately, a few copper wires.

Segway has announced a milestone that might be easy to gloss over at first glance, but that actually says a lot about where micromobility is headed: the company has now sold more than 1 million units of its Ninebot E2 series electric scooters worldwide. 

A new bill in Minnesota is taking aim at one of the fastest-growing gray areas in micromobility: high-powered electric two-wheelers that blur the line between e-bikes and motorcycles.

Electric boats have been steadily gaining traction, but a new pilot project in Norway is making a pretty compelling case that they could do more than just clean up waterways – they might actually replace expensive infrastructure projects altogether.

Late last year, I had the chance to check out the world’s first semi-solid-state batteries designed for electric bicycles. At EICMA 2025, I visited T&D, an electric mobility company that was spun out of e-bike component maker Bafang (and founded by the same co-founder of Bafang, Sunny He). There I saw the first production-destined semi-solid-state e-bike batteries.

At the time, it was a big secret which company would be the first to put them into e-bikes and get those new batteries on the road. But now we’ve finally learned who will claim the title: Giant.

Cargo e-bikes have quickly become one of the most practical segments of the electric bicycle world, offering car-replacing utility at a fraction of the cost of owning and operating a vehicle. But while they’re cheaper than cars, they’re still not exactly cheap.

Most decent cargo e-bikes tend to start around $1,500 and can easily climb past $4,000 or more, especially when including higher end components, larger batteries, and from brand names known for longer-lasting bikes. So with cargo e-bikes nearly always costing well into the four digits, an unassuming entrant from Buzz Bikes now seems particularly eye-catching, with the company touting its affordable Beekeeper cargo e-bike at a shockingly low price of just US $799.

Segway is expanding its footprint in the electric bike space with the launch of its new MUXI e-bike, a model that blends urban utility with a design that feels more akin to a light electric motorcycle than a traditional bicycle.

There’s a strange pattern emerging in Western coverage of Royal Enfield’s upcoming electric motorcycle, the Flying Flea C6. And if you’ve been following the story closely, it’s getting harder to ignore.

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.

Royal Enfield has officially launched its first electric motorcycle, the Flying Flea C6, marking a major milestone for one of the world’s most iconic motorcycle brands as it steps into the electric era.

There are plenty of e-bikes that focus on performance. Plenty that focus on tech. And plenty that lean into affordability.

But every now and then, a bike comes along that feels more like a piece of art than a machine.

Avinox is back with its next-generation e-bike drive systems, and if the numbers are anything to go by, the company is definitely targeting the higher performance end of the market.

Norway is doubling down on electric maritime transport in a big way, placing an order for 20 of Candela’s P-12 electric hydrofoil ferries in what’s being described as the largest deployment of its kind to date.

A newly introduced California bill could quietly reshape how passengers are carried on bicycles and e-bikes – and in the process, potentially outlaw one of the most popular features on many modern electric bikes.

In a rare bit of good news for the e-bike industry, manufacturers, importers, and advocacy groups have successfully fought off a potentially painful round of new tariffs on bicycles and e-bikes in the US.

Specialized has unveiled its latest generation of urban electric bikes with the all-new Vado 3 and Vado 3 EVO, bringing a surprising amount of high-performance DNA from its trail-dominating electric mountain bikes into a more practical, everyday package.

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.

Radio Flyer is back with another electric bike, and this time the iconic American brand is taking aim at one of the biggest barriers in the cargo e-bike space: intimidation.

Electric scooters aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of front-line military equipment. But in Ukraine, a unique class of rugged, high-powered electric scooters is quietly carving out a role in modern warfare.

Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is setting its sights on a major new frontier: India’s massive two-wheeler market. After already laying groundwork for its electric car business in the country, the company is now preparing to launch a lineup of electric scooters as part of a broader push into India’s fast-growing EV sector.