Micah Toll

Regular readers of my Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column will know that I usually dig around Chinese shopping sites to find the wackiest and coolest little EVs in the world. That’s resulted in finding everything from electric submarines to mini electric Jeeps. But this time, I’d say that today’s vehicles are less weird and more awesome, especially if you’ve been looking for your own electric-powered construction equipment for your property or work site. These little electric mini loaders could be the perfect size for hobby farms and small ranches. And they’re pretty darn affordable too!

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has a plan to replace a narrow, winding highway leading to a popular ski area with an 8-mile-long (13 km) electric gondola ride. The move would make the site accessible via public transportation, removing the need to clog the highway with cars, cut down on traffic accidents, and decrease emissions in the canyon.

The CEO of Rad Power Bikes, the leading electric bicycle company in North America, just sent out a mass email committing to changes that it says will strengthen the company’s focus on safety, reliability, and customer service.

Razor is no latecomer to the micromobility world, having produced awesome scooters for over two decades now. Following on the heels of reviewing the brand’s fun-loving and nostalgic Razor Icon electric scooter, I’ve now gotten a chance to try my hand (and rear end) at a two-person seated electric scooter known as the Razor EcoSmart Cargo.

Newport Beach, California-based Electric Bike Company has just announced a big upgrade option to two of its slick cruiser e-bike models. The Model A and Model X now both come with the option for a torque sensor for their pedal assist operation.

Only a couple years ago, electric bicycle manufacturers couldn’t keep e-bikes on the shelves as they were being snatched up faster than they could be produced. But while some e-bike companies have managed to keep up a steady cash flow and balanced operations, others have run into financial difficulties. For European e-bike maker VanMoof, those difficulties turned into a dire situation just a few months ago.

If you thought fat tires were already wide enough, then think again. Himiway’s newest fat tires are still packing a little holiday weight, and the company is not ashamed. Now it’s showing it off on its latest electric bikes.

As much fun as e-bikes are for getting around the city, I love taking them off-road and onto trails. That’s where fat tires really come alive, and the Denago Fat Tire Step-Thru electric bike showcases just what I love about e-bikes with big honkin’ tires.

It’s true that prices for many leading full-size electric cars have dropped slightly in the last few months. But even a $50,000 Tesla is still much harder to afford than an electric micro-car that can cost a quarter of the price. Those smaller electric tiny cars, NEVs, and LSVs also come with big advantages over their full-size cousins, saving more than just cash.

California is set to join a number of other cities and states in the US by offering rebates and tax credits for electric bicycles. California’s Electric Bicycle Incentives Project has been over a year in the making, and we recently saw new updates to the planned rebates.

If you’ve been wanting to learn how to ride a flying electric surfboard but have been put off by what looks like a steep learning curve, then you’ll want to check out Awake’s new VINGA 3 electric hydrofoil board. The company just launched the eFoil board as a beginner-friendly platform for newcomers to the sport.

It’s not everyday that the odd little EVs I find for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week are so cool that I’m tempted to buy them myself. But this week it’s going to be hard to pass up on this three-seater electric pedicab that you can own for a song!

It’s not that we haven’t seen our fair share of some weirdly named e-bikes before, but there’s something confusing about an electric bike named after an engine. I know that technically motors and engines can be the same thing, but it still feels weird to associate engines with e-bikes in American English. I’ll give Engwe a pass on the confusing and barely pronounceable name for the Engwe Engine Pro electric bike for the sole reason that it’s actually quite a good deal when you consider the performance to dollar ratio here.

Juiced Bikes is back with a new edition of its highest-performance electric bike yet – the HyperScrambler 2. This time, the company’s founder, Tora Harris, has reworked the aesthetics of the bike in a limited edition run to create the Founder’s Edition HyperScrambler 2.

[Update: The Founders Edition HyperScrambler 2 has just launched for pre-order on Juiced’s site. The quantity is limited to 150 bikes and they will begin shipping in March of this year.]

Arcimoto was once the darling of the electric vehicle startup world, riding a green wave of EV investments to a $1 billion valuation in 2021. But the Eugene, Oregon-based electric automaker has since experienced a slow and arduous fall from grace. After multiple bumps in the road, a potential sinkhole may have opened in front of the company in the form of looming bankruptcy.

The Ride1Up Revv1 e-bike was just unveiled this morning, rolling out in all of its moped-style electric bike glory. And in doing so, the new e-bike proved once again that Ride1Up is not content to rest on its laurels in the commuter e-bike category, but rather is serious about expanding its reputation for building high-value e-bikes in other market segments as well.

Aventon significantly expanded its market reach when the company rolled out its first Aventure e-bike in 2021. Now the brand has updated the hot-selling e-bike with key upgrades. And of course we made sure to get an early look at the bike to tell you exactly how it looks, feels, and rides. Check out my complete review of the Aventon Aventure.2 below.

Gogoro, the Taiwanese-based battery swapping and energy storage leader, has just announced a massive expansion in India to create the “world’s largest sustainability-focused portable energy system to date”.

Candela and Polestar announced a partnership in August of last year that would see automotive-grade EV batteries hit the seas in long-range electric boats. Now that day has come as the two Swedish companies show off the fruits of their partnership with the new Candela C-8 “Powered by Polestar”.

If you thought electric bikes were just for commuting to work or cruising the local beach path, think again. High-end electric bikes that combine electric motors with quality bike components result in some high-flying eMTBs that can safely and repeatedly catch big air. And the latest example comes to us by way of Canadian e-bike company Biktrix’s updated Monte Capro line.

You’ll want to see the big air this e-bike can catch when ridden by a capable jumper.

Harley-Davidson was one of the first major motorcycle manufacturers to add electric motorcycles to its lineup last decade. It should come as no surprise then that the company’s CEO Jochen Zeitz is already saying that the brand’s future will be 100% electric.

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 bikes from the consumer electronics brand RCA, a new electric trike from Lectric eBikes, Honda revealed its E-Cub for the Chinese market, a high power hubless wheel electric motorcycle, low-cost electric boats with a Mercury electric outboard motor and lots more.

It would give a whole new meaning to the term “small business” if you became the owner and operator of a towing company using this electric tow truck. That’s because, despite getting with the times and swapping in an electric drivetrain, this tow truck is a bit on the diminutive side, though there’s a good reason for that — mostly because it’s built for children.

But it’s just too awesome for me to pass up wanting to take my own ride in it! So fortunately for all of us, this little electric tow truck has won a highly coveted prize that it didn’t even know it was in the running for: a spot as this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week.

Lectric eBikes, the Phoenix-based electric bike maker that is known for its ultralow prices, has done it again with a new budget-friendly e-bike. This time the company rolled out an electric tricycle known as the Lectric XP Trike at far below the going market rates. But how did they do it, and what makes their e-trike so affordable? Let’s check it out.