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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! New e-bikes from Rad, Yamaha and Ducati, Gogoro’s solid state batteries, Polaris electric ATVs & more

Whee-E Podcast

This week on Electrek’s new Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This week that includes a new partnership between SUPER73 and Indian Motorcycle, new e-bike models from Rad Power Bikes, Yamaha and Ducati, Polaris testing new electric ATVs, Gogoro unveiled a solid state swappable battery for EVs, and lots more…

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Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week: A DIY build-your-own electric car kit!

Most of the weird electric vehicles I find each week on Alibaba for this column are fun to imagine driving, but they box you into a single odd product. Maybe you get an electric horseless carriage, or an electric backyard train, or an electric house-on-wheels. But there’s not much creativity in that, now is there?

So instead, this week I think it’s time to let our creative side out to explore just what is possible when we remove the shackles of fully completed vehicular design, and instead embark on our own custom electric car creations using China’s very own electric car skateboard platform.

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Polaris shows off test vehicles for electric ATVs, RZR side-by-side, and even electric snowmobile

Polaris isn’t simply paying lip service when it talks about the future of electrification in powersports. The Minnesota-based leader in powersports vehicles has already unveiled its first next-gen electric UTV and now has shown off several test vehicles for electric Polaris ATVs, side-by-sides, and snowmobiles.

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Tesla Cyberquad for Kids sells out in less than a day (again) after the electric ATV briefly restocked

Even though you can’t buy an actual Tesla Cyberquad yet, your kids can already get a half-sized version. Or at least they could have if they were quick, since Tesla and Radio Flyer’s co-developed Cyberquad for Kids only briefly returned to being in stock before immediately selling out again.

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Yadea KS5 Pro electric scooter review: China’s biggest electric scooter manufacturer nails it

yadea ks5 pro electric scooter

The Yadea KS5 Pro electric scooter isn’t some low-performance, toss-it-after-a-month-type of electric scooter. The largest electric scooter company in China made sure to pack it full of performance, features, and value. I spent several weeks testing the KS5 Pro electric scooter, as well as also trying out Yadea’s smaller KS3 scooter, and I’d definitely recommend them both.

Here’s why.

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Leading Canadian electric scooter company Apollo teases all-new City model ahead of big release

Canadian electric scooter company Apollo is hyping the upcoming launch of the brand’s redesigned Apollo City electric scooter. As the name implies, the scooter is designed for urban commuters, but the latest version is expected to have some big updates.

And with thousands of happy customers in the US, Canada, and beyond from the company’s existing scooters, Apollo has a lot to live up to with this upcoming launch.

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Ampler releases two new sleek-looking urban e-bikes that you’d never know are electric

ampler juna electric bike

Stylish urban electric bicycle company Ampler has just unveiled two all-new city e-bike models that offer both work and play options for urban riders. The new Ampler Juna is a relaxed comfort bike for cruising the city, while the new Ampler Axel offers a sportier, more responsive ride that is more likely to strike a chord with daily city commuters.

Both bikes are pretty darn sleek looking, featuring hidden batteries and controls to offer a stealthy appearance.

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Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week: A tiger bus perfect for the Tiger King

There’s no shortage of weird, funky, or wild electric vehicles on the Chinese shopping platform Alibaba. I’ve found some real doozies for past entries in this weekly column. But this week’s feature of an electric bus is particularly far-flung. A tiger-molded electric bus might prompt some to ask “Why….?”

But for me, the answer is simple. “Why not?!”

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Massive power outage in Taiwan sends gas stations offline, but Gogoro’s electric scooter battery stations powered themselves

Gogoro-q2-earnings-GoStation 3

In a fascinating real-world test of Gogoro’s electric scooter battery swap stations’ ability to run completely off-grid, the GoStations managed to remain operational even though a massive power outage in Taiwan yesterday shuttered gas stations and other key infrastructure.

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Yamaha reveals fresh-looking new design for an electric moped, plus new e-bikes and scooters

We knew that Yamaha was going to have a big unveiling coming up soon as part of the brand’s new “Switch ON” campaign to showcase its electric vehicle, but we were surprised by the number of vehicles that Yamaha ultimately rolled on stage. With six new electric two-wheelers to show off, Yamaha made a splash and underscored its commitment to light electric vehicles ranging from electric bicycles to electric scooters in the 50cc to 125cc equivalent class.

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The EMOVE Roadrunner is a hilariously over-powered little 35 mph seated electric scooter

The EMOVE Roadrunner from Voromotors seems like what an engineer would design for a seated electric scooter if they didn’t have to follow any rules. It’s basically two wheels strapped to a battery, and it goes faster than it probably should. It’s small. It’s powerful. It’s probably dangerous in the wrong hands.

In other words, it’s perfect.

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Remember that shiny, ankle-smashing Razor scooter from the 2000s? It’s back for adults, and now it’s electric!

razor icon

Twenty years ago, Razor released that iconic aluminum kick scooter that all the cool kids in the neighborhood had and that I didn’t (which I’m not bitter about at all). For anyone who wants to relive those glory days of youthful scooting gone by, but perhaps wants it to be a bit faster and safer and less childlike, the new Razor Icon is right up your alley.

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