🍰 Cake's Autonomous ATV
Plus, Formula E...scooters, driverless tourism trikes, and extra-wide bike lanes for wheelies.
🌍 Micromobility World is coming on January 19th. Join some of micromobility’s best and brightest minds, including Kara Swisher, Gabe Klein, and Bhavish Aggarwal, at our largest virtual summit yet. Plus, tune in to find out the winners of the Rider’s Choice Awards live. Tickets are free for a short time (happy holidays!), so register now.
PS Today is your last chance to vote in the Rider’s Choice Awards before the Semi Finals! Vote now to boost your candidates’ odds of advancing to the next round.
What You Need to Know This Week
Start your engines… Formula E, the electric car racing championship, is joining forces with U.K. retailer Zinc Sports and diving into the micromobility game head first. The duo just dropped the E GZ1 Series, a 15.5 mph electric scooter with 13 miles of range, and announced plans to release two more electric scooters, three ebikes, and an analog scooter in the next 12 months.
Belgium’s Cowboy has launched refurbished ebike sales, and in doing so, become the first ebike company to earn B corp status.
Cake’s latest EV concept is not an adrenaline-pumping dirtbike, as you might expect from the Swedish motorcycle brand, but it is meant for dirty work. The Kibb is a semi-autonomous, carbon-free ATV designed for light-duty agricultural use, where it can supplement human and machine labor by performing basic farm tasks. Although Cake has done projects that bring together environmental stewardship and professional utility in the past (see the Ösa AP, a near-silent ebike meant to quietly track poachers in Africa), its all-terrain bikes are more closely associated with thrill-seeking and fun. In fact, this cute little robot is the first time Cake has dabbled in AVs or four-wheelers at all.
Yamaha’s first commuter electric moped, the E01, still isn’t available for purchase, but real-world testing in Japan suggests the 125cc two-wheeler may be ready to release soon.
Bosch is calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to take a more active stance in regulating ebike batteries and electronics to reduce the risk of fires.
A new U.S. manufacturer, Land Energy, has burst onto the e-moto scene with not one but two electric motorcycles. The District Street and District Scrambler both feature portable battery packs, name-brand components, and accessible prices.
Chinese motorcycle manufacturer CFMoto is coming to Europe and bringing the Papio Nova electric mini-bike with it.
Spanish bike brand BH may be over a hundred years old, but it is not afraid to innovate. For the commuter-oriented Core Cross, the company bypassed suppliers like Bosch and Shimano and developed its own lightweight, low-speed ebike system.
Oakland built an extra-wide bike lane so people could do wheelies right down the middle of the street (super cool), but then neglected to do basic upkeep on it (super lame).
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In a micromobility first, UBCO is now the official ebike partner of the Portland Trail Blazers. The company, whose bikes are geared toward adventuring, off-roading, and yes, trail-blazing, says the NBA collaboration will include giveaways, limited-edition bikes, and even a Blaze the Trail Cat mascot.
Even the motorheads at Jalopnik agree: ebikes (specifically the RadRunner 2 ebike) are the “most civilized way to travel around town.”
Your next vacation might feature a driverless tour ride in a trike. Arcimoto, maker of the electric three-wheeled FUV, is working with Faction and GoCars Tours to produce 310 FUVs that can be booked by travelers for self-driving, GPS-guided city tours.
Meet the Eysing Pf40, a retro-mod electric moped from Italian car design firm Pininfarina.
The Razor Icon electric scooter is fun, intuitive, and built like a tank. “Your mileage may (literally) vary, based on where you live and what you may need a tiny two-wheeled Cadillac for.”
Why the next generation of micro cars (including golf carts, NEVs, autocycles, quadricycles, and more) is going to upend urban mobility.
Guides
🏔 The Best Electric Mountain Bikes You Can Buy Now: Electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) open up a whole new world of off-road exploration, allowing you to travel long distances and tackle steep terrain more easily. Here is what you need know to find the right one for you.
🪶 The Best Electric Bikes for Portability: While old-fashioned bikes weigh less than their battery-powered brethren, that doesn’t mean all ebikes are back-breakers. Here are some great ebikes to choose from if you are concerned about portability.
🎒 SWAG: What would riding be without the accessories? Check out Ride Review for reviews of all the latest and greatest helmets, bike lights, locks, bags, child seats, and more.
Reviews
The Ripracer from Juiced Bikes is an electric bike built for speed. It has a maximum speed of 28 mph and a range of up to 55 miles, making it an excellent choice for commuters or anyone who wants to get around quickly. The bike has a powerful motor, battery, and front and rear suspension to make the ride smoother. It's also got hydraulic disc brakes for quick-stopping power.
The retro-looking Thousand Chapter MIPS helmet is the perfect way to make a statement on the road. With its unique dial-tightening system, you can be sure your helmet will stay snugly in place. It’s also equipped with MIPS technology to provide enhanced protection during accidents.
Electric skateboards have been growing in popularity in recent years, as people search for new and innovative ways to get around. Starting at only $299, the Blitzart Huracane is one of the more affordable electric longboards on the market.
Just why is the Yamaha E01, which you call an electric moped, described as “125 cc”?
CC’s are a measure of volume, usually the displacement of an internal combustion engine. Please explain its use in an electric vehicle.
Appreciate the round-up of news. One gentle suggestion: Avoid use of the word "lame" as a negative adjective. Unnecessary ableism.