In response to community concerns and police observations, the motor assist feature on Lime and Veo e-bikes in D.C. is slowing down. The city’s thousands of undocked e-bikes will have a limit on how fast they can go.
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As part of safety push, motor assist on DC e-bikes is slowing down
In response to community concerns and police observations, the motor assist feature on Lime and Veo e-bikes in D.C. is slowing down.
The city’s thousands of undocked e-bikes will have a limit on how fast they can go. Now, the boost feature on Lime e-bikes won’t be able to go faster than 18 miles per hour, the company said in a statement. The assistance on Veo e-bikes will be capped at 15 miles per hour.
The previous limit for both companies’ e-bikes was 20 miles per hour, a D.C. Department of Transportation spokesperson said.
City leaders have been considering asking the companies to make a change since the spring, the DDOT spokesperson said. They recently asked, and the companies agreed.
The switch comes in response to growing complaints about e-bike riders zipping by pedestrians on city sidewalks, which is not illegal in D.C. In some cases, e-bikes are being used by suspects in crimes to quickly get away.
“I read a lot of police reports, so I know there’s some use, or I should say misuse, of the bikes,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday at an unrelated event. “We want to make sure that all the bicycles can be available for the purpose that they are intended, and curb any misuse.”
Meanwhile, a D.C. police spokesperson said Lime e-bikes and scooters are being used by juveniles who are suspects in robberies and assaults. However, the agency doesn’t have data on how common that circumstance is.
“Anecdotally, we have some concerns about some of the shared transportation equipment being used to commit crimes,” Bowser said.
While Capital Bikeshare, or CaBi, e-bikes have a pedal assist feature, the DDOT spokesperson said data shows the maximum boost is 17 miles per hour.
In busy corridors, D.C. has put in place an 8 mile per hour boost limit. That’s in effect on U Street, in Chinatown and Navy Yard and at the Wharf, DDOT said.
“We’re all trying to, in tandem with MPD, promote good behavior on our shared fleet devices,” said Sharon Kershbaum, DDOT’s director.
Jacob Tugendrajch, a Lime spokesperson, said in a statement the company has “worked with the city to find what we hope will be an appropriate balance on speed limits and slow zones as have all micromobility operators in D.C. this year.”
Veo implemented the 15 mile per hour speed limit in late October and is “working closely with the District to meet local transportation priorities and ensure our service remains a dependable option for residents traveling to work, connecting to transit, and visiting local businesses,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
However, the Veo spokesperson said on Thursday the company found it “appropriate” to return the e-bikes’ speed to 18 mph “to maintain safe operations while meeting the needs of riders.”
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Riding e-bikes. (Photo via video from the city of Coronado)
PACIFIC BEACH – Officers from the San Diego Police Department’s Northern Division filled residents in on how they plan to address illegal use of e-bikes by youths at the Pacific Beach Town Council in October.
SDPD community relations officer Jessica Dishman introduced the Community Oriented Policing Squad team, consisting of officers Zane Peterson, Kurtis Vaughn and Dustin Welsh.
Welsh said the COPS team will be periodically working the beachfront, including the boardwalk, to engage with e-bike riders, initially emphasizing education before enforcement.
“Anything that’s powered by an electrical device we’re going to be stopping, documenting,” he said. “That way, next summer it will not be as big a problem. We can cut it off now.”
Welsh noted that SDPD is also going to be posting new signage all the way down the boardwalk and along the bays so people “can’t say we didn’t know.” He added that there is presently only one sign stating no electronic bikes are allowed, located at the foot of Grand Avenue.
E-bikes have been banned on the city’s beach boardwalks.
Also, Class 3 pedal-assisted e-bikes — which can reach speeds up to 28 mph — are illegal for youngsters to ride because of their speed and power. In California, Class 3 e-bike riders must be at least 16 years old.
Additionally, all riders must wear a helmet, regardless of age, and are subject to the same traffic laws as other vehicles.
Residents, though, were concerned about more than riding on the boardwalk. In reply to an audience member’s comment that youthful e-bike riders are more problematic on streets, Welsh replied, “We’ve started e-bike enforcement in La Jolla near schools that are no longer allowing those bikes on campus.”
Dishman pointed out that the COPS team is stretched thin, having only three officers to patrol the entire area. SDPD Northern Division serves Bay Ho, Bay Park, Clairemont Mesa East and West, La Jolla, Mission Bay Park, Mission Beach, North Clairemont, Pacific Beach, Torrey Pines and University City.
“One day [the COPS team] will focus on La Jolla, another in Mission or Pacific beaches, and everything in-between,” she said.
Dishman added that schools and parents are being enlisted to help curb illegal e-bike use.
“[Legislators are] looking into implementing some type of safety course in school that needs to take place that a parent has to sign off on,” Dishman said. “Maybe SDPD can get involved to inspect the e-bikes to make sure they’re legal because a lot of these e-bikes are modified. We want to make sure they stay within regulation.”
Asked if e-bikes that are found to be illegal, or located in spots where they’re not allowed, can be impounded, Welsh said, “They can get impounded, just like a car.”
“A lot of e-bike education is trying to educate the parents because students are just telling them, ‘My friends have one and I want one,’” Dishman added. “And parents are buying them. We’re also trying to educate parents that they’re responsible (and) can even receive a citation for this.”
When Montvale, New Jersey, Mayor Mike Ghassali saw surveillance video of a 15-year-old on an e-bike slamming into a car at high speed, he was alarmed — but not surprised.
“We get calls almost every day where these kids are on their bikes doing stunts, and that’s how they get in trouble,” Ghassali said of his community. “This is the first year now that we see an issue with e-bikes. All of a sudden, the parents are buying these really high-speed bikes.”
E-bikes, now a nearly $2 billion market, are exploding in popularity, but increased sales come with increased risks — for pedestrians and increasingly, for younger riders.
Since 2019, e-bike ER visits among children ages 10 to 17 have more than tripled, the CBS News data team found.
“The parents think they’re doing a favor. They’re making their kid happy. It’s a death trap at that speed with no training, no license, no insurance,” Ghassali said.
Craig Cornell, owner of Diamond Cycle in Montclair, New Jersey, says e-bikes now make up nearly 40% of his sales. Although some e-bikes can go 50 mph or more, he won’t sell any that go faster than 20 mph.
“They’re really not e-bikes. They’re really e-motorcycles. We are a bicycle shop here, so we sell bicycles,” Cornell said.
Nationwide, a patchwork of regulations governs e-bike safety, but New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer believes they’re not enough.
“I’m very worried about kids being safe,” Gottheimer said.
He introduced legislation that addresses “helmet use” for e-bike riders under 18 and offers grant money to police departments that crack down on “unsafe, underage riding.”
Gottheimer says his own son has an e-bike, although he was opposed at first.
“A lot of his friends are riding them. And my process was, ‘OK, let’s figure out a way, if you’re going to get an e-bike, let’s talk about what rules you have to follow,’” Gottheimer said.
Over the past few years, electric bikes have skyrocketed in popularity (conscious decision not to use the word exploded there), with some estimates saying that ebike sales in the US grew tenfold over the last decade. Whether you are in the market for your first ebike or are borrowing one from your local lending library, you might be wondering what an ebike’s class denotes.
There are three designations of ebikes in America—Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3—that are defined by a small handful of characteristics. While most ebikes have a maximum power output of 750 watts, it’s a combination of a bike’s top speed and how that speed is achieved that puts each ebike into its correct class. The three classes also determine where you can ride your ebike.
Laws vary state by state, but there is enough crossover to make some general points about how and where you can ride your ebike, depending on its class. “When it comes to ebike classes, the laws are really similar across states,” said Doug Dahl, communications lead at Target Zero, a division of the Washington Traffic Commission in Olympia, Washington.
Updated September 2025: We broadly updated this explainer.
Jump To
Class 1 Electric Bikes
Photograph: Adrienne So
Photograph: Adrienne So
Photograph: Adrienne So
Photograph: Adrienne So
Class 1 ebikes use only pedal-assist technology. In other words, a rider has to be powering the bike’s pedals for the electric motor to kick in. In some instances, Class 1 bikes also have a handlegrip-based or thumb-activated throttle. However, those can only be activated when the rider is pedaling the bike.
Additionally, Class 1 ebikes have a top speed of 20 miles per hour.
In most places, a Class 1 ebike is legal to ride just about anywhere you can ride traditional bikes (which are coming to be known as “analog bikes” or the even more annoying “acoustic bikes”), such as on greenways, bike lanes, and park paths.
Class 2 Electric Bikes
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Rad Power Bikes
RadRunner Max
In addition to pedal assist, Class 2 ebikes are equipped with throttles that a rider can operate even when they aren’t pedaling. Think of a small moped or a very, very slow motorcycle. So slow, in fact, that their top speed is legally regulated to 20 miles per hour.
Like Class 1 ebikes, Class 2 bikes are permitted just about everywhere. In other words, the only difference between Class 1 and Class 2 ebikes is a throttle that can be operated independent of the pedal-assist mechanism.
Class 3 Electric Bikes
Photograph: Parker Hall
Photograph: Parker Hall
Photograph: Parker Hall
With a top speed of 28 miles per hour, Class 3 bikes are the most powerful of all. However, given their speed, most states impose heavier restrictions on where you can ride a Class 3 ebike. Like any bicycle, riders can operate a Class 3 ebike on roads, in traffic lanes, and in road-adjacent bike lanes. However, Class 3 bikes are typically prohibited on greenways, paths, and in parks.
Some ebikes offer riders the ability to toggle between Classes 2 and 3, offering more options as to where and how you might ride your ebike.
Ebike or Electric Motorcycle?
Before going any further, let’s jump back to where I made mention of a small moped or a very, very slow motorcycle. As electric technology develops rapidly, and states and municipalities aim to keep up, there is a lot of gray area as to what is and isn’t an ebike, how those things differ from scooters, and whether or not any of them are mopeds.
An easy way to determine whether your ebike is truly an ebike, thereby requiring no additional licensing such as a motorcycle license or a driver’s license, is to note the bike’s top speed. If the machine’s electric motor is capable of speeds in excess of 28 miles per hour, it is not an ebike, regardless of what state you’re in.
An e-bike rider was killed after recently slamming into an open car door on a Queens street, police announced Saturday.
According to law enforcement sources, officers from the 102nd Precinct responded to a collision near Lefferts Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill at around 8:25 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25. An initial investigation determined that a 32-year-old man from Queens, named “Vikas,” was riding an e-bike southbound on Lefferts Boulevard when he collided with an open car door.
Police determined that a 46-year-old man, sitting in a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC, opened the driver’s side door that Vikas slammed into. Upon the horrific impact, the cyclist was thrown off the device and forcefully landed on the roadway, sustaining a head injury.
EMS immediately responded and rushed the victim to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Meanwhile, the man in the Mercedes-Benz remained at the scene.
No charges have been filed against the driver so far, but the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad is continuing its inquiry.
Police reported that e-bike collisions citywide have been increasing this year.
According to the latest traffic statistics from the NYPD, e-bike collisions throughout the boroughs are up over 30% year to date, with 540 incidents this year, compared to 414 during the same period in 2024.
The NYPD statistics reflect a significant increase since July 23, when amNewYork reported that e-bike collisions citywide are up a whopping 21.5% year to date, with 401 crashes compared to 330 during the same period last year, per the traffic data.
Meanwhile, the latest NYPD data also shows that overall collisions involving motorized two-wheeled devices (including mopeds and e-bikes) are down over 13% year to date this year compared to the same period in 2024.
Christopher Urias teaches Fany Ventura to use an e-bike at the Montbello Organizing Committee’s new Electric Bike Library. May 23, 2024.
Want the City of Denver to help you pay for an electric bicycle? Better act fast. The last Denver e-bike rebates of the year will be available at 11 a.m. on Oct. 29.
The program, so far costing the city $8.6 million since 2022, offers up to a $300 rebate on an e-bike or a $500 rebate off an e-cargo bike for all Denver residents. Income-qualified residents can get a steeper discount of $1,400.
If you’re lucky enough to get a rebate, there are 28 bike shops in Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, Colorado Springs, Wheat Ridge, Centennial and Littleton where you can shop.
For those who don’t qualify, the State of Colorado offers $450 tax credits you can access at participating bike shops year-round. You cannot use the city and state programs simultaneously.
How many e-bikes has Denver helped buy?
The program launched in April 2022. Since then 9,169 e-bike vouchers have been redeemed, according to the city’s climate office.
Of those, 46 percent are e-cargo bikes (kind of like the bike version of an SUV) and 53 percent are standard e-bikes. Less than 1 percent are adaptive e-bikes for people with disabilities.
Just under half were claimed by income-qualified participants and 113 were claimed by moderate-income participants.
The city partners with 64 community groups that help publicize the program to people who might not be able to use the online system. Those efforts have led to 571 rebate redemptions.
What about Denver e-bike rebates in 2025?
In 2025, the city anticipates spending $2 million on e-bikes. That’s roughly the same that was available this year.
Money for Denver e-bike rebates comes from the Climate Protection Fund, a sales tax voters passed in 2020. Each year the city has $40 million for all of its climate action programs, including the e-bike program, neighborhood environmental programs, solar power, energy efficiency and more.
It’s unclear what the 2025 e-bike rebate program might actually look like. After the city’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency reviews data from this year’s program, changes could be made.
“CASR went through the same process last year after the final e-bike voucher release of the year,” explained Emily Gedeon, in an email to Denverite. “We looked through survey data from riders, talked to bike shops, and reviewed other market data.”
This year’s program included a few changes compared to last year, including limiting the vouchers to e-bikes with UL-certified batteries and giving people more time to redeem the vouchers.
Do you have an e-bike? Tell us your stories about getting around at [email protected].
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A man was hospitalized after an electric bike started on fire inside an east St. Paul apartment building on Monday morning.
The St. Paul Fire Department says crews were called to the building, off East Fourth and Hancock streets in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood, at about 8 a.m. after the bike caught on fire, “filling the 3rd floor with smoke.”
Firefighters used a ladder to help rescue a man inside. Officials say three residents were evaluated at the scene, with one man taken to the hospital. His condition hasn’t been released.
What’s behind the uptick in lithium-ion battery fires?
Lithium-ion batteries — used in most electric bikes, scooters, vehicles, lawnmowers, power tools, laptops and other rechargeable gadgets — contain liquid electrolytes that burn at higher temperatures and for longer durations than electrolytes used in alkaline batteries.
CBS News reports that “unregulated aftermarket chargers” are helping to fuel the rash of battery-related fires across the country.
In a five-month span between late 2023 and early 2024, the Woodbury Fire Department says battery malfunctions were the cause of at least five house fires.
St. Paul Fire Department
The FAA says the number of battery-related fires aboard flights has also increased by more than 42% in the past several years.
The National Fire Protection Association says charging failures can cause “thermal runaway,” where an overheated cell inside a battery triggers a dangerous chain reaction. Another potential hazard, known as “off-gassing,” is when a malfunctioning battery can start to leak flammable gases inside an environment, leading to the threat of a sudden ignition.
The Woodbury Fire Department gave WCCO these battery-related safety tips earlier this year:
Read the label and know the voltage and rating.
Stop charging batteries once they’re full.
Charge devices on hard surfaces, like desks, tables or counters.
Only use the batteries that are designated for their devices, and the charging equipment that comes with them.
Stephen Swanson is a web producer at CBS Minnesota. A 21-year WCCO-TV veteran, Stephen was a floor director for a decade before moving to the newsroom, where he focuses on general assignment reporting.
Electric cargo bicycles come in two configurations. The first are front-loader bikes, also known as bakfiets or Long Johns, which suspend a cargo box between the rider and the front wheel. The other layout is a midtail or longtail, which extends the rear end of the bicycle to accommodate more bodies and gear.
Both shapes have pros and cons. I’ve found that the bigger the rider, the more likely they want a front-loader bike, which in addition to hauling kids can be used as a big bin for yard equipment, tools, and more. However, you will need a garage or storage space and a very good and reliable lock system; they’re harder to maneuver and much heavier if you have to go over curbs or rough terrain; and they don’t feel particularly stable at slower speeds.
If you’re a smaller or lighter person, you may prefer a midtail or a longtail, which maneuver more like a regular bicycle. However, the weight is suspended on the back end and higher up, which makes some people nervous about dropping it. I own a longtail; I prefer the maneuverability, but it can be annoying making sure that everything is strapped down on a rack or in a pannier. If possible, I recommend making an appointment at your local bike shop to try several models before committing.
I just had fun riding a Brompton. Actual, smile-inducing, adrenalin-fuelled fun, on a fold up bicycle. I’ve ridden many Bromptons and find them to be ingeniously portable feats of commuter engineering, but never especially fun. But here I am, careering along muddy forest paths, flying up hills and bouncing over tree roots … on a Brompton.
My grin comes courtesy of the new Brompton Electric G Line, the most radical redesign in the brand’s 50 year history. It’s still unmistakably a Brompton; it still folds to a third of its size, can be carried (just), and pushed around train stations and subways with ease. But instead of the usual asphalt-friendly, weight-saving 16-inch tires, the G Line has 20-inch cushy Schwalbe G-One tan wall tires. For all intents and purposes, it’s a big wheel folding all-terrain gravel bike.
A first-person view of the handlebars on the Brompton Electric G Line.
Photograph: Chris Haslam
The handlebars are wide, like a regular hybrid bike, and there are disc brakes (the first time on a Brompton) and a Shimano 4- or 8-speed gear system. It is available in electric and non-electric models, in Forest Green, Adventure Orange and Traildust White, both with and without rack and mudguards. There’s also a choice of small, medium and large sizes. With the standard Brompton you can choose the style and height of handlebars, and adjust the seat height accordingly, but with the G Line, the ergonomics are tweaked to offer better balance depending on your height. Just. Like. A. Regular. Bike.
Smooth Operator
I’ve been riding the Electric G Line for two weeks, and it just doesn’t handle like a Brompton. The wibble-wobble steering has gone, as has the bone-shaking ride over anything but smooth tarmac. London streets are not forgiving, but the G Line soaks up every bump with ease.
That’s only enhanced further by the 250-watt rear-mounted hub motor (15.5-mph limit), which pushes hard when needed and removes any effort on the flat. According to Brompton, the new motor was put through its paces on a 24/7 durability rig, with more than 20 motors going through a combined mileage of over 1,000,000 kilometers (62,137 miles).
I didn’t quite manage those numbers, but in real-world conditions, the motor kicks in smoothly and helps glide you along with minimal effort. There are three levels of power assistance, each impacting on the bike’s range, but for me, the mid-power option offers all the help I need, and makes for a fun ride—both on and off road.
The redesigned battery pack clips neatly into the front bracket, and offers 345 kWh of power and a range of 20–40 miles (30–60 kilometers). It ejects easily, and takes around four hours to fully charge. There’s also an app, and while it wasn’t ready for my pre-launch test, it will include over-the-air updates, power mode controls, distance tracking and battery life information.
On the Electric G Line, a nine-watt front light and one-watt rear light do a good job illuminating the road or trail ahead. There are mounting points on the elongated front set and forks for water bottle cages and packs, while the rear rack has ample space for more luggage. There’s also a range of luggage options, including generous satchels with battery storage built in. It will be interesting to see if this bike can carry enough for a bike packing or touring weekend.
Heavy Lifting
Until now, Brompton built bikes for cities. It has sold over a million since 1975, and the combination of teeny wheels and peerless folding mechanism makes them unbeatable for final-mile commuting. They also fold up small enough to be taken with you wherever you go. And they need to, because a Brompton chained up in London won’t stay chained up for long.
But the G Line isn’t designed for commuters; it’s built for trails, and while the ride off road is assured, well balanced, comfortable and stupid amounts of fun, the bike is heavier as a result. A small-frame eight-speed non-electric G Line Brompton weighs from 30.6 pounds (13.9 kilograms), which is six-and-a-half pounds (three kilos) heavier than a standard model (24.2 pounds / 11 kilograms). The standard electric model weighs from 36.6 pounds (16.6 kilograms), and the design I’ve been testing clocks in at 42.9 pounds (19.5 kilograms), including the battery.
Photograph: Chris Haslam
Photograph: Chris Haslam
That means carrying it for any length of time has the potential to be hernia-inducing, and makes the Electric G Line a chunk to carry up and down stairs. The way the folded frame is engineered means the weight is at least evenly distributed, but there’s no doubt that it’s heavy. Sensing this, Brompton has redesigned the rolling wheels to include bearings, making it significantly smoother to push (or pull) than a standard Brompton. If you are going to be taking your Electric G Line on public transport, be prepared to mix up carrying and wheeling to save your arms.
That said, for a folding electric bike, the Brompton’s weight is in line with the competition. The £2,899 Volt Lite weighs a little less (39.6 pounds / 18 kilograms with battery), as does the £1,299 ADO Air 20, although ADO does have a sensationally light Carbon model that weighs just 27.5 pounds (12.5 kilograms). None of these bikes fold as elegantly as the Brompton though, nor offer the same big bike ride experience.
A Blast to Ride
While still champions of the folding bike sector then, Brompton is playing catch up with the electric market. And while I’m not faulting the performance, the battery pack design feels something of an afterthought. I look forward to a purpose-built electric Brompton (in Titanium) when it happens though.
On first impression I thought the G Line was unacceptably bigger than a traditional Brompton. The tires are larger and wider, and the frame is chunkier, but when placed side-by-side (see photos below) there’s not really a huge amount in it—which is remarkable. I was worried about having to store the bike at home and take the G Line into an office or pub (see earlier comment about London) and while it is heavier to lift, I don’t think anyone will really notice much of a difference in small doses.
Photograph: Chris Haslam
Photograph: Chris Haslam
It is unquestionably the most capable Brompton ever built, and an absolute blast to ride, especially off-road. I’m keen to ride the lightest non-electric version too, and see if the eight-speed gearing and smaller wheels do enough for a serious gravel ride. I suspect it might, but whether it’s enough to tempt serious trail riders is another thing entirely.
Which brings us on to who precisely is the Brompton G Line for? It’s certainly a premium proposition, with pricing from £2,395 (my test version costs £3,495), but it is a Brompton, so many people won’t flinch at these prices. For comparison, the cheapest standard Brompton costs from £950, the lightest Titanium option costs from £4,250 and the flagship electric version, the P Line, costs from £3,695. So it’s in good company.
I suspect the all-terrain fun will tempt many existing fold-up riders off their tiny 16-inch wheels. There might be a compromise on weight, size and transportability, but the ride and handling is beyond comparison.
For the first time a fold-up bike has been as enjoyable to ride as a full-sized design, while still being able to fold down and fit in the trunk, or under the stairs. It’s a superb upgrade and should bring the brand to the attention of a whole new audience.
The Johnson family sets off on their e-bike after rally and victory lap for the city, celebrating success in its rebate campaign, held in parallel with the (e)Revolution e-bike trade show at the Colorado Convention Center. June 10, 2023.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Be ready — Denver’s popular e-bike rebates will once again open up to the public Tuesday at 11 a.m.
This is the fourth e-bike rebate drop of the year, with one more scheduled for October 29. So far this year, nearly 9,000 Denverites have received e-bike vouchers. The program launched in 2022, in hopes of getting Denverites to drive less.
A 2023 survey conducted by the city found that, so far, their program is working. Data showed that the average e-bike voucher redeemer has since replaced 3.4 car trips and traveled about 23 miles a week on their new e-bike.
The vouchers range from $300 to $1,400, depending on your income and what kind of e-bike you get. Vouchers must be redeemed within 90 days of receiving them.
Vouchers are first-come, first-serve and typically run out within minutes of the online portal opening. Residents can make accounts ahead of time to cut down on the time it takes to get through the process, but will need to log in at 11 a.m. to apply for the voucher.
You’ve seen the bikes around your neighborhood. They look like so much fun! You want one! But ebikes have so many different specs and price points. Here’s what I would consider, in your position.
Can I build my own bike?
Many affordable bikes now come direct-to-consumer—meaning that they are pre-tuned or partially assembled in a box. As Peter Flax recently noted in Bicycling magazine, these bikes do not get nearly the testing or vetting that bikes from a bigger manufacturer get. Unless you’re not riding much or for many miles, or are experienced with modifying your own bike, I recommend working with an established manufacturer that has a dealer network. I also do not recommend a smart ebike. As we can see with VanMoof’s recent implosion, you may have difficulty getting your smart ebike repaired if the company folds.
Why do some bikes cost more?
They have higher-end components. Batteries and motors from high-end brands like Bosch and Shimano often are more powerful and cover more distance, with a 90- or 120-mile range, as compared to the 15-20 mile ranges you’ll see on more affordable bikes. However, this may not matter if you have a short commute.
What terrain do you live on?
If you live in a flat area, you’re probably fine with a 250-watt motor, which is the European speed standard. However, if you live near hills or haul a lot of stuff, you might want to consider a 500-watt or 750-watt motor and a few extras, like hydraulic disc brakes, which will help prevent you from skidding into traffic.
I would also look for a mid-drive motor instead of a hub-drive motor. Mid-drive motors are located in the center of your bike and feel more natural. A hub drive is on your rear axle and shifts your center of gravity backward, which takes some getting used to. It can throw you off balance when you’re going up steep hills.
Follow some basic safety tips.
Not sure where to start? The biking advocacy group PeopleForBikes recently released their safety education program, E-Bike Smart, which they created in collaboration with the League of American Bicyclists and Bicycle Colorado. Do not leave your bike battery charging overnight, and do not let your children ride your bike unsupervised. An 80-pound child should not be piloting a 65-pound bike, even if the motor makes it possible for them to do so.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s inauspicious launch for applications to its e-bike rebate program remains on pause Thursday, after technical glitches forced officials to bring the entire system offline earlier this week.
Those seeking to apply for the rebate Wednesday morning found the application, which is managed by Minnesota IT Services and hosted by the Minnesota Department of Revenue, completely inaccessible.
“Despite anticipated high demand, our external vendors were unable to support the capacity needed for the launch of the e-bike rebate program,” officials explained Thursday afternoon.
The application’s developer, Turnberry Solutions, is working with the host’s service provider to troubleshoot the issues that led to Wednesday’s shutdown.
According to the state revenue department, fewer than 80 applications went through successfully upon the original launch. The department said that those applications are going to be honored, but as of Thursday afternoon, there is no timeline for the application process to reopen for new users. Officials expect to send another update on their progress “early next week,” and apologized to applicants for any inconvenience.
Some stakeholders noted the bright side of the site crashing.
“Even with more than a year to prepare, we crashed a government website. And a little point of pride — policymakers, think about what’s happening here. That’s how incredibly popular this program is,” said Michael Wojcik, executive director of Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, a nonprofit that helped get the rebate legislation passed last year.
How much is the e-bike rebate worth?
The rebate is worth 50-75% of the cost of an e-bike and qualifying accessories, up to a maximum of $1,500. Rebates will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. The state says that total rebates are limited to $2 million a year in 2024 and 2025.
The rebate is determined by an applicant’s 2023 income.
To estimate your rebate based on your income, click here.
Who is eligible for the e-bike rebate?
In order to be eligible for the rebate, a person must be at least 15 years old. They have to have lived in Minnesota for the current year and the previous year and must not have been claimed as a dependent in 2023.
For more information, including a list of approved retailers, click here.
What do you do if you live in a transportation desert?
Public transportation is slim to none. Your neighborhood doesn’t have access to ride-share bikes and scooters.
One answer: Bring in your own form of transportation.
That’s what neighborhood leaders in Montbello have done with the launch of their e-bike library and community e-van rental.
Last week, the Montbello Organizing Committee celebrated the opening of their e-bike and e-van rental program, as well as the installation of new charging stations.
A certified transportation desert, the Montbello neighborhood is in Denver’s far northeast corner — emphasis on “far.” In Montbello, there are limited ways to get around and get to the neighborhood.
Montbello Organizing Committee’s Mersi Canales (left to right), Christopher Urias and Mayra Gonzales stand in front of their new Electric Bike Library in the Montbello Community Building’s parking lot. May 23, 2024.
Meanwhile, many residents depend on limited public transportation.
“We’re secluded out here and when you don’t have a lot of options to move around, it really limits your opportunities,” said Mayra Gonzales, MOC’s chief impact officer. “We found that Montbello is really this desert for a lot of things, including electric mobility infrastructure … So, we decided that we needed to create something for ourselves.”
In 2020, the city’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency performed a Community-Based Needs Assessment in Montbello to look at the area’s mobility needs and identify any issues in increasing mobility, specifically electrified mobility solutions.
The study determined that Montbello wasn’t very accessible and didn’t have the infrastructure for electric mobility.
Fany Ventura rides around the Montbello Community Building’s parking lot as she tries out a bike from the Montbello Organizing Committee’s new Electric Bike Library. May 23, 2024.
This isn’t Montbello’s first transportation initiative
That same year, MOC and other community partners developed the Montbello Moves initiative to help address the transportation challenges.
Through the Connector, residents could call or text the service, be picked up in the neighborhood and dropped off somewhere within the neighborhood for free.
While the Connector is useful, Gonzales said the service only takes residents around Montbello. If folks need to go to work or attend an appointment outside the neighborhood, there are still few transportation options.
The Montbello Organizing Committee’s new Electric Bike Library in the Montbello Community Building’s parking lot. May 23, 2024.
“What we were finding, and something that our partners who helped us design the [Connector] program were saying is that’s awesome but we can’t leave Montbello,” Gonzales said. “We still have no options if we don’t own a vehicle.”
The idea for the e-bike library, as well as the e-van rental and the installation of charging stations, emerged through the study, the initiative and some funding.
That became one part of the transportation solution that would provide a way for folks in Montbello to get around and head outside of the neighborhood.
So, what’s an e-bike library?
It’s a fleet of e-bikes residents can rent out.
Denver currently has three e-bike locations run by Northeast Transportation Connections, a nonprofit that aims to increase mobility resources in underserved communities. Their libraries are located in Sun Valley, Globeville and Elyria-Swansea.
With the help of Transportation Connections, Gonzales said MOC was able to mold their program to their needs.
MOC’s fleet consists of 10 bikes that will be housed inside a solar-powered shipping container at the Montbello Community Building, 12000 E. 47th Ave. With the container being solar-powered, the bike batteries can charge for free.
The Montbello Organizing Committee’s new Electric Bike Library in the Montbello Community Building’s parking lot. May 23, 2024.
Residents can rent the bikes, through MOC’s website, for up to three days, as well as helmets. The bikes are Class 1 Gazelles that don’t have a throttle for safety reasons, Gonzales said. This way no one accidentally uses the throttle instead of the brakes, which on motorized bikes are typically near each other. Each bike has a ton of lights and a bell for additional safety measures.
“This is so if someone has never ridden a bike or e-bike, it’s easier to get used to,” Gonzales said. “We want to instill safe practices in everyone.”
Gonzales said there will also be a bike mechanic on-site to assist with any e-bike needs but will also be available for those who need help with their traditional bikes, such as fixing a flat or tightening their brakes.
E-bikes at the Electric Bike Library.
While the main goal of the program is to provide a new transportation method, Gonzales said the vision is to create a community hub where residents can learn more about how to bike and bike responsibly.
Gonzales said the program is in the piloting phase as MOC learns about charging and maintenance needs, along with community needs. She said eventually the program would allow people to rent the bikes for up to a month and more bikes will come online, including cargo bikes.
For now, the chargers will remain on site but will also eventually be loaned out to the renters. But the installation of new neighborhood charging stations at the ELK Education Center, 12680 Albrook Dr., will help supplement the need for charging.
And what about the e-van?
Community-based organizations will use the wheelchair-accessible van. (Capacity is 10 people, or seven if there’s a wheelchair passenger.)
Neighborhood groups can sign up for the program through MOC and use it to transport their participants.
The Montbello Organizing Committee’s new electric van, which they’re making available to local community groups. May 23, 2024.
For example, Gonzales said groups such as the Colorado Changemakers Collective have already signed up for the program and intend to use it during their summer camp field trips.
“For our community partners, when they want to take multiple people out with them, they couldn’t do it … because there’s not a vehicle for them to use for all of their members to go,” Gonzales said. “Now this is a service that they can take advantage of.”
During last week’s celebration, a few community members took a spin around the parking lot to see how the babies rode.
Maira Gallegos hopped on a bike that matched her outfit.
She said the program was great, bridging a transportation gap while also getting people outside again.
Maira Gallegos wears a helmet as she prepares to take up the Montbello Organizing Committee’s new Electric Bike Library on a short pedal. May 23, 2024.
“This really helps families get around from school, work, to the library, even to the grocery store. We really lack grocery stores as well but I think we’re getting there and it’s really positive that we’re getting this right now,” Gallegos said.
She added that as interest in the program grows, and the community continues to demand better for their neighborhood, the next steps are to improve nearby infrastructure: more street lights and bike lanes and better pedestrian crossings.
“I hope parents and community members and anyone in the area knows that you can advocate for what your children, your family and your community needs and it starts with that,” Gallegos said.
Last week, the Biden administration announced it would levy dramatic new tariffs on electric vehicles, electric vehicle batteries, and battery components imported into the United States from China. The move kicked off another round of global debate on how best to push the transportation industry toward an emissions-free future, and how global automotive manufacturers outside of China should compete with the Asian country’s well-engineered and low-cost car options.
But what is an electric vehicle exactly? China has dominated bicycle manufacturing, too; it was responsible for some 80 percent of US bicycle imports in 2021, according to one report. In cycling circles, the US’s new trade policies have raised questions about how much bicycle companies will have to pay to get Chinese-made bicycles and components into the US, and whether any new costs will get passed on to US customers.
On Wednesday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative—the US agency that creates trade policy—clarified that ebike batteries would be affected by the new policy, too.
In a written statement, Angela Perez, a spokesperson for the USTR, said that ebike batteries imported from China on their own will be subject to new tariffs of 25 percent in 2026, up from 7.5 percent.
But it’s unclear whether imported complete ebikes, as well as other cycling products including children’s bicycles and bicycle trailers, might be affected by new US trade policies. These products have technically been subject to 25 percent tariffs since the Trump administration. But US trade officials have consistently used exclusions to waive tariffs for many of those cycling products. The latest round of exclusions are set to expire at the end of this month.
Perez, the USTR spokesperson, said the future of tariff exclusions related to bicycles would be “addressed in the coming days.”
If the administration does not extend tariff exclusions for some Chinese-made bicycle products, “it will not help adoption” of ebikes, says Matt Moore, the head of policy at the bicycle advocacy group PeopleForBikes. Following the announcement of additional tariffs on Chinese products earlier this month, PeopleForBikes urged its members to contact local representatives and advocate for an extension of the tariff exclusions. The group estimates tariff exclusions have saved the bike industry more than $130 million since 2018. It’s hard to pinpoint how much this has saved bicycle buyers, but in general, Moore says, companies that pay higher “landed costs”—that is, the cost of the product to get from the factory floor to an owner’s home—raise prices to cover their margins.
The tariff tussle comes as the US is in the midst of an extended electric bicycle boom. US sales of ebikes peaked in 2022 at $903 million, up from $240 million in 2019, according to Circana’s Retail Tracking Service. Sales spiked as Americans looked for ways to get active and take advantage of the pandemic era’s empty streets. Ebike sales fell last year, but have ticked up by 4 percent since the start of 2024, according to Circana.
In the US, climate-conscious state and local governments have started to think more seriously about subsidizing electric bicycles in the way they have electric autos. States including Colorado and Hawaii give rebates to income-qualified residents. Ebike rebate programs in Denver and Connecticut were so popular among cyclists that they ran out of funding in days.
A paper published last year by researchers with the University of California, Davis, suggests these sorts of programs might work. It found that people who used local and state rebate programs to buy ebikes reported bicycling more after their purchases. Almost 40 percent of respondents said they replaced at least one weekly car trip with their ebike in the long-term—the kind of shift that could put a noticeable dent in carbon emissions.
The Seattle ebike company Rad Power Bikes has announced four new ebike models, all of which have the very important distinction of being unlikely to have their batteries suddenly burst into flames.
The company says its new Safe Shield Batteries—which come standard on all four new bikes—have been certified at UL-2271, an industry standard ranking for battery safety. That means the batteries on these models of Rad Power’s bikes won’t be nearly as susceptible to the kinds of battery fires that have been plaguing low-end ebikes and scooters and have led to injuries and nearly 20 deaths in the US.
Rad Power had 30,000 of its RadWagon 4 ebikes recalled in 2022 due to misaligned tires, an issue the company has apologized for and says it has fixed. There’s been one reported case of a Rad Power bike catching fire, but other than that the company hasn’t contributed to the wave of cheap ebike battery fires. We tend to like Rad Power’s bikes quite a bit here at WIRED, so this increase in battery safety is welcome news, especially because of the added emphasis on the whole “not exploding” thing.
The RadExpand 5 Plus is a folding bike with an electric drivetrain powered by the new battery.
Photograph: Rad Power Bikes
Rad Power’s new bikes come in a few forms. There’s its Radster commuter bike, which comes in Road and Trail models for different terrains. Both start at $1,999. The company also announced the RadExpand 5 Plus, an $1,899 folding bike, and its new iteration of the cargo-oriented RadWagon 5, which starts at $2,199.
Here’s some other consumer tech news from this week.
Ask Wendy’s Anything
Reddit is trying to make itself friendlier to marketers. This week, the company announced a new suite of tools, called Reddit Pro, that will be available to businesses for free.
Reddit Pro offers brands a variety of ways to engage with the platform’s users, in service of helping advertisers better pour themselves into every eyeball remotely possible. For instance, Reddit will offer “AI-powered insights” that the company says will sift through the site’s 17 billion posts to find relevant threads and topics that companies can then use to “join or start conversations” (aka deploying their deeply cringe marketing tactics). That means when you write a comment about, say, Wendy’s, in a thread way down on a tiny subreddit, the brand’s social media team will have an easier time finding it and spouting off some sassy brand banter in the replies.
It’s the latest move in Reddit’s slow, controversial quest for profitability (and possibly enshittification). Reddit filed to take the company public in February, which will enable it to sell stock to shareholders. The company, which has never proven profitable, is eager to make its platform more appealing to advertisers who can spend money in its forums. This is likely why Reddit has made moves like charging an exorbitant amount of money for the tools developers use to access the platform’s data, effectively killing third-party apps. This move of giving brands and advertisers an easier portal into every segment of the site is another stab at those ambitions.
Dodge This
There’s a new Dodge chargin’ onto the scene. Yes, it’s a Charger, the beefy, grotesquely fuel-inefficient muscle car that’s been roaring across roads for the better part of the past century. In 2021, Dodge announced it would ditch its gas-powered Chargers in favor of electric variants. This week, the first stage of that rollout has officially begun.
Billed—somewhat arguably—as “the world’s first and only electric muscle car,” the Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV is an absolutely juiced-up road-rage machine that’s bound to be the closest thing you can get to driving a Transformer. It boasts up to 670 horsepower and has a quoted zero-to-60 time of 3.3 seconds. The car also comes with an array of features meant to make it easier to mainline high-octane driving adrenaline. There are dedicated performance modes for rubber-burnin’ excursions like Drag, Track, Drift, and Donut modes. Another setting, called PowerShot, increases horsepower by 40 hp for 15 seconds. It’s like injecting your car with nitrous oxide but keeping it street legal.
Nikon Takes a Red Eye
Camera manufacturer Nikon announced this week that it is scooping up the cinematic camera company Red. Red’s professional digital cameras have a long reputation in cinematography circles for pushing the boundaries of what camera sensors and optics can do. They’re traditionally expensive, beefy devices aimed at professionals producing cinema-quality content. If you watch any big-budget shows or movies on network television or the streamers, you’ve surely seen something shot on Red.
This move by Nikon points to the company’s video ambitions. Nikon makes very good photography cameras but has struggled to compete with the likes of Canon when it comes to video. Buying a premium video-camera company may certainly give the brand a leg up.
Hey Google, U OK?
There’s always lots going on at Google. As one of the biggest tech firms in the world, the company often attracts a lot of scrutiny and criticism, much of it warranted. But Google’s been on a roll lately, with problems stemming from its rush to push out AI products, its recent rounds of layoffs, and internal discrimination against its own employees. All of this makes for a very chaotic time for the company, which raises the ultimate question: Is Google OK?
This week on WIRED’s Gadget Lab podcast, we talk about the online uproar about Google’s Gemini AI going “woke” and all the internal turmoil roiling the big Silicon Valley company.
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
For many people, commuting is the worst part of work. Sure, as an entrepreneur, you may not have to head into an office all the time, but you still have to go to meetings and get around town. Why suffer traffic and public transportation when you can have a better way to move about?
This holiday season, you can get a BirdBike eBike for one of the best prices you’ll ever find. Through December 17, it’s just $749.97 with free shipping, and as long as you order by December 14, it’s guaranteed to arrive by Christmas.
Made by that Bird, the ones who introduced the world to electric scooter ride-sharing, BirdBike is a precision performance bike that makes it easy to get around town, even when it’s hilly. BirdBike has a powerful 500W motor that supports a smooth ride and an instant boost to help you climb hills, reach top speed, and more. The high-performance carbon drive train and strong v-frame construction help meet the challenge of rough terrain and eliminate the need to maintain your chain like a regular bike.
BirdBike is loaded with a 36V/12.8Ah removable battery, which is more than enough to get you from home to the office and back. When you’re there, the 120db anti-theft alarm gives you some extra peace of mind, too.
User Cam writes, “I’ve been wanting an eBike forever and so happy I could get one from Bird! My favorite part is how easy it is to switch modes and all of the mode options – e-assist various levels, sport, eco, etc. The screen is also beautiful and very high-tech. I’m just under 5’2 and the v-frame fits me well.”
Now through December 17, you can get the BirdBike eBike for 67% off the regular $2,299 price at just $749.97 with free shipping — and order by December 14 for on-time holiday delivery.
Today’s happiness and personal-finance gurus have no shortage of advice for living a good life. Meditate daily. Sleep for eight hours a night. Don’t forget to save for retirement. They’re not wrong, but few of these experts will tell you one of the best ways to improve your life: Ditch your car.
A year ago, my wife and I sold one of our cars and replaced it with an e-bike. As someone who writes about climate change, I knew that I was doing something good for the planet. I knew that passenger vehicles are responsible for much of our greenhouse-gas emissions—16 percent in the U.S., to be exact—and that the pollution spewing from gas-powered cars doesn’t just heat up the planet; it could increase the risk of premature death. I also knew that electric cars were an imperfect fix: Though they’re responsible for less carbon pollution than gas cars, even when powered by today’s dirty electric grid, their supply chain is carbon intensive, and many of the materials needed to produce their batteries are, in some cases, mined via a process that brutally exploits workers and harms ecosystems and sacred Indigenous lands. An e-bike’s comparatively tiny battery means less electricity, fewer emissions, fewer resources. They are clearly better for the planet than cars of any kind.
I knew all of this. But I also viewed getting rid of my car as a sacrifice—something for the militant and reckless, something that Greenpeace volunteers did to make the world better. I live in Colorado; e-biking would mean freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer. It was the right thing to do, I thought, but it was not going to be fun.
I was very wrong. The first thing I noticed was the savings. Between car payments, insurance, maintenance, and gas, a car-centered lifestyle is expensive. According to AAA, after fuel, maintenance, insurance, taxes, and the like, owning and driving a new car in America costs $10,728 a year. My e-bike, by comparison, cost $2,000 off the rack and has near-negligible recurring charges. After factoring in maintenance and a few bucks a month in electricity costs, I estimate that we’ll save about $50,000 over the next five years by ditching our car.
The actual experience of riding to work each day over the past year has been equally surprising. Before selling our car, I worried most about riding in the cold winter months. But I quickly learned that, as the saying goes, there is no bad weather, only bad gear. I wear gloves, warm socks, a balaclava, and a ski jacket when I ride, and am almost never too cold.
Sara Hastings-Simon is a professor at the University of Calgary, where she studies low-carbon transportation systems. She’s also a native Californian who now bikes to work in a city where temperatures tend to hover around freezing from December through March. She told me that with the right equipment, she’s able to do it on all but the snowiest days—days when she wouldn’t want to be in a car, either. “Those days are honestly a mess even on the roads,” she said.
And though I, like many would-be cyclists, was worried about arriving at the office sweaty in hotter months, the e-bike solved my problem. Even when it was 90 degrees outside, I didn’t break a sweat, thanks to my bike’s pedal-assist mode. If I’m honest, sometimes I didn’t even pedal; I just used the throttle, sat back, and enjoyed my ride.
Indeed, a big part of the appeal here is in the e part of the bike: “E-bikes aren’t just a traditional bike with a motor. They are an entirely new technology,” Hastings-Simon told me. Riding them is a radically different experience from riding a normal bike, at least when it comes to the hard parts of cycling. “It’s so much easier to take a bike over a bridge or in a hilly neighborhood,” Laura Fox, the former general manager of New York City’s bike-share program, told me. “I’ve had countless people come up to me and say, ‘I never thought that I could bike to work before, and now that I have an option where you don’t have to show up sweaty, it’s possible.’” (When New York introduced e-bikes to its fleet, ridership tripled, she told me, from 500,000 to 1.5 million people.)
But biking to work wasn’t just not unpleasant—it was downright enjoyable. It made me feel happier and healthier; I arrived to work a little more buoyant for having spent the morning in fresh air rather than traffic. Study after study shows that people with longer car commutes are more likely to experience poor health outcomes and lower personal well-being—and that cyclists are the happiest commuters. One day, shortly after selling our car, I hopped on my bike after a stressful day at work and rode home down a street edged with changing fall leaves. I felt more connected to the physical environment around me than I had when I’d traveled the same route surrounded by metal and glass. I breathed in the air, my muscles relaxed, and I grinned like a giddy schoolchild.
“E-bikes are like a miracle drug,” David Zipper, a transportation expert and Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, told me. “They provide so much upside, not just for the riders, but for the people who are living around them too.”
Of course, e-bikes aren’t going to replace every car on every trip. In a country where sprawling suburbs and strip malls, not protected bike lanes, are the norm, it’s unrealistic to expect e-bikes to replace cars in the way that the Model T replaced horses. But we don’t need everyone to ride an e-bike to work to make a big dent in our carbon-pollution problem. A recent study found that if 5 percent of commuters were to switch to e-bikes as their mode of transportation, emissions would fall by 4 percent. As an individual, you don’t even need to sell your car to reduce your carbon footprint significantly. In 2021, half of all trips in the United States were less than three miles, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Making those short trips on an e-bike instead of in a car would likely save people money, cut their emissions, and improve their health and happiness.
E-bikes are such a no-brainer for individuals, and for the collective, that state and local governments are now subsidizing them. In May, I asked Will Toor, the executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, to explain the state’s rationale for a newly passed incentive that offers residents $450 to get an e-bike. He dutifully ticked through the environmental benefits and potential cost savings for low-income people. Then he surprised me: The legislation, he added, was also about “putting more joy into the world.”
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
As an entrepreneur or working professional, you probably rely on your car to get to the office and travel to important meetings. Though reliable, it’s only gotten more expensive as fuel costs fluctuate and are now at their highest prices of the year (according to AAA). And don’t forget about the environmental impact if you’re a frequent commuter.
You may be able to cut costs and reduce your carbon footprint if you bike to work instead. And that might be a lot more practical if you have an electric bike. Today only, get the BirdBike eBike for $929.97 (reg. $2,299.99) with this Labor Day savings event.
A long-range bike built for professionals and commuters.
The BirdBike eBike works just like a standard bike, but you have the added option of a power boost right at your fingertips. When climbing hills or trying to reach your destination quicker, just press the throttle on the handlebar and reach speeds up to 20 mph. With a full charge, you can travel up to 50 miles.
View current speed, traveled distance, battery life, and more with the backlit dash display. This can help you obey local traffic laws or ensure you have enough power left to go on a coffee run and make it back home safely.
A unique feature of the BirdBike is its built-in alarm system with 120 decibel sound. You could have a little more peace of mind when leaving the bike outside the office knowing it’s somewhat protected with an alarm.
Limited-time Labor Day pricing ends tonight.
The BirdBike received a 4.9 out of 5-star rating on Trustpilot for revolutionizing daily commutes and leisurely strolls. You could save on gas, help out the environment, and maybe even get some extra exercise as part of your daily routine.
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
Though it seems like everyone is working remotely, one media outlet actually predicted that just around 25% of U.S. employees would be working from home by the end of 2022. Of course, that still means three-quarters of the workforce is heading into an office.
However, there are ways to make your commute more tolerable. An eBike is a wonderful way to bring new life to your trek to work, and this is an excellent, ultra-fast choice to get you around in style. And right now, you can get this chic eBike for the best price online — $899 plus free shipping.
The BirdBike eBike is like taking the best parts of commuter, mountain, and electric-powered bikes and meshing them into one sleek, speedy package. And it was crafted by the same team of vehicle designers and engineers who first brought us electric scooters.
Hop on and press the throttle, located conveniently on the handlebar, to achieve the speed you’d like. A powerful 500W motor means some pretty fast speeds, and you can track it all on the embedded dash display that shows you the speed, distance, pedal assist mode, battery life, and more. In addition, an ant-theft alarm protects your investment, with a 120-decibel alarm sound. And it comes with a 36V/12.8Ah removable battery that you can charge up while on or off the eBike.
One customer review on the Best Buy site states, “It is a joy to ride!” And another online reviewer wrote, “The Bird A-Frame eBike is great! I have not been able to stop taking it out for a ride at least three times a week.”
SUNNYSIDE, Queens (WABC) — A huge fire broke out overnight at a Queens bike shop, and fire officials say e-bikes could have been to blame.
The Fly Wing Bike Shop in Sunnyside, now heavily damaged, was empty when flames shot out of the window just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
That fire destroyed as many as 60 e-bikes which are now a pile of charred metal outside of the shop.
The fire chief says e-bikes likely played a big role in this fire and the bikes are causing some serious issues in getting the fires across the city under control.
“E-bike fires are becoming more prevalent in the city,” said FDNY Battalion Chief Justin Zorbo. “And they are difficult to extinguish. And require numerous hazmat resources.”
The fire chief says the fire started on the first floor and extended to the second floor.
The store was closed when the fire started, which presented a real challenge for firefighters due to the number of e-bikes.
“We had a large number of e-bikes, and gasoline bikes approximately 30 were in the rear and the same number inside the store,” Zorbo said. “We used all hands-on assignment on arrival with an additional engine and additional truck, we had a three-line stretch to an operation.”
One firefighter suffered a minor injury. The fire still remains under investigation.
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