AYRO Vanish utility LSV unveiled as one of the most affordable US-assembled electric trucks yet
The AYRO Vanish utility LSV has just been unveiled, launching the company’s new roadmap of electric Low Speed Vehicles assembled in the US.
LSVs, or Low Speed Vehicles, are a federally recognized class of vehicles that fall into a regulatory class somewhere between motorcycles and cars.
Similar to L6e or L7e quadricycles in Europe, LSVs in the US are four-wheeled car-like vehicles that aren’t technically cars. Instead, they exist in their own distinct class of vehicles with fewer safety and manufacturing regulations than highway-capable cars.
They still require basic safety equipment like DOT-compliant seatbelts, backup cameras, mirrors and lighting, but aren’t required to feature expensive and complicated equipment like airbags or meet crash safety requirements.
That safety trade-off allows them to be produced in lower volumes and for lower prices. With full-size electric trucks from US-based manufacturers such as Ford, GM, and Rivian all raising prices recently, the pint-sized AYRO Vanish electric mini-truck could be a breath of fresh air.
LSVs in the US are permitted to operate on public roads with posted speed limits of up to 35 mph (56 km/h), but are themselves limited to a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h).
Thus, the AYRO Vanish may not be a speedster, but it still packs in some serious utility.
The electric mini-truck has a highly adaptable bed to support both light-duty and heavy-duty operations. It has a maximum payload capacity of 1,200 pounds (544 kg) in the LSV variant, though the company indicated that a non-LSV variant will have a higher payload capacity of 1,800 pounds (816 kg).
An estimated range of 50 miles (80 km) certainly won’t compare to a new Rivian or Ford F-150 Lightning, but the AYRO Vanish is designed for more local operations where 50 miles of range is likely plenty. Think job site utility or local deliveries, not cross-country drives.
When it comes time for a recharge, the electric mini-truck can use either a conventional 120V or 240V wall outlet, or can be configured for a J1772 charger like those used in most public charge stations.
At just under 13 feet long (3.94 meters), the AYRO Vanish is around two-thirds of the length and width of a Ford F-150 Lightning. The company says it can even drive through double doors when the side mirrors are removed.
The development process for the Vanish included the filing of two new design patents, multiple underlying seminal patents in sustainability, four U.S. utility patents, and two additional U.S. utility patent applications.
The vehicle is assembled in AYRO’s Texas facility using a combination of mostly North American and European components.
As AYRO’s CEO Tom Wittenschlaeger explained in a statement provided to Electrek:
We designed the AYRO Vanish from the ground up. From concept to production to implementation, we wanted to make sure every detail was considered. Also, the vehicle is primarily sourced from North America and Europe, with vehicle final assembly and integration in our Round Rock, Texas facility, thus eliminating concerns regarding rising costs of trans-Pacific shipping, shipping times, import duties and quality.
The company described the ideal applications for the AYRO Vanish as industries where conventional pickup trucks are too large, yet a golf cart or UTV may be too small. Areas such as universities, corporate and medical campuses, hotels and resorts, golf courses, stadiums, and marinas could all be ideal applications, as well as for use as an urban delivery vehicle.
In crowded cities where the speed of traffic rarely surpasses 25 mph (40 km/h), the AYRO Vanish would fit right in while offering a zero-emission alternative to conventional delivery vehicles.
As Wittenschlaeger continued:
Our goal at AYRO is to redefine the nature of sustainability. We at AYRO, working in concert with our customers, are working toward a future where our solutions move beyond just limiting carbon emissions. As we developed the AYRO Vanish, and our future product roadmap, we’re considering tire tread, fuel cells, toxic fluids, discordant sound and even harsh visuals in our designs. It’s everything – sustainability isn’t just a destination, it’s a constantly evolving journey.
LSVs are a small but growing industry in the US. Vehicles like the GEM neighborhood electric vehicle often seen at hotels, resorts, and airports are some of the most visible. Several Asian varieties that aren’t street legal have started entering the US in limited numbers. I even imported my own electric mini-truck from China at a fraction of the cost of what most US-based importers of Chinese electric mini-trucks charge.
The AYRO Vanish is expected to start at around US $25,000, putting it well above the cost of less capable golf carts, and closer in line to the cost of US-built electric UTVs. That’s equivalent to a $25,000 Polaris RANGER XP Kinetic UTV and less than a $26,500 GEM utility vehicle when outfitted with lithium-ion batteries (though the GEM utility vehicle starts at closer to $17,00 with lead acid batteries).
Compared to the only other street-legal electric mini-truck in the US with somewhat steady inventory, the Pickman electric mini-truck, the AYRO Vanish is around 25% more expensive. It’s local assembly and US/European parts could help make up for its $5,000 premium over the $20,000 lithium-ion version of the Pickman truck.
AYRO’s pricing may still be a bit pricey for most private consumers, though the price pales in comparison to highway-capable full-size electric trucks. It is more likely though that the AYRO Vanish will attract commercial customers instead of private drivers. Optional rear cargo configurations including food boxes, flat beds, utility beds with three-sided tailgates, and van boxes for secure storage all point to potential commercial applications for the vehicle.
For those that are ready to sign on the dotted line, pre-orders are expected to begin soon.
As AYRO’s Senior VP of Strategic Business Development Scott Bruce explained:
Our first test vehicles will roll out later this year. We will also begin accepting pre-orders early next year followed by a ramp up to production in the first quarter of 2023.
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Dado Ruvic | Reuters
Perplexity is extending its bet on chat-powered shopping, aiming to stand out in the crowded generative artificial intelligence market against OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
The company said on Wednesday that it’s partnering with PayPal to let users make purchases directly in chat. U.S. customers will soon be able to book travel, buy products, and secure concert tickets without leaving the platform.
Payments will be completed in the chat with PayPal or Venmo, and PayPal will handle processing, shipping, tracking, and invoicing. Purchases will be completed with one click, with the help of the payment company’s passkey checkout.
“Perplexity wants to be wherever users are asking questions and making decisions,” said Ryan Foutty, Perplexity’s vice president of business. “Our vision for assistive AI is that everything just gets better and easier for people — wherever they are and however they prefer to make decisions.”
Perplexity jumped into e-commerce last year, adding a shopping feature for paid U.S. users and integrating with sellers using services like Shopify. Now Perplexity is allowing users to complete transactions within a chat, a feature that OpenAI’s ChatGPT has yet to roll out.
PayPal is competing for AI deals against companies including Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard.
PayPal technology chief Srini Venkatesan said PayPal’s system can directly connect to the merchants, handling payments, shipping, and billing information without requiring users to re-enter details. The company also manages support.
“The next generation of commerce is happening on the agentic side. People are starting to research and shop online through agents,” Venkatesan said, referring to AI-driven systems that can complete tasks without human intervention. “Agentic commerce is not only the searching but making it all the way to the purchase — paying for it and then buying it from that merchant. So that’s what PayPal has been leading, and we’ve been trying to get the agentic commerce piece right.”
Venkatesan said PayPal’s edge in this space comes from its ability to securely verify both buyers and sellers. PayPal authenticates users through their wallet and automatically fills in billing and shipping information, aiming to reduce friction.
“We provide the trust that the business is legitimate on one side, and then the customer is legitimate on the other side,” he said.
The partnership comes as Perplexity is finalizing a $500 million funding round at a $14 billion valuation, down from an initial target of $18 billion.
The use of AI-driven chat services for buying decisions has jumped 42% in the past year, according to Salesforce data, based on 1.6 trillion page views on its platform. Global sales influenced by AI climbed to $229 billion between November and December, up from $199 billion during the same period a year earlier.
ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s AI Overviews have climbed ahead in search, building powerful real-time results and AI-enhanced answers. OpenAI launched its ChatGPT search feature last year, positioning it to compete directly with Perplexity, while Google’s AI Overviews brought real-time insights to search.
WATCH: Perplexity CEO on AI race
More than 1 in 4 cars sold around the world in 2025 are expected to be EVs, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). And if EVs stay on track, they could make up over 40% of global car sales by 2030.
The IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2025 report, released today, shows the electric car market is still charging ahead, even with some bumps in the road. Despite economic pressures on the auto sector, EV sales hit a record 17 million in 2024, pushing their global market share past 20% for the first time. That momentum carried into early 2025, with EV sales jumping 35% in Q1 year-over-year. All major markets saw record-breaking Q1 numbers.
China continues to lead the EV race by a wide margin. Nearly half the cars sold there in 2024 were electric. That’s over 11 million EVs – more than the entire world sold just two years earlier. EV adoption is also booming in emerging markets across Asia and Latin America, where sales shot up by more than 60% last year.
In the US, EV sales grew about 10% year over year, with electric vehicles now making up over 10% of all new car sales. Meanwhile, Europe’s EV sales hit a plateau. As government incentives started to taper off, the continent’s market share held steady at around 20%.
“Our data shows that, despite significant uncertainties, electric cars remain on a strong growth trajectory globally,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “Sales continue to set new records, with major implications for the international auto industry.”
One of the main drivers is lower prices. The average cost of a battery electric car dropped in 2024, thanks to increased competition and falling battery prices. In China, two-thirds of EVs sold last year were cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts, and that’s without subsidies. But in markets like the US and Germany, EVs are still pricier up front: around 30% more in the US, and 20% more in Germany.
Still, EVs win when it comes to operating costs. Even if oil drops to $40 per barrel, it’s still about half as expensive to charge and run an EV at home in Europe than to drive a gas car.
The report also notes the growing role of Chinese EV exports. About 20% of all EVs sold globally last year were imported. China, which produces over 70% of the world’s EVs, exported 1.25 million of them in 2024. These exports have helped push down prices in emerging markets.
And it’s not just electric cars that are on the rise. Electric truck sales jumped 80% globally last year, now making up nearly 2% of the truck market. Most of that growth came from China, where some heavy-duty electric trucks are already cheaper to run than diesel, even if the upfront cost is higher.
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Global research firm Rho Motion has shared its monthly global EV sales report for April, which details continued long-term growth. While global EV sales are down compared to March 2025, the year-over-year tally remains strong, despite uncertainty amid the threat of tariffs and trade wars.
Since merging with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence last June, Rho Motion has become one of the go-to platforms for data surrounding critical mineral and energy transition supply chains. Its monthly updates on market intelligence, including prices and sales data, are must-see research every time they’re published.
This month’s report is no different.
In March 2025, we reported that EV sales worldwide had surged to 1.7 million units, bringing the total to 4.1 million units for Q1. March marked a 40% increase compared to February 2025, and a 29% increase year-over-year.
For April 2025, Global EV sales stumbled slightly compared to the prior month, but held steady in YoY growth.
April global EV sales fall MoM but rise YoY
According to Rho Motion’s latest report, global EV sales for April 2025 were 1.5 million units, bringing the year-to-date tally to 5.6 million NEVs (BEVs, PHEVs, and LDVs). April sales fell 12% compared to March 2025, but matched the previous month’s year-over-year growth at 29%.
Here’s how those 2025 global EV sales breakdown by region, compared to January to April 2024:
- Global: 5.6 million, +29%
- China: 3.3 million, +35%
- Europe: 1.2 million, +25%
- North America: 0.6 million, +5%
- Rest of World: 0.5 million, +37%
As has been the case with every Rho Motion report we cover, China continues to lead the world in EV adoption despite sales dropping 9% month-over-month. Having recently visited the Shanghai Auto Show alongside some OEM visits in Hangzhou, I can see why adoption is moving more quickly. The number of available makes and models at affordable prices is incredible, and the technology you get for your money is downright staggering.
Even amongst ongoing talks of tariffs between global superpowers, including EV powerhouse China, EV sales continue to grow. Per Rho Motion data manager, Charles Lester:
Ongoing tariff negotiations are dominating talk in the electric vehicle industry but quietly, domestic manufacturers in China and the EU continue to perform well and grow market share. The EU is certainly the success story for EV sales in 2025 so far, with emissions targets lighting a fire under the industry to accelerate the switch to electric, they have grown the market by a quarter in the first third of the year. In China, that year on year sales increase is even greater at 35%, spurred on by the vehicle trade in scheme.
Europe, whose adoption numbers stumbled in 2024, has seen steady growth in EV adoption in 2025, landing second to China in sales growth last month (a 25% increase). This increase has been fueled by the increasing number of BEV and PHEV imports to the region from China from brands like BYD, ZEEKR, NIO, and XPeng.
North American sales have only grown by 5% in 2025, with Mexico leading the pack. The rest of the global EV market saw a 37% increase in sales, but those numbers only accounted for about half a million units.
Next time anyone tells you EV adoption is slowing down, you can just send them this data, because it is quite the contrary. Global EV sales continued to grow in April, and that trend should continue through 2025 and beyond.
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