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The G-FORCE ZM electric bike is one of those e-bikes that borrows heavily from motorcycle styling while maintaining its street-legal status as an electric bicycle. But the motorcycle influence doesn’t just run skin deep; it’s also got a powerful ride to match.

G-FORCE ZM tech specs

  • Motor: 750W geared rear hub motor
  • Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
  • Range: Claimed 60-80 miles (96-128 km)
  • Battery: 48V 20Ah (960 Wh)
  • Weight: 85 pounds (38.5 kg)
  • Max load: 400 pounds (181 kg)
  • Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes, 160mm rotors
  • Extras: 7-speed Shimano drivetrain, large color LCD display, LED headlight and tail light, half-twist throttle, removable battery, padded bench seat with space for second passenger, fenders, kickstand, mag wheels

G-FORCE ZM video review

Want to watch me take this e-bike on a series of test rides? Check out my video review below!

Rides like a small-format electric motorcycle

Everything about the G-FORCE ZM screams moto, not bike.

I’d call it a fairly true-to-form electric moped, even if it technically fits into e-bike classification.

Yes, it’s a class 3 e-bike in the US, but it rides more like a moped that has vestigial pedals there for resting your feet. You could pedal it in the event of a dead battery, but the 85 pound (38 kg) bike isn’t going to be a pleasure to pedal at anything more than around 4-5 mph (8 km/h). And lord help you if there’s even a small uphill section on your pedal ride back home.

But with the option for a 48V and 20Ah battery (or a smaller 13Ah battery if you want to save some cash), you should have plenty of range for a day trip. And since the $1,899 entry-level model with the 13Ah battery is only $100 cheaper than the 20Ah version, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to spend that extra Benjamin to get 50% more range.

g-force zm electric bike

In addition to decent range, the G-FORCE ZM is also fast and peppy with a 28 mph (45 km/h) top speed. The 750W Bafang motor is actually putting out closer to 1,300 watts of peak power, and the bike has good acceleration under my 150 pound (68 kg) load.

The dual suspension setup makes for a comfortable ride, though I don’t know how the suspension would fare under the max 400 pound (181 kg) weight rating (or if the acceleration would be nearly as peppy).

The 110mm-travel suspension fork is adjustable, but the rear suspension is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of situation. It’s fine for me and makes for a good ride, but it’s not exactly going to handle a downhill mountain bike trail. Speed bumps are a little more its pace.

Which also begs the question, why did they give the bike knobby tires? The 4″ fat tires in 20″ diameter size are great for street riding, except that the knobbies don’t give quite as much traction as I’d like on asphalt. You could theoretically go off-roading with these tires, but the suspension isn’t really designed for anything more than a shortcut across a fairly manicured grassy field. I’d have preferred to see street tires instead of all-terrain tires, but tires can of course be swapped at home or by your local bike shop.

I really like the tires that Specialized showed off on its low-cost utility bike, which feature a street-optimized center patch with knobbies on the edges for better turning off-road. That would have been a decent compromise here.

Another upgrade I would have liked to see on the G-FORCE ZM would have been larger disc rotors. The hydraulic disc brakes seem fine, but the smaller 160mm rotors are definitely going to heat up quicker when repeatedly stopping this heavy bike from higher speeds. It seems to me that 180mm rotors would have been a better choice.

The G-FORCE ZM still scores several points in my book though, even if I would have like to see some brake and tire upgrades.

The bright and colorful LCD screen is easy to read at a glance and looks much nicer than the displays we often see on similarly priced e-bikes.

The motorcycle tank-shaped battery is a neat feature that adds to the fun vibe of the bike, though I can pretty much already guarantee you that there are going to be armchair physicists in my comment section below educating us on the travesty of having that weight higher up on the frame. In practice, the rider’s center of mass, which is around 15x heavier than the battery and much higher up, is going to have way more of an effect on the bike’s handling. And for a bike that is going to spend most of its time riding straight in a bike lane or making easy 90-degree turns on city streets, the higher center of mass from that tank-battery just isn’t going to be very noticeable. So for me, I’ll enjoy the fun motorcycle-styled design.

It’s true that a lower mounted battery would technically be better. But having ridden the bike and also having ridden others with lower batteries, I can tell you that the difference is simply quite small, all things considered.

There are other nice features that often get left off these moped-style e-bikes, such as a 7-speed Shimano transmission and a USB charger built into the handlebar display. The massive LED headlight and included LED tail light make the bike plenty visible, which is important for commuter-style riding at night.

While I can nitpick about the G-FORCE ZM’s smaller brake rotors and tire choice that doesn’t quite make sense, there’s a lot more here that I like than that I don’t.

The full-suspension setup normally jacks the price up quite high, but a starting cost of just $1,899 feels reasonable for a Class 3 e-bike with dual suspension, hydraulic brakes and some nice added features.

A pair of footpegs are just about all that is missing to turn this into a pretty awesome urban cruiser, giving motorcycle vibes in an e-bike price class.

It may not have the gravitas of a SUPER73 or other big name moped-style electric bikes, but it sure offers a fun and reasonably priced ride!

g-force zm electric bike

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Tesla’s retro-futuristic diner and Supercharger is here and it looks sick

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Tesla's retro-futuristic diner and Supercharger is here and it looks sick

Tesla’s retro-futuristic diner with Superchargers and giant movie screens is ready to open, and I have to admit, it looks pretty sick.

This project has been in the works for a long time.

In 2018, Elon Musk said that Tesla planned to open an “old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in Los Angeles.” It was yet another “Is he joking?” kind of Elon Musk idea, but he wasn’t kidding.

A few months later, Tesla applied for building permits for “a restaurant and Supercharger station” at a location in Santa Monica. However, the project stalled for a long time, apparently due to local regulations.

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Nevertheless, Tesla still moved forward with a Supercharger at the location, but it had to move the diner project to Hollywood. In 2022, Tesla filed the construction plans with the city, giving us the first look at what the automaker intends to build.

In 2023, the automaker broke ground on the site of the diner.

7 years after being originally announced, the project appears now ready to open:

Musk said that he ate at the diner last night and claimed that it is “one of the coolest spots in LA.” He didn’t say when it will open, but Tesla vehicles have been spotted at Supercharger and people appear to be testing the dinning experience inside.

A Tesla Optimus Robot can be seen inside the diner on a test rack. It looks like Tesla might use one for some tasks inside the diner.

Earlier this year, Tesla integrated the diner into its mobile app – hinting at some interaction through the app – possibly ordering from it.

Electrek’s Take

I think it looks pretty cool. I am a fan of the design and concept.

However, considering the state of the Tesla community, I don’t think I’d like the vibes. That said, it looks like Tesla isn’t prominently pushing its branding on the diner.

You can come and charge there, but it looks like Tesla is also aiming to get a wider clientele just for dining.

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Westinghouse plans to build 10 large nuclear reactors in U.S., interim CEO tells Trump

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Westinghouse plans to build 10 large nuclear reactors in U.S., interim CEO tells Trump

Plant Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant in Waynesboro, GA, August 15, 2024.

Van Applegate | CNBC

Westinghouse plans to build 10 large nuclear reactors in the U.S. with construction to begin by 2030, interim CEO Dan Sumner told President Donald Trump at a roundtable in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Westinghouse’s big AP1000 reactor generates enough electricity to power more than 750,000 homes, according to the company. Building 10 of these reactors would drive $75 billion of economic value across the U.S. and $6 billion in Pennsylvania, Sumner said.

The Westinghouse executive laid out the plan to Trump during a conference on energy and artificial intelligence at Carnegie Mellon University. Technology, energy and financial executives announced more than $90 billion of investment in data centers and power infrastructure at the conference, according to the office of Sen. Dave McCormick, who organized the event.

Trump issued four executive orders in May that aim to quadruple nuclear power in the U.S. by 2050. The president called for the U.S. to have 10 nuclear plants under construction by 2050. He ordered a “wholesale revision” of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rules and guidelines.

The U.S. has built only two new nuclear reactors over the past 30 years, both of which were Westinghouse AP1000s at Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia. The project notoriously came in $18 billion over budget and seven years behind schedule, contributing to the bankruptcy of Westinghouse.

The industry stalwart emerged from bankruptcy in 2018 and us now owned by Canadian uranium miner Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.

Westinghouse announced a partnership with Google on Tuesday to use AI tools to make the construction of AP1000s an “efficient, repeatable process,” according to the company.

Catch up on the latest energy news from CNBC Pro:

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Hyundai’s electric minivan sheds its camo: Check out the new Staria EV

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Hyundai's electric minivan sheds its camo: Check out the new Staria EV

Hyundai’s electric minivan is finally out in the open. The Staria EV was caught without camo near Hyundai’s R&D center in Korea, giving us a closer look at the electric minivan undisguised.

Hyundai’s electric minivan drops camo ahead of debut

The Staria arrived in 2021 as the successor to the Starex, Hyundai’s multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). Although the Staria has received several updates throughout the years, 2026 will be its biggest by far.

Hyundai will launch the Staria EV, its first electric minivan. Like the current model, the 2026 Staria will be available in several different configurations, including cargo, passenger, and even a camper version.

We’ve seen the Staria EV out in public a few times already. Last month, we got a glimpse of it while driving on public roads in Korea.

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Despite the camouflage, new EV-like design elements were visible, including updated LED headlights and a full-length light bar. Although it’s still unclear, the electric version appears to be roughly the same size as the current Staria from the side, but slightly wider from the front.

New images posted on the South Korean forum Clien reveal a test car, expected to be Hyundai’s Staria electric minivan, without camo.

Like most Hyundai test cars, the prototype has a black front and a grey body. It still features a similar look to other prototypes we’ve seen, but you can clearly see the new facelift.

Earlier this year, a Staria EV was spotted in a parking lot in Korea, featuring a similar look. The electric version is nearly identical to the Staria Lounge, but with an added charge port and closed-off grille.

The Hyundai Staria EV is expected to make its global debut later this year. Technical details have yet to be revealed, but it’s expected to feature either a 76 kWh or 84 kWh battery, providing a range of around 350 km (217 miles) to 400 km (249 miles).

Hyundai's-first-electric-minivan
Hyundai Staria Lounge (Source: Hyundai)

Hyundai’s electric SUV arrives after Kia introduced its first electric van, the PV5, which launched in Europe and Korea earlier this year.

In Europe, the Kia Passenger PV5 model is available with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh and 71.2 kWh, providing WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo version has a WLTP range of 181 miles or 247 miles.

Source: TheKoreanCarBlog, Clien

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