It’s a tale as old as time, humans finding ways to boost the speed of their rides. Cars get chipped. Motorcycles get aftermarket sprockets. Hell, back in the day horses probably got fed ‘the good carrots’. Now one of the latest forms of speed hacking has targeted electric bikes, and Amazon is getting raked over the coals for helping provide the goods to illegally hotrod those e-bikes.
The issue of modifying e-bikes for extra speed is most commonly found in Europe, where strict electric bike laws limit electric bicycles to a sluggish 25 km/h (15.5 mph).
Considering that even an out-of-shape cyclist can surpass that speed on a rusty old Schwinn, some European e-bikers are understandably eager to find workarounds for more speed.
To get around this low software-limited top speed of electric bicycles in Europe, a cottage industry of e-bike speed hacking kits have emerged.
Solutions range from electronic modifications or “chipping” that can remove digital speed limits, to hardware hacks that trick the bike’s speed sensors into thinking it is going slower than it truly is, allowing for more speed.
As The Times recently pointed out, a kit for hacking Bosch e-bike motors is currently an Amazon Bestseller in the UK.
The product, which carries a price of around £150 (approximately US $175), boldly claims to be able to unlock Bosch e-bike motors to a speed of 45 km/h (28 mph). Hidden further down the page is a small disclaimer explaining that unlocking an e-bike’s top speed above legal limits may be against the law in some areas.
Policy Director of Cycling UK explained that these kits are illegal to use on public roads in the UK because they change the classification of the e-bike:
“Illegal adaptations where you no longer need to pedal or where the motor is overpowered or goes faster than 15mph, aren’t just a risk to the rider and others, but mean you’re riding a motorbike. You would therefore be committing a criminal offense riding one on UK roads without insurance, license plates and a motorbike helmet.
The ready availability of illegal conversion kits online is a concern. While buyers should do their research, there should also be a burden of responsibility on online retailers to make sure they’re doing their due diligence and only selling legal equipment with all necessary warnings about how to fit these kits safely and legally.”
Amazon, for its part, claims that these devices are sold by third party vendors using its platform. Unlike items sold directly by Amazon, third party vendors take orders via Amazon but often fulfill those orders independently.
The company explained in a statement:
“Third party sellers are independent businesses and are required to follow all applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies when listing items for sale in our store.”
This type of e-bike hot rodding is much less common in the US, where e-bikes are permitted to operate at speeds of up to 45 km/h (28 mph) in many places.
Several e-bikes are known to achieve even higher speeds than 28 mph, and police departments in much of the US often aren’t yet well enough versed in electric bikes to differentiate between legal and illegal use of e-bikes on public roads.
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The Windsor, Ontario utility says it’s driving towards a more sustainable future after adding a dozen new electric vehicles to its fleet – including a state-of-the-art, 55-foot Terex electric bucket truck.
Based on a Class 7 (33,000 lb. GVWR) International eMV Series BEV, the Terex EV takes the eMV’s 291 kWh battery and adds the Terex Optima 55-foot aerial device and HyPower SmartPTO system to create a fully electrified utility service vehicle that can do anything its diesel counterparts can do while offering better, safer working conditions for utility crews.
“We’ve got 12 EVs,” said Gary Rossi, president and CEO, Enwin Utilities. That number represents fully 10% of the utility’s entire vehicle fleet. “Our centerpiece is our electric 55-feet bucket truck. It’s very quiet,” continues Rossi. “So (the truck) allows us, our crews, to communicate better. It’s not as loud in the community when they’re doing repairs in someone’s backyard.”
That notion is echoed by Terex, itself. The company says its HyPower SmartPTO (power take off), which replaces a mechanical PTO, avoids a loud idling engine while reducing workers’ exposure to toxic exhaust fumes.
“It’s all about building Windsor’s future and literally plugging into the battery factory down the road that is being constructed and showing that Windsor is a leader on this front,” says Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor. “I don’t own an internal combustion engine vehicle,” adds Mayor Wilkins. “I only own two electric cars. My wife and I, we made the change starting in 2019 and I can’t see myself ever going back.”
CTV News Windsor
Enwin says its commitment to clean energy extends beyond its vehicle fleet. The company recently unveiled a massive MW solar rooftop net metering facility at its Rhodes Drive headquarters with over 3,000 solar panels. The site, one of Canada’s largest solar installations, generates enough clean electricity to power 300 homes annually.
Built by Damen Shipyards and the first fully electric tugboat to be deployed in the Middle East, the new RSD-E Tug 2513 Bu Tinah put in its record-breaking performance took place at Khalifa Port during ADIPEC, the world’s largest energy conference.
The RSD-E Tug 2513 is based on the already efficient hull design of the standard, diesel-powered RSD Tug 2513, but its new, fully electric propulsion arrangement enables it to offer zero emissions operations in situations where oil or fuel leakage would be – let’s say especially bad.
But, while the “clean” aspect of all-electric operation is obvious, its Guinness World Record of performance shows that the Damen RSD-E Tug 2513 is up to whatever task its owners put to it.
“This Guinness World Record achievement demonstrates that the transition to alternative energy does not come at the cost of performance,” explains Maritime & Shipping Cluster, AD Ports Group, Captain Ammar Mubarak Al Shaiba. “We are very proud that the first electric tug in the Middle East is also making waves on a global level with this accolade and the fact that in parallel it is improving the sustainability of our operations alongside cost efficiencies in terms of overall fuel saving is extremely important. This vessel is now a key component of our Marine Services fleet and our electrification strategy.”
To earn its record, the the Damen RSD-E Tug 2513 Bu Tinah recorded an average high peak bollard pull of 78.2 tonnes (about 86 ‘Murican tons). The record-setting tugboat can undertake a minimum of two towage operation on a single charge, and can be recharged on a marine DC fast charger in just two hours.
US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC on November 13, 2024.
Allison Robbert | AFP | Getty Images
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday selected Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright to serve as the next energy secretary of the United States.
Liberty Energy is an oilfield services company headquartered in Denver with a $2.7 billion market capitalization. The company’s stock gained nearly 9% on Nov. 6 after Trump won the U.S. presidential election, but its shares have since pulled back.
Wright serves on the board of Oklo, a nuclear power startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that is developing micro reactors.
Wright will also serve on Trump’s Council of National Energy, the president-elect said Saturday. The council will be led by Trump’s pick for Interior Secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Wright has denied that climate change presents a global crisis that needs to be addressed through a transition away from fossil fuels.
“There is no climate crisis and we’re not in the midst of an energy transition either,” Wright said in a video posted on his LinkedIn page last year. “Humans and all complex life on earth is simply impossible without carbon dioxide. Hence the term carbon pollution is outrageous.”
“There is no such thing as clean energy or dirty energy,” Wright said. “All energy sources have impacts on the world both positive and negative.”
Trump described Wright as a “leading technologist and entrepreneur in the energy sector.”
“He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,” the president-elect said in a statement Saturday.
“Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics,” Trump said.
The U.S. has produced more crude oil than any other country in history, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, since 2018, according to the Energy Information Administration.