Amazon takes heat for selling devices to hotrod electric bikes for more speed
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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Tesla has started to offer discounted financing on Cybertruck as the electric pickup truck undoubtedly turns out to be a flop.
Tesla claimed over 1 million reservations for the Cybertruck, and CEO Elon Musk said he could see Tesla producing 500,000 units per year.
However, that was before Tesla announced that the production version would be much more expensive and have a shorter range than what was initially announced.
The Cybertruck has now been in production for a year and a half, and it looks like Tesla would be lucky to sell about 10% of Musk’s goal of 500,000 units.
The automaker doesn’t report Cybertruck sales, but it is estimated that Tesla delivered roughly 40,000 Cybertrucks in 2024, and it is expected to have even more issues selling the truck this year.
Tesla has taken several steps to help sales.
We reported that Tesla launched Cybertruck leases to help move vehicles. The company is even still tucked with “Foundations Series” Cybertrucks, and we found out that Tesla buffed “Foundations Series” badges out of some trucks to sell them as cheaper regular Cybertrucks.
For the remaining “Foundations Series,” which there still are despite Tesla switching to regular Cybertruck production in October, Tesla has even offered free Supercharging for life.
Now, Tesla is stepping up its game, and it is offering discounted financing on new Cybertruck orders:
Tesla announced 1.99% APR for a limited time:
1.99% APR available for a limited time for well-qualified buyers
WIthout the “promotion”, the rate for excellent credit is 5.84%.
While Tesla is discounting the rates, it is not discounting them as much as for new Model 3 orders.
We reported earlier this week that Tesla offers 0% and 0.99% with $0 down on new Model 3 orders in the US until the end of the quarter.
Electrek’s Take
It is very possible that Tesla can’t sell more than 10,000 Cybertrucks this quarter, which would extrapolate to 40,000 units per year or less than 10% of what Elon said he would see Tesla delivering.
Now, the cheaper single motor Cybertruck should help, but by how much? It could bring Tesla to 20-30% of the volume Elon saw possible?
I think it’s fairly clear that the Cybertruck is a flop.
Tesla launched a single new vehicle in the last 5 years and it is a flop.
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Environment
Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China and it crashed the server starting at just $15,000
Toyota looks to grab a bigger share of the world’s largest EV market as it takes aim at BYD and other low-cost leaders. On Thursday, Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X, starting at roughly $15,000. The new electric SUV crashed the server with over 10,000 orders in an hour.
Meet Toyota’s cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X
The bz3X is Toyota’s “first 100,000 yuan-level pure electric SUV” in China and its cheapest EV to hit the market so far.
Toyota’s Chinese joint venture, GAC-Toyota officially launched the “Bozhi 3X,” or bZ3X for short, in China on March 6. Shortly after, the company said orders for its new electric SUV were “so popular that the server crashed” after revealing prices start at just over $15,000 (109,800 yuan).
After securing over 10,000 orders in just one hour, Toyota boasted again that “the server is overwhelmed.” The launch comes after blind pre-orders opened in December, starting at just under $14,000 (100,000 yuan).
The bZ3X is available in two versions, with or without its full-scenario smart driving tech. The non-smart tech model starts at 109,800 yuan ($15,000) with five trim options while the smart driving model starts at 149,800 yuan ($20,500).
For 159,800 yuan ($22,000), the range-topping “610 Max” trim provides up to 610 km (379 miles) CLTC range from a 67.92 kWh LFP battery. The base “430 Air” gets up to 430 km (267 miles) from a 50.03 kWh LFP battery pack.
Toyota said the interior provides “a mobile space that is comfortable as home,” with front and rear seats that can fold down to provide nearly 10 feet (3 meters) of space.
Inside, the electric SUV has a 14.6″ infotainment screen with voice recognition and an 8.8″ driver display. It also includes a two-spoke multi-function steering wheel.
Toyota’s new bZ3X is its first vehicle with the Momenta 5.0 Intelligent Driving System. Powered by NVIDIA Drive AGX Orin X, it comes with 25 ADAS features, such as parallel parking, remote control parking, high-speed pilot, light traffic assist, and blind spot monitoring.
GAC-Toyota claimed it will be “one of the first automakers in the world to realize a one-stage end-to-end intelligent driving model.” With human-like intelligence, the vehicle “gets smarter and better with use.”
At 4,600 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,645 mm tall, Toyota’s cheapest EV in China is about the size of BYD’s Yuan Plus (Atto 3) at 4,455 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,615 mm tall. Starting at 115,800 yuan ($16,000), Toyota’s new bZ3X slightly undercuts BYD’s electric SUV.
What do you think of Toyota’s new electric SUV? Would you buy one for around $15,000? We’ll keep dreaming.
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