This wooden snow scooter is like a portable electric snowmobile that you stand on
In my many years of covering the micromobility industry, I thought I had seen just about every type of electric scooter out there. That was until the eLyly came across my desk and showed me just how far out an electric snow scooter could be.
This new Finnish e-scooter doesn’t look like anything else we’ve seen before, at least not in the standing variety.
The scooter’s inventor Pasi Kauppinen says that the name comes from the traditional wooden ski that Finns once employed to navigate the snow. The lyly fell out of favor as a common means of transportation decades ago, but its wooden design inspired the construction of the eLyly, which uses the same natural material in its base, stem and front ski.
Unlike the original lyly, which required a second shorter ski to be used on the other foot for kicking, the eLyly houses all of its propulsion in a single unit. Behind the steerable front ski is a tracked drivetrain powered by a 1,000W electric motor. The rubber track, similar to a scaled-down snowmobile drivetrain, allows the eLyly to reach a top speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph).
The lithium-ion battery is said to offer a range of between 20 to 30 km (12.4 to 18.6 miles), and it takes around two and a half hours to recharge for another journey.
The entire scooter weighs in at 55 kg (121 lb.), which is heavier than most electric scooters but a lot lighter than a snowmobile. It might not be as fast or as powerful as a snowmobile, but it definitely fits better in the trunk of a car thanks to its folding handlebars.
The company hasn’t begun selling the eLyly yet and hasn’t provided any clues regarding expected pricing, but we have to assume it isn’t going to come cheap.
Those that want to try to get in some winter micromobility riding while there’s still some snow on the ground might want to look into some other options. Moonbike, which we’ve covered in the past, offers a few interesting electric snowmobile-like vehicles in small formats.
The French company has an interesting mashup between a seated scooter and a snowmobile, which seems to offer a fun and portable way to shred the snow.
Powered by a 3 kW electric motor, the Moonbike blasts up to a top speed of 42 km/h (26 mph).
That’s not going to compete well with a true electric snowmobile, but much like the eLyly, it’s definitely easier to toss the 82 kg (182 lb.) ride in the back of a truck or SUV. Thus the Moonbike seems better suited for local snow shenanigans than true snowmobiling duty.
For a full-scale electric snowmobile, winter riders might want to check out the Canadian company Taiga.
The company manufacturers electric snowmobiles and electric jet skis, though at this time of year riders in the Northern Hemisphere will probably be more interested in the former. Just keep in mind that higher power levels of between 120-180 hp (90-134 kW) put these electric snowmobiles in a completely different class than the pint-sized snow scooters and snow bikes shown above.
via: NewAtlas
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Environment
Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
- Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
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