Connect with us

Published

on

Southern California-based electric bike company SUPER73 has been quite busy lately, at least if today’s triple whammy of an announcement is any indication. The company dropped a new line of off-road e-bikes, new kids balance bikes and new information about the upcoming C1X electric motorcycle.

SUPER73 Adventure Series

The SUPER73 Adventure Series is an update to each of the company’s existing model lines, adding more hardcore tires and in some cases extra suspension, among other new components. According to the company, “Each SUPER73 Adventure Series model comes standard with more aggressive SUPER73 GRZLY tires, an extended performance seat with gripper vinyl for added comfort, a headlight and rear light, fenders, and the relocation of the battery to the down tube for the S and R models giving them a lower center of gravity for better handling.”

All of the Adventure Series bikes will also come standard with an 8-speed cassette, which is sure to make those off-road hill climbs much easier, at least when you opt to use the pedals.

According to SUPER73 CEO LeGrand Crewse, the new lineup was developed by listening to customer feedback:

“At SUPER73, we combine thoughtful design with features riders want on our vehicles. It’s a combination of form and function that sets us apart from the competition and the SUPER73 Adventure Series delivers in spades, so we’re excited to announce the new lineup is available now. We are huge proponents of listening to our customer feedback, especially from our Super Squad, while understanding the critical details that take our product to the next level. We’re always evolving our product lineup to reach the widest array of riders possible, showcasing a steadfast commitment to current and new customers.”

The new SUPER73 Z Adventure will start at $2,695, the SUPER73 S Adventure will start at $3,595, and the SUPER73 R Adventure will start at $3,995. All three models will include hydraulic disc brakes and suspension forks (a major upgrade for the SUPER73 Z), while the S Adventure and R Adventure’s forks will be fully-adjustable.

SUPER73 K1D kids balance e-bikes

First teased over a year ago, SUPER73 is finally ready to release its K1D lineup of kids balance bikes.

According to the company, these little two-wheelers feature a design that was influenced by 80’s BMX and Motocross culture. They offer a 60-minute play time thanks to the battery and tiny electric motor.

That little battery uses LiFePO4 cells, which are virtually fireproof and also offer over double the lifespan. That means your kid will all but certainly outgrow the bike long before the battery would ever need to be replaced.

In another nod to safety, the K1D features regenerative braking to offer stronger stops and recharge the battery at the same time. A low and medium power mode selector lets young riders slowly develop their skills, while a third “Track Mode” can be unlocked by a parent for the highest power level.

Crewse boasts about the tiny bike’s safety and performance-based design:

“The technological advancements in the K1D youth series balance bike is groundbreaking from a safety, performance, and durability standpoint. We’re excited to announce the highly anticipated product has officially arrived. At SUPER73, we’re focused on driving the technology of our products forward, while making it fun and safe for our customers. The launch of K1D provides us with an entirely new customer base of young, aspiring riders and we’re thrilled to be leading the charge in our industry.”

The K1D is priced at $1,295 and will begin shipping in June.

SUEPR73 C1X electric motorcycle to feature super fast charging

We’ve heard a lot about faster charging for electric motorcycles lately, and it sounds like SUPER73 is eyeing the top prize for quickly juicing up.

So far we’ve known that the bike would feature highway-capable speeds and a city range of around 100 miles (160 km). But now we’re getting new info about the expected charging times, and they’re quite impressive.

According to the company, the C1X should be able to charge from 10% to 80% in only 15 minutes, which will give riders about 70 miles (112 km) of range in little more time than it took to read this article.

The new technology and its integration into the bike was made possible thanks to SUPER73’s efforts to hire a team of engineers with backgrounds in top tier EV manufacturing, aerospace mechanics, and consumer electronics.

As Crewse added:

“I’m incredibly proud of the dedication our team has shown in order to bring the C1X to life. The secret behind our innovation is the belief that the user experience should always serve as the guiding principle behind everything we create, and our electric motorcycle is no exception. This year, we’ve set out to prove that you don’t need to break the bank in order to take advantage of cutting-edge technology. Our riders can now enjoy the benefits of fast charging in a more accessible and approachable package with the C1X.”

The C1X’s development will continue through this year, with the company hoping to deliver the first production units in 2024. Upon its release, the C1X will likely challenge recently released or upcoming light electric motorcycles like the SONDORS Metacycle, Ryvid Anthem and CSC RX1E.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla partners with Steak ‘n Shake on Superchargers with up to more than 100 locations

Published

on

By

Tesla partners with Steak 'n Shake on Superchargers with up to more than 100 locations

Tesla has partnered with Steak ‘n Shake to deploy Superchargers at up to more than 100 restaurant locations.

The partnership between Tesla and the American fast food chain has been revealed through a strange series of posts on X.

First, Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on Steak ‘n Shake’s announcement that it is switching from using seed oils to beef tallow.

The restaurant responded by proposing “Tesla charging stations at Steak n Shake”, but they apparently didn’t know that it was already happening as Tesla responded that they had already signed on 6 sites and they have over 20 more in review:

Advertisement – scroll for more content

The Steak n Shake account responded by suggesting that the partnership extend to over 100 locations:

Thank you Tesla Charging!  Let’s do over 100 locations. Consider all sites approved!

The chain operates over 400 locations around the world – many of them in the midwest. A lot of these locations are located near highways, where Tesla prefers to deploy charging stations.

It’s not the first time that Tesla has partnered with a restaurant for multiple Supercharger locations. It also has a deal with Ruby Tuesday.

Tesla is currently deploying its latest V4 Superchargers capable of 500 kW – with the first stations expected to come online in the US later this year.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Volkswagen ID.4 was the best-selling EV in Europe, top 3 in the US last month

Published

on

By

Volkswagen ID.4 was the best-selling EV in Europe, top 3 in the US last month

Volkswagen’s electric SUV is making a comeback. Last month, the Volkswagen ID.4 topped Tesla’s Model Y to become the best-selling EV in Europe, and it was even in the top three in the US.

Volkswagen ID.4 was EU’s best-selling EV, top 3 in the US

Although new vehicle registrations fell 2% in Europe last month, electric vehicles were a bright spot, with BEV sales up 37% from the year prior.

According to JATO Dynamics, 165,473 EVs were registered in Europe in January. The Volkswagen ID.4 took the top spot after registrations surged 195% to 7,177, overtaking the Tesla Model Y.

Tesla Model Y registrations plunged 46% in Europe last month to 6,155. The Model 3 refresh, which was launched in late 2023, had a 44% decline in registrations. Overall, Tesla registered only 9,913 vehicles in January 2025, a 45% decline from last year.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

While the arrival of the new Model Y plays a role, backlash against Elon Musk’s increasingly outspoken political antics is also causing widespread hate among owners in the US and Europe.

Volkswagen-ID.4-best-selling-EV
best-selling EVs and PHEVs in Europe in January 2025 (Source: JATO Dynamics)

Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO said the solid performance of EVs is “particularly impressive given the significant dip in sales that Tesla experienced” in January.

He explained, “it’s not unusual for sales to drop just before a new generation or an updated model is introduced to the market.”

Tesla-EV-registrations-Europe-January
Tesla vehicle registrations in Europe in January (Source: JATO Dynamics)

Although sales are expected to pick up again, Munoz added, “The performance of both the Model 3 and Model Y is an indication of the declining popularity of Tesla in Europe overall.”

Volkswagen is taking advantage with the ID.4 taking the top spot, and the ID.7 placing third with 5,879 registrations, up 657% from January 2024.

Volkswagen-ID.4-best-selling-EV
Volkswagen ID.4 (Source: Volkswagen)

Kia’s mass-market EV3h launched in late 2024, took fourth with 5,792, while the Skoda Enyaq rounded out the top five.

Chinese automakers, like BYD and MG, are starting to gain some real traction in Europe. With 37,134 vehicles registered last month, up 52% from January 2024, Chinese brands accounted for 3.7% of the market. That’s up from the 2.4% market share in January 2024.

Chinese-brands-market-share-Europe
Chinese auto brands market share in Europe (Source: JATO Dynamics)

Although still a relatively small number, combined, it would put them ahead of Ford, which registered 35,790 vehicles in Europe last month.

Electrek’s Take

The ID.4 appears to be making a comeback. After it went back on sale early last month, Volkswagen’s ID.4 was already the third best-selling EV in the US in January behind Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3.

Despite its success in Europe and the US, Volkswagen, like most global OEMs, is struggling in China. VW’s Chinese joint venture with SAIC cut the price of the ID.4 X, its version of the electric SUV sold in China, to under $20,000 (139,900 yuan) this week.

With leases starting as low as $189 per month in the US, it’s no wonder the ID.4 is already a top seller. If you’re ready to check it out for yourself, you can use our link to find deals on the Volkswagen ID.4 in your area.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Elon Musk ‘cancels’ Tesla engineer for complaining about the CEO’s behavior

Published

on

By

Elon Musk 'cancels' Tesla engineer for complaining about the CEO's behavior

Elon Musk has reportedly ‘canceled’ a Tesla engineer for complaining about the CEO’s behaviors on social media.

As we recently reported, Tesla insiders are finally starting to speak out against Elon Musk over his increasingly unhinged social media presence.

For example, just today, he called CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen’s family a “crime family” because someone wrongly claimed that his daughter received millions of dollars from USAID when it was just someone with the same last name.

However, it looks like Musk and Tesla are actively suppressing employees speaking out.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

The New York Times reports that Tesla has fired Jared Ottmann, a manager of battery thermal supplier industrialization engineering, over his complaints about Musk.

Ottmann, who has been at Tesla for 6 years, says that he has been raising concerns internally about Musk’s use of social media for the last 3 years, but he ramped up his effort last month after Musk’s salute at the Trump inauguration.

The engineer specifically took offense to a tweet that Musk posted in the aftermath of the inauguration. Instead of apologizing and saying that he didn’t mean to make a Nazi salute, Musk decided to attack the media for even suggesting that the gesture was a Sieg Heiland tweeted this:

Ottmann commented on the post:

This post by Tesla’s current CEO name drops genocidal assholes as a joke and has 308,000 likes.

The engineer says that he raised the issue with Tesla and while he gets “personally support”, he says the company remains silent about Musk’s behavior:

Starting in 2022 and especially the last week I’ve raised the issue internally multiple times, with managers, HR, legal compliance, investor relations. And while overwhelmingly people offer personal support, Tesla as a company has remained silent.

Ottmann, who has been promoted 4 times in 6 years at Tesla, has now been let go.

Electrek’s Take

For a guy who calls himself a “free speech absolutist” and “anti-cancel culture”, he canceled this engineer pretty quickly when he didn’t like how he was exercising his free speech.

This is obviously an attempt at scaring other Tesla employees from speaking out at Tesla.

It’s one of my main concerns about the automaker: it’s not a meritocracy that attracts top engineering talent anymore. One of the main criteria to work at Tesla now is to support its CEO, who is off the deep end.

Continue Reading

Trending