Engwe M20 review: A full-suspension 1,000W electric moped for a budget price
The Engwe M20 electric bike looks like another SUPER73 knockoff. And it is. But the bike also has two things going for it: It has an option for a second battery pack to double its range, and it also offers full suspension for less than the price of a non-suspension SUPER73.
So what’s the trade-off? Well, nothing here is amazing quality. It’s all fairly basic, decent-level stuff. But nothing is going to knock your socks off when it comes to the build quality.
Even so, there are plenty of redeeming qualities. From the long range to the high power and even the dual headlights, Engwe has made up for quality with sheer quantity. And it actually works pretty well.
Check out what I mean in my video review below. Then keep reading for all of the details on the Engwe M20 e-bike.
Engwe M20 Video Review
Engwe M20 tech specs
- Motor: 750W rear geared hub motor (1,000W peak power)
- Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
- Range: Up to 94 miles (151 km) on pedal assist with two batteries
- Battery: 2x 48V 13Ah 624 Wh
- Weight: 89 lb (40.5 kg) with 2x batteries
- Max capacity: 265 lb (120 kg)
- Wheels: Mag wheels with 20-inch x 4.0-inch tires
- Brakes: Mechanical disc brakes with 160mm rotors
- Extras: Dual headlight, taillight, fenders, 7-speed gearing, front & rear suspension, kickstand
- Price: $1,299 (single battery) or $1,599 (dual battery)
What do we have here?
The Engwe M20 is a prototypical moped-style e-bike.
Instead of a step-through moped frame, it opts for a common box-style minibike frame.
There’s no adjustable seat, making this more of a motorcycle-style ride. Sure, there are functional pedals, but pedaling is not comfortable due to the seating position. It’s possible, but you probably wouldn’t want to do it for 10 miles straight. I’m only 5’7″ (170 cm), and even I have that knees-in-your-chest feeling while pedaling it.
But while the Engwe M20 has half the pedaling comfort of most e-bikes, it doubles up elsewhere. Not only do you have the option for dual batteries (though you can save $300 by choosing the single battery option), but you’ve also got dual suspension and even dual headlights.
Why do you need two headlights on a bicycle? I have absolutely no idea. My only guess is that if one dies, at least you’ve got some redundancy built into the system.
But the dual suspension is actually a bit more useful. The front suspension is better than the rear, which I found to be a little stiff for my lightweight self. Since the rear isn’t adjustable, there was no way for me to dial in the suspension to my weight. Even so, it still made a difference when hopping off curbs or hitting potholes.
The front suspension isn’t top-notch stuff either, but it arguably makes an even bigger impact by taking the shock out of your wrists. Even without rear suspension, most e-bike riders are used to raising out of the saddle and letting their legs do the suspension work when necessary. But with both front and rear suspension, that’s less of a requirement on the Engwe M20.
The dual batteries are a great option for anyone that finds themselves on longer rides. The company claims a max range of 47 miles (75 km) with a single battery, but that’s on pedal assist at lower speeds.
You’ve got a 1,000W peak-rated motor at your disposal and Class 3 top-speed capability with a claimed max speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). So you’re probably not going to be sticking to low power very often. And when you consider that the pedal assist lag from the cadence sensor is considerable, to the tune of a couple of seconds, you’ll be even more likely to grab some throttle.
Throttle-centric riders will probably get somewhere between 20-25 miles (32-40 km) per battery in real-life riding. So with the dual battery setup, a solid 40-50 miles (64-80 km) is a reality.
Speaking of reality, that 28 mph (45 km/h) top speed didn’t quite make it into existence in my testing. I rarely saw 27 mph and usually topped out closer to 26 mph. Perhaps with a tailwind, you’d get 28 mph, but I won’t ding the Engwe M20 too hard there. Plenty of Class 3 e-bikes don’t make it all the way to 28, and falling 3-5% short of the limit might even be a buffer to ensure compliance with e-bike regulations.
One note on the 1,000W peak-rated motor: That peak power doesn’t seem to come on immediately. In fact, I was surprised that the bike felt a bit sluggish off the line. After several seconds I could get moving at a good clip, but there’s no chance you’re going to be slinging dirt or laying down rubber when you twist that throttle.
With performance out of the way, the rest of the bike is equally decent. Again, nothing here is top-notch, but it all seems to work well.
The mechanical disc brakes work fine, though I was surprised to see rather small 160mm rotors.
The throttle is a full-twist throttle, which is common on motorcycles and seated scooters but is nearly nonexistent on e-bikes. The main reason half-twist throttles are more common is because less experienced riders aren’t as likely to accidentally twist the handlebar and gun it while walking the bike around. I guess the motorcycle industry assumes riders have a bit more experience. There’s nothing wrong with a full-twist throttle on an e-bike, but I’m just a fan of half twists for safety. Wrist strain can be a consideration, though if you can’t apply a couple of ounces of pressure with your hand for extended periods, you probably aren’t in the group looking for a powerful e-bike.
The Engwe M20 comes with off-road tires that feature aggressively knobby tread, which is surprising considering this seems to be better outfitted as a street moped. Even so, the bike is still fun to lean hard into turns on the street. And if you really want to get your dual sport riding on, those knobby tires will let you do trails on the weekend and commuter rides during the week.
Engwe M20: What’s the verdict?
I’ve done a lot of nitpicking about the M20, but it’s actually a really fun e-bike to ride. And at either $1,299 or $1,599, depending on the number of batteries you choose, it’s a pretty darn affordable option in the e-moped space.
There are better deals out there, but few have this much battery at their disposal.
So for a thrilling type of ride that can handle various terrain all in one bike, the Engwe M20 scores points. It doesn’t have the quality of name-brand e-bikes like those from SUPER73, but it delivers a good time for a great price. And for a select group of riders trying to shop on a budget, that’s just as important.
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Germany’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, EnBW’s He Dreiht, just hit a big milestone: The first enormous turbine is now up in the North Sea.
He Dreiht – which means “it spins” in Low German – is using Vestas’s massive 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the first project in the world to install them. Just one spin of one of the rotors can generate enough electricity to power four households for an entire day.
When it’s finished, He Dreiht will have 64 mega turbines cranking out 960 megawatts (MW) of clean power – enough to supply around 1.1 million homes. And it’s being built without any government subsidies.
EnBW, one of Germany’s major energy companies, has been working in offshore wind for more than 15 years, but He Dreiht is their biggest project yet. “It will play a key role in helping us to significantly grow our renewable energy output from 6.6 GW to over 10 GW by 2030,” said Michael Class, who heads up EnBW’s generation portfolio development.
The project is a win for Vestas, too. “With the installation of the first V236-15.0 MW, we have reached an important milestone for both the He Dreiht project and our offshore ramp-up, which helps Germany build a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.
He Dreiht is located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Helgoland. At peak times, more than 500 workers will be out at sea building the farm, using a fleet of more than 60 ships. EnBW’s offshore team in Hamburg is running the show.
The installation process is a major operation. The 64 foundations were already set in the seabed last year. Parts for the turbines are loaded onto the installation vessel Wind Orca in Esbjerg, Denmark, and shipped out in a 12-hour journey to the construction site. From there, the turbines are lifted into place. Meanwhile, crews are also working on internal wind farm cabling.
A partner consortium made up of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP, and Norges Bank Investment Management owns 49.9% of the shares in He Dreiht.
Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build
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Tesla has released a quick update about its Tesla Semi factory in Nevada. It says that it is on track for volume production of the electric semi truck in 2026.
The Tesla Semi was first scheduled to go into production in 2019, but it has faced numerous delays.
Now, it appears that there is finally some momentum to bring it to volume production.
For the last two years, Tesla has been working to build a new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada, where it builds the battery packs and drive units for most of its electric vehicles built in North America.
Today, Tesla released a “progress update on the factory, confirming that it finished building and it’s now working on deploying the production lines:
Tesla had previously mentioned aiming for volume production by 2025, but it is now only talking about starting production toward the end of the year and ramping up next year.
The automaker reiterated its planned production capacity of 50,000 units.
We recently reported that an early Tesla Semi customer, Ryder, stated that the electric truck program is experiencing more delays and a price increase described as “dramatic.”
They now expect to take deliveries of their first trucks later in 2026 and said that the price has increased “dramatically,” leading them to scale back their pilot program from 42 to 18 Tesla Semi trucks.
When originally unveiling the Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker mentioned prices of $150,000 for a 300-mile range truck and $180,000 for the 500-mile version. Tesla also took orders for a “Founder’s Series Semi” at $200,000.
However, Tesla didn’t update the prices when launching the “production version” of the truck in late 2022. Price increases have been speculated, but the company has never confirmed them.
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Vietnamese solar panel maker Boviet Solar just opened the doors to its first US factory — a huge new PV module plant in Greenville, North Carolina.
The company dropped $294 million into the state-of-the-art facility, which will pump out Boviet’s Gamma Series monofacial and Vega Series bifacial solar panels. They’re using advanced PERC and N-Type solar cell tech, which basically means these panels are built to deliver higher efficiency and better performance across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.
The Greenville factory’s first phase is now online with an annual PV module output capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). For Phase 2, which is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2026, Boviet will invest another $100 million to add 600,000 square feet and ramp up to another 2 GW. It will make high-efficiency solar cells.
Once both phases are complete, Boviet’s campus will cover more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and R&D space. It’s one of the biggest clean energy manufacturing projects North Carolina has ever seen.
The jobs impact is significant, too. The first phase will create 460 skilled local jobs. Phase 2 is expected to add another 908, bringing the total to over 1,300 direct jobs, plus nearly 2,000 more indirect jobs across the region. That’s good news for Pitt County’s economy, real estate market, and workforce training programs.
“This facility is not just creating jobs, but creating opportunity, innovation, and a stronger foundation for eastern North Carolina,” said Senator Kandie Smith. Governor Josh Stein added that Boviet Solar’s move shows how North Carolina is leading the way in clean energy growth.
Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus
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