VanMoof launches two new ‘ingeniously simple’ yet high-tech electric bikes
Going on 13 years of e-bike building innovation, Dutch electric bike maker VanMoof has just announced its new VanMoof S4 and X4 e-bikes with “iconic tech” and four vibrant new colors. The new models come in at a lower price thanks to reduced features.
If you remember the previous VanMoof S3 and X3 from 2020, you might notice that the new S4 and X4 look fairly familiar. They share a similar outward design, but receive a slimmed down tech suite compared to the more recent A5 and S5 models launched last year. That slimming down has helped VanMoof shave nearly US $1,000 off of their sticker prices.
As usual, the S4 is the larger diamond frame model and the X4 is the smaller version with a more compact frame and smaller wheels.
According to the company, the two new models have been “entirely rebuilt to offer the very best of the brand’s technological innovation in its most simple, accessible, and reliable models to date.”
In fact, the simpler operation seems to be a hallmark of the new design. As VanMoof cofounder Taco Carlier explained:
One of the hardest things in life is to make things more simple. With the S4 & X4, we’ve mastered the art of simplification to make our e-bikes more accessible and reliable than ever.
VanMoof had developed a reputation for service needs on its more high-tech bikes due to malfunctions and other issues, and the simplified new models may be an attempt to reduce the number of service calls by reducing the possible points of failure.
Instead of a fancier three-speed automatic shifter on VanMoof’s previous e-bike models, the VanMoof S4 and X4 include two-speed automatic gear shifting, offering a lower gear for acceleration or hill-climbing, and a higher gear for flat land cruising at top speed.
The new bikes come with a Gen 4 Kick Lock, allowing riders to lock their rear wheel with a kick of their toe. Other anti-theft features that have become a common theme on VanMoof’s bikes include onboard alarms and location tracking, though the bikes lose the previous Apple Find My integration we saw on the brand’s other models.
They also lose the torque sensor from VanMoof’s nicer A5 and S5 bikes, instead using a combination of a cadence sensor and something that VanMoof calls “New Adaptive Motor Support.”
The bikes do include VanMoof’s Turbo Boost button, which when pushed gives an extra kick of power to complement the existing pedal assist. The bikes also feature a built-in phone mount that allows riders to use the VanMoof app as the bike’s dashboard in lieu of a dedicated handlebar display.
The S4 & X4 now also come in four vivid new colors of Sunbeam Yellow, Purple Fog, Evergreen, and Foam Green.
As Carlier continued:
We spend a lot of time listening to prospective riders. And what we heard clearly was the desire for our key features and iconic VanMoof design – in an e-bike that was even more simple, more accessible, and more reliable. We designed the S4 & X4 specifically to meet their needs.
A top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) will be available in North America, but the e-bikes destined for the European market will be limited to 25 km/h (15.5 mph). Both get range ratings of up to 140 km (87 mi) from the non-removable battery, though that is in the lowest of the four power modes. A second auxiliary battery can be strapped onto the bike to add even more range, which may come in handy in the higher power modes that can more than halve the built-in battery’s range.
The new models will go on sale starting today for US $2,498 in the United States, £2,198 in the UK, or €2,198 in Europe. The Evergreen colorway will be available first, with the remaining colorways becoming available later in the summer.
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British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger last week at Canadian C-store chain On The Run, but that’s not the good part. As part of a limited time offer, these chargers are FREE!
The Canadian convenience store chain just took the wraps off its new, ABB-developed, 400 kW chargers earlier this month, but they’re already planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season – something On The Run hopes its customers will appreciate.
“The A400 charger delivers an enhanced customer experience, with reliability and performance from a 32-inch screen to higher power charging sessions and power sharing,” reads the company’s official announcement, via LinkedIn. “Download the Journie Rewards app to start the charge – free for a limited time.”
On The Run’s new 400 kW ABB DC fast chargers are compatible with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs, and can accommodate Tesla and other NACS-equipped vehicles with an adapter. That said, the company seems to imply that Tesla drivers in particular will have a maximum charging speed of “just” 50 kW, which feel hilarious (given the current state of affairs between Tesla and the Canadian government), but probably isn’t.
In addition to the ABB A400 400 kW units shown here, On The Run locations also employ the ABB Terra 184 dispensers rated at 180 kW. On The Run plans similar deployments at the four BC locations mentioned above, as well as two more each in Quebec and Ontario slated to go live towards the end of this year.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk once mocked 350 kW charging speed as being “for a child’s toy,” despite the fact that, nearly nine years later, his own cars and Superchargers can barely make it to 325 kW while others have sailed right on past. I made fun of that fact on the Quick Charge episode shown, above – and, while I do think it’s funny and relevant, the much more relevant piece of news here is that companies like BP Pulse, Revel, and Wallbox are actively deploying 400 kW solutions, today (while others hit the same mark as far back as 2017).
It’s just a fact: Tesla has fallen way behind.
SOURCE | IMAGES: On The Run, via Electric Autonomy.
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Terawatt Infrastructure‘s first medium- and heavy-duty electric charging truck stop in California is now online, in Rancho Dominguez.
Located 12 miles north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the private Rancho Dominguez site, which is shared among multiple fleets, will support electric trucking fleet operations in and out of the largest container ports in the US.
First customers include Dreaded Trucking, Hight Logistics, PepsiCo, Quick Container Drayage, Southern Counties Express, Tradelink Transport, and WestCoast Trucking & Warehousing.
Terawatt’s electric charging truck stop features 20 pull-through and bobtail DC fast charging stalls with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW), enabling charging for up to 125 trucks per day using a simple reservations system. Terawatt’s site features a proprietary charge management system, in-house technicians, 24/7 customer service, and onsite parts management.
“This launch underscores growing collaboration between enterprises, shippers, carriers, and charging infrastructure providers to advance sustainable technologies across logistics and transportation operations, especially in the medium and heavy-duty sectors,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and cofounder of Terawatt. Palmer added that the company will bring another charging site online in Rialto, California, in June.
Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers in September 2024 to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, the “first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor.” Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
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In its most aggressive attack against offshore wind yet, the Trump administration halted the $5 billion Empire Wind 1, already under construction off New York’s coast.
Norwegian developer Equinor announced yesterday that it received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordering Empire Wind 1 to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted this tweet yesterday:
Burgum gave no indication of what insufficiencies there were in the approval process for the fully permitted offshore wind project, despite Trump’s recent declaration of a national energy emergency that speeds up permitting processes.
The commercial lease for the 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind 1’s federal offshore wind area was signed in March 2017 during the first Trump administration. It was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction in 2024.
The project is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, which was due to come online in 2027, has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes.
“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet in a statement. “We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much-needed power to the grid.”
As Electrek reported, Equinor secured $3 billion to finance Empire Wind 1 in January. The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of March 31 was around $1.5 billion.
As of March 31, Empire Wind has a gross book value of around $2.5 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (pictured above), which was expected to become the US’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.
In response to BOEM’s stop work order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement:
Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond.
As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.
Equinor says it’s considering appealing BOEM’s order.
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