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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Lucid Motors (LCID) will continue offering the $7,500 federal EV tax credit for Gravity buyers until the end of the year. Lucid’s interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, said the electric SUV has “so many orders” and it doesn’t want buyers to lose out on the savings.
Are orders for Lucid’s Gravity SUV picking up?
Apparently, demand for Lucid’s new Gravity SUV is picking up. A recent Automotive News report claimed that Lucid registered just nine Gravity models in its first six months on the market, but the company was quick to shut down the rumors.
Lucid’s communication boss, Nick Twork, told Electrek in an email that the report was “completely inaccurate,” adding “a quick review of social media postings from our customers shows that those numbers are simply not credible.”
According to Twork, Gravity deliveries are “well into the 3-digit range.” In the second half of the year, Lucid expects the SUV to account for the majority of deliveries and production.
Winterhoff confirmed on Lucid’s second-quarter earnings call that production of the Gravity SUV was “beginning to ramp up” after resolving most of the supply chain issues that had limited output in the first half of the year.
Since it started offering test drives while adding Gravity models to its studios, Lucid’s interim CEO said the daily order rate for the electric SUV has nearly doubled.
During a new interview with Brew Markets on Tuesday, Winterhoff suggested that the Gravity is quickly attracting buyers. Lucid’s chief confirmed it will honor the $7,500 federal EV tax credit for Gravity buyers until the end of the year “because we have so many orders and we don’t want to tell order holders, you know what, you’re out of luck, we didn’t deliver in time.”
Winterhoff also said that Lucid expects a limited impact on sales from the loss of the credit due to its market position and pricing.
Lucid views the German luxury brands, including Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, as its primary competitors. Although it does view Tesla as a competitor, “we see ourselves a little bit of a notch higher than Tesla,” Winterhoff said, when comparing the interior, materials, and luxury.
Despite several luxury brands recently pulling back on their electrification plans, like Porsche, Lucid will remain a pure EV company and still believes electrification is the future.
Lucid’s vehicles currently start in the $70,000 to $80,000 range, but the company is working on launching its midsize platform in late 2026, which will bring the price down to around $50,000. The midsize platform will wear at least three “top hats,” including a crossover SUV, a more rugged variant, and a third, rumoured to be a midsize sedan aimed at the Tesla Model 3.
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The Trump administration is seeking to acquire a 10% stake in Nevada’s upcoming lithium mine, operated by Lithium Americas (LAC).
Lithium Americas (LAC) has a flagship lithium mining project, Thacker Pass, located in Nevada.
With the Biden administration, the company had secured a $2.26 billion government loan to advance the project to production. However, since taking office, Trump has been attempting to claw back many loans related to the energy transition.
Last night, reports began to circulate about the Trump administration attempting to renegotiate the terms of the loans to include a 10% stake in the project.
It sent LAC’s stock surging by as much as 80% in after-hours trading.
The reports forced the company to issue a comment. Lithium Americas confirmed being “in discussions” with both the Department of Energy, which issued the loan, and General Motors, which holds a 38% stake in the company and a right to buy the lithium from the mine, about drawing from the loan:
The Company is in discussions with the DOE and General Motors Holdings LLC (“GM”), its joint venture partner in the Thacker Pass lithium project (“Thacker Pass” or the “Project”), regarding first draw on the DOE Loan. The topics of these discussions include certain conditions precedent to draw on the DOE Loan and associated loan specifics, as well as incremental requests from the DOE for potential further conditions to first draw and/or potential amendments to the DOE Loan and associated transaction documents, including corresponding consideration. The Company continues to work with the DOE and GM regarding proposals for a mutually agreeable resolution.
This would be the latest example of the Trump administration taking direct stakes in companies and using “national security” as the reason.
Electrek’s Take
The Biden administration was attempting to establish a North American battery supply chain, but Trump has significantly hindered that effort over the last few months.
However, this is a good move.
The loan would have likely worked as well, but direct ownership is essentially how China operates, and it has worked out quite well for them. There’s a word for this, but Trump’s base hates it.
My main issue with how Trump is doing these market-moving announcements and leaks looks a hell of a lot like insider trading.
Even with this move on LAC, there was suspicious short-term option trading on the stock leading up to this.
The US is in its era of grifters.
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