This is the funky electric bike that got Himiway sued for copying its design
In the highly-competitive world of electric bike design, there are often originators and follow-on imitators. But when Himiway rolled out its new Pony micro e-bike a few months ago, the blurry line between imitation and inspiration seemed quite clear to JackRabbit, who alleges that Himiway ripped off the design of its popular electric micro e-bike.
JackRabbit landed on the micromobility scene around five years ago when it debuted a novel electric two-wheeler design.
Technically more of a “seated scooter” than a traditional e-bike due to the lack of pedals, the JackRabbit sports a bike-like seating posture on a shortened wheel-base and with a much more compact design.
The 24 lb (10.9 kg) weight and high maneuverability of the $999 micro e-bike rivals scooters, but the ride posture offers the comfort and stability of most e-bikes. And with a throttle-operated top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) and an airline-approved battery allowing riders to fly with the bike, the JackRabbit quickly began racking up fans around North America.
After crowdfunding success and then a subsequent second generation product release, JackRabbit has developed a large and dedicated fanbase of riders who tout the funky little ride’s extreme convenience compared to both e-bikes and e-scooters.
And so you can imagine their dismay when the JackRabbit team awoke to see what looked like a nearly identical copy of the JackRabbit unveiled as part of rival e-bike company Himiway’s 2023 product line announcement less than two months ago.
Comparing the two side by side, it’s easy to see the similarities. While many e-bikes and e-scooters seem to display convergent evolution dictated by common trends in the industry, the JackRabbit went its own way with several key design features. The extremely short wheel base with truncated box tube frame, relatively large diameter wheels (for a small ride like this), folding foot pegs, and stubby handlebars all combine to create the unique look, ride and portability for which JackRabbit has become famous.
Based on Himiway’s apparent copy of much of the design, JackRabbit announced today that it has filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California against Himiway for patent infringement and trade dress infringement. In its complaint, JackRabbit Mobility alleges that the Himiway Pony electric bike infringes the trade dress of its JackRabbit micro ebike under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a) and infringes JackRabbit Mobility’s Design patent, No. D964,218, among other claims.
In the lawsuit, the JackRabbit team explains that they have been able to – “develop a product that, until copied by the Himiway Pony, is visually unlike any other product previously seen and that performs impressively well despite the appearance to some professionals in the bicycle industry that such a design would have performance problems. Up until now, this JackRabbit is the only vehicle that uniquely employs two 20-inch diameter wheels in a short wheelbase configuration and in which the rear wheel is electrically powered, uses fold-down foot pegs instead of operable pedals, utilizes a rectangularly shaped main frame area, and a single rear brake. Extensive ride testing and interviews occurred throughout the inventive process and for several years the JackRabbit was uniquely different from a product impression and performance standpoint.”
To be fair, I can attest to those claims from my own firsthand experience using the JackRabbit. I’ve even seen riders braver than I that have taken the micro e-bike off dirt jumps and performed other extreme stunts that I wouldn’t have believed the bike would have been capable of without seeing it in action.
Suffice it to say that the design may be unorthodox, but it has resulted in a highly capable and extremely portable little ride.
As JackRabbit’s CEO Jason Kenagy explained:
JackRabbit Mobility has taken this action today to protect and enforce its valuable intellectual property rights by bringing suit against those responsible for selling or offering to sell the Himiway Pony, which we believe infringes JackRabbit Mobility’s trade dress and Patent rights. This lawsuit seeks to stop Himiway’s infringement and provides notice to others that we will vigilantly protect our rights and will make use of any and all legal means to do so.
Electrek’s Take
I have very little legal background (i.e. none whatsoever), and so I’ll let the courts decide the final outcome here. But as a fairly well researched and longtime member of the electric bike community who perhaps stands closer than anyone else to the title of having sat on the most e-bikes, it’s quite obvious to me that JackRabbit has a strong case here.
While there are subtle differences in the two designs, most come down to the fact that the JackRabbit simply has more features. In other words, it looks like the Himiway Pony is a JackRabbit copy, but that they just didn’t finish copying some of the cooler parts like the airline-sized battery or the way the handlebars clip onto the side of the frame to fold even more compactly.
I even stated as much in my original article about the Himiway Pony’s unveiling, so surely this won’t come as a shock to anyone.
I’ll be interested to see how this case is resolved, and we’ll be sure to update when we learn more.
In the meantime, check out this video of a skilled rider doing things on a JackRabbit that make my palms sweaty.
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Tesla has quietly expanded its new MultiPass feature to more regions across Europe, allowing owners to charge at third-party stations directly through their Tesla account — no separate app, card, or registration required.
The feature, which first launched in the Netherlands earlier this year, is now rolling out to additional countries, including Germany and France, according to Tesla’s own support page. The update builds on Tesla’s push to make charging as frictionless as possible — not just at Superchargers, but across an entire network of compatible public chargers.
What is Tesla MultiPass?
Tesla describes MultiPass as a “seamless charging option” that lets drivers find and charge at third-party charging stations using their existing Tesla Account. By partnering with a network aggregator, Tesla now connects to over 1,000 charging networks and thousands of stations across Europe.
In practice, MultiPass aims to make the charging experience at third-party stations as close to a Tesla Supercharger as possible — you can simply tap your Tesla key card or select the stall in your Tesla app at a supported charger, and the cost of the session is automatically billed to your Tesla account. The same payment method used for Supercharging applies, and sessions appear right in your Tesla app’s charging history, unified with your Supercharger activity.
Tesla’s goal is to reduce the number of sign-ups and third-party accounts you need to charge outside of Tesla’s own network. MultiPass turns the Tesla key card into a universal charging credential.
Tesla owners simply need to activate MultiPass through the Tesla app:
- Open the Tesla app and check “Messages” for the MultiPass invitation
- Tap Learn More → Next
- Follow on-screen steps to activate your key card via NFC
Once activated, you can start charging sessions in two ways:
- Tap your key card directly on the supported third-party charger
- Or, start the session in the Tesla app, selecting the stall remotely
Your session appears instantly in the app, complete with cost and time details, just like any Tesla Supercharger session.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla already operates the world’s most reliable and extensive DC fast-charging network. Supercharger is probably the best thing Tesla has ever done.
But outside of the Supercharger footprint, especially in Europe’s dense urban areas, third-party chargers fill critical gaps.
MultiPass eliminates one of the last friction points for Tesla drivers to use these third-party charging stations.
It looks like after a short testing phase in the Netherlands, Tesla is now ready to expand access throughout Europe.
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Environment
It seems like Elon Musk stoking a civil war in England isn’t good for Tesla’s sales there
Tesla’s EV registrations in the UK, its biggest market in Europe, took a dramatic hit in October 2025 — just 511 units — marking one of the brand’s weakest showings in recent memory. That’s a steep drop from 971 in October 2024 and 2,677 in October 2023. The tone of the market is shifting.
Maybe Tesla’s CEO stoking a civil war in England isn’t helping the automaker’s demand in the important market.
Tesla’s sales have been struggling in Europe over the past two years, and the decline has been accelerating in 2025.
While some believed that things were stabilizing for the American automaker in Europe, the October data tells a different story. Tesla had its worst month of deliveries of the year in 12 of its 15 biggest European markets.
As Tesla sales in Germany crashed over the last year, partly because Tesla CEO Elon Musk supported the far-right AfD party, the UK became Tesla’s biggest market in Europe.
But now it looks like the UK is going in the same direction.
According to registration data, Tesla delivered only 511 vehicles in the UK in October 2025. Tesla has over 50 stores in the country – that’s an average of roughly 10 vehicles per location for the whole month.
It’s the worst monthly performance since October 2022.
Much as Tesla’s demand crashed in Germany, Elon Musk’s politics might be behind the lower demand in the UK.
The CEO regularly comments on UK politics and often shares inflammatory reports about crimes perpetrated by immigrants. He also shares misleading crime and immigration statistics aimed at spreading hatred.
After he tweeted that “Civil war is inevitable. Just a question of when.”, he was accused of stoking a civil war in the country.
Musk’s public commentary on UK topics has sparked backlash and resulted in his “unfavorability rating” reaching 80% in the country.
Electrek’s Take
Meanwhile, Tesla’s demand cliff is opening the door to competitors. BYD is now expected to outsell Tesla in the whole year of 2025 in the UK despite Tesla having a presence in the market for much longer.
Not many industry watchers thought it would happen this fast.
Tesla appears to be completely missing out on the surge of EV sales in Europe due to a mix of having a stagnant EV lineup, brand problems brought on by a controversial CEO, and increased competition.
In the US, Musk is believed to have cost Tesla about 1 million sales over the last 3 years.
I think it will soon be approaching this number in Europe.
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Rondo Energy and energy producer EDP are installing a massive 100 MWh renewable-powered heat battery at HEINEKEN’s brewery in Lisbon, Portugal. The project will deliver round-the-clock renewable steam and reduce emissions without altering the facility’s beer brewing process.
Brewing HEINEKEN with zero-carbon steam
The Rondo Heat Battery (RHB) will be the biggest deployed in the beverage industry worldwide. It can store electricity as high-temperature heat using refractory bricks, then convert that heat into 24/7 steam, all without burning fossil fuels.
At HEINEKEN’s Central de Cervejas e Bebidas Brewery and Malting Plant, the heat battery system will supply 7 MW of steam, powered by renewable electricity from onsite solar and the grid. That steam is identical to steam created by gas-fired boilers, but without the carbon pollution.
EDP is providing the renewable electricity and will deliver the steam directly to HEINEKEN via a Heat-as-a-Service model. Rondo is supplying the battery, and HEINEKEN gets to ditch fossil fuels without retooling its brewing process.
Why this matters
This project is a big win for industrial decarbonization. High-temperature steam is one of the most complex parts of manufacturing to electrify, and the beer industry runs on it. HEINEKEN’s Lisbon site already uses solar panels for electricity and electric heat pumps for hot water, and this move helps it go even further.
It’s part of HEINEKEN’s “Brew a Better World” plan to hit net zero emissions by 2040 and decarbonize all of its global production sites by 2030.
Additionally, the deployment aligns with Portugal’s national target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
The bigger picture
With the European Investment Bank and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst backing this and other Rondo projects with €75 million in funding, this Lisbon installation is just the beginning. Rondo’s technology enables energy-hungry industries to switch from fossil fuels to renewable electricity without compromising 24/7 operations.
Rondo CEO Eric Trusiewicz sums it up: “We are thrilled to be installing our first Rondo Heat Battery in Iberia, and to support HEINEKEN to reach its goals. We look forward to helping industries across Iberia cut costs and carbon, and help Iberia capitalize on the opportunity.”
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