The Lectric XP 3.0 is the best-selling electric bike model in the US for one simple reason: value. The $999 e-bike has been the go-to electric bike for bang-for-your-buck riders since it launched last year. And now it is getting better than ever with the inclusion of hydraulic disc brakes.
I’m a huge fan of the Lectric XP 3.0. I ride one myself and have long espoused its high-value offering, getting new e-bike riders out the door with a fast, powerful e-bike for under $1,000.
But I’ll be the first to say it’s not an amazing-quality bike. It’s what I call “good, not great.” And that makes sense, since most e-bikes cost considerably more than the XP 3.0. The bike is good enough for most riders, and that is what counts for most people. It’s not going to unseat a Tern, but it’s also not meant to. It has made a few compromises to offer incredible pricing and get more folks on e-bikes than ever before.
One of the few major drawbacks to the Lectric XP 3.0, and one of the most common requests from its rider community, was related to its mechanical disc brakes. They stop the bike fine, but they’re quite basic. Like all mechanical disc brakes, they require fairly regular tuning to maintain good braking performance. And for first time e-bike owners, which represent a large portion of Lectric’s ridership, routinely tuning brakes is not an easily formed habit.
So to add even more value and convenience to the e-bike, Phoenix-based Lectric eBikes has now announced that the XP 3.0 will immediately switch over to hydraulic disc brakes and will maintain the same $999 price tag.
Hydraulic disc brakes (as seen on the existing Lectric XPedition cargo bike)
Unlike mechanical disc brakes, hydraulic disc brakes require little to no maintenance, at least until the pads are depleted and need to be replaced. That’s because the hydraulic fluid keeps the brake pads in the proper position all the time.
That’s a major advantage over mechanical brakes, which tend to need position adjustments over time as the mechanical cable stretches. Without making those adjustments on mechanical brakes, stopping force becomes progressively weaker.
Another major benefit of hydraulic disc brakes on e-bikes is the greater stopping power with less finger strength. That allows for one-finger braking for many riders, meaning more fingers can be left on the handlebars for control.
This isn’t the first e-bike from Lectric eBikes to come with hydraulic disc brakes. That honor goes to the higher end Lectric XPremium, though the lower cost Lectric XPedition cargo bike also launched with hydraulic brakes earlier this year, as did the popular three-wheeled Lectric XP Trike.
Hydraulic disc brakes are often seen as one major delineator between cheaper and nicer e-bikes. It’s not just that they improve the quality and performance of the ebike, but they also demonstrate that the manufacturer cares about providing an upgraded experience for the rider. For example, when Rad Power Bikes launched their popular “Plus” line a couple years ago with the RadCity 5 Plus and RadRover 6 Plus, hydraulic disc brakes were one of the major upgraded features.
The downside to these running product upgrades that occur in the middle of a product cycle like this is that they tend to leave out early adopters. Hydraulic disc brakes will be a nice upgrade for new Lectric XP 3.0 riders, but what about anyone who bought a Lectric XP 3.0 last week, last month, or even last year?
Fortunately, Lectric eBikes has announced that they’ll be providing a hydraulic disc brake upgrade kit for any current XP3.0 owners who want one, and will also cover the installation cost at a local bike shop.
Not bad for a sub-$1,000 e-bike!
Electrek’s Take
I love everything about this. As I mentioned, the XP 3.0 was already a good bike. But the mechanical disc brakes, while sufficient, were one of its weak links. Literally just a couple days ago I was adjusting my XP 3.0’s brake cables after a fairly rigorous 25-mile (40 km) ride through South Beach with plenty of stop-and-go riding.
But to also offer an upgrade kit for all current XP 3.0 owners seems like an awesome move. I want to be all rose-colored glasses here and assume it’s altruistic, and I’m sure part of it is. But I’m also sure that the company expected to field thousands of calls and emails from owners who recently bought an XP 3.0 with mechanical brakes and were annoyed that if they had just waited, they’d have gotten an upgraded hydraulic brake bike.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad to see an already popular e-bike getting even better.
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Air taxi startup Vertical Aerospace achieved a world’s first this week, completing the first flight between two airports through public airspace for an eVTOL at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire, England.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world’s largest military airshow, held every July and serving as a public showcase for the latest advancements in aviation technology. It’s fitting, then, that RIAT served as setting for the Vertical VX4 prototype’s first piloted public flight.
The eVTOL aircraft flew 17 miles from the company’s Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport to RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station used by the US Air Force. The Vertical VX4 reached speeds of 115 mph, and an altitude of 1800 ft, and also marked the first landing at a public location for an aircraft of this type.
The Vertical Aerospace entry was the only battery-electric aircraft present at RIAT 2025, and the flight served as a demonstration of the company’s broader strategy to unlock new hybrid-electric applications for defense, logistics, and special/close support missions where the eVTOL’s (relatively) quiet operations could give it a tactical advantage.
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“RIAT is a global stage for the most advanced, mission-ready aerospace technology, and we’re proud to showcase how electric aviation will support the future of defense,” says Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. “Our hybrid-electric roadmap unlocks new capabilities for military operations, and Vertical’s RIAT presence reinforces our commitment to playing a meaningful role in the future of military and special mission aviation.”
Vertical’s VX4 debuted last year, with a 20% increase in the power-to-weight ratio that enables a top cruising speed of 150 mph and transports four passengers plus a pilot up to 100 miles on a single charge.
The inaugural VX4 flight was witnessed by several thousand UK aircraft enthusiasts, and showed how an eVTOL aircraft could integrate with real-world airport operations, building momentum toward more regular, certified deployment.
Electrek’s Take
Archer, BETA, EHang, Joby, XPeng – the list of eVTOL manufacturers seems to be as long as the list of new electric car brands that didn’t exist back when I first started working with EVs back in ::gulp:: the 1990s. The future of regional point-to-point air travel certainly seems to be vertical, and electric.
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Say what you will about Elon Musk, but Tesla has changed the way that millions of people buy cars and, by extension, car insurance. Now, Honda is taking a page from Tesla’s successful playbook and launching its own in-house insurance business. Enter: Honda Insurance Solutions.
Honda Insurance Solutions is being launched as a fully licensed insurance agency serving the insurance needs of Acura and Honda customers, but it’s not stopping at competitive pricing and coverage options for Honda cars and motorcycles. Honda Insurance Solutions promises to go several steps beyond Tesla’s offering with coverage for trailers, RVs, homes, and even pets.
“Honda Insurance Solutions offers customers access to coverage through a brand they know and trust,” says Petar Vucurevic, President, American Honda Insurance Solutions, LLC and Senior Vice President, American Honda Finance Corporation. “Insurance is a key touchpoint in the vehicle ownership journey, and we aim to deliver a superior experience tailored to the unique needs of each customer, while promoting safer driving and increased peace of mind on the road.”
The company says the launch of its new insurance business is just part of Honda’s broader digital vehicle sales platform strategy, with future plans to integrate insurance offerings into new products.
What Honda is doing right now is deepening relationships with its existing customers and finding ways to make money on products it hasn’t sold them – whether that’s the Harley parked in the garage next to their Prologue or the garage itself.
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Nobody ever says “this is business” before doing something nice, and the recently reborn Lion Electric company is keeping that streak alive by doing the unthinkable to cut costs: they’re going to void the warranties on hundreds of electric school buses.
In a letter issued to exiting Lion Electric customers last week, Deloitte Restructuring announced that the warranties on all Lion vehicles purchased outside of the company’s home Province of Quebec are null and void – leaving dozens of school districts in the lurch with stranded assets that won’t get fixed, and can’t be sold to generate funds for replacements.
“We are working with alternate vendors at the expense of the school district to help keep our electric buses functional and on the road,” explains Dr. Richard Decman, Superintendent of Herscher CUSD No. 2 district in Herscher, Illinois. “Currently, six of our 25 (Lion) electric buses need some type of repair.”
Student Transportation News reports that Lion buses represent fully half of Herscher’s overall fleet of 50 buses, and that the district has received nearly $10 million for the purchase of 25 electric buses and the related charging stations from various state and utility incentive programs.
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Herscher isn’t the only district having problems with Lion buses. “All four Lion buses that we own are currently parked and not being used,” Coleen Souza, interim transportation director of Winthrop Public Schools, told Clean Trucking. “Two of them are in need of repairs which would cost us money which we are not willing to invest in because the buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs.”
More of the same in Maine, where Yarmouth School Department bought two Lion Electric buses in 2023 with the state covering the costs. According to Superintendent Andrew Dolloff, the buses almost never worked. “We’ve had some sporadic service over the past two years, but as soon as the tech leaves, the buses produce error codes again,” explained Dolloff. ” and “Then the technician quits or is released, and we wait a few months for the next response.”
Dolloff added that Yarmouth’s electric buses did not operate during the 2024-25 school year.
Lion’s new owners are seemingly uninterested in their customers’ plight – which might be easily dismissed if those new owners, Groupe MACH, weren’t also the old owners of Lion Electric.
That’s right, kids. Quebec-based real estate company Groupe MACH, which stepped in to “save” Lion Electric earlier this summer, along with Ontario-based Mirella & Lino Saputo Foundation, bought $90 million of equity in Lion Electric back in 2023. And, while the MACH people may not have been the ones who ultimately made the call about voiding the warranties (that decision was made by the Deloitte bankruptcy team), it is absolutely Group MACH who have, to date, not announced plans to continue to honor those warranties, either.
Make of that what you will.
Deloitte Lion letter
SOURCES: School Transportation News, Clean Trucking, Deloitte.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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