Closer look at the new Tern HSD cargo electric bike (and what makes it so strong)
Tern recently updated its midtier electric cargo bike, the Tern HSD. I recently had the chance to check out the bike along with Tern’s founder and team captain, Josh Hon, at Eurobike 2023, and here’s what I learned.
First of all, if you aren’t familiar with Tern, then you’re in for a treat.
When it comes to premium electric bicycles that are built specifically for utility jobs, Tern is one of my go-to companies. There are other high-quality e-bikes out there for fitness riding, mountain biking, hardcore commuting, or even just cruising around.
You can spend a pretty penny these days on a high-end e-bike. But for pure utility – such as doing an entire week’s worth of grocery shopping or dropping a couple of kids off at school – Tern has long led the cargo pack. And it’s done so in a package that is barely larger than a typical bike.
I had the chance to test out the first version of the HSD several years ago when it was originally unveiled. It filled an interesting role, bringing many of the advantages of the company’s flagship (and equally flag-expensive) Tern GSD cargo bike. But it did so without a few of the bells and whistles, bringing the price down to a more approachable middle ground that didn’t sting as sharply to the average rider.
Since then, Tern has rolled out a few new models with even more approachable prices, which is why it makes sense that, with the new Tern HSD, the company has focused on heading a bit higher up the market.
With more options available with comfortable price tags, the HSD was able to incorporate several upgrades, chief among them an even more robust design.
One of Tern’s hallmarks isn’t just that their e-bikes are designed for heavy hauling but that they actually go above and beyond to ensure that they are the safest they can be during that heavy hauling. And it goes well past mere UL listing. Tern has used Bosch powertrains for years that come with UL certification. Getting an e-bike UL certified is child’s play compared to what Tern does.
As Tern’s Josh Hon explained to me, they go further than just about any e-bike maker to certify their bikes to extreme loads, such as the 400-pound (181-kilogram) limit of the new Tern HSD.
Most e-bike standards don’t even cover test procedures for weights that high. Several test benches aren’t even capable of physically supporting load testing at that level. And so Tern has largely entered uncharted territory.
They’ve tested their e-bikes up to those extreme load limits to ensure that anyone riding around with two kids on the back will never have to worry if the weight rating on their e-bike is a guesstimate or not – which, unfortunately, it often is. “A lot of manufacturers seem to be saying now, ‘Tern rates its bikes for 400 pounds, so I guess we need to also,’” explained Hon. And yet many of these lower-cost bikes either don’t have certification or they use a certification that stops testing at much lower weight limits.
In fact, many budget bikes that cost a fraction of a Tern HSD (which starts at $4,299) yet are rated to a similar 400 pounds of payload would actually fail at much lower weights – something we’ve seen before. It’s not just how much weight the bike can support but also what happens when a bike carrying two adults hits a pothole.
The Tern HSD includes several hidden touches that help reach that heavyweight rating, especially around the weak points. Creating a basic diamond frame that can support such heavy weight isn’t nearly as hard as ensuring that critical points like the seat tube can also support such heavy loads. Areas like the HSD nameplate behind the seat also serve as hidden gussets that strengthen the frame beyond what a typical bike can handle.
Then there are the non-Tern components. Parts from other OEMs, such as the fork, also have to support those extreme figures. After all, a bike is only as strong as its weakest component. Tern has even helped its suppliers improve the strength of their components to ensure that the HSD would be as rugged as possible. They discovered that their fork supplier wasn’t properly heat-treating the metal in the fork – a process critical for strength – because Tern had required the fork tubes to be extra thick; thus, the oven heating time was no longer sufficient to fully penetrate the metal. As forks kept breaking on the test bench, Tern was able to discover the problem and help the supplier improve its manufacturing to create a stronger component in the end.
This kind of attention to detail – to each and every component that supports a heavy rider or a heavy cargo load – is a testament to what separates the different levels of e-bikes out there. That’s not a dig at budget e-bikes. I ride one every day. But then again, I’m not putting two kids on it, either.
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Los Angeles has officially cut ties with coal. City officials say the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) in Utah – the last coal-fired power plant supplying the US’s second-largest city – went offline just before Thanksgiving.
IPP’s two massive units had a combined capacity of around 1,800 megawatts (MW) when fully operational, and as recently as 2024, they still supplied around 11% of LA’s electricity. The plant sits in Utah’s Great Basin region and powered Southern California for decades. Now, for the first time, none of LA’s power comes from coal.
There’s a political hiccup with IPP, though: the Republican-controlled Utah Legislature blocked the Intermountain Power Agency from fully retiring the coal units this year, ordering that they can’t be disconnected or decommissioned. But despite that mandate, no buyers have stepped forward to keep the outdated coal units online.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is transitioning to newly built, hydrogen-capable generating units at the same IPP location, part of a modernization effort called IPP Renewed. These new units currently run on natural gas, but they’re designed to burn a blend of natural gas and up to 30% green hydrogen, and eventually 100% green hydrogen. LADWP plans to start adding green hydrogen to the fuel mix in 2026.
“L.A.’s coal divestment is not just about discontinuing the use of coal to power our city – it’s about building a clean energy economy that benefits every Angeleno. This milestone will further accelerate our transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2035,” said Mayor Karen Bass.
To reach that goal, LA is investing heavily in solar, wind, battery storage, and local programs that expand rooftop solar and energy efficiency.
One of the city’s biggest milestones was reached in August with the completion of the Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center – a massive project that pairs 758 megawatts of solar with 300 MW/1,200 MWh of battery storage. It’s one of the largest solar-plus-storage plants in the country, capable of powering more than 260,000 Los Angeles households. Bringing Eland online helped push LADWP’s power supply past 60% clean energy in 2025.
Read more: In a first, renewables generate more power than coal globally
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![Kia's small EV drops its camo, plus a sneak peek at the interior [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Kia-EV2-spotted-camo.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Kia’s most affordable electric SUV will be here in just over a month. Ahead of its debut, the EV2 was spotted with light camo, offering our best look yet.
Kia EV2 looks more like an SUV with less camo
Just days after Kia confirmed the EV2 will debut at the Brussels Motor Show on January 9, 2026, the small electric SUV was spotted in Europe with barely any camo.
The EV2 is a fully electric B-segment SUV set to be Kia’s new entry-level EV. It will sit below the EV3, which is already the UK’s most popular retail electric vehicle and among the top-sellers in Europe.
“With the EV2, we reaffirm our commitment to make electric mobility truly accessible to a broader audience,” Kia Europe president and CEO, Marc Hedrich, said earlier this month.
Despite its compact size, the EV2 looks and feels much bigger in person. It has a similar high-riding, blocky design as Kia’s latest electric SUVs, such as the EV5 and three-row EV9.
In the teaser images Kia posted a few days ago, the EV2 was shown under a drape with a design that looked nearly identical to the EV2 Concept from earlier this year.
Now, we can finally confirm it. The Kia EV2 was recently spotted in Europe in light camo, rocking a tall, SUV-like stance. The latest image from KindelAuto gives us a solid look at its profile, which still resembles a mini EV5 or EV9.
Kia will begin EV2 production alongside the EV4 hatch at its Zilina, Slovakia, plant shortly after its debut at the Brussels Motor Show next month, ramping up output throughout 2026.
Although Kia has yet to reveal specifics, the EV2 is expected to be about 4,000 mm (157″) long, or slightly smaller than the EV3 at 4,300 mm (169.3″). It will be closer in size to the Hyundai Inster EV.
Prices are expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,000) in Europe, given that the EV3 starts at about €36,000 ($42,000).
A new video from HealerTV offers a glimpse of the interior. Although the EV2 concept included sliding benches, detachable seats, cushions, and other innovative features to unlock more space, the interior looks more like Kia’s latest EVs, such as the EV3, EV4, and EV5.
You can see it has a standard armrest and a separate storage spot, similar to the EV5. The door handles are about the same as those in the EV3 and EV4.
Although it’s just a preview since the windows were covered, the second row looks about the same as the EV3. The reporter mentioned a “family look” similar to Kia’s other electric vehicles.
The compact electric SUV is expected to ride on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, with similar battery pack options as the EV3. The EV3 is available with 58.3 kWh and 81.4 kWh battery options, delivering a WLTP range of 410 km (255 miles) and 560 km (348 miles), respectively.
The EV2 will debut at the Brussels Motor Show on January 9, 2026. Kia will hold a press conference at 10:40 am CET to introduce the new entry-level EV. Check back for updates leading up to the event.
For those in the US, sadly, the EV2 is not expected to make the trip overseas. However, Kia is offering generous discounts of over $10,000 off its current EV lineup.
Interested in a test drive? We can help you get started. You can use the links below to find Kia’s electric vehicles near you.
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Nissan is looking for a partner to co-develop new EVs with as it struggles to turn things around, but only on one condition.
Nissan is still looking for EV partners
After its plans with Honda fell through earlier this year, Nissan is still hoping to find a partnership to build next-generation EVs.
As part of its recovery plan, Re:Nissan, the automaker has already announced significant job cuts, factory closures, and other extreme measures to cut costs as it looks to return to profitability.
Nissan has been actively seeking new partnerships, but it won’t settle for “just a transaction.” Speaking to Automotive News at an event earlier this month, Ponz Pandikuthira, chief product and planning officer for Nissan Americas, said that although it was open to partnering, it would have to be a two-way street.
“We would not engage with a partner just to buy a vehicle, or platform, or piece of tech,” Pandikuthira said, adding, “That’s what makes it a long-term commitment instead of just a transaction.”
Pandikuthira suggested Nissan is already in talks with several potential partners, including Honda and Mitsubishi. Sources told Automotive News in October that Nissan was in discussions with Ford and Stellantis to supply a new electrified SUV based on the Rogue.
The sources claimed the electrified Rogue would use Nissan’s new e-POWER hybrid system. According to Pandikuthira, Nissan could also use the next-gen Frontier platform, set to underpin the new Pathfinder.
So what would the partnership look like? The product and planning boss said it could involve automakers either buying the technology or Nissan building rebadged vehicles, but the partner would still need to use its tech. It would be a two-way commitment, not just a transaction.
Either way, Nissan will need to move quickly. It already cut the Ariya electric SUV from its 2026 lineup in the US, and is reportedly struggling to sell the new LEAF.
We know we need economies of scale for an EV, and we would be open to a discussion with another partner to jointly develop an EV,” Pandikuthira stressed. That could involve a family of SUVs, Nissan’s product boss suggested.
Electrek’s Take
Starting at $29,990 with over 300 miles of range, Nissan says the 2026 LEAF has “the lowest starting MSRP for any new EV currently on sale in the US.” If it’s already having a tough time selling the low-cost LEAF EV, it could be a long road ahead for Nissan.
Like Hyundai and General Motors, which announced plans to co-develop five new vehicles, combining resources with a new partnership could help Nissan reduce development costs, leverage new tech, and achieve economies of scale.
What are your thoughts on a Nissan EV partnership? Which company would be the best fit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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