Electric bikes have proven to be a massively popular form of transportation for millions of Americans, but their use at Burning Man may soon end.
Electric bike use has been on the rise in the US, and it seems no area has been left untouched. Even Burning Man’s Black Rock City (BRC), the temporary city formed each year in the desert around 120 miles (200 km) north of Reno, has seen a massive influx of e-bikes in the last few years.
The Burning Man event has always been a heavily cycle-friendly festival, but that has usually meant pedal bikes swarming around BRC. As electric bikes surged in popularity in 2021 and 2022, Burning Man’s share of e-bikes has grown quickly as well.
E-bikes are an effective way to get around the sprawling BRC, but many event goers have watched with dismay as their numbers grow. As explained by Charlie Dolman, director of event operations at Burning Man:
After the 2022 Black Rock City event, participants sent Burning Man Project an overwhelming volume of feedback about how their fellow Burners were operating e-bikes.
Most of the feedback was negative, usually relating to how fast e-bike riders were traveling. There’s a hard 5 mph (8 km/h) speed limit in BRC that applies to anything with wheels. Cars are banned outside of staff vehicles and other approved vehicles such as moving art installations and “mutant vehicles,” but bikes and scooters are limited to 5 mph speed limits. E-bike riders, it seems, have often disregarded those speed limits.
Currently, BRC only allows Class 1 e-bikes, which don’t have a throttle but can easily reach up to 20 mph (32 km/h) with pedal assist. However, Class 2 e-bikes with throttles and Class 3 e-bikes that can reach 28 mph (45 km/h) are frequently seen as well.
Burning Man officials, while not outrightly against e-bikes, haven’t been overtly supportive of their use due to the potential for high-speed abuse. They point out that not only is going faster than 5 mph not allowed, but it also causes riders to miss much of the beauty and uniqueness of BRC. As Dolman explained:
Black Rock City is best discovered at a pace that lets the best-kept secrets and unplanned surprises of the city (and there are oh-so-many!) reveal themselves. If you go too fast, you miss many of our ephemeral city’s hidden wonders and surprise encounters: whimsical treasures of the backstreets, understated art, spontaneous new friendships, popup events, and parties with secret entrances.
Many of the Burning Man attendees have complained about riders going too fast on e-bikes while under the influence of cognitively impairing substances, creating a dangerous situation to those around them. Dolman added that many e-bike riders as well as pedestrians and cyclists were injured at the 2022 event because of e-bike speeds.
Dolman explained that Burning Man officials don’t want to have to outright ban electric bikes or require a fee to register them at the gate, but that such actions may become necessary if e-bike riding behavior doesn’t improve at this year’s event.
A list of four rules for operating e-bikes at Burning Man was shared:
Keep speeds at or below the 5 mph limit — everywhere!
Watch out for pedestrians and other cyclists — everywhere!
Remember to stop, get off, and explore — everywhere!
Respect and listen to those who raise concerns — all the time!
And as much as Burning Man officials don’t want to hand out punishments, e-bike riders have been put on notice:
Be forewarned: if you don’t abide by these basic guidelines, you may be pulled over by law enforcement or Black Rock Rangers, and your e-bike may get impounded.
We knew SUPER73 had something new coming soon based on recent teasers dropped on the e-bike brand’s social media pages. But after the big unveiling of the new SUPER73 MZFT late last week, riders and fans have seemingly been left with more questions than answers regarding the new electric two-wheeler.
SUPER73 took to the Moto Beach Classic in Orange County, California, to roll out its newest model, which had already drummed up hype for an expected new platform.
The company delivered on that promise, showcasing the MZFT with its new frame and features, including multiple battery options and locking storage under the flip-up seat. While some familiar features remain, such as the rear hub motor, wide dual-sport tires, and rigid frame/fork setup, the new platform definitely looks like a novel swing at a moped-style electric bike that stays true to SUPER73’s design legacy.
But beyond the obvious Class 2 sticker on the frame – indicating a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) and an included throttle – SUPER73 has been tight-lipped about any other specs. The result is an unveiling that has left many scratching their heads and asking, “But what is it?”.
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Without any real sizing information, we’re left to speculate from the bike’s proportions. The bike certainly looks smaller than the large, rugged SUPER73 bikes that dominated the brand’s flagship lineup for years.
A photo with several young boys on the MZFT series seems to nail the target crowd, likely positioning the MZFT as a smaller, teen-friendly e-bike designed for the quickly growing teen boy e-bike market.
Many cities in the US are now home to groups of teenagers that ride e-bikes in packs. The trend has proven divisive, with some praising the electric two-wheelers for getting more youths outdoors and away from screens, while others bemoan the tendency for these ‘e-bike gangs’ to stray from strictly following the rules of the road.
For its part, SUPER73 has been relatively proactive with its response to criticism, focusing on ensuring its new models maintain street legal compliance and even pushing updates to older models that removed the ability to unlock higher speeds, even to the chagrin of much of the brand’s customer base.
If SUPER73 is targeting the tween boy crowd, it could be a shot at attracting those young riders before they get swayed over to Sur Rons and other non-street legal e-motos, instead drawing them into class-correct e-bikes that still invoke the fun moto-styling. One of the bikes in the image above even has two boys seated together, which would explain the apparent mounting point for additional pillion pegs on the rear chainstays of the frame (though no pillion pegs are visible in the photos or renderings).
For now, we can’t say for sure exactly what these MZFT e-bikes will be packing under the hood, and we will have to await more news from SUPER73 regarding sizing, performance, and other specs.
But whatever the MZFT turns out to be, SUPER73 says the bikes will be hitting retail stores on November 8th and will become available online by November 10th, so we should know significantly more by then.
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The average US new car price crossed the $50,000 mark for the first time in September, according to new estimates from Kelley Blue Book (KBB). Prices have been climbing steadily for over a year, and the pace picked up this summer – but that hasn’t stopped Americans from buying.
KBB says September’s record average transaction price (ATP) was partly driven by luxury models and EVs, which pushed the market into record territory. EVs made up an estimated 11.6% of all new vehicles sold last month, which is also a record high. The average EV sold for $58,124 – up 3.5% from August’s adjusted figure.
In Q3, EV sales hit another milestone: 437,487 EVs were sold in the US, giving them a 10.5% market share. That’s nearly a 30% jump from the same period last year. With government-backed EV incentives expiring at the end of September, many buyers hurried to lock in their purchases.
Year-over-year, the average EV transaction price is basically flat, down just 0.4%. Incentives averaged 15.3% of ATP in September, or about $8,900 per vehicle – slightly lower than August but higher than a year ago, when incentives averaged 13%.
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Tesla, which continues to dominate the EV market, saw an average ATP of $54,138 in September. That’s a slight dip from August and down 6.8% from a year earlier. With Tesla recently introducing the new Standard versions of the Model 3 and Model Y, KBB expects average prices across the segment to fall in the coming months. Erin Keating, executive analyst at Cox Automotive, thinks the market is “ripe for disruption.”
“It is important to remember that the new-vehicle market is inflationary. Prices go up over time, and today’s market is certainly reminding us of that,” said Keating. “The $20,000 vehicle is now mostly extinct, and many price-conscious buyers are sidelined or cruising in the used-vehicle market. Tariffs have introduced new cost pressure to the business, but the pricing story in September was mostly driven by the healthy mix of EVs and higher-end vehicles pushing the new-vehicle ATP into uncharted territory.”
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It’s official. The Genesis GV70 is about to get two new electrified options, including its first hybrid and extended-range (EREV) versions.
Two new Genesis GV70 electrified SUVs are coming soon
Genesis is turning 10, and it’s planning to go all out. Hyundai gave us a look at what’s coming last month during its CEO Investor Day.
The plans include Genesis expanding with new electrified powertrain offerings, including its first hybrid and extended-range electric vehicles.
Up until now, the luxury automaker has focused on fully electric (EV) or internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. By expanding into different electrified powertrains, Genesis hopes to attract new buyers to the brand while grabbing a bigger share of the luxury market.
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Genesis will launch its first hybrid in 2026, the GV80. We knew the GV70 EREV would follow shortly after, but now it’s been confirmed that a hybrid model is also set to join the lineup.
We got our first look at the Genesis GV70 EREV last week. The vehicle was parked in South Korea and appeared to be nearly identical to the current model. Aside from a tag labeling it an EREV and a massive muffler at the back, it looks about the same as the Electrified GV70.
Now, we are finally getting a glimpse of the Hybrid version. The Genesis GV70 Hybrid was also caught by HealerTV in South Korea, this time with an HEV tag.
Like the EREV, the GV70 Hybrid is still covered in camouflage, but this time, you can see the vehicle has the brand’s sport package. The optional package adds sporty exterior and interior elements, including chrome around the Crest Grille and window trim.
The Genesis Electrified GV70 (Source: Genesis)
The vehicle is still a prototype, so it could change by the time it reaches production form. However, as the reporter points out, the GV70 Hybrid could bring a unique new look to the GV70 series.
On the side of the tire, the letters “FL” are printed, which is typically shown on Hyundai vehicles set to receive a facelift.
Genesis plans to launch new luxury EVs, hybrids, and EREVs (Source: Hyundai)
Genesis is expected to launch the GV70 EREV in late 2026, followed by the Hybrid version sometime in early 2027.
According to Hyundai, the EREV will have a combined driving range of over 1,000 km (620 miles). Although it still runs on an electric motor, it will feature a small gas motor that acts as a generator to charge the battery and extend the driving range.
Genesis is betting on new electrified vehicles, including EVs, hybrids, and EREVs, to drive growth. The luxury brand aims to expand into up to 20 new European markets while gaining a bigger share of the US market. By 2030, Genesis aims to sell 350,000 vehicles.
Although it had planned to only offer fully electric vehicles from 2030, Genesis backed off on its commitment. Instead, it will use hybrids and EREVs as a bridge to an all-electric future.
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