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One of the coolest things about electric cargo bikes is their ability to carry a passenger. Or two passengers. Or in the case of my testing with the Velotric Packer 1, three passengers in addition to myself. The bike is brimming with cool features, but its heavy hauling ability and reasonable price are what really make this thing shine!

This is one of those e-bikes that you’re going to want to watch in action. Check it out below in my video review. Then keep scrolling for my detailed thoughts on this cargo e-bike.

Velotric Packer 1 Video Review

Velotric Packer 1 tech specs

  • Motor: 750W (1,200W peak) rear-geared hub motor
  • Top speed: 20 mph (32 km/h) or 25 mph (40 km/h) when unlcoked
  • Range: Up to 52 miles (84 km)
  • Battery: 48V 15Ah (692 Wh)
  • Weight: 75 lb (34 kg)
  • Payload capacity: 440 lb (200 kg)
  • Tires: 26 x 2.4″ (front) and 20 x 3.0″ (rear)
  • Brakes: 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors
  • Extras: Suspension fork, LED display, smartphone app integration, LED headlight, tail/brake light, Y-kickstand, Shimano 8-speed drivetrain, included fenders and long rear rack platform, Apple FindMy integration for location tracking, mounting points for front and rear rack accessories, UL-certified for battery, and entire e-bike system

Built to be used

The Velotric Packer 1 isn’t some cheap, showy cargo e-bike. This bike is built to be used. From a rear rack rated for 176 lb (80 kg) to a wide range of accessories, the Packer is meant to carry some serious gear, passengers, or both.

I added the running boards for foot rests and put my two nephews, ages 9 and 11, on back for some carpool duty. It rides differently with the extra weight and takes a couple minutes to get used to, but it’s a great way to shuttle kids around.

I added the “Child Safety Balustrade” on back – what I called the kid cage – to add a third passenger. The two boys could be trusted to hang on (and they both made use of the spare handlebars in back for a secure ride), but my five year old niece is a handful, and so I wanted to be sure she was held in some sort of… cage. With the addition of a third kid, the bike is slightly slower to respond, but you get used to the new weight dynamic just the same. The biggest issue is simply keeping it straight up while stopped and not letting the bike start to lean too far until you’re riding. Once you’re rolling again though, feel free to drag four knees in the turns.

You’ll want to see just how well it rides with four people on it in my video review above.

If you don’t want to carry kids, you can swap out the passenger accessories for cargo accessories.

Velotric has really nice baskets and racks that are designed to make it easy to haul all sorts of odd bits and pieces back there. The basket liners are a tough fabric and look really nice. They remind me of the ones from Radio Flyer, which until now were the nicest baskets I’d seen on an e-bike.

I’m guessing Velotric uses the same suppliers, since these are just as nice. The small zippered pocket is a nice touch in case you want to toss some smaller things in back but don’t want them bouncing around with the rest of your gear.

There’s also a cool center storage box that comes with a lock, though I wouldn’t trust the lock to protect your wallet. It’s not really the lock that’s the problem, but rather the fact that a dollar store pocket knife could cut right through the sidewall of the box. So think of it more as enclosed storage, not super secure locking storage. I’d use it to carry things, but I wouldn’t leave my wallet locked in there for a week.

But there’s more to this e-bike than just its ability to carry lots of people or things back there. The bike is just really nicely designed.

That Y-kickstand keeps it super stable. The low step-through makes it easy to mount when it is loaded up in the rear. The hydraulic brakes are punchy and powerful, largely thanks to the quad-piston design that provides more stopping power than the dual-piston hydraulic brakes on many other e-bikes. In my opinion brakes are more important on a cargo e-bike than any other type of e-bike, and you can rest easy knowing that extra poundage you’ll be carrying will barely stress these powerful stoppers.

The mis-matched tires are a great design too. The front wheel uses a 24″ tire which is a standard size yet cuts a nice balance between large 26″ tires and smaller 20″ tires. The rear opts for that 20″ size, which lets you keep your cargo lower and get a more stable ride. With a big tire up front to roll over obstacles and a small tire in back for a lower center of gravity, you get the best of both worlds. The rear is also a wider 3″ tire, giving you more cushion in the back.

And don’t get me started on the Apple FindMy integration! I love this feature more than I probably should, but I just think it’s too cool. I can add my bike to my iPhone as one of my devices, then it’s always being tracked. If it goes missing due to some lowlife that can’t keep his hands off someone else’s stuff, I can track down its location. The cops likely won’t do much, but I can invite a few of my larger friends to flank me on a search and rescue mission for my bike.

Plenty of power

For a bike designed to haul big loads, you don’t want an underpowered drivetrain. The Velotric Packer 1 has a 750W continuous rated motor that puts out around 1,200W of peak power. That’s more than most people need on a daily basis, but will be a welcome relief when you occasionally carry heavy loads or tackle a big hill.

As a Class 2 e-bike, the Packer comes out of the box with a 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit. You can actually unlock the bike to 25 mph (40 km/h), which will be nice for those that do long straightaway riding, such as a lengthy commute on the side of a road. But for daily bike lane use, I find 20 mph to be plenty.

With a 692 Wh battery, the Velotric Packer has what I would call average battery capacity. If they had matched some other cargo e-bikes with a larger 840 Wh battery, I’d be singing their praises. As it stands, 692 Wh of battery capacity is still quite nice. That’s plenty for most people, but it’s fast riders and heavy haulers that will likely wish they had a bit more battery on occasion. For the average rider though, you’ll probably never go far enough to use the entire battery in one trip. While the company claims over 50 miles (80 km) of range, that’s on low power pedal assist. High power throttle riding can easily cut that figure in half. But then again, most of us don’t ride 25 miles a day, so you’ll probably be fine.

Speaking of the battery, it’s UL-listed for safety. In fact, the entire e-bike drive system is UL-listed as well. As fire concerns are becoming a more pressing issue among cheap e-bikes with poor quality batteries, having a UL sticker on your battery offers peace of mind that the pack is built to higher quality standards.

velotric packer 1

A few nice additions

If I could make two additions, they’d be to the steering and the drivetrain. There’s no spring on the steering column, which is nice to have for parking and maneuvering your bike while standing around it. In the cases where you’re pushing the bike around your garage or in a parking area, the spring found on many cargo bikes’ steering columns helps keep the bars straight. Since the bike is so long, you can’t push from the back and still reach the bars with your hand to straighten it out like a normal bike.

Secondly, a torque sensor would have been an amazing addition to make the pedal assist feel even more comfortable. I can put up with lag, especially for the modest sale price of $1,899, but a torque sensor would have elevated the Velotric Packer 1 to elite status, in my opinion. Even so though, I still hold this e-bike near the top of my budget cargo bike list.

I would definitely recommend this e-bike to family and friends searching for a long tail cargo bike with great features like location tracking. As an added bonus, it even comes in a fun sky blue color (in addition to the slightly less fun gray color). What’s not to like?! All told, this is a great option for pretty much any family or any rider that simply needs to haul something on a nice looking, slickly designed e-bike.

velotric packer 1
velotric packer 1
velotric packer 1
velotric packer 1

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Elon Musk hypes Tesla’s 8th gen AI chip, but still hasn’t delivered promised self-driving on 3rd gen

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3 hours ago

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November 3, 2025

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Elon Musk hypes Tesla's 8th gen AI chip, but still hasn't delivered promised self-driving on 3rd gen

Tesla Full Self-driving computer

Elon Musk is now hyping Tesla’s 8th-gen AI chip, but he still hasn’t delivered the promised self-driving for millions of Tesla owners with the 3rd-gen chip, nor with the current 4th-gen chip in production.

Musk, whose compensation package at Tesla is up for a shareholder’s vote this week, has coincidentally been sharing more of what he does at Tesla lately to justify his upt to $1 trillion compensation package.

This weekend, he posted on X an update about Tesla’s AI chip roadmap:

Just finished a long AI5 design review with the Tesla California and Texas chip engineers. It’s going to be great. And AI6 and AI7 will follow in fast succession. AI8 will be out of this world.

Those chips power Tesla’s inference computing in its vehicles, enabling its advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and self-driving capabilities.

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Currently, Tesla is producing AI4, its fourth-generation chip.

However, the automaker has been selling to customers the capability to achieve “Full Self-Driving” unsupervised capacity since its second-generation chip.

When it failed, it retrofitted second-gen cars with a new “HW3” third-generation chip.

In January, Musk admitted that Tesla’s HW3 in-car computer is not powerful enough to support unsupervised self-driving. He said Tesla would once again offer retrofits, but it’s been 10 months, and Tesla hasn’t communicated any concrete plan to make it right with customers.

During Tesla’s earnings call last month, Tesla partially walked back Musk’s previous admission that HW3 won’t support unsupervised self-driving.

CFO Vaibhav Taneja said:

“We’ve not completely given up on hardware 3.”

He didn’t really elaborate on what it means, but Tesla’s VP of self-driving, Ashok Elluswamy, added: 

“Once the v14 release series is fully done, we are planning on working on a v 14 Lite version for hardware 3. Probably expected in Q2 next year.”

V14 is currently available on Tesla vehicles with HW4, but it is still not capable of unsupervised self-driving as Tesla sold and promised to customers.

Electrek’s Take

It’s pretty wild that instead of delivering what it promised and sold to HW3 customers, Tesla now says that you might get a watered-down version of something else that is already available. And that’s going to be 6 months from now.

There’s moving the goal post, and then there’s throwing it away altogether.

Now, the fascinating thing is that Musk is talking about AI5, coming in 2026, then AI6. Now, he is even talking about AI7 and AI8.

We know what happens when Tesla launches a new self-driving computer. It gradually shifts its efforts into bigger models that fit on the new computer, but they don’t on the old one.

At this point, everything points to AI4 going the same way as HW3.

Tesla would have avoided itself a lot of headaches if it would have simply waited to have solved autonomy before selling it to customers.


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The new Lexus RZ is here, but it still costs way more than a Tesla Model Y

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4 hours ago

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November 3, 2025

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The new Lexus RZ is here, but it still costs way more than a Tesla Model Y

New-Lexus-RZ-prices

Lexus upgraded the RZ in about way you could imagine. It can now drive over 300 miles on a single charge, recharge at Tesla Superchargers, and even has a sporty new F-Sport trim. Is it enough?

New 2026 Lexus RZ prices and range by trim

The new and improved Lexus RZ is now on sale in the US. Lexus revealed the refreshed electric SUV earlier this year, featuring more range, faster charging, additional features, and more trim options.

With a new battery system, the 2026 RZ now provides up to 301 miles of driving range, or 35 miles more than the outgoing model.

The new Lexus RZ can also recharge at Tesla Superchargers via its built-in NACS port. It can now charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes using a DC fast charger.

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RZ drivers can use one of the more than 25,000 Tesla Superchargers, as well as other DC fast-charging networks such as IONNA, ChargePoint, and EVgo.

Other new features, such as Plug & Charge and Apple Maps EV Routing via Apple CarPlay, make it much easier to find and use public chargers.

Lexus introduced a new F Sport trim to the 2026 RZ lineup. Packing 402 horsepower from a dual motor powertrain, the 2026 Lexus RZ 550e is the most powerful RZ model yet. It also gains exclusive black F Sport badges on the rear spoiler, front and rear bumpers, and front grille.

The RZ 450e offers an optional performance upgrade that boosts output to 375 hp, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.3 seconds. The upgrade costs an extra $1,750 and is available for installation at the dealer.

New-Lexus-RZ-interior
The interior of the 2026 Lexus RZ (Source: Lexus)

Lexus revamped the electric SUV’s interior with a new Dynamic Sky Panorama Glass Roof. The F-Sport trim features a Black Ultrasuede trim with blue stitching and added emblems on the pedals and footrests.

Starting at $47,295, the 2026 Lexus RZ is already $5,000 more than the outgoing model. It’s also over $7,300 more expensive than the Tesla Model Y.

2026 Lexus RZ trim Starting Price
(MSRP*)
RZ 350e $47,295
RZ 350e Premium $49,495
RZ 450e AWD $50,795
RZ 450e Premium AWD $52,995
RZ 450 e Luxury AWD $58,295
RZ 55e F Sport AWD $58,295
2026 Lexus RZ price by trim (*includes $1,295 delivery fee)

The 2026 Tesla Model Y Standard RWD is priced from $39,990 with an EPA-estimated driving range of 321 miles. Even the Premium trim, starting at $44,990, is less expensive.

Which electric SUV are you choosing, the new 2026 Lexus RZ or the Tesla Model Y? Let us know in the comments.

Want to test drive the Lexus RZ or Tesla Model Y to see for yourself? You can use our links below to see what’s available in your area.


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Early Black Friday e-bike sales from Lectric and Heybike with up to $893 savings, EcoFlow 40A level 2 EV charger low, EGO, more

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4 hours ago

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November 3, 2025

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Early Black Friday e-bike sales from Lectric and Heybike with up to 3 savings, EcoFlow 40A level 2 EV charger low, EGO, more


We’re kicking off this week’s Green Deals with an EV-packed edition, led by Lectric’s early Black Friday Sale that is offering up to $893 in FREE bundled gear with e-bikes, like the XPedition 2.0 Cargo e-bikes that are getting some of the biggest packages up to $893 in size, starting from $1,399. That’s not all, as Heybike’s early Black Friday Sale is taking up to $600 off e-bikes with select bundles and FREE gift packs starting from $899 lows. There’s also EcoFlow’s PowerPulse Level 2 40A EV Charger and bundle starting from a $699 low, EGO’s 56V 12-inch cordless snow shovel, and several ongoing exclusive EcoFlow and Jackery power station lows – one of which has even fallen another $100 lower. And don’t forget about the hangover deals from last week that are collected together at the bottom of the page, rounded together in our latest edition of Electrified Weekly.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Lectric e-bikes lined up in early Black Friday promotional image

Lectric’s early Black Friday Sale offers up to $893 bundles with e-bikes starting from $999

The month is kicking off big for folks looking to score a commuting solution from one of America’s favorite e-bike brands. Lectric eBikes has launched its early Black Friday Sale that is seeing up to $893 in savings across the e-bike lineup, including another $500 price cut on the premium ONE commuter and up to 25% discounts on accessories. Leading the group with some of the biggest bundles are Lectric’s XPedition Cargo e-bikes, which can be broken down into three configurations: the starting 13Ah single-battery e-bike with $346 in gear at $1,399 shipped, the 26Ah dual-battery e-bike with $744 in gear at $1,799 shipped, or the 35Ah dual-battery long-range e-bike with $893 in gear at $1,999 shipped. These bundles would normally run you $1,745, $2,543, and $2,892, respectively, but now, you’re getting the largest packages we’ve tracked since this second-generation hauler hit the market one year ago.

The bundles we’re seeing are mostly focused on passenger comfort and safety, with parents and nannies in NYC often using them to shepherd kids around to their daily appointments. The base 13Ah single-battery model is getting a pair of running boards, cushions, a suspension seat post, and an Elite headlight upgrade. The 26Ah dual-battery model is getting those with an orbiter, extra cushion, and two XL pannier bags, while the 35Ah dual-battery model is adding a fast charger that refills the battery in up to 3.5 hours.

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The Lectric XPedition 2.0 e-bikes are popular haulers that have regularly sold out of stock over 2025, as they carry a total 450-pound payload with an extended cargo rack and can carry precious cargo for up to 170 miles. Regardless of your battery configuration, they come with 750W M24 rear hub motors (peaking at 1,310W) that reach up to 20/28 MPH top speeds, depending on your state-specific laws. The 13Ah battery model provides pedal assistance for up to 60 miles, the 26Ah battery model extends that up to 120 miles, and the 35Ah battery model goes the distance for up to 170 miles.

Along with all the free gear you’re getting, these e-bikes also come stocked with dual spring front suspension forks, hydraulic mineral oil disc brakes, headlights and taillights that provide turn signaling and brake activation, a color display, and more.

Lectric early Black Friday XPedition 2.0 e-bike bundles:

Lectric early Black Friday ONE e-bike bundle + price cut:

Lectric early Black Friday XPeak 2.0 e-bike bundles:

Lectric early Black Friday XP Trike2 bundles:

Lectric early Black Friday XP4 e-bike bundles:

Lectric early Black Friday XP Lite 2.0 LR e-bike bundles:

Lectric early Black Friday XPress 750 e-bikes bundle:

electric vehicle in garage charging from EcoFlow PowerPulse Ev charger

You can save up to $2,498 on EcoFlow’s PowerPulse level 2 40A EV charger and bundles starting from a $699 low

EcoFlow is currently offering its PowerPulse Level 2 40A EV Charger at $699 shipped, while bundles are also seeing up to $2,498 discounts. This new charging solution was released back in June with a full $899 price tag, which we’ve been seeing drop down to $699 over the last four months. The deal here is giving you another chance at $200 starting savings on the charging station alone, which can connect to power stations and the brand’s home backup units at the best price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this EV charging solution, as well as view the lineup of bundle offers, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.

man riding Heybike e-bike in early Black Friday promotional image

Get up to $600 early Black Friday savings on Heybike e-bikes with FREE gifts and bundled gear starting from $899 lows

Heybike has launched its Early Black Friday e-bike Sale with up to $600 price cuts, limited FREE gifts, and select bundle packages. Leading the group at its lowest price is Heybike’s Mars 2.0 Folding Fat-Tire e-bike that gets a FREE gift for $899 shipped, or you could upgrade to its 1,000W motor configuration for $100 more. It’s coming down off its $1,499 full price during this event, which we’ve been seeing keep between $999 and $1,099 since July, which is when we last saw it fall to this all-time low rate. Now, you can hop on with $600 savings and get a FREE Black Friday gift pack too – all at the best price we have tracked in its history.

If you want to learn more about this e-bike, or browse the entire lineup of deals, be sure to check out our original coverage of this early Black Friday sale here.

EGO's 56V 12-inch cordless snow shovel

Add EGO’s 56V 12-inch cordless snow shovel to your winter arsenal with a 2.5Ah battery at $270

Amazon is offering the EGO Power+ 56V 12-inch Cordless Snow Shovel with 2.5Ah battery at $269.99 shipped. Since late July it’s been keeping at its $359 full price, which we’ve seen taken as low as $264 back in May and June. You’re looking at a 25% markdown here while this deal remains, giving you $89 cut from the tag and landing it amongst the lowest prices we have tracked – just $6 above its low.

If you want to learn more about this snow-clearing solution, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

Best Fall EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.


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