Velotric Packer review: Why this cargo electric bike deserves to carry your kids
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.
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.
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On today’s exciting episode of Quick Charge, we don’t even mention “you know who,” focusing instead on EV news from Rivian, Lucid, Nissan, Ford, and what it takes to make a MAN in the heavy truck space. Check it out!
Sure, Nissan is pushing back production estimates on its yet-to-begin-production Nissan LEAF and Ford’s EV sales were down significantly in Q2, but there’s more to the story than the “Faux News” crowd would have you believe. Plus: some new electric success stories from Porsche and a disappointing (but still cool) dive into some new home backup battery tech.
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he 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. 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.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Battery electric cars sold today in Europe produce 73% less life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than gas cars, even when factoring in production, according to new research from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). That’s a big improvement from 2021, when the gap was 59%.
Meanwhile, hybrids and plug-in hybrids haven’t made much progress. The study confirms what clean transportation advocates have been saying for years: If Europe wants to seriously slash emissions from its dirtiest mode of transport – ICE passenger cars, which pump out nearly 75% of the sector’s pollution – it needs to go all-in on battery EVs.
“Battery electric cars in Europe are getting cleaner faster than we expected and outperform all other technologies, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids,” said ICCT researcher Dr. Marta Negri. Credit the continent’s rapid shift to renewables and the higher energy efficiency of EVs.
The makeup of the EU’s power grid is changing fast. By 2025, renewables are expected to generate 56% of Europe’s electricity, up from 38% in 2020. And that’s just the beginning: the share could hit 86% by 2045. Since cars bought today could still be on the road two decades from now, the growing use of clean electricity will only boost EVs’ climate benefits over time.
Gas-powered cars, on the other hand, will stay mostly tied to fossil fuels as the cost and availability of biofuels and e-fuels are still uncertain.
Hybrids and plug-in hybrids only cut lifetime emissions by 20% and 30%, respectively, compared to gas cars. That’s partly because plug-in hybrids tend to run on gas more than expected. So while hybrids aren’t useless, they’re just not good enough if we’re serious about climate goals.
Countering EV myths with hard data
There’s been a lot of noise lately about whether EVs are really that green. The ICCT study takes aim at the bad data and misleading claims floating around, like ignoring how the grid gets cleaner over time or using unrealistic gas mileage figures.
It’s true that manufacturing EVs creates more emissions upfront – about 40% more than making a gas car, mostly due to the battery. But EVs make up for it quickly: that extra emissions load is usually wiped out after about 17,000 km (10,563 miles) of driving, which most drivers hit in a year or two.
“We’ve recently seen auto industry leaders misrepresenting the emissions math on hybrids,” said Dr. Georg Bieker, senior researcher at the ICCT. “But life-cycle analysis is not a choose-your-own-adventure exercise.”
ICCT’s new analysis includes emissions from vehicle and battery production and recycling, fuel and electricity production, and fuel consumption and maintenance. It even adjusts for how the electricity mix will change in the coming years – a key detail when measuring plug-in hybrid performance.
Read more: Volkswagen’s 47% BEV sales jump includes a 24% boost in the US
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. 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.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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![Here's our closest look at the Kia EV2 caught testing in the Alps [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/07/Kia-EV2-closest-look.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The EV2 may be Kia’s smallest electric vehicle, but it has a big presence on the road. Kia promises it won’t feel so small when you’re inside, thanks to clever storage and flexible seating. After a prototype was spotted testing in the Alps, we are getting our closest look at the Kia EV2 so far.
Kia EV2 spotted in the Alps offers our closest look yet
Kia first unveiled the Concept EV2 during its 2025 EV Day event (see our recap of the event) in April, a preview of its upcoming entry-level electric SUV.
Despite its small size, Kia claims it will “redefine urban electric mobility” with new innovative features and more. Kia has yet to say exactly how big it will be, but given it will sit below the EV3, it’s expected to be around 4,000 mm (157″) in length. The EV3 is 4,300 mm (169.3″) in length.
Looking at it from the side, it sits much higher than you’d expect, similar to Kia’s larger EV9. During an exclusive event at Milan Design Week in April, Kia gave a sneak peek of the interior.
Kia said the interior is inspired by a “picnic in the city,” or in other words, a retreat from the busy city life. With a flat-floor design and flexible seating, you can quite literally have a picnic in the city.
Although we’ve seen the EV2 out in public testing a few times, a new video provides the closest look at Kia’s upcoming electric SUV.
The video, courtesy of CarSpyMedia, shows an EV2 prototype testing in the Alps with European license plates. There’s also a “Testfahrt” sticker on the back, which translates to “Test Car” in German.
As the prototype drives by, you can get a good look at it from all angles. Like in past sightings, the front features stacked vertical headlights with Kia’s signature Star Map lighting. Even the rear lights appear to be identical to those of the concept.
The interior will feature Kia’s next-gen ccNC (connected car Navigation Cockpit) infotainment system. The setup includes dual 12.3″ instrument clusters and infotainment screens in a curved panoramic display. Depending on the model, it could also include an added 5.3″ climate control screen.
Last month, a crossover coupe-like model was spotted on a car carrier in Korea, hinting at a new variant. The new model featured a design similar to that of the Genesis GV60.
Kia’s CEO, Ho Sung Song, also recently told Autocar that a smaller, more affordable EV was in the works to sit below the EV2. Song said the new EV, priced under €25,000 ($30,000), was “one area we are studying and developing.”
With the EV4 and EV5 launching this year, followed by the EV2 in 2026, it could be closer toward the end of the decade before we see it hit the market. Next-gen EV6 and EV9 models are also due out around then.
The Kia EV2 is set to launch in Europe and other global regions in 2026. Unfortunately, it’s not expected to make the trip to the US.
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