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One of the major advantages of riding electric bikes is that the extra electric assist means you don’t have to worry about weight penalties as much. Pedal bike designers have to minimize weight to make the bike less grueling to ride, but e-bike manufacturers can add in more comfort features without making the bike harder to use. That often means more suspension and larger tires. Or in the case of the Engwe X26 electric bike, the company opted for an extra helping of both.

I got my first glimpse of the new Engwe X26 electric bike at Eurobike this summer, and that’s where I got to check out its novel triple suspension design.

With a fairly normal dual crown front suspension fork and a rear swingarm, the suspension looks more or less standard at first. But when you get closer, you see there’s actually a second suspension system in the rear. The entire rear half of the frame is its own swingarm, with a second swingarm formed from the lower chainstays. That means we’ve got a monoshock hiding in front of the seat tube and a set of coilover shocks in place of seatstay tubes. It’s a Frankenstein of suspension with a total of five shocks in three locations. Then to top it all off, the bike wears some massive 26×4″ tires for the ultimate cushy riding experience.

Want to see the Engwe X26 in action? Check out my review video below. Then keep on going to read my full review further down the page.

Engwe X26 Video Review

Engwe X26 Tech Specs

  • Motor: 1,000W peak-rated rear geared hub motor
  • Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h) on throttle, 31 mph (50 km/h) when unlocked
  • Range: Claimed up to 57.7 mi (93 km)
  • Battery: 48V 20Ah (1,272 Wh) split among two batteries
  • Frame: 6061 aluminum
  • Tires: 26″ x 4″ puncture resistant
  • Weight: 90 lb (41 kg)
  • Weight capacity: 330 lb (150 kg)
  • Brakes: Two-piston hydraulic disc brakes, 180 mm rotors
  • Extras: Color LCD display with speedometer, wattmeter, battery gauge, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, left side thumb throttle, frame integrated rear rack with cushioned passenger seat, integrated headlight and tail lights, folding mechanism, 8-speed Shimano Tourney transmission, adjustable kickstand
engwe x26 e-bike

So much extra junk in the trunk

Wow, there is a lot of excessiveness going on with this bike.

First, there’s that suspension. It’s a triple suspension design that is probably unnecessary (just give me good rear suspension, not two sets of decent rear suspension), but it seems to get the job done.

A fast bike like this is best tested on-road, since there’s no way you want to be bucking around off-road at 30+ mph on a 90 lb machine while riding a rutted out dirt trail. And since the bike comes out of the box with a throttle-enable 28 mph top speed, there’s some serious credence lent to using this as a commuter bike.

It likely won’t fit into Class 3 designation in many areas since it can exceed 20 mph on throttle control, but if that isn’t an issue in your area, then you’ll enjoy that extra speed and power. The 1,000W rear hub motor makes quick work of starts, and the dual battery system means the batteries won’t drain as quickly as you’d expect on such a big and heavy e-bike.

The Engwe X26 is also a folding e-bike, though I wouldn’t want to fold it very often.

It’s so big and awkward to maneuver in its folded state that it’s really more of a feature list add-on than a useful quality.

Sure, it folds in half. But it doesn’t roll well like that, and it’s now half as long but twice as wide. There’s a time and a place that such a feature will be helpful, but I doubt many people will ever actually fold it.

Just look at me struggling to get this thing into its folded state below.

The bike’s main battery is in the seat tube, offering 912 Wh of capacity. That’s already quite a bit above average, but there’s a second battery in the top tube that adds another 360Wh of capacity. Together, you’ve got enough battery to ride pretty much all day with moderate pedal assist.

They claim over 50 miles of range, but expect barely over half that if you’re heavy on the throttle.

Normally I’m not a fan of seat tube batteries since they’re easier to steal if you don’t take the seat in with you, but in this case they’ve included a handy lock on the seat tube clamp. It’s surely not as strong as the locks on conventional e-bike batteries, and I imagine a 12″ flat head screwdriver would make quick work of it, but it will stop thefts of opportunity.

And the good news is that with a second battery hidden in the frame, if the seat and battery ever do get stolen, you can at least stand up and ride home with your reserve battery powering the bike.

There are some other nice to see parts here, too.

The cast wheels forgo spokes, which means they also forgo the problems that come with spokes. Your wheels will never go out of true or get clicking spokes, though you should also avoid crashing with these wheels since they aren’t repairable or adjustable like spoked wheels.

You also get some good hydraulic disc brakes, too, which I consider a minimum piece of safety equipment on any bike this heavy. Stopping 90 lb of e-bike plus however heavy the rider happens to be is no easy task, and while mechanical brakes could do it, those poor cables would need frequent adjusting.

Hydraulic disc brakes are simply a better choice on these big, heavy e-bikes.

The knobby fat tires and the extra suspension would normally make this a fine trail bike for anyone taking it off-road, but it’s just so heavy that I wouldn’t recommend it for super technical terrain. Where it really shines though is on the road. Those tires and the extra suspension make it as comfortable on the road as a motorcycle, letting you sink into the bike and overcome pot holes without worrying about getting catapulted off the saddle.

At the current sale price of $1,899, marked down from a $1,999 MSRP, the bike feels fairly priced to me. You’re getting much more battery (and much more suspension) than comparably priced fat tire e-bikes, though the design isn’t nearly as nice. Wires are cable-tied just about everywhere, so what you gain in performance you give up in appearance and tidiness. It’s not a looker, but it actually rides quite well.

If you’re on the hunt for an e-bike that rides like a motorcycle and has the suspension to match, this could be it. This is a bike for someone who values performance over attractiveness. If you want a nice, easy-going bike for recreational rides, or one that doesn’t look like a project, I’d keep searching elsewhere.

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Renewable giants shrug off Trump’s anti-wind policies: ‘Electrification is absolutely unstoppable’

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Renewable giants shrug off Trump's anti-wind policies: 'Electrification is absolutely unstoppable'

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it during an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. 

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Renewable energy giants appear relatively sanguine about U.S. President Donald Trump‘s anti-wind policies, describing the process of replacing fossil fuels with electrically powered products as “absolutely unstoppable.”

Trump, who promised a new “golden age” for America in his inaugural address on Monday, swiftly took aim at low-carbon energy initiatives.

In a standalone executive order, which had been widely expected, the president temporarily suspended new or renewed leases for offshore and onshore wind projects and halted the leasing of wind power projects on the outer continental shelf.

“We are not going to do the wind thing. Big ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood,” Trump told his supporters at the Capital One Area in Washington on Monday. He previously described wind turbines as an economic and environmental “disaster.”

The measures formed part of a much broader energy offensive designed to “unleash” already booming oil and gas production. This included declaring a national energy emergency, promoting fossil fuel drilling in Alaska and signing an executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the landmark Paris Agreement.

Joe Kaeser, chairman of the supervisory board of Siemens Energy, one of the world’s biggest renewables players, seemed unfazed by Trump’s sweeping energy agenda. In fact, Kaeser considered the policies a “slight plus” for the German energy technology group.

Shares of Siemens Energy jumped more than 8% on Wednesday morning, hitting a new 52-week high.

“We need to see what’s behind all the executive orders and the policies. So far, I believe there are many areas where actually Siemens Energy benefits a lot,” Kaeser told CNBC’s Dan Murphy at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday.

There will be uncertainty for low-carbon energy sectors, such as onshore and offshore wind, Kaeser said, before adding that Trump’s measures were unlikely to directly impact Siemens Energy. That’s partly because roughly 80% of the firm’s wind market is in Europe, Kaeser said.

European Union is not prepared for Trump 2.0, top German business executive says

“So, I believe that doesn’t move the needle. I’m much more worried about the European economies and how they deal with a very powerful nation, with a very powerful concept. We may or may not like it, because it’s got some nationalistic type of things, but if we look at it from the view of the American people, we better get something going,” Kaeser said.

Beyond onshore and offshore wind, Kaeser said Siemens Energy was well positioned to capitalize from a “booming” electrification market.

“Think about the data centers, artificial intelligence, we have waiting times now on large gas turbines. Actually, customers are coming and saying, hey can I make a reservation and I’ll pay you for a reservation? Just think about that. It hasn’t happened for a long time,” Kaeser said.

“I believe the electrification age has just begun. Whether that’s gas turbines or wind or solar or something else, we’ve got everything, and the customers decide in the end. And one thing I believe one should not underestimate, the White House is not buying much [but] the customer does,” he added.

‘Very, very optimistic’

Spanish renewable energy giant Iberdrola was similarly bullish about the road to full electrification, describing the transition away from fossil fuels as “absolutely unstoppable.”

“We are seeing that probably we are in the best moment for electrification,” Ignacio Galán, executive chairman of Iberdrola, told CNBC at WEF on Tuesday.

Galán cited soaring global demand for electrically powered data centers, low-emission vehicles as well as cooling and heating applications.

A logo on the nacelle of a wind turbine at the Martin de la Jara wind farm, operated by Iberdrola SA, in the Martin de la Jara district of Sevilla, Spain, on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

“All of those things require more electricity 24 hours a day. Our business in the United States is mostly in this area, which is networks … and the regulation depends on the state authority, so I think that is not really affected at all,” Galán said.

“Depending on the legislation, we will make more or less investment in another part of our business,” he added, referring to Trump’s energy policy.

“We are very, very optimistic about the United States and the future,” Galán said.

Wind power woes

Shares of some European wind power giants fell shortly after Trump took aim at wind power plans.

Denmark’s Orsted, which recently announced a roughly $1.7 billion impairment charge on U.S. projects, dipped 4.4% on Wednesday morning, extending steep losses from the previous session.

The rapidly growing offshore wind sector has endured a torrid time in recent years, hampered by rising costs, supply chain disruption and higher interest rates.

Windmills pictured during a press moment of Orsted, on Tuesday 06 August 2024, on the transportation of goods with Heavy Lift Cargo Drones to the offshore wind turbines in the Borssele 1 and 2 wind farm in Zeeland, Netherlands. 

Nicolas Maeterlinck | Afp | Getty Images

Artem Abramov, head of new energies research at Rystad Energy, said Trump’s energy agenda essentially means the likelihood of any new offshore developments in the U.S. has fallen to zero — at least for now.

“The US currently has around 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of advanced-stage offshore wind developments that have reached final investment decision and are under construction, which are unlikely to be impacted by the order,” Abramov said in a research note published Tuesday.

“Moderate risk amid the unfavorable investment climate is present for 10.5 GW of projects which secured necessary permits but have not reached investment decisions,” Abramov said.

“The remaining 25 GW of early-stage projects are unlikely to see any progress under the current administration,” he added.

— CNBC’s Spencer Kimball contributed to this report.

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Trump’s first day, Hyundai lease deals, and Volvo’s EVs arrive in the US

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Trump's first day, Hyundai lease deals, and Volvo's EVs arrive in the US

On today’s episode of Quick Charge, President Trump has a wild first day in office, but it’s not ALL bad, either. Plus: Tesla gets diner integration, Hyundai keeps the deal train rolling, and it’s dad’s 80th birthday.

We also look ahead to some possible discounts for Tesla insurance customers, some news on the upcoming “cheap” Cybertruck, and wonder out loud if Puerto Rico’s billion dollar solar project is going to see the light of day. All this and more – enjoy!

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

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Stripe cuts 300 jobs in product, engineering and operations

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Stripe cuts 300 jobs in product, engineering and operations

The Stripe logo on a smartphone with U.S. dollar banknotes in the background.

Budrul Chukrut | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images

Stripe cut 300 jobs, representing about 3.5% of its workforce, mostly in product, engineering and operations, CNBC has confirmed.

The payments company, valued at about $70 billion in the private markets, still expects to increase headcount by 10,000 by the end of the year, which would be a 17% increase, and is “not slowing down hiring,” according to a memo to staff from Chief People Office Rob McIntosh. Business Insider reported earlier on the cuts and the memo.

A Stripe spokesperson also confirmed to CNBC that a cartoon image of a duck with text that read, “US-Non-California Duck,” was accidentally attached as a PDF to emails sent to some of the employees who were laid off. Some of the emails mistakenly provided affected employees with an incorrect termination date, the spokesperson said.

McIntosh sent a follow-up email to staffers apologizing for the “notification error” and “any confusion it caused.”

“Corrected and full notifications have since been sent to all impacted Stripes,” he wrote.

In 2022, Stripe cut roughly 1,100 jobs, or 14% of its workers, downsizing alongside most of the tech industry, as soaring inflation and rising interest rates forced companies to focus on profits over growth. The Information reported that Stripe had a few dozen layoffs in its recruiting department in 2023.

Stripe’s valuation sank from a peak of $95 billion in 2021 to $50 billion in 2023, before reportedly rebounding to $70 billion last year as part of a secondary share sale. The company ranked third on last year’s CNBC Disruptor 50 list.

In October, Stripe agreed to pay $1.1 billion for crypto startup Bridge Network, whose technology is focused on making it easy for businesses to transact using digital currencies. 

Brothers Patrick and John Collison, who founded Stripe in 2010, have intentionally steered clear of the public markets and have given no indication that an offering is on the near-term horizon. Total payment volume at the company surpassed $1 trillion in 2023.

WATCH: Early Bridge investor weighs in on $1.1 billion Stripe deal

Early Bridge investor weighs in on $1.1 billion Stripe deal

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