What China’s electric bike charging stations can teach us all
Electric car charging stations are becoming ubiquitous across many cities in the US. But with electric bikes vastly outnumbering electric cars, should we be considering charging stations for these more popular light EVs? In China, e-bike charging stations are already commonplace. Perhaps we can learn something from them.
In fact, I didn’t know just how common these charging stations were in China until recently. I was talking with William Guo, whose company develops and markets e-bike charging adapters for European and US electric car charging stations. Basically, it’s a device that plugs into a car charging station and converts the J1772 or European Type 2 connector into a typical wall outlet for Level 1 charging. That wall outlet can then be used to plug in any standard home charger, such as for an electric bicycle, e-scooter, e-skateboard, or other device.
It’s a great solution for the Western world, but he mentioned that in China where he lives they tend to prefer just using an e-bike charging station, to which I responded “a what now?”
As it turns out, electric bike charging stations are common in China. William sent me some photos of an e-bike charging station near where he lives in Zhejiang Province, as well as a few others around town.
I actually visited Zhejiang Province in 2019, but I never saw stations like these.
There are a few designs but most are variations of a simple concept: a row of wall outlets connected to some type of payment portal.
Riders generally carry their charger with them so they can plug in at a charging station near work or any other destination. Electric bicycles in China are frequently more of a moped or scooter-style design, meaning they have more storage options on the bike that make it easier to carry the charger with them.
I asked William if riders weren’t worried about someone stealing their charger while they’re charging. “Charger theft isn’t really a problem,” he responded. “They just aren’t worth much.” It makes sense to me, especially considering a new e-bike charger on Amazon can be had for $20-$35. Considering they come from China anyway and who knows what the markup is by US importers, the local price must be pretty darn low.
William also shared with me some screenshots from the charging station app, showing the various charging options and which charging outlets are still available at any moment.
The prices are based on charging time and charging power, but seem quite reasonable. For example, a 240-minute charge at under 300W costs just 1 RMB (US $0.14). For comparison, most e-bike chargers in the US are rated at around 150-250W.
Higher power is available from the station, which would likely be used on heavier moped-style e-bikes than the type of e-bikes we generally see in the US or Europe. A 1.2 kW charger would run for about 144 minutes for the same price. Users can also pay 2 or 3 RMB (US $0.28 or $0.42) for twice or three times the charging time, which would basically cover an all-day charge.
There are other types of e-bike charging stations in China that actually have the chargers built into the machine and are better suited for those that don’t carry their charger with them. Still other designs have several AC power cords that directly plug into the charger, meaning riders can plug their chargers into that cord. That design also likely deters folks who want to use the station to get a quick charge of their phone or laptop from an AC outlet, since you don’t have a typical wall outlet on the face of the machine.
All of this goes to show just how simple electric bike charging stations can truly be. Ultimately, these are just glorified extension cords with a payment portal. That’s all you really need.
And perhaps that’s the biggest lesson of all here. If we want to make it easier for people to commute by electric bike, especially over longer distances, such simple e-bike charging stations can be a great idea. It’s not totally foreign in the US. We’ve seen examples in Oregon and New York. But those are the exception, not the rule.
Today’s throttle-controlled electric bicycles with lithium-ion batteries often have ranges of between 20-30 miles (32-50 km) when new, but that range can drop after several years. Being able to charge up while at work is a great way to avoid needing to replace a functional battery that still has a few years of use left despite not holding as much charge as it used to.
Centralized charging locations can also help combat the issue of e-bike fires in the US. It’s important to point out that e-bike fires are extremely rare. You hear about them often on the news because of the old “if it bleeds, it leads” adage. Every day hundreds of thousand of e-bikes get charged in the US without any fires. But occasionally fires due occur, often during charging, and so it is still an important issue to consider when planning for safe e-bike charging.
Having a centralized charging station for e-bikes that is outside of people’s homes or workplaces helps improve safety. Such stations can even be fitted with an appropriate fire suppression system in the ceiling, just in case.
While the US use case for e-bikes isn’t quite the same as in China where e-bikes are used by a huge swath of the population as primary vehicles, there are still plenty of people in the US that could make use of e-bike charging stations.
And when they’re this simple to set up, perhaps it’s something more places should be considering. They’d be useful for more than just electric bikes, but also Vespa-style electric scooters and even electric motorcycles that don’t have typical charging station connectors.
Just for fun, I’ll leave you with an image from 2015 when I did a 500-mile (800 km) trip on a DIY electric bike and I had to find places to charge along the way (despite having a massive 2.8 kWh of battery on the bike).
Pro tip: look for vending machines and ice machines. In a pinch, they’ll lead you to an outlet. Buying something from the place you “borrow” $0.30 of electricity from is a nice gesture, too.
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Remember Foxconn? It’s been years since we’ve spoken the name, so it was a big surprise that the automotive division of the behemoth electronics manufacturer would be one of the first Chinese (technically Taiwanese) brands to come to the States. A Foxconn executive recently detailed a full offensive of new BEV models in the works, two of which will hit the US market and one as early as late 2025.
We last covered Foxconn in 2023 as the electronics specialist and automotive contract manufacturer was caught in a tiff with its client Lordstown, which inevitably led to the demise of the short-lived electric pickup startup.
As you may recall, Foxconn acquired the Lordstown production facility in Ohio to build vehicles for other OEMs but had a rough go of it. In addition to failed production runs with Lordstown Motors, Foxconn was also tapped for US manufacturing of Fisker’s second BEV model, the PEAR. We know how that saga ended.
Last we heard, Foxconn was assembling all-electric tractors in Ohio for Monarch, but that was over two years ago. With the way this industry moves, two years without any news is enough to get lost in the EV ether. The Foxconn name has reemerged in recent months as the world’s largest electronics manufacturer has been tied to Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi (possibly all three) as a potential partner to help build software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
In a recent chat with the media, one of Foxconn’s top executives avoided discussing an alliance with Japanese automakers aside from continued interest in a possible joint venture but did divulge plans for six battery electric vehicles to be built in Taiwan and shipped around the globe, two of which will reach US consumers.
Foxconn plans two BEVs that will eventually be built in US
As reported by Auto News Europe, we learned some interesting plans about Foxconn’s global EV expansion, which includes two models in the US, following an April 9 press conference in which Jun Seki touted the Taiwanese company’s potential as a BEV contract manufacturer.
During the presentation, Seki outlined Foxconn’s plans for six all-electric models and buses, proclaiming that the company has the necessary toolbox to design and assemble a full range of EVs. Per Seki, those models will initially be built in Taiwan and shipped worldwide, but Foxconn has the capacity for localized production in different regions, including the US.
Of those six Foxconn models donning the company’s “Foxtron” badge, two are expected to hit the US: The Model D multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), designed by Pininfarina, and the Foxtron Model C crossover, which has been in production for the Taiwanese market since late 2023 as the Luxgen N7.
Foxconn’s Model C will hit the US first and will be available for customers to test by late 2025, per Seki. The Model D is expected to reach US consumers sometime in 2027. While these models will initially be built overseas and shipped over, Foxconn’s top executive shared both models are expected to eventually be built on US sold, assumedly at the Lordstown facility, although that has not been confirmed.
Foxconn also has plans for several non-US BEVs, including a Model B compact crossover, Model E sedan, Model A compact van, and a Model T large bus, and Model U minibus.
Foxconn’s plans to bring EVs to the US come at an interesting time, considering a growing trade war between the US and China amid rising tariffs from both sides. Those ongoing tensions will undoubtedly play a role in Foxconn’s decision whether or not to try and import the Model C and Model D into the US, or could expedite its eventual plans to build them in North America.
This will undoubtedly be a story to watch as we move deeper into 2025. Perhaps we will see the Model C pop up at US showrooms; perhaps not!
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An oil pumpjack is seen in a field on April 08, 2025 in Nolan, Texas.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s trade war has thrown the oil market into deep uncertainty, triggering wild swings in crude prices, undermining investor confidence and jeopardizing domestic production.
U.S. crude oil hit a low of $55.12 on Wednesday, down 23% from the closing price on April 2 when Trump announced his sweeping plan to slap tariffs on more than 180 countries. The rapid pullback in prices threatens the president’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda as companies will struggle to boost output at profit.
But West Texas Intermediate staged a comeback after Trump suddenly reversed course Wednesday, announcing a 90-day pause on high tariffs for most trade partners with the exception of China. The U.S. benchmark swung 13% from its session low to close at $62.35 in response.
Trump’s decision to lower tariffs to 10% for most countries gave the market a temporary reprieve from fears of a spiraling trade war. But U.S. oil producers face an environment of “extreme uncertainty” that will make them hesitant about investment decisions, said Jim Burkhard, head of oil market research at S&P Global Commodity Insights.
Weaker confidence
U.S. crude oil fell more than 4% on Thursday to under $60 a barrel as traders focused Trump’s decision to hike tariffs on China to an eye-watering 125%. And it’s unclear how negotiations with the dozens of countries that have gotten a reprieve will pan out.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices over the past month
“There’s a pause — the uncertainty has not gone away,” Burkhard said of Trump’s reversal. “Confidence about the future is weaker now than it was a month ago and prices are lower.”
“Can the U.S. negotiate with 70 countries all at once? I don’t think the chaos is over,” he said.
Trump’s on again, off again approach to tariffs is causing real damage, said Susan Bell, senior vice president of commodity markets at Rystad Energy. The safest option in times of uncertainty for asset-based businesses like oil companies is to reduce capital expenditures, Bell said.
“There’s a loss of confidence, not just in investment in the shale industry, but really investment in the United States,” she said.
Oil production threatened
Shale oil companies have driven the rapid growth of the U.S. into the world’s largest crude producer. These companies currently need U.S. crude prices to average at least $65 per barrel to drill new wells at a profit, according to executives at 81 companies surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
U.S. crude prices in the low $60s is the zone where companies may start drilling less over the next six months, Burkhard said. Producers will increasingly have to decide either to reduce lucrative returns for shareholders or scale back their activity in the oil patch, he said.
Some 50 rigs could get cut immediately with more potentially on the chopping block if prices remain at these levels, Bell said.
Goldman Sachs has lowered its price forecast for WTI to $58 by December 2025 and $51 by the end of next year. U.S. onshore oil growth would flatline if crude falls to range of $50 to $55 per barrel for a sustained period, said Walt Chancellor, an energy strategist at Macquarie Group.
Shale companies also face the threat of Trump’s steel tariffs potentially increasing the cost of new wells by 10%, Bell said. The companies would need even higher oil prices to drill new wells profitably, she said.
“It adds to costs at the time that their that oil prices are falling — it’s another hit,” Burkhard said of the steel tariffs.
U.S. shale producers were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariff policy in anonymous responses to the the Dallas Fed Energy Survey published in March.
One executive said “the administration’s chaos is a disaster for the commodity markets.” Trump’s call to “drill, baby, drill” is a “myth and a populist rallying cry,” the executive said. The president’s “tariff policy is impossible for us to predict and doesn’t have a clear goal,” the person said, calling for “stability.”
“I have never felt more uncertainty about our business in my entire 40-plus-year career,” another executive told the Dallas Fed.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledged Tuesday that tumbling prices will worry oil producers. Wright, the founder and former CEO of natural gas fracking company Liberty Energy, argued that Trump will drive down producers’ costs by removing uncertainty around permitting and approving more pipelines and export terminals, allowing them to pump at lower prices.
“Lower prices are good for consumers, and as producers get lower and lower cost structure, they’re going to thrive at lower prices as well,” Wright told CNBC’s “Money Movers.” “What you’re seeing right now is the fear and uncertainty as the sausage is being made,” he said of Trump’s tariff policy.
The unpredictability caused by Trump’s tariffs has also hit the stock of the company Wright founded. Liberty’s shares are down 32% since April 2.
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Mazda is finally about to launch a real electric SUV: Here’s our first look at the new EZ-60
It’s about the size of a Tesla Model Y and surprisingly stylish. Mazda revealed the new EZ-60 on Thursday, giving us our first look at the new electric SUV that will be sold globally.
Mazda unveils first look at the new EZ-60 electric SUV
The EZ-60 is a “dream car” designed by Mazda’s joint venture partner in China, Changan Mazda. It will be the second EV, following the EZ-6 electric sedan launched last October.
After revealing the first official images on Thursday, Changan Mazda said its new electric SUV will be “another masterpiece of the brand’s new energy strategy.”
Based on Changan’s EPA1 platform, the EZ-60 will be a sibling to the Deepal S07 crossover SUV. It will arrive with similar specs and powertrain configurations. The S07 is powered by a 79.97 kWh battery, good for WLTP range of 295 miles. With charging rates at 93 kW, the electric SUV can fast charge (30% to 80%) in 35 mins.
Since the Deepal S07 is 4,750 mm long, 1,930 mm wide, and 1,625 mm, Mazda’s electric SUV is expected to be about the same size. That’s about the size of a Tesla Model Y at 4,750 mm long, 1,920 mm wide, and 1,624 mm tall.
Like the EZ-6, the electric SUV features Mazda’s new “Soul of Motion” design, which includes a full-length light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a redesigned logo.
Changan Mazda said the integrated D-pillar air duct design is the first for a new energy SUV model. The design not only looks sleek, but it improves its aerodynamics.
Although the interior will be revealed later this month, it will likely include a similar setup to the EZ-6. The revamped interior features 14.6″ infotainment and 10.1″ driver display screens. Other premium features like zero-gravity reclining seats and a 50″ virtual head-up display add to the “Smart Cabin” interior.
Mazda’s first 6e model, the global version of the EZ-6, rolled off the production line last week. Built at Changan Mazda’s plant in China, the electric sedan will be exported to Europe, Thailand, and other global markets.
In China, the EZ-6 starts at 139,800, or about $20,000, with a CLTC driving range of up to 600 km (372 miles). It will be available in Europe with two battery options, 68.8 kWh and 80 kWh, providing 479 km (300 miles) and 552 km (343 miles) of WLTP driving range.
Changan Mazda will unveil the new EZ-60 electric SUV on April 23 at the Shanghai International Auto Show. Check back soon for more updates.
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