JackRabbit’s ‘silly little e-bike’ gets big updates, bigger motor, dual batteries, & more
JackRabbit has just launched a major update to its product line, unveiling the JackRabbit XG as a (slightly) larger version of its micro e-bike. The new model comes with a number of upgrades over the original pint-sized 25 pound (11 kg) two-wheeler.
When I first tested the original JackRabbit, I described it lovingly as a “silly little e-bike”. Sure, it looks odd with its short wheel base and diminutive stature. But a growing community of JackRabbit riders has demonstrated that there’s real demand for simple, lightweight yet speedy rides that optimize for convenience. The entire thing folds flat to only take up a few inches of space and was originally designed as an e-bike for college students that needed a small, simple and cost effective type of alternative transportation. At $999, it was hard to go wrong.
Now JackRabbit has found a way to take that same small form factor design and add in some impressive performance enhancements.
The new model is known as the JackRabbit XG (while the original has now been renamed the JackRabbit OG).
The JackRabbit XG sports two of the company’s signature tiny e-bike batteries, doubling the range from 10 to 20 miles (from 16 to 32 km) per charge. They’re about the same physical size as the battery in a power drill and can likely fit in your pocket.
The batteries (which are UL-listed) land just shy of the 160 Wh limit for carry-on batteries for most US airlines, meaning riders can actually take their JackRabbits on a flight with them to ride at their destinations.
In fact, I did just that with the JackRabbit OG earlier this summer.
In addition to the new second battery slot, the JackRabbit XG has a larger 500W continuous-rated motor. The top speed is still limited to 20 mph (32 km/h), but it should reach that speed faster and also climb hills quicker with the increased power.
A second disc brake has been added, offering both front and rear braking, though I never felt like the original was underbraked anyway.
The frame of the JackRabbit XG is now slightly longer with a reinforced downtube for extra strength, the 20″ tires are all-terrain, the front wheel has a new quick-release hub, and there’s a new digital display showing speed, range, and power level. The previous rubber footpegs are also replaced with all-metal pegs, or as JackRabbit describes them, “Siiiick metal footpegs.”
Speaking of those footpegs, they technically qualify this as more of a seated scooter than a true e-bike, technically speaking. That will be relevant in certain jurisdictions that have created separate scooter and e-bike laws, but most areas treat Class 2 e-bikes and seated electric scooters similarly, especially when they travel the same speeds and largely look the same. Be sure to check your local guidelines though if you’re unsure.
All of those additions did manage to walk the bike’s weight up a bit, increasing from 25 to 32 pounds (11 to 14.5 kg). But thats still pretty darn lightweight for a seated electric vehicle of any type.
The new JackRabbit XG comes in four colorways of black, white, yellow and gloss red, though I’m a brightly colored bike fan myself, and so I’d ride the yellow one all day.
The bikes go on sale starting today in both the US and Canada for US $1,749 and are available from JackRabbit’s site as well as the company’s dealers.
Oh, and if you’re worried that the bike looks too small for “real” use, then make sure you check the video at the end of this article showing pro riders jumping these things several feet in the air.
Electrek’s Take
JackRabbit is always going to be a divisive brand due to its uniqueness, but I love this thing. In my opinion, the company has a somewhat similar ethos to Super73, albeit with very different execution. Basically, they offer an eye-catching design for an e-bike meant for a specific type of rider and have built a loyal community that doesn’t care what other people think about their choice of ride. It’s a very different bike than a Super73, but the underlying recipe is there.
I’ve always been more of an e-bike guy than a standing scooter guy, even though I’m often found on both, and so this seems like a great compromise. You get the simplicity of a scooter with a riding geometry that’s more stable like a bike. If you don’t want tiny scooter wheels falling into pot holes but also don’t want to deal with a pedal drivetrain (and the maintenance that goes with it), this is the ticket.
The price is unfortunately high here, especially if you’re looking at a per watt or per pound basis. But that’d be a silly way to judge a silly e-bike like this. The whole point here is that the bike is tiny and convenient. The batteries literally fit in your pocket and the entire thing folds flat so you can slide it behind a desk or under a dorm room bed if you needed to. There’s even a travel bag (coming soon, apparently) for flying/sailing/traveling with the bike.
I’m sure lots of people are going to smirk at this thing, and that’s understandable. It looks funny. It’s also not for everyone. There are hundreds of e-bikes and scooters out there, and none of them are right for everyone. This one is wrong for lots of people, but it’s also right for lots of others, in my opinion. And that’s coming from someone who actually rides one, not just someone who comments on the internet (though I do that a lot too).
If I could have had one more addition here, it would have been built-in LED lights for safety. But seeing the new higher power motor, dual UL-listed batteries, dual brakes and upgraded frame/footpegs is already making me excited. [Update: I was just informed that the bike will actually ship with LED lights that connect to light ports on the front and rear. Perfect!] Now I just need to beg, borrow, or steal one of these soon for a full review!
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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