Electric motorcycle startup Ryvid begins making first deliveries
The Ryvid Anthem has been one of the most hotly anticipated electric motorcycles of the last year. After first debuting just over a year ago, the company has now announced that the US-built electric motorcycles are ready to begin shipments.
Ryvid shared the news on LinkedIn, saying: “We’re excited to announce that we will begin shipping a small quantity of Anthem’s this week. We are proud to say we were flooded with pre-orders over the last 12 months. We’re thrilled to have achieved so much in just a year, and are excited to put the Anthem out into the world.”
The bike launched at US $7,800, making it one of the most affordable highway-capable electric motorcycles in the US.
It features a top speed of around 75 mph (120 km/h) and a maximum range of 75 miles (120 km). While that’s not going to compete well against the long-range e-motorcycles on the market, it wasn’t meant to. Instead, the Ryvid Anthem is built for urban riders who generally cover commuter distances instead of long-range riding.
But the bike’s claim to fame isn’t just an affordable price tag, but rather an innovative design full of never-before-seen tech.
One of the biggest differences between the Ryvid Anthem and other motorcycles on the market is the aircraft-style chassis that relies on folded metal plates instead of welded tubes. It allows Ryvid to use an assembly method that is comprised almost entirely of mechanical fasteners, reducing assembly time and relying on California-based production.
The design also allows riders to modify the geometry of their bikes at home – something that would normally require swapping out entirely different frames.
In another nod to nonconformity, the bike also includes an actuator that can raise and lower the motorcycle seat by up to 4″ (10 cm), even while riding. That allows multiple riders to get the perfect fit on the same bike, or lets riders drop the seat height while at a traffic light and then raise it back up while riding.
The 4.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack includes an integrated 3.3kW charger, and the entire unit is removable. To move the heavy battery around, it comes with built-in wheels. The design allows the battery to drop down out of the bike and then be rolled along like a piece of carry-on luggage. To reinstall the battery, it is merely levered back up into place, preventing riders from having to lift the entire weight of the battery.
The announcement of deliveries comes amid two other major events in the commuter-level electric motorcycle market. LiveWire recently began making deliveries of its own latest model, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar.
Meanwhile, the SONDORS Metacycle, once hailed as a potential leader for the nascent commuter e-moto market, appears to be sputtering as questions abound regarding the company’s stability.
Ryvid appears to have taken a very different approach to SONDORS, evident right from the company’s launch. When I first spoke to Ryvid founder Dong Tran last year, he explained that the company waited to unveil the Anthem and to begin taking pre-orders until it was quite far along in the design of its bikes, including having multiple prototypes already under testing. The company also ensured it had complete funding for production, ensuring it wouldn’t have to rely on pre-order revenue that could potentially disappear if customers would cancel orders en masse, similar to what happened with the SONDORS Metacycle.
I tested out one of the first Ryvid Anthem electric motorcycle prototypes last year, which you can see in the video below. The design has only gotten better since, so I’ll be excited to try one of the production bikes next month at the Micromobility America conference in San Francisco.
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Amid several reports that Volkswagen is cutting EV production at two German plants, the automaker revealed the reason – slowing demand.
Volkswagen suspends EV production in Germany
Last week, a report from the German newspaper Automobilwoche claimed Volkswagen was pausing EV production at its Dresden facility in Germany.
Volkswagen’s Dresden facility has built over 150,000 VW Phaeton, e-Golf, ID.3, and Bentley Flying Spur models since beginning production in 2002. Last year, 6,500 ID.3 EVs were built at the location.
The automaker will temporarily suspend ID.3 production at the plant for two weeks during the Saxon autumn holidays, as first reported by Germany’s DPA news. Starting October 16, the electric car will be built again in regular single-shift operation.
Dresden’s roughly 300 employees will be reassigned to other areas, including “innovative manufacturing and testing.”
Meanwhile, at Volkswagen’s main BEV plant in Zwichau, one of the two production lines will shut down during the holidays, according to a spokesperson (via Automobilwoche).
The news comes after VW announced at a staff meeting earlier this month it would be cutting 269 temporary jobs at the site.
Although Volkswagen’s ID.3 and Cupra Born will be impacted by the halt, ID.4, ID.5, Audi Q4 e-tron, and Audi Q4 sportback e-tron models will continue regular production in three shifts.
Volkswagen is discussing with local labor reps how to proceed with EV production at the Zwickau plant.
The company did not specify how many units or employees would be affected by the changes.
Volkswagen is struggling to attract new EV orders amid higher inflation and weaning subsidies in Europe. Europe’s largest automaker also faces a growing threat from more advanced EV competitors like Tesla and BYD.
Electrek’s Take
The core Volkswagen brand faces pressure as cheaper, more advanced EVs are taking market share at home and abroad.
In Volkswagen’s largest market by revenue (China), the automaker was surpassed by BYD as the best-selling car brand earlier this year.
In the wake of slowing demand, VW slashed ID.3 and ID.4 prices in the region. But how long can VW keep this up?
Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume aims to boost VW brand returns to 6.5% over the next three years. Currently, it’s around 3.6%.
With EV makers like Tesla, BYD, and several other Chinese start-ups expanding rapidly, Volkswagen will need to act urgently to risk falling further behind.
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At the Japan Mobility Show next month, Honda will showcase several new products and tech, including a new electric sports car that will headline the booth.
The new electric sports car will “enable the driver to experience the pure joy of driving,” according to Honda.
Although the automaker was light on the details behind the project, it claims the concept will represent “Honda’s continuous pursuit of the joy of driving” while embodying Honda’s universal sports mindset and distinctive characteristics.
Also ready to make an appearance at the booth is Honda’s SUSTAINA-C Concept and Pocket Concept, designed to use limited resources.
Both models are made of recycled and reused acrylic resin with the idea of “resource circulation” for environmental sustainability and future mobility freedom.
Other EV products set to make their world debut include the Honda CI-MEV. The two-seat, four-wheel mini EV uses Honda’s cooperative intelligence (CI) and automated driving for last-mile deliveries and areas with limited mobility options.
A prototype of Honda’s new commercial-use mini EV with a portable external power output device, Power Exporter e: 6000, will also be displayed.
Honda to unveil new electric sports car
Honda revealed plans to launch 30 new EV models globally by the end of the decade, including at least two electric sports cars.
One will be a specialty model, while the other will be a flagship. Speculation suggests one of the models will be an NSX, a two-seater sports coupe (An Acura model in North America), with the other being a GT.
Honda teased the upcoming electric sports cars under wraps, showing a low-profile vehicle with a similar body design to the NSX.
According to the British automotive magazine Car, Honda’s EV performance car will ride on the automaker e:n platform, featured in its e:Ny1 electric SUV.
The EV could also wear the Type R badge, as Honda’s technical consultant, Kotaro Yamamoto, said, “Type R stands for racing. It’s a pleasure transported. An electric car can deliver this, and a Type R is not obliged to use a combustion engine. Even in a fully electric society, there will still be Type Rs delivering ultimate driving pleasure.”
Other than that, Honda is keeping the details under wraps. We’ll learn more about the electric performance car next month.
The electric sports car will make its world debut at the Japan Mobility Show, running from October 28 to November 5, 2023. Media days will be October 25-26.
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New Tesla Cybertrucks, rumored to be “Master Candidates,” the final step before production, have been spotted coming out of Gigafactory Texas.
For the past month, Tesla has had full and at times, partial shutdowns, of production at Gigafactory Texas as it conducted factory upgrades.
Yesterday, a drone video shot by Joe Tegtmeyer confirmed that workers are now coming back to the factory.
The video showed new Model Y bodies coming out of the factory and new Cybertrucks.
There have been rumors that the shutdown at Gigafactory Texas might have been linked to the start of Cybertruck production.
Tegtmeyer, who often gets to talk to Giga Texas employees as he flyes drones there almost daily, claims that the new Cybertrucks spotted coming out of the factory are “Master Candidates,” the last step before production.
While it can’t be confirmed if they are master candidates or production versions, the two Cybertrucks spotted at the factory did look a lot more refined than the previously spotted prototypes:
The trims and fittings seem to blend better with the stainless steel body of the electric pickup truck.
While we can’t judge the vehicle’s fit and finish too closely because the footage is taken from a distance with a drone, the looks of those two Cybertrucks are encouraging.
Tesla is expected to officially start Cybertruck production any day now with deliveries to start at an event likely within the next month.
More Cybertrucks have been spotted parked at the homes of Tesla employees, which is a good sign that internal testing has expanded.
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