Ride1Up just launched its new Prodigy V2 e-bike this morning. Stepping up to compete in the world of higher-end e-bikes, this model makes some adjustments that not every rider may appreciate. Clocking in with a more affordable price tag, the original Ride1Up Prodigy e-bike now sells for $1,895 shipped. It’s down from the usual $2,295 MSRP, marking one of the first chances to score it below $2,000. This is $400 off and clocking in at $200 below our previous mention. Dive into our hands-on review.
The Ride1Up Progidy e-bike arrives with Class 3 speeds that can hit up to 28 MPH with pedal assisted riding. There’s an up to 50-mile range to pair with a 90nm torque motor, lightweight strep-through frame, and everything else that makes the $400 price cut an even better buy.
But compared to the new version, there’s a lot of similarities. You’re looking at a 504Wh battery on both, with the same range. The new V2 version is a bit heavier – 8 pounds to be exact – while sporting the same Shimano Alivio transmission with nine speeds as the original. Justifying the price increase to $2,395 a bit more, there’s a continuous variable transmission option, as well as included front suspension, fenders, and a rear rack that’s standard on the baseline model. We fully break down the new release for a better idea of what to expect.
Anker’s just-released SOLIX C1000 power station sees first discount
Amazon is offering the new Anker SOLIX C1000 Portable Power Station for $749, after clipping the on-page $250 off coupon. Today’s deal marks the first day that this power station has become available for general retail purchase on Amazon, and is the first official discount since its pre-order announcement a few weeks ago. You’ll also be eligible to receive one free Anker SOLIX PS30 solar panel with your purchase by either clicking “add both to cart” or using the promo code ANKERSOLIX at checkout, valued at $80. All-in-all, this deal gives you a total $330 in savings.
Featuring a compact design that is “15% smaller than the industry average”, this power station offers you a 1,056Wh capacity and a max power output of 2,400W, which also comes surge protected. It can be fully charged via a wall outlet in up to 58 minutes, and can recharge in up to 1.8 hours with a 600W solar panel. Through the Anker app, you’ll be able to get real-time status updates, view your battery level, and set AC charging speeds. It also boasts 11 different ports: one car port, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and six AC outlets – it is able to power 99% of appliances.
Save $610 on Hover-1’s Night Owl folding e-scooter
Amazon is offering the Hover-1 Night Owl Electric Folding Scooter for $1,190.06 shipped. With a regular price tag of $1,800, we have only seen this price drop below $1,300 three times before. Today’s 34% discount comes in as the third lowest price that we have tracked and gives you a total of $610 in savings. It even beats out the manufacturer’s own website, where this scooter is currently selling for the full $1,800. Equipped with a 1,400W motor and a 52V 18Ah battery, this electric scooter is able to reach top speeds of 20 MPH in street mode and 31 MPH in off-road mode, while lasting for up to 37 miles on a single charge. It also features 10.5-inch off-road tires, dual disc brakes, as well as both a front and rear suspension that stabilizes your ride for comfort when you head off the beaten path. With its touchscreen display, you’ll be able to keep track of your speed, battery level, terrain mode, and more.
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during their joint press conference at the Kremlin on July 5, 2024.
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Russia’s allies in Eastern Europe say Brussels plans to end all Russian gas and energy imports in the coming years are tantamount to “economic suicide” and a threat to the region’s energy security and economy.
The European Commission announced plans on Tuesday to phase out Russian gas, nuclear energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by the end of 2027, saying the move “paves the way to ensure the EU’s full energy independence from Russia.”
The EU’s latest proposals have already prompted a furious response from eastern European nations which have traditionally been more reliant on cheaper energy supplies from Russia, and which repeatedly warn of higher energy prices for consumers as a result of banning such supplies.
Slovakia and Hungary, whose governments have maintained warm ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine, described the EU’s latest plans as a “serious mistake” that would harm the region.
“We recognize the strategic goal of reducing energy dependence on third countries, and Slovakia is ready to work on this together with the European Union but … this is simply economic suicide to agree that neither gas, nor nuclear, nor oil [can be imported from Russia], that everything must end just because some new Iron Curtain is being built between the Western world and perhaps Russia and other countries,” Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said Wednesday, in comments reported by Slovak news agency TASR and translated by Google.
In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico prior to their talks in Moscow on Dec. 22, 2024.
Gavriil Grigorov | Afp | Getty Images
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Wednesday that the EU’s proposals were “politically motivated” and a “serious mistake.”
“It threatens energy security, drives up prices and violates sovereignty. They want us to bear the cost of their reckless support for Ukraine and its rushed EU accession. We firmly reject this,” the minister commented on X.
Both Hungary and Slovakia have pushed back against previous EU initiatives to cut energy ties with Moscow, instead opting to maintain supplies amid fears of mounting energy costs at home.
Both have also been vocally critical of giving more military and financial assistance to Ukraine and have previously threatened refused to back the EU’s regular extensions of sanctions against Russia. Both looked to extract concessions from the bloc before approving their renewal, most recently in March.
In announcing its latest plans to distance itself from Russia, the EU said Tuesday that its “roadmap” to phasing out all Russian energy imports would first introduce a ban on all imports of Russian gas (both pipeline and LNG) under new contracts and existing spot contracts, which would take effect by the end of 2025, before all remaining imports are phased out by the end of 2027.
The Commission’s legislative proposals, to be presented in June, will require approval from the European Parliament and a qualified majority of member states, meaning the plans cannot be vetoed by just a few countries.
He added that the bloc was currently in an “unacceptable situation” in which it was dependent on a Russian state and leader, President Vladimir Putin, who had “chosen to weaponize energy.” He added that importing Russian gas had indirectly helped to fill the Kremlin’s “war chests” to continue its war against Ukraine.
The Commission said in its statement Tuesday that it envisaged a “gradual and well-coordinated” approach across bloc, with member states being asked to prepare national plans by the end of this year “setting out how they will contribute to phasing out imports of Russian gas, nuclear energy and oil.” It’s uncertain whether Slovakia and Hungary will accede to the request.
CNBC has asked the Kremlin for a response to the EU’s proposals and is awaiting a reply.
Tesla has confirmed it has given up on plans to make a Cybertruck range extender to achieve the range it originally promised on the electric pickup truck.
It started refunding deposits for the $16,000 extra battery pack.
When Tesla unveiled the production version of the Cybertruck in late 2023, two main disappointments were the price and the range.
The tri-motor version, the most popular in reservation tallies before production, was supposed to have over 500 miles of range and start at $70,000.
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Tesla now sells the tri-motor Cybertruck for $100,000 and only has a range of 320 miles.
The dual-motor Cybertruck was supposed to cost $50,000 and have over 300 miles of range. In reality, it starts at $80,000 and has 325 miles of range.
However, Tesla had devised a solution to bring the range closer to what it originally announced: a separate battery pack that sits in the truck’s bed. Tesla called it a “range extender.” It costs $16,000 and takes up a third of the Cybertruck’s bed.
Even though the Cybertruck has been in production for a year and a half, the range extender has yet to launch.
At the time, Tesla also reduced the range that the removable battery pack adds to the Cybertruck to “445+ miles” rather than “470+ miles” for the dual motor – a ~25-mile reduction in range.
Last month, Electrek reported that Tesla has quietly removed the range extender from the Cybertruck online configurator, where buyers could reserve it with a “$2,000 non-refundable deposit.”
At the time, we speculated that Tesla was most likely giving up on the product.
Sure enough, the automaker has now confirmed that it doesn’t plan to produce the range extender.
A Tesla Cybertruck owner contacted Electrek to share communication that Tesla started sending to Cybertruck owners who reserved the range extender, letting them know that the product is dead.
Tesla wrote in the email:
“We are no longer planning to sell the Range Extender for Cybertruck.”
The automaker says that it will start processing refunds for the deposits.
Here’s Tesla’s communication about the Cybertruck range extender in full:
Update to Your Cybertruck Range Extender Order
Hi [redacted],
Thank you for being a Cybertruck owner.
We are no longer planning to sell the Range Extender for Cybertruck. As a result, we will be refunding your deposit in full. The amount will be returned to the original payment method used for the transaction.
Thank you for your understanding.
The Tesla Team
Electrek’s Take
There could be many reasons why Tesla has given up on the product.
The range extender was confirmed to take 30% of the Cybertruck’s bed, and Tesla needed to install and remove it at a service center. Owners couldn’t remove them themselves. I think it was pretty much dead on arrival at $16,000.
But I think it could also be as simple as it’s not worth producing due to demand – both due to insufficient people reserving it and not enough Cybertruck buyers to create a market for the range extender.
Therefore, the range extender is dead for the same reason that the Cybertruck RWD now has the same battery pack as the AWD instead of a smaller pack for less money: the Cybertruck is a commercial flop, and it’s not a high-volume program enough to justify making several battery pack sizes, including a removable one.
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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USTPO) has denied Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi”. which it has been using to refer to its long-promised self-driving vehicles.
CEO Elon Musk has been using the term “robotaxi” for years.
At first, it was to refer to what its existing consumer vehicles (Model S, X, 3, Y and Cybertruck) would become once it finally delivers on its “full self-driving” promises– something that was supposed to happen by the end of every year for the last 6 years.
However, Tesla held its ‘We, Robot’ event in October 2024, where it unveiled two new vehicles, a dedicated robotaxi vehicle and a self-driving ‘Robovan’ – pictured above.
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Musk referred to the dedicated robotaxi vehicle as both a ‘Robotaxi’ and ‘Cybercab’.
Now, Techcrunch reports that USTPO has denied Tesla’s trademark application for being too generic:
Tesla’s attempt to trademark the term “Robotaxi” in reference to its vehicles has been refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for being too generic, according to a new filing. Another application by Tesla to trademark the term “Robotaxi” for its upcoming ride-hailing service is still under examination by the office.
USTPO notes that other companies and media have used the term ‘robotaxi” to refer to other self-driving vehicles.
The decision is “non-final”. Tesla can still appeal the decision.
Tesla also saw its trademark application for ‘Cybercab’ halted as USTPO reviews other applications using the term ‘cyber’.
Electrek’s Take
I don’t think Tesla should get a trademark for ‘Robotaxi’. It’s indeed too generic. ‘Cybercab’ should be fine though. If Tesla was able to get Cybertruck, it should be able to get ‘Cybercab’.
I hope the Cybercab works out better for them than the Cybertruck has so far.
But it’s tough to make a steering wheel-less vehicle works if you haven’t solved self-driving.
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