The Velotric Go fits squarely into one of my favorite electric bike categories – short tail cargo bikes. These are often called utility e-bikes, since unlike long tail cargo e-bikes, they’re closer to “normal” sized while still being built for hauling. With a nicely designed frame and the inclusion of UL-certification on the battery and drivetrain, there’s some serious draw to this bike.
UL-listing is becoming more important than ever. Velotric has offered UL-certification on its e-bikes in the past and now makes sure that each new launch comes with the certification. As more companies adopt this safety standard, we’re getting more peace of mind in knowing that the e-bikes we ride and charge at home are safely designed.
But the UL-listing is just one nice extra feature on the Velotric Go 1. The bike is full of other bits and pieces that I love to see, from 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes to a big battery and even location tracking from built-in Apple Find My integration.
Check it all out in my video review below, then keep reading for all of my detailed thoughts on my testing experience with the bike.
Velotric Go video review
Velotric Go tech specs
Motor: 500W (900W peak) rear-geared hub motor
Top speed: 20 mph (32 km/h) or 25 mph (40 km/h) when unlocked
Range: Up to 55 miles (88 km)
Battery: 48V 14.4Ah (692 Wh)
Weight: 65 lb (29.5 kg)
Payload capacity: 440 lb (200 kg)
Tires: 26 x 2.4″ (front) and 20 x 3.0″ (rear)
Brakes: 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors
Extras: Suspension fork, LED display, smartphone app integration, LED headlight, tail/brake light, Y-kickstand, Shimano 7-speed drivetrain, included fenders and wooden rear rack platform, Apple Find My integration for location tracking, mounting points for front and rear rack accessories, UL-certified for both the battery and the entire e-bike drivetrain
Nicely designed, from parts to performance
Let’s face it, there are a lot of similar electric bikes out there. Even within a single category, such as utility bikes like the Velotric Go, there are a lot of similar offerings. So the differences often come down to features and components installed on the bikes.
In this case, there are some very nice inclusions on the bike. For starters, I love the 3-inch wide tires that give it a more moped-like feel, despite still having a very bicycle-like 7-speed drivetrain and the ride feel of a more traditional bike. With those 3-inch wide tires, there’s enough air and rubber down there to give a nice, comfortable ride, yet the tires are not so wide that they would become unwieldy.
The 60mm suspension fork also helps with ride comfort, though I do wish that Velotric had given us the Packer’s 80mm front fork for even more travel. Maybe the tire size didn’t allow for it or perhaps they just wanted to keep the bike more compact. Either way, 60mm of travel is still nice to see.
Next, check out the stoppers. Those are 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes on 180mm rotors. We normally only see such powerful brakes on much higher end e-bikes, not $1,699 models like these. That’s another key differentiator here.
One of my favorite added features though is the Apple Find My integration, which means the bike has the guts of an AirTag location tracker built into it. I can add it as a device on my phone and always know where my bike is, even if a thief makes off with it or I forget where I parked.
The performance is also impressive, with a large 692 watt-hour battery providing up to 55 miles (88 km) of range, though most of us will see closer to 30-ish miles if we’re leaning heavily into the throttle instead of relying on more efficient pedal assist.
The 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit keeps the bike in Class 2 designation, though you do have the option of unlocking 25 mph (40 km/h) speeds if you find that 20 isn’t quite fast enough for you.
Technically you should unplug the throttle to keep it in Class 3 designation since the throttle is functional up to 25 mph when unlocked, but that relies on the honor system.
When it comes to the motor, the 500W continuous rated and 900W peak rated motor is decently punchy, though I can’t help but wonder how much better the bike would be with a 750W/1,200W motor like the larger Velotric Packer.
To be fair, I felt like the bike had plenty of power as is with the 500W/900W motor, so it’s not like the power feels lacking. But when I know the company has a higher power drivetrain at its disposal, I can’t help but be jealous that it didn’t land on this bike.
The passenger package is awesome!
I saved one of my favorite features for last, the passenger package. I have a special place in my heart for electric bikes that can carry more than one adult, since I think it turns these from “can do many jobs” to “can do most jobs”.
Many people cite the single-person nature of e-bikes as a limiting factor that prevents them from using one more often. But if you can carry your friends or partner on the back then that might just change the equation.
Sure, not everyone is going to be comfortable riding pillion on an e-bike, but it’s a fun experience. I’ve ridden together with my wife several times, and we’ve switched off as driver and passenger. While I wouldn’t recommend it for teenagers due to the higher risk and responsibility of riding with a passenger on back, I think it’s a great way for young adults to get around together without needing a car.
What could be improved?
At $1,699, the bike feels fairly priced considering you’re getting good power and range, location-tracking and anti-theft features of the Apple Find My system, and a pretty cool utility bike to boot.
If they had included a torque sensor, I’d be singing their praises from the mountain tops. But as it is, the pedal assist is still pretty good.
If they had given me 80mm of suspension instead of 60mm, sure, that’d be great.
And I’m not a huge fan of left-side thumb throttles in general, since right-side twist throttles have kind of been the standard of two-wheelers since powered two-wheelers were invented. A right side half-twist throttle would have had me over the moon.
But as it stands, the bike feels like a solid entry as-is. I can always wish for more, but at a certain point you just have to appreciate a nice design for what it is. They give us a lot, with a great frame, passenger capabilities, location tracking, 4-piston brakes, Class 3 capabilities, and more.
To sum it up: The Velotric Go 1, it’s a pretty darn nicely designed e-bike for the price.
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Over the next two years, homebuilder Lennar is outfitting more than 1,500 new Colorado homes with Dandelion Energy’s geothermal systems in one of the largest residential geothermal rollouts in the US.
The big draw for homeowners is lower energy bills and cleaner heating and cooling. Dandelion claims Lennar homeowners with geothermal systems will collectively save around $30 million over the next 20 years compared to using air-source heat pumps. Geothermal heat pumps don’t need outdoor AC units or conventional heating systems, either.
Geothermal systems use the sustained temperature of the ground to heat or cool a home. A ground loop system absorbs heat energy (BTUs) from the earth so that it can be transferred to a heat pump and efficiently converted into warmth for a home. Dandelion says its ground loop systems are built to last for over 50 years and should require no maintenance.
Dandelion’s geothermal system uses a vertical ground closed-loop system that is installed using well-boring equipment and trenched back into the house to connect to a heat pump. The pipes circulate a mixture of water and propylene glycol, a food-grade antifreeze, that absorbs the ground’s temperature. A ground source heat pump circulates the liquid through the ground loops and it exchanges its heat energy in the heat pump with liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant is converted to vapor, compressed to increase its temperature, then passed through a heat exchanger to transfer heat to the air, which is circulated through a home’s HVAC ductwork.
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Daniel Yates, Dandelion Energy’s CEO, called the partnership with Lennar a “new benchmark for affordable, energy-efficient, and high-quality home heating and cooling.” By streamlining its installation process, Dandelion is making geothermal systems simpler and cheaper for homebuilders and homeowners to adopt.
This collaboration is happening at a time when Colorado is pushing hard to meet its clean energy targets. Governor Jared Polis is excited about the move, calling it a win for Coloradans’ wallets, air quality, and the state’s leadership on geothermal energy. Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, said that “ensuring affordable access to geothermal heating and cooling is essential to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and we’re excited to be part of such a huge effort to bring this technology to so many new Colorado homes.”
And it’s not just about cutting emissions – geothermal heat pumps help reduce peak electric demand. Analysis from the Department of Energy found that widespread adoption of these systems could save the US from needing 24,500 miles of new transmission lines. That’s like crossing the continental US eight times.
Colorado is making this transition a lot more attractive through state tax credits and Xcel Energy’s rebate programs. These incentives slash upfront costs for builders like Lennar, making geothermal installations more financially viable. The utility’s Clean Heat Plan and electrification strategy are working to keep energy bills low while meeting climate goals.
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Polestar has removed the Polestar 2 from its US website header in an early sign of how new tariffs will restrict choice and competition for American consumers, thus increasing prices.
The Polestar 2 is Polestar’s first full EV – the original Polestar 1 was a limited-edition plug-in hybrid.
It started production in 2020 in Luqiao, Zhejiang, China, where Polestar and Volvo’s parent corporation, Geely, was founded.
Unfortunately, that interacts with some news that has been getting a lot of play lately: tariffs.
The US has been gradually getting stupider and stupider on the issue of tariffs, apparently determined to increase prices for Americans and decrease the competitiveness of American manufacturing in a time of change for the auto industry.
It is widely acknowledged (by anyone who has given it a few seconds of thought) that tariffs increase prices and that trade barriers tend to reduce competition, leading to less innovation.
It started with 25% tariffs on various products from China, implemented in the 2018-2020 timeframe. Then, in 2024, President Biden implemented a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, effectively stopping their sale in the US. These tariffs included some exceptions and credits based on Volvo’s other US manufacturing, which Polestar had used to keep the most expensive versions of the 2 on sale in the US, while restricting the lower-priced versions from sale. Nevertheless, they were a bad idea.
Now, in yet another step to make America less competitive and inflate the prices of goods more for Americans, we got more tariff announcements today from a senile ex-reality TV host who wandered into the White House rose garden (which he does not belong in). These tariffs do not include the same exceptions as the previously-announced Biden tariffs.
Apparently this has all been enough for Polestar, as even in advance of today’s tariff announcements, the company suddenly removed its Polestar 2 from its website header today.
The change can be seen at polestar.com/us, where only the Polestar 3 and 4 are listed in the header area. On other sites, like the company’s Norwegian website or British website, the car is still there. The Polestar 2 page is still up on the US website, but it isn’t linked to elsewhere on the site (we’ll see how long it stays up).
We reached out to Polestar for comment, but didn’t hear anything back before publication. We’ll update if we do.
It makes sense that the Polestar 2 would still be for sale elsewhere, as it only started production in 2020. Most car models are available for at least 7 years, so this is an earlier exit than expected.
So it’s likely that all of the tariff news is what had an effect in killing the Polestar 2.
Then again, this is also just the second day of a new fiscal quarter. Perhaps the timing offers Polestar an opportunity to make a clean break – especially now that the lower-priced version of its Polestar 3 is available.
Despite the lower $67.5k base price of the new Polestar 3 variant, that represents a big increase in price for the brand, which had sold the base model Polestar 2 for around $50k originally, before all of these tariffs.
Update: Polestar got back to us with comment, but understandably, it doesn’t say much:
Polestar is a three-car company and Polestar 2 is available for customers now. There are a select number of Polestar 2s in stock at retailers that can be found on Polestar.com, but Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 will be the priority in the North American market.
Volvo decided to build the car in Belgium and export it to the US, but now that new tariffs apply to the EU as well, maybe that low-priced, awesome, fast, small EV will instead stay in Europe instead of being shipped overseas.
This shows how mercurial tariff fiats from an ignoramus are bad for manufacturing, as they mean that companies can’t make plans – and if they can’t make plans, eventually, they’ll probably just write the country making the random decisions out of their plans so they don’t have to deal with the nonsense.
And we’ve heard this from every businessperson or manufacturer representative we’ve talked to at any level of the automotive industry. Nobody thinks any of this is a good idea, because it objectively is not. All it does is make business harder, make the US less trustworthy, make things more expensive, and overall just harm America.
Yet another way that Americans are getting screwed by this stupid nonsense. 49% of you voted for inflation, and 100% of Americans are now getting it. Happy Inflation Day, everyone.
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Lucid Motors (LCID) has now had six straight quarters with higher deliveries. The delivery record comes just as Lucid prepares to begin delivering its first electric SUV, the Gravity, to customers by the end of this month.
Lucid sets sixth straight delivery record in Q1 2025
Lucid delivered 3,109 vehicles in the first quarter, up 58% from last year and topping its previous record of 3,099 set in Q4 2024.
The company also produced 2,213 vehicles at its Casa Grande, Arizona, plant in the first three months of 2025, an increase of 28% from last year. Another 600 vehicles were in transit to Saudi Arabia, where they will be assembled at its new AMP-2 plant, Lucid’s first international manufacturing facility.
At this pace, Lucid will easily top the roughly 10,200 vehicles it delivered last year in 2025 at around 12,500. Lucid will likely see even more growth this year, with customer deliveries of its first electric SUV starting soon.
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During the Gravity SUV’s “celestial arrival” last week in NYC, Lucid’s interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said the EV maker is “nearly finished building all the vehicles that we wanted to build to put them into our studio and for test drives.”
Q4 2022
Q1 2023
Q2 2023
Q3 2023
Q4 2023
Full-year 2023
Q1 2024
Q2 2024
Q3 2024
Q4 2024
Full-year 2024
Q1 2025
Lucid EV deliveries by quarter
1,932
1,406
1,404
1,457
1,734
6,001
1,967
2,394
2,781
3,099
10,241
3,109
Lucid (LCID) EV deliveries by quarter 2023 to Q1 2025
Winterhoff added, “by the end of April, we will resume customer deliveries of the Gravity.” Lucid delivered the first models in December, but they were for employees, friends, and family.
Lucid calls the Gravity a “no compromise” SUV with a range of up to 450 miles, 120 cubic feet of interior space, advanced technology, and sports car-like performance. The Gravity Grand Touring starts at $94,900, while the Touring model will arrive later this year at $79,900.
Lucid Gravity Grand Touring in Aurora Green (Source: Lucid)
The new delivery record comes after Winterhoff told Fox Business last week that Lucid has seen a “dramatic uptick over the past two months” in orders from former Tesla drivers.
Currently, “50% of all the orders we have are from former Tesla owners,” Lucid’s CEO said. Winterhoff added that many are “looking for an option to not continue having a Tesla.”
Will we see the trend continue? Tesla announced earlier today that it delivered 336,681 vehicles in the first quarter, far less than the 390,000 Wall Street analysts expected.
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