Exposed: Thousands of SONDORS Metacycle bikes abandoned in China, bills go unpaid
The SONDORS Metacycle electric motorcycle, once the darling of the burgeoning commuter e-motorcycle market, has suffered repeated setbacks since its original launch. Deliveries slowed to a trickle earlier this year and by many accounts appear to have since ceased. Reservation holders, some who have been waiting for years, have been left in the dark.
Speculation has run rampant regarding SONDORS’s current precarious financial situation. With the brand seemingly entering radio silence, we’re now getting more details than ever before from an unlikely source. One of the company’s factories in China tells Electrek that the California-based e-bike and e-moto company has stopped paying its bills, abandoning thousands of partially and fully-assembled motorcycles in the factory’s storage warehouses.
The story actually starts a few years ago when the SONDORS Metacycle electric motorcycle shocked the industry during its unveiling in 2021. With just a $5,000 price tag, the company’s founder and CEO Storm Sondors promised the motorcycle would reach highway speeds and offer 80 miles (130 km) of range. SONDORS is well known as an early player in the budget electric bicycle category, and so the industry had high hopes for the brand’s first electric motorcycle.
The Metacycle project overran its timeline by nearly a year but eventually started delivering dozens followed by hundreds of motorcycles in late 2022. The completed motorcycles didn’t quite live up to their promised specifications, though many riders still praised the light electric motorcycle as a handy commuter.
Deliveries never truly picked up steam the way the company promised. It is unclear how many Metacycles have been delivered to customers, though SONDORS’s China-based factory tells Electrek that “nearly 2,000 Metacycles” were imported to the US.
Against the backdrop of unclear delivery figures, online forums are bursting with reservation holders claiming they still haven’t received their bikes. Most have waited many months, with some having waited for years. Still others have received refunds, though lately many riders have been more successful with credit card chargebacks as SONDORS appears to have stopped responding to requests for refunds.
To make matters worse, the trickle of deliveries appears to have ended earlier this year even as SONDORS continued to sell the bike, bringing in more revenue without any additional Metacycles reaching the US. As of today, the Metacycle is still currently available for order on SONDORS’s website.
But as Electrek has learned, production for the motorcycle ended a year ago.
According to the factory in China that was hired to produce the motorcycle on contract for SONDORS, the Metacycle assembly line has been mothballed due to what the factory claims are several breaches of contract by SONDORS and nonpayment for produced and delivered motorcycles.
The factory’s representative agreed to speak to me on condition of anonymity, providing internal documents from the factory and photographs of the Metacycle’s inventory, components, and the stalled production area.
According to the factory, there are currently around 500 completed Metacycle electric motorcycles that have spent nearly a year sitting on the factory floor. Many of them are already packaged for shipment, while hundreds more sit in rows waiting to be crated.
In addition to the completed motorcycles, the factory says it has enough components stacked up on site to manufacturer another 1,500 completed Metacycles. Some components number much higher than 1,500 and most have been piling up for over a year.
But those bikes and components haven’t just been gathering dust. The factory added that they have been consistently maintaining the bikes at their own expense even while SONDORS has stopped making payments.
The rows of complicated cast aluminum frames and the mountains of components have been left untouched for so long because SONDORS hasn’t paid its bills for over a year, the factory representative explained.
“In June 2020, Mr. Sondors, [the] boss of SONDORS Inc. approached us to find a producer for Metacycle, an electric motorcycle concept he designed. At the time, the journey from concept to product was long, with many technical issues unresolved. We devoted our resources to this project, eventually establishing a production system for Metacycle and turning his concept into reality. In November 2021, he gave us the first purchase order (“PO”) for 2,000 [units] of motorcycles, but the balance is not paid fully till now.”
The factory representative laid out the rest of the timeline, explaining that “in May 2022, Mr. Sondors discussed an order of 8,000 units.” Due to price fluctuations of parts and components, the factory says that he made a smaller purchase order for 2,000 units in June 2022 and made a prepayment at that time, agreeing that the balance would be paid before delivery. “Later, he requested an increase in production to 7,000 units per month. Trusting him, we prepared parts for more than 2,000 motorcycles, hired over 20 additional staff, and invested big money to build a new automatic production line.”
In a letter provided by the factory to Electrek, SONDORS is accused of being in breach of contract after first pressuring the factory to ship more Metacycle motorcycles before receiving the outstanding payments, then pushing the factory to lower the price of the Metacycles after they had been produced, effectively attempting to renegotiate the contract.
“From September 2022, Mr. Sondors began delaying his payments, requesting delivery of motorcycles before his payments. Considering our working relationship, we sent him three containers of 120 motorcycles, for which he has yet to clear the payment until now,” explained the factory. In October 2022, the factory representative said that they “stopped all production due to the risks he posed to our business.”
The factory went on to detail how after the production and delivery of more Metacycles ended, Mr. Sondors visited China in March 2023 and “made unreasonable demands to reduce unit cost regarding all the delivered and undelivered motorcycles or threatened to replace us with another manufacturer. We believe he was attempting to transfer his risk to us and lower his costs by reducing the purchase price. We refused these demands as they were essentially requests to alter the existing contract. Since March 2023, our relationship with him has deteriorated due to his failure to honor our agreement and his unreasonable demands.”
According to the factory, they have discovered that their experience with the company is not unique, adding that “several other suppliers (e-bike suppliers) have had similar encounters with Mr. Sondors.”
Around that time in March 2023, Electrek hosted Storm Sondors for an interview on our Wheel-E Podcast where he put on a positive face for the company and claimed almost 2,000 Metacycles had been delivered. While we weren’t aware of the extent of these SONDORS production woes at the time, we likely should have pushed him harder at the time on specific issues and complaints regarding slow deliveries.
But the saga didn’t end there. “Since May 2023, Mr. Sondors has been pressuring us to agree on prepayment deliveries,” explained the factory representative. “His attempts to harass us in China and defame us to our suppliers have been relentless.”
The factory claims that since July of this year, Mr. Sondors has “erroneously claimed that no contracts existed between SONDORS Inc. and us and demanded a return of the prepayment.” The factory indicates that it has since sent three formal letters clarifying the existence of their contracts and the ways SONDORS has breached those contracts.
Electrek also received a copy of a “Letter of Censure and Warning” from a major electric bicycle industry association in the Chinese city where SONDORS contract manufacturing occurs. The local industry association, which represents many large electric bicycle factories in the area, made several claims against SONDORS.
The association indicated that SONDORS “failed to comply with contracts, made false promises, defamed enterprises in the electric vehicle industry and their senior management personnel, spread false information within the electric vehicle industry, and instigated unnecessary lawsuits between enterprises in the electric vehicle industry.”
Multiple requests for comment were sent to Storm Sondors, but no response was received by the time of publishing.
All of this comes during a period of extreme uncertainty for the company. SONDORS canceled an attempt at an IPO earlier this year and appears to have lost many of its employees as more clues to financial issues have stacked up. However, no official statement has come from the company regarding the fate of the Metacycle project.
Recently a verified now-former Sonders employee posted in a Sondors Facebook group to let everyone know his situation. The post was deleted soon after.
The claims of a deteriorated relationship between SONDORS and the Metacycle factory, as well as the reported financial distress of the company, seem to imply dim prospects for the company.
However, SONDORS has a history of bouncing back from major problems, and it is not inconceivable that the company could pull one more rabbit out of its motorcycle helmet with a major cash infusion or by selling the company.
If this is truly the end for SONDORS, it will mark the last major blow in an unfortunate slow fall from grace for the often-acclaimed low-cost electric bike provider that quite literally kickstarted the budget e-bike trend in the US back in 2015 with its $500 fat tire e-bike, as well as inspired many with interesting designs while even venturing into three-wheel automobiles.
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That viral Tik Tok video showing a “self driving” Ford Mustang Mach-E scraping its way down the highway with a helpless passenger behind the steering wheel praying for his life? California Highway Patrol says the car wasn’t driving itself during the viral highway crash and arrested the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence.
If you have’t seen the video, posted by TikToker Marty Byrde, it shows a self-driving Ford Mustang Mach-E driving down the road, grinding itself against the highway’s concrete Jersey barriers, with the driver behind the wheel, seemingly helpless and afraid and trapped inside an out-of-control vehicle, apparently praying for his life.
There, in a single video, was everyone’s worst fear in an age of electric steering, brake-by-wire, and self-driving cars: a car that loses its mind, killing you and everyone you love and probably a busload of orphans for good measure. (!)
But, thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be what actually happened. At least, not according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Redwood City.
In case it vanishes, the CHP press release does a good job of explaining the situation as it stands, while emphasizing that any short-form video content is going to lack potentially needed context before the public begins to panic about a Maximum Overdrive sort of scenario.
The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of a green Ford Mustang Mach E, crashed into a red Mitsubishi Mirage then collided with the right shoulder wall near the Holly Street overcrossing. Through our investigation, we determined the vehicle was not operating in autonomous mode and CHP officers arrested the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence, resulting in injuries to another.
While we understand public interest in such incidents, video clips may not capture the complete context or investigative process. The CHP conducts each investigation thoroughly, professionally, and in accordance with the law. We thank the community for its concern and remind motorist to report dangerous driving by calling 9-1-1.
The video was especially surprising given Ford’s BlueCruise excellent track record. The system is good enough, in fact, to have been named the top active driver assistance system (ADAS) by Consumer Reports, surpassing rivals such as GM’s Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot in a comparison test of similar OEM ADAS systems.
The original Tik Toker who recorded the now viral video (I hate that phrase, too, but millions of people have seen it by now) reported that no one seemed hurt in the ensuing accident. Coupled with CHP’s confirmation that the Mach-E wasn’t driving itself during the accident, I’d say that walking out of a hands-free, highway speed crash is as good an endorsement as any … but in case you need another one, this one went 250,000 miles and still had 92% of its battery life left.
Ford is currently offering 0% interest financing for up to 72 months for well-qualified buyers, as well as $1,000 in retail bonus cash in some markets.
SOURCE | IMAGES: CHP, featured image from marty.byrde3.
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The Trump Administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB) is doing a lot of damage to America’s health, economy, and global standing – but one thing it certainly has not done is make it “too late” for US homeowners to benefit from a rooftop solar system.
Companies like Tesla and Rivian are reeling from the double-whammy of Trump’s BBB ending the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit early and killing the market for carbon tax credits, which provides EV car brands with hundreds of millions of dollars, almost overnight. Still another part of the bill that’s getting a lot of publicity is the death of the 30% tax credit for home solar systems at the end of 2025, which has led many Americans who have been “on the fence” about adding a solar or solar + storage solution to their home to believe they waited too long to go solar.
The good news? It’s not too late. Homeowners who get solar installed and operational by December 31st can still claim a full 30% federal tax credit for 2025, and any unused portion of that credit rolls over to the next tax year.
The better news? Even without the solar tax credit, adding a home solar system with battery backup storage can still deliver a positive ROI.
Solar benefits go beyond tax credits
The most obvious benefit of home solar plus battery storage is that you can produce your own energy (or, if you’ve been following along for a while, electric fuel) for less than it would cost you to buy that energy from your local utility. That’s been true for a while, but it’s about to become even more true.
Outlets like The Washington Post and The Guardian are predicting that household energy bills in Republican-leaning states could rise by more than $600 next year, based on their analyses of the BBB. One study, by energy and climate think tank Energy Innovation, showed energy prices rising by much as 18% by 2035 as a result of Trump’s policies.
Energy Innovation’s analysis skews left, and tends to focus on “left of zero” outcomes. Still, when the corporatist rags start quoting bad numbers and bear markets, you should probably pay attention. Some of the key takeaways of the EI study include:
- Power generation capacity will fall 340 gigawatts by 2035, raising costs to meet growing demand and damaging industrial competitiveness
- Wholesale electricity prices will increase 25 percent by 2030 and 74 percent by 2035; electricity rates paid by consumers will increase between 9-18 percent by 2035
- Household energy costs will increase $170 annually by 2035
- America loses $980 billion in cumulative GDP through the budget reconciliation window
- Florida, Texas, Kentucky, and both North and South Carolina stand to be hit the hardest by rising energy costs over the next ten years
Beyond insulating your household budget from rising energy costs, a home solar system can help to insulate your home, too – which means you’ll need less of that lower cost electricity you’re generating to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
That’s not just me saying that. A study by the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego study found that during the day, ceilings under tilted solar panels were about 5°F cooler than exposed ceilings, thanks to the panels acting as a shade and creating an air gap that helps dissipate heat. In cool weather, the panels helped homes retain heat, leading to a dual benefit across multiple seasons.
“There are more efficient ways to passively cool buildings, such as reflective roof membranes,” explains Jan Kleissl, a professor of environmental engineering at UC San Diego. “But, if you are considering installing solar photovoltaic, depending on your roof thermal properties, you can expect a large reduction in the amount of energy you use to cool your residence or business.”
Keeping your own personal costs at bay while putting clean, excess energy that’s not stored in your home batteries back into the grid is a win-win that not only reduces your own energy bills but also puts downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices.
What’s more, because the rising costs of energy prices are outpacing interest rates, it might even make sense to finance a solar package – but definitely don’t take my word for that. Talk to a certified financial planner or someone with a fiduciary interest in your money to work the numbers before you start signing stuff.
Original content from Electrek.
READ MORE: It’s time to start recommending some Tesla Powerwall alternatives.
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![Not enough: Corvette concept falls 1,000 hp short of Chinese hypercar hype [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/08/not-enough.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The Corvette CX making its debut at this weekend’s The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, generates more than 2,000 combined hp from its four, individually controlled and torque-vectoring electric motors. It’s staggering power, draped in beautiful bodywork, at a point in time when Corvette is rapidly climbing through the supercar ranks. There’s only one problem with this latest rendition of America’s motorsports icon: China’s has 1,000 more hp.
The specs for the Yangwang U9 Track Edition that leaked last week in BYD filings with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) read like something out a middle schooler’s journal. 3,000 hp. 0-60 in one second. An electric motor for each wheel. A top speed approaching 300 mph. If it’s real (and there is absolutely zero reason to believe that it isn’t), the BYD will be the performance car benchmark against which all others are measured, like the Ferrari F40 of the 1980s, McLaren F1 of the 1990s, or Bugattis of the twenty-first century.
And that 3,000 hp BYD? That’s a production car, if limited. Meanwhile, the latest no production intent, pie-in-the-sky, no-holds-barred, you can just say shit and no one will ever question it electric hypercar concept from GM falls more than 1,000 hp short, at “just” 2,000 hp.
But don’t count the Corvette out.
More grease, bigger hammer
Whatever you may think of poster-era supercars like the Lamborghini Diablo, Porsche Carerra GT, or Pagani Huayra – or even modern electric hypercars like the Tesla Model S Plaid and Xiaomi SU7 – the one thing they all have in common is that they are all objectively slower than the 255 mph Callaway Corvette Sledgehammer from 1988, above.
I won’t go into the specs of that car (this isn’t that kind of car blog), but the point is that while the Corvette is often overlooked, there is a reason GM’s top-shelf sporty car carries that “King of the Hill” nickname – and the new Corvette CX concept is similarly, undoubtedly, more than just a list of specs in a magazine.
And those specs are seriously impressive. The new Corvette CX concept packs four independent electric motors putting out a combined 2,000 hp and some ungoldy amount of Earth-moving torque under advanced software controls that enable four-wheel torque vectoring for maximum grip and cornering performance, as well as precise steering control under even the heaviest of braking.
Power to those motors comes from the Corvette CX’ 90 kWh lithium-ion battery that’s centrally mounted low in the chassis, giving the car a low center of gravity and, crucially, ideal 50/50 front-rear weight distribution.
Plus: it’s gorgeous
The Corvette team says the CX concept draws from more more than seventy (!) years of Corvette heritage while being a forward looking concept, not a retro piece. Stylistically, the concept seems more visually mature and subdued than its in-production C8 cousin, and seems to promise a return to the C3-5 eras’ cleaner, less busy aesthetics.
Phil Zak, executive design director for Chevrolet, is very rightly proud of the CX’ design. “While the shape of a Corvette has always been expressive and forward-looking, each crease and line has its roots in the generations that came before it. It is aspirational, it is cultural, it is the reason people want to come and work at Chevrolet,” says, Zak. “The CX … demonstrate(s) our design teams stepping away from the constraints of production vehicles and unleashing their creativity. Through this exercise, we’ve added to Corvette and defined the design direction for Corvette moving forward.”
The rest of the official GM press release copy highlights the aviation-inspired canopy, jet-age interior, and an underbody fan system not entirely unlike the system leaked in Tesla patent filings earlier this week. You can see that here:
Aggressively futuristic, yet unquestionably a Corvette, the CX concept shows what an uncompromised future sports car can be. The athletic exterior design, highlighted by the fighter-jet-inspired cockpit canopy, isn’t just about looking powerful – it was shaped in collaboration with the GM Motorsports Aero Group. Every angle was designed with ultimate performance in mind.
On the inside, every aspect of the CX concept was designed to provide an unmatched driving experience. The forward-opening fighter-jet-style canopy automatically raises as you approach. Driver and passenger settle into seating finished in Inferno Red ballistic textile, bolstered to help hold occupants in place during high-g cornering maneuvers. Premium silicone leather, milled aluminum, and low-gloss forged carbon fiber accents give an elevated feel to the driver-focused cabin.
The digital windscreen transforms the windshield into an immersive surround display with real-time performance data. Every major control is elegantly integrated into the steering wheel, keeping the driver’s focus on the road ahead.
The innovations continue underneath the skin with the Vacuum Fan System. Built-in fans draw air through the open-channel bodywork, generating massive downforce and adjusting the airflow over the rear diffuser to refine aerodynamic balance in real-time. The front diffuser and rear wing are both active, adjusting automatically in response to the driver’s inputs to generate maximum grip. The integrated understructure of the CX concept is visible through the aero channels in the bodywork, and the suspension A-arms are wing-shaped to enhance airflow and reduce front-end lift.
All in all, the new Corvette CX concept is an impressive piece of engineering and rolling art. It’s also a statement from GM that, while the Corvette may very well be going all-electric in its next iteration, it won’t be going any slower. In fact, the first electric Corvette might even be the best one ever – but don’t say that one too loud (you’ll upset the New Balance crowd).
That said, as a pure concept that almost no one will ever drive and which might never get publicly strapped on to a dyno, it is absolutely baffling that Chevy wouldn’t have just claimed 3,000 hp. Even if it was just to match BYD’s claims and continue to build on a century of hype for American exceptionalism, you know?
That’s my take, anyway – what’s yours? Watch the Corvette CX Concept hype video from Chevrolet, below, then let us know what you think of the latest GM concept in the comments.
Electric Corvette CX concept
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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