Lectric XPeak e-bike launched as new best bang-for-your-buck adventure electric bike
Just when you thought that value-based electric bike brand Lectric Ebikes had revealed it all, they drop one more awesomely-priced e-bike into the mix. Meet the Lectric XPeak, a new adventure-style e-bike with some seriously good bang-for-your-buck.
Adventure electric bikes can be tricky to define but are generally considered to be a class of full-size fat tire e-bikes. Too big for the mountain bike class but too all-terrain for purely commuter use, these fat tire e-bikes split the difference and offer either an ultra-comfy street ride or a fun and diverse trail ride.
In this case, the Lectric XPeak takes a lot of the same design components – 4-inch fat tires, front suspension, powerful motor, and equally powerful braking – and wraps it all up in a pretty bow with an amazing price tag of just $1,399.
And that’s to be expected, as Lectric Ebikes didn’t land the best selling e-bike in the US, the $999 Lectric XP 3.0, by resting on its laurels. The company has constantly worked to rollout new models, expanding into cargo bikes, trikes and other designs along the way. And that’s the same energy that Lectric is bringing to the XPeak, as cofounder and CEO Levi Conlow explained at the company’s recent Media Day:
I’m only interested in going in and being number one in this category, just like we did with the XP 3.0, and the XPedition and the XP Trike. Number two is just the first loser, and we’re not interested in that!
Even though the XPeak won’t officially begin taking orders until next week on Tuesday, November 1, taking a look at the specs and pricing shows that rising to the top of the category once again is a pretty safe bet for Lectric.
Let’s jump into the specs of the XPeak to see what this e-bike is packing.
The rear motor is a 750W continuous and 1,310W peak-rated hub motor. It provides up to 28 mph (45 km/h) of speed, though the bike can be programmed to operate in Class 1, 2, or 3 operation modes. Lectric is also calling this their Stealth M24 motor, as it’s the quietest motor they’ve offered yet.
The removable, frame-integrated battery is a 48V 14Ah unit with 672 Wh of capacity. It provides power to the rear wheel either through a thumb throttle or Lectric’s wattage-based pedal assist. That pedal assist uses a cadence sensor but as part of a current-limiting system that creates pseudo-torque sensor performance. The lag is still there, but the bike doesn’t shoot up to a set speed like most simple cadence sensor bikes. It’s something of the “poor man’s torque sensor.”
For stopping power, the bike gets a set of hydraulic disc brakes on 180 mm rotors, a feature normally seen on more expensive bikes but has recently begun working its way into value e-bikes as well. The company recently updated its Lectric XP 3.0 to use hydraulic brakes, which has been widely praised for bringing higher performance braking to budget-level rides.
Other features on the XPeak include front and rear LED lighting, a 7-speed pedal drivetrain and puncture-resistant 26″ x 4.0″ tires.
Interestingly, Lectric actually went above and beyond the required safety testing by using a US-based bicycle testing lab to rate the bike to ISO M4210-10, a standard we normally see on much higher end electric mountain bikes.
The EMTB safety standard ISO M4210-10 tests the frame, fork, and other areas for ruggedness required of true off-road bikes. It’s a standard that is required in Europe but only recommended in the US, and Lectric elected to undergo that testing. To pass it, they explained that there was only one fat tire fork that would work for them and could withstand the torture testing. As Conlow added, “You have to make the investment in the fork to be able to pass this testing. In this space right now, the only solution is the RST Renegade fork. That fork retails for $400, and it meant we would have to put a $400 fork on our bike to pass the test. And so we put a $400 fork on the bike. That makes this the only e-bike under $3,000 that uses this Renegade RST fork.”
In another nod to rugged design, the front wheel also makes use of a quick release thru-axle, unlike a narrow quick release skewer axle seen on most budget e-bikes. That means that you can still pop your front wheel out easily to put the bike in a car, but that it can’t come out accidentally while riding, and it doesn’t rely on a thin 5mm axle that can bend or break under rough off-road conditions.
Lectric has a wide range of accessories that are compatible with the XPeak as well, ranging from racks and bags to fenders and locks. In fact, if you order through here when the bike launches after November 1, you’ll get $450 of accessories as part of the Launch Package, including front and rear racks with baskets, a fender set, a folding lock, and an Elite headlight.
Electrek’s Take
How many more rabbits can Lectric Ebikes pull out of this same hat?
As I’ve said before, the company has one move and one move only – to look at what other e-bike companies are building and just do that, but for a better price. And they’ve perfected that move.
The result may not always be the sexiest. It’s not always the highest quality. In fact, it’s rarely either. You can find flashier e-bikes with fancy carbon frames and top shelf derailleurs out there. But I’ll be damned if the XPeak isn’t the best value on the market for this class of e-bike. If you’re a value shopper and you don’t need bells and whistles, this is the ticket.
I’m really impressed to see the extra effort that the team at Lectric put into the frame and fork. Many of the electric components on e-bikes, such as motors and batteries, are largely off the shelf parts that are fairly common between companies, so doubling down on frame design can be a major differentiator. Using a thru-axle for the front wheel is also a big upgrade, and that’s something that always jumps out at me when I inspect a new e-bike. While skewer axles have been common for a long time, thru-axles are starting to replace them when companies want to ensure they’ve got a stronger and more rugged front end designed to last for many more miles of hard riding.
All told, I’d say Lectric has done a very impressive job here. Even without considering the price, this looks like a great design. But when you add that $1,399 price tag (or $1,299 at the launch next week), it’s even better!
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China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) has unveiled its latest battery cell technologies, which charge as quickly as filling up a gas tank while potentially lowering costs without compromise.
CATL has quickly become the world’s largest battery manufacturer by a wide margin. It is one of, if not the biggest, force for advancing electric transportation.
A big part of CATL’s success is due to its advancements in lithium-iron phosphate battery cells, also known as LFP. LFP cells are cheaper than nickel-rich batteries, but they used to have much lower energy density.
The Chinese battery manufacturers managed to close the gap somewhat while maintaining lower costs, resulting in LFP cells becoming popular for entry-level EVs.
Now, CATL is looking to do the same with sodium-ion batteries.
Like LFP cells, sodium-ion battery cells have the potential to be cheaper than more common Li-ion cells, but they also offer potential for superior performance, particularly in terms of faster charging and longer lifecycles.
CATL has unveiled today Naxtra, its new sodium-ion battery cells, and it claimed some truly impressive specs.
The new cell reportedly achieves an energy density of 175 Wh per kg (385 Wh per lb), on par with the higher-end of LFP battery cells.
The new cells also offer potential for significant safety improvements.
CATL shared several intense stress tests, including drilling into a cell and even cutting it in half without any thermal event:
The next-gen sodium cells could help further lower the cost of electric vehicles without compromising performance, and while increasing safety.
On top of the new Naxtra cell, CATL has also unveiled its next-gen Shenxing LFP battery cells.
Its charge rate is truly impressive. CATL shared several examples of cars charging at around 1,000 kW and maintaining over 500 kW at over 50% state of charge:
The new cell is being described as capable of adding 300 miles (482 km) of range in about 5 minutes – depending on the EV model.
That’s virtually as quick as filling up a tank of gas.
CATL says that the Shenxing will be in 67 electric vehicle models by the end of the year.
The next-gen cell was unveiled after BYD, CATL’s biggest competitor, also unveiled its latest technology, capable of charging electric vehicles at extremely high speeds.
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New York State has announced an extra $30 million for point-of-sale rebates to lease or buy more than 60 new EV models.
The rebates are available to consumers through New York’s Drive Clean Rebate program, which offers a point-of-sale rebate off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of an EV at participating car dealerships in New York State.
The rebate is available in all 62 counties, with the highest rebate of $2,000 available for EVs with a greater-than-200-mile range. (For a 40- to 199-mile range, the rebate is $1,000.) The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) runs the program.
NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Converting to EVs reduces the total cost of vehicle ownership through lower fuel and vehicle maintenance costs, and NYSERDA is proud to help provide New Yorkers with more purchasing power through these rebates.”
The Drive Clean Rebate program has issued over 190,000 rebates to consumers since 2017, contributing to the more than 280,000 EVs on the road in New York State.
NYSERDA also boosted its EV charging incentives. Through the Charge Ready NY 2.0 program, the state is boosting the cash available for Level 2 charger installations at apartment buildings, workplaces, and hotels from $2,000 to $3,000 per port. And if the chargers go into disadvantaged communities, that amount jumps to $4,000 per port.
New York has racked up over 17,000 public EV chargers, making it second only to California for charger count. On top of that, there are more than 4,000 semi-public stations tucked into workplaces and multifamily buildings across the state.
Read more: New York awards $60M to Revel to install 267 DC fast chargers
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LTL carrier ArcBest Freight (ABF) announced plans to add five new Orange EV electric terminal tractors to its existing ZEV fleet, bringing its total deployment of these battery electric HDEVs to 14 … with even more to come.
LTL stands for “Less than Truck Load,” and basically means that, since whatever you’re shipping won’t take up a full container, you can share the costs of shipping with other customers with goods going the same way. You save a little more money and the shipper makes a little more money, making it a rare win-win scenario in the shipping space. And that’s important, because LTL containers amount to a massive 15% of total US shipping.
ABF has been putting Orange EV yard dogs to work in their LTL traffic terminals since their initial deployment of four trucks in June 2022. The company added five more a few years later, and just purchased five more — further underscoring their confidence in the benefits of transitioning their fleet to electric power.
“The Orange EV terminal trucks meet our operational requirements and expectations for safe, reliable, and affordable service and performance,” explains Matthew Godfrey, ABF Freight president. “We’re committed to responsible environmental management, and our investment in EVs aligns with our continuous efforts to enhance efficiency while maintaining exceptional service standards.”
ABF joins other large logistics companies like YMX and DHL in deploying the Orange EV terminal trucks, which have logged hundreds of thousands of hours of service for their customers.
Electrek’s Take
Over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, we had a chance to talk to Orange EV founder Kurt Neutgens ahead of last year’s ACT Expo for clean trucking. On the show (embedded, above), Kurt explained how his experience at Ford helped inform his design ideology, and that the Orange EV was designed to be cost competitive with diesel options, even without subsidies.
Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of the big yard dogs in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Orange EV; via PR Newswire.
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