RadRunner 3 Plus review: A utility e-bike that blurs the line between budget & premium

Published

1 year ago

November 2, 2023

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The RadRunner 3 Plus is an electric utility/cargo bike that deserves a serious second look because of its unique place in the market, straddling the line between value-oriented and premium-focused. It comes from Rad Power Bikes, one of the leading budget-minded e-bike brands in the US, yet is part of the company’s push toward the more premium segment of the market.

When Rad Power Bikes first unveiled the “Plus” line, it consisted only of the original RadRunner Plus. That was followed by launches for Plus versions of the RadRover and RadCity, adding higher-end parts like hydraulic disc brakes, higher torque motors for better hill climbing, and more sophisticated displays on the handlebars, among other upgrades.

Now, the RadRunner 3 Plus brings a whole new push toward premium from the company, showing that Rad doesn’t just want to be seen as a low-cost e-bike maker. Instead, it wants to compete with the higher-priced players in the market.

But can the RadRunner 3 Plus hang with the big boys and command a higher price? That’s exactly what I set out to discover. Check it out in my video review below, or keep reading for more details afterward.

RadRunner 3 Plus video review

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RadRunner 3 Plus tech specs

Motor: 750W rear-geared hub motor
Top speed: 32 km/h (20 mph)
Range: 45-72 km (25-45 mi) depending on user input
Battery: 48V 14Ah (672 Wh)
Charge time: 6 hours
Weight: 34.2 kg (75.5 lb)
Max load: 159 kg (350 lb)
Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes on 180 mm rotors
Extras: Side kickstand, dual LED displays, integrated head/tail/brake LED lights, bell, half-twist throttle, mounting for the huge collection of front and rear racks/accessories

What more does it give us?

The RadRunner 3 Plus was unveiled with several new features compared to the previous version, adding parts like dual LED displays, hydraulic disc brakes, a slicker-looking semi-integrated battery, improved suspension, more comfortable seat design, and more.

But it also came with a surprisingly high price. It was quickly dropped to its current price of US $2,299 from a debut at US $2,499, but that still makes it the priciest RadRunner ever.

However, coming from someone who has ridden every version of the RadRunner, I can tell you it’s the best one yet.

The bike rides beautifully thanks to its design and geometry, giving me a comfortably relaxed ride stance that lets me rest my feet on the ground at stops while still having good pedaling form. The newly updated seat is also a major improvement, though the old RadRunner seat from the early days never bothered me as much as I heard from others.

The power is there, though I always feel like I want more when I hit that 20 mph (32 km/h) wall. I know Rad Power Bikes is content with Class 2 e-bikes, but I often find myself pining for a little Class 3 extra speed on long straightaways. That goes double when I’m on the side of a higher-speed road, keeping up with faster car traffic.

The utility design of the bike is also top-notch. As a step-through, it’s easy to mount, even when loaded up with cargo on the rear rack. There are so many RadRunner copies and clones these days that it can be hard to remember that this is the bike that started it all. And Rad hasn’t lost sight of that, ensuring the most recent edition stays true to that RadRunner DNA that makes it a potent little cargo hauler. It feels like a stubby cargo bike because that’s what it is.

You really begin to appreciate this bike’s potential when you add accessories. Keep in mind Rad’s accessories don’t come cheap, but they add even more utility here.

One of my favorites has always been the Passenger Package since it turns this into a two-passenger e-bike. I can easily treat it like my motorbikes or scooters, taking my wife along for a ride. A two-person e-bike is a handy transportation tool, solving the one-person-per-bike dilemma that has long plagued two-wheelers.

Then there’s the cargo options, and this is where the bike really shines. I was most impressed by the hard cases, which are lockable and sturdy. I’m not kidding – I’ve got an electric motorcycle that has locking hard cases that feel flimsy next to Rad’s bike hard cases. These are solid, waterproof cases with sealing gaskets to keep rain out. They are so well constructed that if you hit something while riding, you’d better check that thing first. These boxes aren’t going anywhere.

The only downside is they all seem to have different keys, and if you go with the two side cases, the rear rack case and the center console, you’ll have four different cargo keys to deal with. I know keying them alike would be tricky since some people will only order a few cases and the whole set, but if there were an option for a quadfecta of keyed-alike boxes, I’d jump for it in a heartbeat.

As nice as the bike and its accessory line is, not everything is perfect. One thing I wish this version of the RadRunner Plus hadn’t lost was the center kickstand. There’s a new side stand, which works fine, but I liked the center Y-kickstand for its stable parking option, especially when loaded with lots of cargo.

Then there’s the price. At $2,299, this is a tougher sell today than it would have been in the past. It’s a great bike, but many bikes on the market now have good utility designs, hydraulic brakes, 750W motors, big batteries, and nice accessories – and many of them cost significantly less.

They aren’t as nice as the RadRunner 3 Plus, I can attest to that. But saving nearly a grand will be worth cutting a few corners for many people.

So, in my opinion, if you have the extra cash to spend, you’re going to get an amazing quality utility bike with the RadRunner 3 Plus. It’s just hard for me to call it the same bang-for-your-buck as it once was a few years ago, even in the non-Plus version. You can, of course, still get the RadRunner 2, which is the current “non-Plus” version, and it’s only $1,299 at its current sale price. It doesn’t get you many of the nicer parts of the RadRunner 3 Plus, but it’s a hell of a deal. For the RadRunner 3 Plus here, I still say Rad did a great job on it – I just wish it was a few hundred bucks cheaper so I could give it a more forceful recommendation based on value and not just on quality. As it stands, it’s a great bike, but a pricey one.

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Venmo gaining ground in payments as Cash App struggles

Published

4 hours ago

May 2, 2025

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Venmo gaining ground in payments as Cash App struggles

Block shares plunge on revenue miss, slashed guidance

In the increasingly crowded market for peer-to-peer payments, Venmo is showing momentum while Cash App has hit a rough patch.

The parents of both businesses reported quarterly results this week. PayPal, which owns Venmo, reported an earnings beat and kept its forecast for the year. Block, meanwhile, plummeted in extended trading on Thursday after the Cash App parent missed on revenue and issued disappointing guidance.

Venmo and Cash App are simultaneously competing to gobble up more consumers for their peer-to-peer offerings while also adding services like debit, credit and transfer services so they can actually make money from those users.

For PayPal CEO Alex Chriss, who took over the struggling payments company in 2023, monetizing Venmo is a key piece to his turnaround plan.

Venmo revenue jumped 20% in the first quarter from a year earlier, though PayPal didn’t provide a dollar figure. PayPal pointed to growing adoption of features like the Venmo debit card, instant transfers, and integration into online checkout. The company said monetization per user is improving and that Venmo continues to play a role in its broader e-commerce push.

Revenue at Venmo increased at twice the rate of total payment volume, which rose 10%, reflecting progress in turning engagement into profit.

Tesla (TSLA) reveals web of transactions between Elon Musk’s companies

Published

5 hours ago

May 2, 2025

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Tesla (TSLA) reveals web of transactions between Elon Musk's companies

Tesla (TSLA) has revealed the latest web of transactions between itself, Elon Musk, his multiple companies, and board members.

As a public company, Tesla has to report to its shareholders transactions between the company and its executives, board members, and other companies linked to them.

With a new SEC filing, the company has disclosed those latest transactions for 2024 and up to February 2025.

Here’s a list with my comments:

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SpaceX is party to certain commercial, licensing and support agreements with Tesla. Under these agreements, SpaceX incurred expenses of approximately $2.4 million in 2024 and approximately $0.1 million through February 2025.

Tesla didn’t specifically disclosed what are those “certain commercial, licensing and support agreements”.

However, we do know that Tesla and SpaceX share a material science team and they have shared ERP systems in the past.

Tesla also pays SpaceX for the use of Elon Musk’s jet:

Since April 2016, SpaceX has invoiced Tesla for our use of an aircraft owned and operated by SpaceX at rates determined by Tesla and SpaceX, subject to rules of the Federal Aviation Administration governing such arrangements. Tesla incurred expenses of approximately $0.8 million in 2024 and approximately $0.04 million through February 2025.

These transactions have been reported every year between Tesla and SpaceX.

X is a newer addition to Musk enterprises and the CEO has pushed Tesla to spend on advertising on his privately owned platform.

It only amounted to about $400,000 in Tesla spending on X last year aboud only $10,000 this year:

X is party to certain commercial, consulting and support agreements with Tesla. Under these agreements, Tesla incurred expenses of approximately $0.1 million in 2024. As part of a multi-platform advertising campaign, Tesla also directly or indirectly purchased advertising on X, which totaled approximately $0.4 million in 2024 and approximately $0.01 million through February 2025.

Tesla only started to advertise in 2023, shortly after Musk bought Twitter, a platform that relies on advertising, but it has yet to really ramp up its advertising effort.

Instead, it relies on marketing.

xAI is the latest private Musk company that Tesla’s CEO is pushing to work with Tesla.

Based on Tesla’s new disclosure, xAI paid Tesla almost $200 million in 2024 and almost $37 million in the first two months of 2025:

xAI is party to certain commercial (including those for the purchase of Megapacks), consulting and support agreements with Tesla. Under these agreements, xAI incurred expenses of approximately $198.3 million in 2024 and approximately $36.9 million through February 2025. Approximately $191.0 million during 2024 and $36.8 million through February 2025 was incurred by xAI for its purchase of our Megapack products.

The vast majority of that was xAI buying Tesla Megapacks to power its data centers.

However, there are also a few millions not accounted for.

Musk has admitted to redirecting NVIDIA computers that were supposed to be used for Tesla’s super cluster in Texas to xAI.

Tesla also disclosed paying The Boring Company (TBC), a company privately owned by Musk, over $3 million in 2024 and $800,000 in the first two months of 2025:

TBC is party to commercial agreements with Tesla. Under these agreements, Tesla incurred expenses of approximately $3.6 million in 2024 and approximately $0.8 million through February 2025.

This is likely related to TBC building a tunnel to link the Cybertruck’s end-of-line at Gigafactory Texas to a loading lot.

Tesla also pays a security company owned by Musk to provide security services to the CEO:

We are party to a service agreement with a security company, owned by Elon Musk and organized to provide security services concerning him, including in connection with his duties to and work for Tesla. Tesla incurred expenses of approximately $2.8 million for such security services in 2024 and approximately $0.5 million through February 2025, representing a portion of the total cost of security services concerning Elon Musk.

These costs have greatly increased. In 2023, Tesla paid $2.4 million. It increased to $2.8 million in 2024 and based on Tesla having spent $500,000 in the first two months of the year, it looks like it could increase to $3 million in 2025.

Tesla also disclosed that it sold about $30 million worth of scrap materials for JB Straubel’s Redwood Mateirals to recycle:

JB Straubel is the Chief Executive Officer of Redwood. Tesla is party to an agreement with Redwood to supply certain scrap materials. Under this agreement, Redwood incurred expenses of approximately $30.3 million in 2024 and approximately $0.6 million through February 2025.

Straubel is a Tesla co-founder and long-time CTO. He left in 2019 to build a battery recycling and battery material firm, but he also more recently rejoined Tesla’s board – hence why transactions between his company and Tesla need to be reported.

Finally, Tesla disclosed that it paid $300,000 to Kimbal Musk’s company, Nova Sky Stories, for a drone show:

Kimbal Musk is the Chief Executive Officer of Nova Sky Stories. In 2024, we entered into a commercial agreement with Nova Sky Stories in relation to the production of an aerial show. Under this agreement, Tesla incurred expenses of approximately $0.3 million in 2024.

Kimbal Musk is on Tesla’s board and he is Elon Musk’s brother.

Electrek’s Take

I can admit that there can be interesting synergy between companies. When Musk was just leading Tesla and SpaceX, I had some reservations, but I thought it was feasible and some collaboration, like the material science team, made sense.

However, now that Musk is leading Tesla, SpaceX, X, xAI, The Boring Company, Neuralink, and DOGE, it makes no sense whatsoever. It’s too much.

And the synergy between them is often looking like a stretch. For example, the $3 million tunnel is ridiculous. Tesla should have simply better designed its EOL. The Boring Company had a ton of projects that never amounted to anything and it looks like Musk is keeping them busy with Tesla money.

Tesla sending its NVIDIA computers to xAI is also ridiculous. Musk’s excuse was that Tesla’s data center was not ready to receive them, but then he boasted about xAI being to deploy its own data center in a record time of just 3 weeks.

Why was xAI able to do it in 3 weeks but Tesla couldn’t?

Finally, Tesla giving Elon’s brother $300,000 for a drone show is also highly questionable.

Like Leo KoGuan said, “Tesla is a family business masquerading as a public company.”

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Environment

ACT Expo 2025 – one step forward, two steps back for clean trucking [part 1]

Published

5 hours ago

May 1, 2025

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ACT Expo 2025 – one step forward, two steps back for clean trucking [part 1]

ACT Expo is North America’s premier clean truck and transport trade show – and for 2025 it was bigger than ever, with more exhibitors and more, more capable battery electric vehicles than ever. The downsides? NACFE have scored with their “messy middle” messaging, and the return of “clean diesel” talking points.

The re-election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States has thrown the steady pace of electric fleet adoption – along with just about every thing else – into a state of confusion and disarray. Into that chaos, NACFE (the North American Council for Freight Efficiency) has thrown a positively progress-shattering bromide that may as well have been designed to distract attention from the proliferation of practical medium- and heavy-duty EVs, the rapid expansion of a comprehensive DC fast charging network, and the rapidly decreasing delta between the up-front costs of conventional diesel and battery electric offerings.

I’m talking about the phrase, “the messy middle,” which posits that, while we can all agree that electric vehicles and battery technology are the future, “we’re not quite there, yet.” The result is a series of observations that, while very timely in 2019, seem to disingenuously portray EVs as new technology today, while claiming that there are unanswered questions regarding battery costs and component longevity.

Never mind that next year will mark the (checks notes) twenty-ninth year of Toyota Prius production, and the thirtieth anniversary of the production launch of GM’s EV1, or that Volvo is on its third generation of battery electric semi, or that dozens of EV fleets have logged hundreds of millions of all-electric miles on their vehicles – never mind, in other words, that BEVs are in production now, ready now, in customer hands now, delivering on the promise of reduced TCO now … an EV may not be suitable for some fleets – and NACFE’s “messy middle” messaging is going to give a lot of fleets an excuse to buy one more round diesel-engined semi trucks to fill up with more diesel from ~~Shell~~ their favorite truck stops.

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All that said, it’s catchy. Outside of NACFE’s booth or Shell’s panels I’ve heard the phrase “messy middle” repeated sincerely at least a dozen times over the last three days, and I have to admit that the alliterative lure of that particular little ear worm that, regardless of the sincerity of NACFE’s intent, is going to set the pace of EV adoption back at least the length of one Presidential term (give or take 100 days).

Moving on …

There was plenty of good stuff

Despite my ranting and raving against the whole “messy middle” messaging, there was an incredible amount of awesome, zero-emission, battery-powered goodness at this year’s ACT Expo. Too much, in fact, to jam into a single article (unless y’all like 5,000 word articles).

As such, I won’t even try.

Instead, I’ll use this post to give you a sneak peek at some of the stories I’ll be posting in the coming days, bringing you fully up to speed with all the latest and greatest new EVs, EREVs, and HFCEVs that commercial fleet buyers can place an order for today, and start putting the messy middle (and their backwards-looking competitors) behind them. So, check out the short list, below, then watch this space to see the links go live.

ACT 2025 News

Zenobe arrives in North America
Honda wants to sell you a fuel cell
Hyundai opens up about its hydrogen semi
ABB has figured out this whole charging deal
Windrose gets real, and Wen Han signs my truck
Volvo has the best deal going for commercial EVs
New Mack electric trucks are coming, and one is already here
The new autonomous terminal tractor from Kalmar is a next-level EV

Original content from Electrek; special thanks to ACT Expo.

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