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doordash delivery rider

In cities around the world, e-bikes, scooters, and motorcycles make up the brunt of the food delivery industry. They serve as the critical backbone, connecting hungry customers ordering app-based food with the restaurants that serve up that savory delight. At least, that’s how it works almost everywhere except North America. So I took a trip to the US and spent a day as a food delivery rider to see what the big hangup is.

If you don’t know me, then hello! I’m an electric bike journalist and YouTuber, or at least that’s my normal day job. But this summer I hung up my keyboard for a day and hopped on an e-bike in South Beach, Miami to try Doordashing during a busy afternoon.

My ride for the day was a Lectric XP 3.0 folding e-bike, outfitted with a cargo package and food delivery bags. It’s a great bike for this type of use thanks to its low entry price (just $999!), its low frame, and its small diameter fat tires that make it easy to cruise rough city streets and hop curbs or potholes when necessary.

I made an action-packed video of my day here, and you should check it out if you want the firsthand experience of food delivery by e-bike (and a little Miami culture at the same time).

micah toll lectric xp 3.0

My goal for the day wasn’t necessarily to make money, though that was a nice side-benefit of the experiment. This was a job, after all (albeit an “independent contractor” job that allows the food app companies to avoid paying a living wage or benefits).

Instead of money, my main goal was to earn experience and insight into what goes into trying to deliver food by e-bike in the US. [And as a quick note: yes, I’m aware e-bike riders are the main delivery method in New York City. Congrats NYC, you’re the only US city that has mainly figured it out. Some other areas like San Francisco are on their way, but for the most part, the US is a laggard in this regard.]

If my goal had been to earn good money on this adventure, I would have been disappointed. More on that in a moment. But since the experience was my aim, I definitely came out as a winner. See what I learned below.

Delivery riders don’t make much money

In total, my day consisted of four and a half hours of food delivery in the bustling South Beach area, covering the lunch rush from 11:00 to 15:30, chosen to (hopefully) maximize profit. Over that period, I delivered nearly a dozen orders from a wide range of restaurants, smoothie bars, cookie shops, liquor stores, and more.

I raked in a total of US $48.75, or roughly $10.80/hour. That included tips, which in fact were a majority of my earnings. For comparison, the minimum wage in Florida where I was riding is $12/hour.

One of the main issues limiting my income was that the app just didn’t seem to give me many offers to deliver food. There were several periods where I was sitting in a “hot spot” as designated on the map in the app, but it took 30 minutes until I received a low-paying offer, such as $3.50 to pick up a McDonald’s order and deliver it. That was the second issue, that the offers simply paid poorly.

Anecdotal evidence from the experience of other delivery workers shows that these food apps often prioritize delivery car drivers over riders, though the exact reason isn’t clear. The apps won’t admit to this practice, but the workers seem pretty confident in its veracity. After talking about my experience with other Doordash delivery workers, several told me that the low-paying orders I got probably sat around for a while on the app getting passed over by delivery drivers until they were finally offered to me.

riding to delivery

Cars don’t make space for you

Where I live in Tel Aviv, bikes share the road. There’s also a large motorcycle and scooter culture, so car drivers are used to seeing two-wheelers on the road, and they generally move over to make space. That’s not the case in Florida, nor much of the US. The only place I’ve seen it in the US is in California, where drivers tend to move over for me when I’m lane-splitting on a motorcycle – though they’re also required to by law.

I found that South Beach in Miami had a decent amount of bike lanes, though they were usually just painted onto the road and thus don’t offer much real protection from cars. A few areas, such as the main beach road, had protected bike lanes separated by physical barriers.

Since I was riding a relatively fast e-bike (up to 28 mph or 45 km/h), I would often slide out of the painted-on bike lane and into the main road, especially when I could travel faster than cars in traffic or other pedal bikes ahead of me in the bike lane. Boy, the drivers did not like that! Forget the fact that the drivers were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic sometimes – those drivers still seem to hate seeing cyclists blow past them on the road.

Fortunately, I didn’t experience aggressive enough driving to the point of fearing harm, though such accounts are sadly numerous among cyclists in the US. It can be dangerous riding a bike with cars in the US, partially due to the lack of proper infrastructure and partially due to drivers just seeming to be surprised at seeing a bike sharing the road with them. And while road rage against cyclists accounts for a smaller segment of the injuries and deaths than good old-fashioned distracted operating of heavy machinery, it’s still an important consideration.

These lurking dangers are something that cyclists simply have to keep in mind. The road is ours too, but we can’t afford the same disregard that drivers have been permitted. We always have to be on the lookout for those that aren’t on the lookout.

doordash delivery rider
As the afternoon Miami sun started baking me, I had to throw on the UV sleeves

Being a bike delivery rider is harder than it looks

I was surprised at just how difficult the job was. I’m a hard worker, I’ve worked plenty of manual labor jobs, I served in the military, and I’m no stranger to getting my hands dirty. But I still have a newfound respect for the job performed by delivery riders.

It’s not just the effort – sure, I was on an electric bike, but I was often pedaling hard to make my battery last as long as possible. I had a second battery but only swapped it after nearly four hours of working. Riding a heavy bike with non-aerodynamic food bags in a city with cars trying to wipe you out isn’t easy. And I did it on a nice, sunny day. Imagine this in the rain, snow, or brutal heat.

Then there’s the mental stress. You’re constantly on your toes for orders. When you get one, you have to rush wherever it sends you, fight your way to the food, then use a crappy map with a vague dot to find your destination for delivery. The address may be there, or it may just be wrong. And you’re being timed with a delivery deadline that is nearly unachievable. If you don’t rush to make it on time, you’ll be dinged with fewer future delivery offers. But you better not break a traffic rule – car drivers love to cite that as a reason for endangering cyclists on the road. “He blew through a stop sign back there, why should I give him space when I pass?”

Then you’ve got to find a way to lock your bike so it won’t get stolen, locate your customer, not get stabbed if it’s a bad part of town, then hurry back for the next order – all for as little as three bucks. Delivery riders on e-bikes have faced an alarming increase in assaults, either for cash or to steal their e-bikes. I always carry protection, and I think it’s a good idea for e-bike delivery riders to consider it while working.

e-bike delivery rider

Another surprise was that I sometimes had to do people’s shopping. Doordash gave me a type of limited credit card when I signed up, and twice I had to shop for things people ordered on Doordash.

The first was at a liquor store, where I had to buy some guy’s booze and then scan his ID when I got to his apartment. The second was a CVS order where someone needed a pink hairbow immediately, so they ordered it for delivery.

CVS stores aren’t known for being easy to find things, let alone a single hairbow. And I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a liquor store in Florida, but booze is apparently the state bird, and these things are like a Costco of alcohol. Good luck finding a specific bottle of obscure champagne and getting on your way by the deadline.

A second battery definitely makes things easier

If you’re going to do delivery work on an e-bike, having a second battery is a good thing to consider. I tried to go easy on my first battery and make it last, but there were times that I throttled at full-speed comfortably knowing I had a spare battery in case I drained my first one.

The downside is there usually isn’t a good place to lock a second battery on a bike – unless you have a dual battery e-bike – and so I kept my spare battery in one of my two food bags. I was constantly worried someone would steal it while I was handing off a delivery, so I always rushed back so as not to leave my bike unattended very long.

lectric xp change battery
Swapping batteries on the side of the road and still trying to make a delivery on-time

You should always tip your delivery rider

If you’re one of those people who says “I shouldn’t tip because their company should pay workers fairly instead of me paying their wages” then you’re 50% correct and 100% a jerk.

Yes, companies should pay workers fairly. But they don’t, at least not in the US. Until then, service workers who are not getting an hourly wage (like food delivery riders) depend on those tips as real income. They’ve got families to feed and bills to pay, just like you.

Over half of my earnings for the day came from tips. Without those tips, I would have earned around $5/hr just from the base pay.

So please tip your delivery rider. I always did before, but now I tip even better. And when it’s raining outside or rockets are falling, I tip delivery riders even better than that.

These people do hard work that is not made any easier by society, road infrastructure, or pretentious jerks wondering why their burger is 2 minutes late from a delivery rider sporting a fresh dog bite.

In conclusion

I still firmly believe two-wheelers are the only correct way to deliver food in cities. I’ve never seen a car deliver food where I live, and it’s the same for every European city I’ve ever ordered food in, with the exception of car-loving Germany.

Why we need slow-moving 4,500 lb (2,000 kg) vehicles to deliver a sandwich in a city is beyond me. In a city environment, food arrives faster on a bike, it requires less energy, and it’s better for the air we breathe. Everyone wins.

But there are some serious problems here too. These riders are doing critical work for very little pay and even less respect. They sometimes risk their lives, yet if they ever get hit by a car, there’s no one offering health insurance to heal them. And on top of all that, the delivery apps seem to prioritize car drivers instead of bike riders, further limiting their ability to earn a living wage.

I’m not saying I have all the answers here. But I do know that work needs to be done to improve this system. And I also know one other thing: now I’m hungry.

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Amid affordability crisis, White House unveils its plan to raise your fuel costs

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December 3, 2025

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Amid affordability crisis, White House unveils its plan to raise your fuel costs

Former reality TV contestant Sean Duffy. Photo by Gage Skidmore

The White House formally announced its plan to hike US fuel costs by $23 billion today, in the form of a new proposed rule cutting fuel efficiency requirements.

Update 12/3: This article has been updated to reflect the formal announcement of the proposed rule.

Since the beginning of this year, the occupants of the White House have been on a mission to raise costs for Americans.

This mission has encompassed many different moves, most notably through unwise tariffs.

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But another effort has focused on changing policy in a way that will raise fuel costs for Americans, adding to already-high energy prices.

The specific rollback today focuses on a rule passed under President Biden which would save Americans $23 billion in fuel costs by requiring higher fuel economy from auto manufacturers. By making cars use less fuel on average, Americans would not only save money on fuel, but reduce fuel demand which means that prices would go down overall.

The effort to roll back this rule was initially announced on the first day that Sean Duffy started squatting in the head office of the Department of Transportation. Duffy notably earned his transportation expertise by being a contestant on Road Rules: All Stars, a reality TV travel game show.

Then in June, Duffy formally reinterpreted the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard, claiming falsely that his department does not have authority to regulate fuel economy.

Republicans in Congress even got into effort to raise your fuel costs, as part of their ~$4 trillion giveaway to wealthy elites included a measure to make CAFE rules irrelevant by setting penalties for violating them to $0. In addition, it eliminated a number of other energy efficiency and domestic advanced manufacturing incentives.

Duffy’s department then told automakers that they would not face any fines retroactively to 2022, which saved the automakers (mostly Stellantis) a few hundred million dollars and cost American consumers billions in fuel costs.

Today, Duffy formally announced the proposed changes to the CAFE rules, lowering the required fuel economy for 2022-2031 model year vehicles, even despite all of the other changes in trying to make the rules unenforceable. The theory behind this would be to make it harder to later enforce the rules, and to allow automakers to get off with more pollution, and to increase fuel demand and fuel prices for longer until a real government returns to power and starts doing its job to regulate pollution.

Specifically, the announcement changes the planned 2031 50.5 mpg target to 34.5 mpg, cutting vehicle efficiency by nearly a third, which will lead to a commensurate increase in your fuel costs.

CAFE targets have been in place since the 1970s. In the last two decades, they helped drive a 30% improvement in average fuel economy, saving an average of $7,000 over the lifetime of an average vehicle – and they did this without increasing vehicle prices.

Rollback supported by auto CEOs who want to increase your costs

Today’s announcement was praised by the CEOs of the Big Three American automakers – GM, Ford, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler). Ford CEO Jim Farley and Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa attended the announcement at the White House, along with a manager from GM, though Barra signaled her support while speaking at another event.

Despite both Barra and Farley recently making statements claiming their support for electric vehicles, both cravenly supported the rollback in fuel economy standards that will cost you more money at the pump.

Barra said today that “I’m always going to advocate for one national standard and making sure regulatory requirements don’t get in front of the consumer,” despite the fact that GM lobbied against the single national standard that had been agreed to between Obama and California, and that today’s move only increases the gulf between the federal government and California on auto standards.

And Farley, despite acknowledging that the Chinese are trouncing us on EVs, said today that “we can make real progress on carbon emissions and energy efficiency while still giving customers choice and affordability,” which is detached from reality given that today’s moves will reduce affordability and efficiency and increase carbon emissions.

Their support suggests that their prior commitments to energy efficiency and electrification were not serious, as they are now joining in an effort to increase your fuel costs, just to save themselves a few engineering dollars on having to provide something other than the disgusting, deadly land yachts that are a blight on the nation’s roads and are murdering pedestrians at a 50-year high.

This isn’t the only way the White House is trying to raise your costs

Today’s announcement is just one many efforts currently being undertaken by executive departments to try to raise your fuel costs.

One of the largest is the EPA’s attempt to delete the “Endangerment Finding,” the government’s recognition of the scientific fact that climate change is dangerous to humans. The EPA is undertaking this effort so that it can then eliminate other rules intended to reduce pollution, with the goal of making you more beholden to fossil fuels.

Even the Energy Department’s own numbers, signed off on by oil shill Chris Wright, say that changes sought by the White House will increase gas prices by $.76/gal.

Like most other governmental changes, today’s change will likely go up for public comment, as required by the Administrative Procedures Act. We’ll let you know when it does.

The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

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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Hyundai keeps IONIQ 5 EV leases affordable at just $189 a month

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2 hours ago

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December 3, 2025

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Hyundai keeps IONIQ 5 EV leases affordable at just 9 a month

Hyundai-IONIQ-5-EV-lease-deal

2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Limited (Source: Hyundai)

Hyundai is keeping one of the most affordable EV lease deals alive with the IONIQ 5 still available for just $189 a month through December.

What EV deals does Hyundai offer in December?

It’s hard to find any vehicle available to lease for under $200 a month nowadays. The IONIQ 5 is not only one of the most affordable electric vehicles in the US, but also one of the most efficient, fastest-charging, and overall practical options if you’re looking to go electric.

After a major refresh for the 2025 model year, Hyundai’s electric SUV now features a driving range of up to 318 miles, a sharp new look inside and out, and a built-in NACS port so you can recharge at Tesla Superchargers.

Hyundai slashed prices on the 2026 model year by up to $9,800 to compensate for the loss of the federal tax credit, which expired at the end of September. It’s now one of the few EVs with a starting price under $35,000.

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Hyundai-IONIQ-5-EV-lease-deal
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 (Source: Hyundai)

Although many were worried the savings would disappear, Hyundai is keeping the deals alive with discounts across its entire EV lineup this December.

Hyundai is extending the $189-per-month IONIQ 5 lease offer through January 2, 2026. The deal is for the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE Standard Range model with a driving range of 245 miles.

Hyundai-IONIQ-5-interior
Hyundai IONIQ 5 Limited interior (Source: Hyundai)

You can still upgrade to the long-range SE RWD trim, with up to 318 miles of driving range, for just $199 per month. Or, if you’re really looking to get crazy, the souped-up XRT model is on sale for only $289 per month.

Hyundai’s lease offer is for 36 months with $3,999 due at signing. If you’re looking to finance, Hyundai is offering 0% APR financing for up to 60 months on all 2025 IONIQ 5 trims.

Hyundai IONIQ 5 Trim Driving Range (miles) 2025 Starting Price 2026 Starting Price* Price Reduction
IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range 245 $42,600 $35,000 ($7,600)
IONIQ 5 SE RWD 318 $46,650 $37,500 ($9,150)
IONIQ 5 SEL RWD 318 $49,600 $39,800 ($9,800)
IONIQ 5 Limited RWD 318 $54,300 $45,075 ($9,225)
IONIQ 5 SE Dual Motor AWD 290 $50,150 $41,000 ($9,150)
IONIQ 5 SEL Dual Motor AWD 290 $53,100 $43,300 ($9,800)
IONIQ 5 XRT Dual Motor AWD 259 $55,500 $46,275 ($9,225)
IONIQ 5 Limited Dual Motor AWD 269 $58,200 $48,975 ($9,225)
2025 vs 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5 prices and range by trim

The 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5 is listed for lease starting at $289 a month, or $299 for the longer-ranger SE RWD model.

Looking for something a little bigger? The IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s three-row electric SUV, is available to lease from $419 per month. The offer is also a 36-month lease, but with $4,999 due at signing.

If you’re thinking about going electric, Hyundai’s EV lineup is a great place to start, offering 300+ miles of driving range, sharp designs, and plenty of new tech. Ready to test drive one for yourself? Use the links below to find IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and IONIQ 9 models near you.


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Jackery Black Friday Encore sale with up to 65% power station savings + four exclusive lows, Anker robot mowers, more

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2 hours ago

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December 3, 2025

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Jackery Black Friday Encore sale with up to 65% power station savings + four exclusive lows, Anker robot mowers, more


We’ve got more ongoing holiday savings in today’s Green Deals, headlined by Jackery’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Encore Sale with up to 65% discounts and bonus savings on power stations – all starting from $79. And for folks looking to score the brand’s Explorer 1000 v2, 2000 v2, 3000 v2, or 5000 Plus – you can find new low and exclusive prices on those standalone units starting from $327. We also have Anker’s eufy E15 and E18 Robot Lawn Mowers retaining their lowest prices starting from $1,300, as well as other deals from Birdfy, Ninja, Camplux, and more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals from the holiday event and this week that are collected together in our Black Friday/Cyber Monday Green Deals hub, which we will continue to update through the rest of the week, like yesterday’s EcoFlow Cyber Week Sale event, the exclusive $1,620 savings to a new low on the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra power station, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Jackery’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Encore sale continues up to 65% power station discounts + bonus savings from $79

Following the recent holiday shopping rush, Jackery is giving folks more time to save up to 65% on its power stations with its Black Friday/Cyber Monday Encore Sale, complete with 5% (on orders over $1,500) and 7% (on orders over $2,500) extra savings. One notable deal amongst the bunch is the latest HomePower 3600 Plus Portable Power Station bundled with two 200W solar panels for $1,794.55 shipped, after using the code OFFER5 at checkout for an additional 5% off, beating out Amazon’s pricing by $200. This package would run you $3,699 without any discounts, which we first saw drop to this rate (with the extra savings) during the early and full Black Friday sale events, and otherwise kept above $1,994 the rest of the time since its release in September. You’re getting a combined $1,904 savings back to the best price we have tracked. You’ll also find the standalone HomePower 3600 Plus down at its second-lowest $1,614 pricing with the extra savings code. Head below to get the full lineup of deals while they last through the week.

The Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus power station fits neatly in the gap between the HomePower 3000 station (which released shortly before it) and the most expansive Explorer 5000 Plus station. It boasts a capable starting 3,584Wh LiFePO4 capacity that can be bolstered to 21kWh for greater home backup support, with 10 output ports to deliver up to 3,600W of steady power, maxing out a 7,200W.

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Like its HomePower 3000 counterpart, the new HomePower 3600 Plus brings along an expanded list of recharging methods over older legacy models, starting with the standard AC charging that puts it back to full in 2.5 hours. From there, you have the options to use both AC and DC together, plug it up to a gas generator for bypass charging, charge on the go with a car port, or utilize up to its 1,000W maximum solar input.

***Note: None of the prices below have had the extra savings factored in, so be sure to use the code OFFER5 on orders of $1,500 to $2,499 for an additional 5% savings, while orders over $2,500 can use the code OFFER7 to score 7% extra savings.

Jackery’s HomePower 3600 Plus deals:

Jackery’s Black Friday Encore outdoor adventure deals:

Jackery’s Black Friday Encore appliance backup deals:

Jackery’s Black Friday Encore critical load deals:

Jackery solar panel/expansion battery deals:

Jackery’s transfer switch and other deals:

As I pointed out amongst the bracket, folks looking to score Jackery’s Explorer 1000 v2, 2000 v2, HomePower 3000, or Explorer 5000 Plus power stations on their own can do so at the lowest tracked prices with our exclusive deals here – all starting from $327 for an unknown amount of time longer.

Anker eufy E15 robot lawn mower detecting child and dog

Anker’s RTK eufy E15 & E18 robot lawn mowers with pure vision FSD cameras retain holiday lows starting from $1,300

Over at Amazon, Anker’s official eufy storefront is offering continued Black Friday/Cyber Monday savings on its E15 Robot Lawn Mower at $1,299.99 shipped (beating its direct pricing by $500) and its E18 Robot Lawn Mower at $1,499.99 shipped, which matches its direct pricing. These two advanced robots go for $1,800 and $2,000 directly from the brand, but can more often be found at Amazon down around $1,400 on average (for the E15) and between $1,700 and $1,600 (for the E18). These deals are retaining their recent holiday savings, giving you $100 and $200 markdowns from the going rates ($500 off both MSRPs) for the best continuing prices we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about these two robots, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.

Birdfy smart wooden bird house with camera

Enjoy nesting feathered friends with Birdfy’s camera & iron guard-equipped smart wooden bird house at new $100 low

Through its official Amazon storefront, Birdfy is offering its Wooden Smart Bird House with iron guard and inside camera at $99.99 shipped, after clipping the on-page $50 off coupon, which beats out the brand’s direct pricing by $30. Fetching $150 at full price, this model has seen much fewer discounts than other models we’ve featured at 9to5Toys, with discounts having gone as low as $120 before today. Now, you can pick one up for your yard or as a gift for the birder in your life with $50 savings to a new all-time low price.

If you want to learn more about this smart bird house, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

Ninja FrostVault cooler with food in lower drawer
two men and woman camping with Camplux portable water heater and shower
Four Jackery power stations side by side

Best Fall EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

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. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.


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