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The Cybertruck wasn’t the only Tesla electric vehicle unveiled late last week. Although overshadowed by its oversized brother, the Cybertruck for Kids is a real, small-sized EV that can have your kids showing off their forward-thinking philosophy or urban excess (depending on your desired camp) right in your own front yard.

It’s not the first time Tesla has released a cyber-themed ride-on for kids. The Cyberquad for Kids, produced through a partnership with Radio Flyer, followed the same strategy and put Tesla fans’ kids on their own shiny silver-colored EVs.

And just like how the Cybertruck can arguably do less in many scenarios for more money, the Cybertruck for kids is also similarly expensive compared to the current competition. Its specs don’t put it very far from the various ride-on electric toys you can buy on Amazon. For under $300, you can get a 4WD electric Chevy Silverado truck. Meanwhile, the Cybertruck for Kids will run you $1,500.

Keeping with the same theme, while other electric trucks (and kids’ versions) are currently available, good luck getting a Cybertruck for Kids. While it is technically available for purchase, it nearly immediately went out of stock after likely selling out in just hours.

That’s exactly what happened with the Cyberquad for Kids, which Tesla released on its online shop and sold out almost immediately, with each follow-on restocking having the same effect.

In all fairness, the Cybertruck for Kids does seem to have slightly nicer specs than many other ride-ons. Its battery is a 22V lithium-ion unit offering 12 miles (20 km) of range, and the truck features electric brakes through the 500W motor powering the rear wheels. It’s likely not regenerative braking, but rather just shorts the motor to make it harder to spin, resulting in deceleration.

A high/low speed switch lets aspiring little Elons choose between a modest 5 mph (8 km/h) cruise or a Ludicrous Mode 10 mph (16 km/h).

The 66″ (168 cm) long ride-on weighs 158 lbs (72 kg), making it a tad bit lighter than the real truck. The good news is that with a lower hood height, it’s less likely to maim and kill as many pedestrians as the real Cybertruck, either.

The seat is also adjustable, which is a nice feature since the 150 lb (68 kg) weight limit means that plenty of adults will probably ignore the recommended age range of 6-12 and give it a spin themselves. That’s exactly what I did on my nephew’s Cyberquad for kids, and the thing actually handled quite well with an adult on it.

I’m going to see if I can get my hands on one of these for a review as well so we can see how it stacks up against the Cyberquad for Kids. Considering I added a tow hitch to the Cyberquad for Kids and it currently pulls a fertilizer spreader on my parent’s ranch, I’ve got high hopes for the truck version.

In the meantime, you can check out my review of the quad below.

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NIU’s stock nearly doubles in 2025 amid soarding electric moped sales

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NIU's stock nearly doubles in 2025 amid soarding electric moped sales

Chinese electric scooter manufacturer NIU Technologies (NASDAQ: NIU) is experiencing a remarkable surge in 2025, with its stock price nearly doubling year-to-date. This impressive performance is fueled by a significant increase in electric moped sales, particularly within its domestic market, despite facing challenges such as international tariffs and rising freight costs.

Domestic market is driving growth

In the first quarter of 2025, NIU reported a 57.4% year-over-year increase in e-scooter sales, totaling 203,313 units. Notably, 183,065 of these units were sold in China, marking a 66.2% increase compared to the same period last year.

This domestic growth was boosted by China’s consumer trade-in program, which incentivizes the replacement of older scooters with newer, more efficient models.

The company’s revenue for Q1 2025 reached RMB 682.0 million (approximately US $94 million), a 35.1% increase from the previous year. However, the average revenue per e-scooter decreased by 14.2% to RMB 3,354, indicating a shift towards more affordable models.

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NIU CEO Yan Li explained: “In China, we are advancing our intelligent product development strategy by integrating automotive-grade technologies such as millimeter-wave radar, dual-channel ABS, and AI Smart Ecosystem to enhance the user experience. Our retail network has continued to expand in-line with our expectations, with new stores opening during the quarter. This synergistic combination of product innovation and omni-channel growth is driving measurable increases in domestic sales and market penetration.”

International challenges remain

While domestic sales certainly provided strong tailwinds for NIU, international markets still present challenges for the company. Sales outside China grew by a modest 6.4%, totaling 20,248 units. Factors such as US tariffs and increased freight costs were noted in NIU’s Q1 2025 earnings report as impacting international margins. Despite these hurdles, international sales contributed RMB 60 million (approximately US $8 million) to the quarterly revenue, a 22.4% increase year-over-year.

NIU’s gross margin declined to 17.3% from 18.9% in the same quarter last year, reflecting the pressure from international trade policies and logistics costs. Nevertheless, the company’s net loss narrowed to RMB 38.8 million, down from RMB 54.8 million in Q1 2024, indicating improved operational efficiency. While still operating at a net loss of around US 5.4 million, these numbers indicate a strong turnaround for the company – reflected by the nearly doubling of NIU’s stock price so far in 2025.

Looking ahead, NIU is anticipating continued growth and projecting Q2 2025 revenue to increase by 40% to 50% year-over-year. The company says it is also exploring strategies to mitigate international challenges, such as diversifying its production and focusing on markets less affected by tariffs.

As Li continued, “Globally, the market is undergoing structural shifts, with US trade policies experiencing increased volatility. However, we are leveraging innovation and agile infrastructure to mitigate geopolitical challenges, enabling sustainable global growth through proactive production adjustments.”

NIU’s XQi3 electric dirt bike (street legal in Europe) is one of its most ambitious international projects yet

Electrek’s Take

If you’re a NIU fan like I am, this is great news that helps claw back some of the losses seen in the last couple of years. The entire micromobility sector has navigated choppy waters after the pandemic bubble burst, and NIU was certainly not immune to the drop in sales. But these numbers paint a promising return that industry analysts and scooter riders who depend on the company alike have been hoping for.

I visited NIU’s factory a few months ago and saw firsthand how much care and precision goes into building its millions of electric two-wheelers. That kind of in-depth look is rare in this industry, and it gave me keen insight into what separates NIU’s high-tech and high-design models from much of the industry.

Now it seems that sales are starting to catch back up to where such innovative pieces of tech deserve to be. Here’s to hoping for another good quarter to follow.

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State of the solar industry as GOP eliminates homeowner’s tax credits

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State of the solar industry as GOP eliminates homeowner's tax credits

On today’s sunny side up episode of Quick Charge, we take a look at the latest from the world of solar power, and discuss Congressional Republicans’ plans to limit your energy independence by eliminating a critical tax credit for homeowners nearly ten years early. (!)

We’ve also got a quick review of a massive solar farm powering 200,000 homes in Indiana and the biggest solar project East of the Mississippi – both part of a record 98% of all new power generation and grid capacity introduced in 2025 coming from wind and solar. Those are jobs, those are lower utility rates, those are energy independence … so why are Congressional Republicans working to make that more expensive?

If you want to read that EnergySage report on the state of the home solar industry, including news about battery energy storage system and V2H/V2G prices and financing trends, you can check it out for yourself, below, then let us know what you think in the comments.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. 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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Alphabet’s Waymo wins approval to expand driverless ride-hailing service to San Jose

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Alphabet's Waymo wins approval to expand driverless ride-hailing service to San Jose

A Waymo autonomous vehicle drives along Masonic Avenue on April 11, 2022 in San Francisco, California. 

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Alphabet’s Waymo unit has received approval to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service to more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose.

In March, the company submitted a request to the California Public Utilities Commission to gain approval for its latest passenger safety plan, a key step in gaining permission to operate driverless vehicles across a broader area. On Monday, the proposed expansion was approved, allowing for Waymo’s driverless coverage to extend from San Francisco down through the Peninsula.

“We’re very excited to share that the CPUC has approved our application to operate our fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the South Bay and nearly all of San Jose!” the company wrote in a post on X on Monday. “While this won’t change our operations in the near-term, we’re looking forward to bringing the benefits of Waymo One to more of the Bay Area in the future.”

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