Revamped and recharged: Is the new Juiced Scorpion X2 e-bike a game changer?
I’ve spent the better part of the last month with the Juiced Scorpion X2 and 2 years with its predecessor the Scorpion X. Juiced has changed a few things with the X2 but what hasn’t changed is that this descendant of one of the first “moped e-bikes” and our once vehicle of the year is still a great ride. But is the X2 really an improvement over the X1?
One major improvement was the packing. While not eco-focussed like some of the other e-bikes we’ve seen recently, Juiced enclosed the whole bike in a black foam that kept the bike parts secured and in place. The damage from carriers from mishandling is minimized and the assembly is simplified. The downside is there is a lot of extra waste foam. This packaging wasn’t used on the original Scorpion X but was introduced midway through the bike’s run. Have a look:
Putting the Scorpion X2 together was straightforward and took my son and me about 15 minutes which is mostly unwrapping zip ties and attaching the handlebars, front wheel, pedals, and checking that bolts were all tightened. Juiced, having been in the ebike game since 2008, has refined this process pretty well.
The bike itself is a great looker, especially in the new dark orange “Lava” color. There have been a ton of 20-inch fat tire moto-looking e-bikes but I think the Scorpion is still the best. Also, as we’ve said before, the seat is both comfortable and makes pedaling as easy as possible. However, if you have even mildly long legs, you’ll want to get the 3″ seat-raiser option if you plan on peddling (I’m 6′ and it is a huge improvement). Most people don’t pedal much and can just move back in the seat to extend their legs.
The cabling is similar to before and overall very well done for the casual observer. I do wish there was a cap to protect and hide the hidden bottom of the bike cabling.
I could imagine after years of riding, enough rocks get kicked up to cause some problems, though I’ve never encountered any in my 5 years of Juiced bike riding.
The big difference-maker in Juiced bikes is the controller, which is housed under the seat. “Hyper” versions of the bikes have a 35A controller and can pretty reliably hit 30mph. This bike and most other Juiced bikes have a smaller, 25A controller which will push the bike to the mid-20mph range on “Speed mode” while pedaling and will hang just over 20mph with throttle only.
I can’t adequately explain how much more I like the faster bikes. They are a lot more fun.
In the previous Scorpion X there was also a key that would lock the controller, under the seat. Healthy thieves could pedal it away or lift it into a truck but at least they wouldn’t be able to get help from the motor.
In the X2, the only key is for the battery which you can turn off so it allows you to essentially lock the bike. However, it is a lot more effort to partially remove the battery and less hidden but probably the better overall solution. Certainly from a cost perspective. In any case, I almost never lock my e-bikes and when I do I use a big chain.
Scorpion X2 battery
Juiced upgraded the G2 52V battery mid-cycle through the X term, and while the capacity remained at 15.6kWh, it gained the all-important SGS Certified to UL 2271 which means less likely to catch fire and legal to sell in places like New York City. It also comes with an Apple Airtag holder and IP65 waterproofing.
One thing I like is that Juiced Bikes batteries, even the older ones, are all compatible with all of their bikes.
The charger that comes with the bike is rated at 2 amps, meaning that it is going to take at least 7 hours to go from empty to full on the 15.6Ah battery. There are optional 4 and 8 amp chargers that will cut the charge time in half and quarter respectively.
Scorpion X2 range
Juiced includes probably the most comprehensive range chart I’ve seen and it is mostly accurate if not slightly optimistic for its assumption of perfect conditions. The bottom line is that since this bike stays comfortably under 23mph, you will pretty reliably see 35 miles of range or likely more as long as your tires are sufficiently pumped up, it is at least warm outside, and there isn’t too much elevation gain.
While X2 and X1 get the same range on paper, those knobby tires are certainly not going to help when compared to the older low-resistance street tires. They do give it a more rugged look however and Juiced says they were more often requested. All things being equal, I’d take the road tires on mag wheels over these knobbies on spokes.
Changes from X to X2 – good or bad?
So I go over the changes in the video above but it has to be said that there aren’t any big upgrades here that Juiced can hang their hat on. Sure the Lava color is dope. I appreciate the Tectro hydraulic brakes (though the spec sheet still lists the HD-E500 Logan’s that were on the X1 so it might have been a component shortage swap). But Bafang’s value brand Sutto motor and the slightly slower experience are really hard for me to let go of.
Juiced also got rid of the horn and made the lights harder to access.
Electrek’s take
OK, this is going to be weird and uncomfortable, but I don’t think the X2 is better than the X1.
There are some components (brakes, colorway, battery packaging, etc) that are better but overall, I think I’d prefer the X1. While the speed is a big deal and we are talking about a few miles per hour drop, I also preferred the mag wheels with street tires to the spokes and knobbies.
It is kind of a moot point right now because there aren’t any Scorpions in stock. But Juiced also recently updated the similar Scrambler line with an X2 but I imagine the same decisions were made on wheels and motor.
My recommendation is to take a pass on the 25A controller and go to the 35A models, which right now only include the Juiced HyperScrambler at $2500. The best deal on Juiced’s site right now is the $999 Rip Racer which has the same drivetrain as the X2 in a BMX form factor.
That’s not to say that Scorpion X2 isn’t still great compared to the wider field of moped-y e-bikes. The X2 checks so many boxes and the new Lava color is probably my favorite Juiced color to date.
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With the winter in full swing, it’s easy to spend most of the time indoors, but if you’re still looking to scratch that itch to get out and spend more time outside exploring, the XQi3 by NIU is the perfect solution to explore both trails and urban spots. On top of NIU designing the XQi3 with some great handling for off-road riding, it’s also fully street-legal.
It’s always a blast to be out in the trails enjoying nature but for urban areas, there’s usually a lot to explore and luckily the XQi3 is able to be registered as a moped. NIU has an EKHO Dealer collab that enables NIU to sell licensed and registered vehicles to customers directly, making it easy to ride off with a fully compliant street-legal bike.
Before we get into how it handles off-road let’s go through some of the quick specs.
The XQi3 has a top speed of 45 km/h for street-legal use and up to 80 km/h for off-road. Powering the bike is a removable 72v 32ah LG lithium-ion battery, which gives you a max range of 90km on a single charge, of course, that will vary depending on if you are in eco or sports mode, but it’s certainly plenty of range to explore new trails or new sites without having range anxiety, and since it is removable, you’ll be able to charge it anywhere, anytime.
Okay, now that we got some of those specs out of the way, it’s time to dive into one of the most exciting aspects about this bike which is just how great the handling feels while riding off road. This probably won’t be listed on a spec sheet but the wide grippy seat and overall design of this bike makes it very functional as an offroad bike.
NIU made this bike for riders to actually use offroad and one of the obvious signs of that is the stock skidplate that they added for more protection.
While the lightweight feel and torquey motor give a ton of confidence while riding, knowing that the bike is robust enough for this kind of riding is encouraging for trying out new sections that would normally feel intimidating.
And with that extra level of protection dropping the bike is not as worrying as you might think making it easy to pick up the bike, and continue riding just as you would on any other powersports bike.
As for the suspension the XQi3 uses adjustable front and rear KKE suspension that lets you fine-tune the compression, rebound, and preload depending on your size and what kind of riding you intend to do.
While riding through roots and loose dirt the 19-inch off-road tires hold up surprisingly well and with the tread patterns not being too aggressive it’s a great balance between traction and durability since very aggressive tread patterns typically wear out fairly quickly when using them on the tarmac.
And to brake the XQi3 features 203 mm rear disc brakes and 220 mm front disc brakes giving some great braking action for both on and off-road action.
NIU also added some great tech onto the XQi3 which includes seamless app connectivity via Bluetooth letting you unlock a world of features from monitoring your battery and vehicle status to tracking your route history.
In addition NIU is the only company in the category that has the ability to send out OTA updates.
For security the bike uses an NFC card to unlock but can also be unlocked via bluetooth.
And through your controls as well as the display you can navigate to eco or sport mode and you can also use the Ultraboost to get you up to 8000W up from the 3500W of rated power. Through the display you’ll also be able to check your battery level, speed, lap times and more.
For added safety, NIU included an emergency kill switch where if disconnected, the feature will automatically cut off power to the motor just in case of any emergency.
For those unfamiliar with NIU, the brand is now celebrating their 10 year anniversary and with that they’ve announced that the brand will be starting assembly in the US and is soon entering into the powersports segment .
Overall this is a great feeling offroad bike that is fully street-legal and comes with all the requirements to be fully compliant as a road-legal moped. I had a ton of fun exploring
With the XQi3, the premium build quality, long range, and flexibility make it a blast to go out even if it’s the middle of winter.
To check out NIU on socials you can find them @niumobility and for more of their lineup you can check out their website here.
NIU XQi3 gallery
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British telecom provider BT Group has committed to adding 3,500 new EVs to its commercial truck and van fleet over the next two years, bringing its total EV count to 8,000 units and giving it the largest electric vehicle fleet in the UK.
With more than 27,000 in its total fleet, BT Group is one of the largest operators of commercial vehicles of any kind – ICE or electric – in the UK. Now, the company says it has plans to become a fully net zero business by 2031, and looks to electrify all (or nearly all) of its vehicles over the next five years.
Company executives believe the addition of the new EVs (which will see a mix of vehicles deployed from Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Renault) will give it “the edge” as it aims to upgrade UK residents to full fiber internet.
“By integrating yet more electric vehicles into our operations, we are taking another significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the UK’s transition to a greener future,” said Simon Lowth, Chief Financial Officer, BT Group. “As we extend our full fiber build from 16 million homes and businesses today to 25 million by the end of 2026, having the most efficient, sustainable electric vehicles will give our engineers the edge as they connect customers at pace to our next generation networks.”
In addition to pushing for its own carbon neutrality, BT Group is fighting the good fight – and is among a small number of large fleet operators in the UK actively supporting the nation’s proposed 2030 ban on ICE vehicles.
As such, political supporters of the ban have been quick to sing BT Group’s praises. “We want to help more businesses decarbonize their operations,” explains Lilian Greenwood, Future of Roads Minister. “(We’ve) extended our plug-in van grant with £120m funding to help roll out more zero emission vans on our roads – part of our £2.3bn to support industry and consumers switch to EVs and make the transition a success.”
Electrek’s Take
Despite all the doom, gloom, and wishful thinking from the anti-EV crowd, the numbers paint a narrative of swift expansion in the commercial EV and ZEV (Zero-Emission Vehicle) markets driven by strong incentives, up-front cost parity with ICE, and proven reductions in vehicle downtime and maintenance costs.
Expect continued growth in the commercial EV space in the months and years ahead, with virtually no going back.
SOURCE | IMAGES: BT Group, via Electrive.
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In a move that’s expected to play a crucial role in supporting the transition to medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, $100 million of the Biden Administration’s last-minute $635M payout is headed to Illinois to help build out an electric truck charging corridor.
While Tesla failed to secure funding for its heavy-duty electric truck chargers at the Federal level, Tesla was one of four companies – the others being Prologis, Gage Zero, and Pilot Flying J – that will be splitting the $100 million awarded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s CFI program.
Tesla is understood to have requested fully 40% of the $100MM award, with Prologis requesting $60 million, Gage Zero requesting $16 million, and Pilot requesting $10 million.
The project will facilitate the construction of 345 electric truck charging ports and pull-through truck charging stalls across 14 sites throughout Illinois, with each of the awarded companies putting up some of its own money to support the infrastructure buildout as well. To that end, Prologis is expected to invest $18 million, Tesla $19 million, Gage Zero $4 million, and Pilot travel stations committing $2.5 million.
“Most of the development has happened on the coasts, and there’s nothing really happening in the Midwest, which is not great for long-haul trucking,” said Megha Lakhchaura, Illinois’ state EV officer. “We think that this hub could be of national importance.”
Lakhchaura isn’t wrong. More than 30,000 commercial trucks travel the state’s I-80 and I-90 corridor each day – and electrifying those trucks would make a huge impact in the public health and quality of life along the heavily populated roadways.
The Illinois EPA’s $100 million awards join Illinois utility ComEd’s $90 million push to build out a commercial EV charging infrastructure and encourage commercial EV adoption along the I-80/90 corridors, as well as the state’s own EV rebates for both private and company-owned battery electric vehicles.
SOURCES: TechCrunch, via Yahoo! Finance; MSN.
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