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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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the new Tesla Cybertruck RWD, more tariff mayhem, Lucid buying Nikola, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):
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It’s that time of year again, time for events across the country to show off electric vehicles at Drive Electric Earth Month.
Drive Electric Earth Month is an offshoot of Drive Electric Week, a long-running annual tradition hosting meetups mostly in the US, but also occasionally in other countries. It started as Drive Electric Earth Day, but since not every event can happen on the same day, they went ahead and extended it to encompass “Earth Month” events that happen across the month of April. It’s all organized by Plug In America, the Sierra Club, the Electric Vehicle Association, EV Hybrid Noire, and Drive Electric USA.
Events consist of general Earth Day-style community celebrations, EV Ride & Drives where you can test drive several EVs in one place, and opportunities to talk to EV owners and ask them questions about what it’s like to live with an EV, away from the pressure of a dealership.
This month, there are currently 152 events registered across the US and 1 in Mexico (including one online webinar about things to consider when purchasing an EV).
Events have already started, with a smattering happening over the last week. One really neat one was the Asheville event, which showcased the resiliency of EVs in an area devastated by Hurricane Helene, which was made more severe by climate change. That event was attended by the Rivian R1T which famously got dragged 100 feet submerged in mud and came out running fine.
But the bulk of the events are coming up on the weekends of April 19-20th, and even moreso, the weekend of the 26-27th.
There are plenty of events in the big cities where you’d expect, but Plug In America wanted to highlight a few of the events in smaller places around the country. Here’s a sampling of upcoming events:
- Space Coast Drive Electric Earth Month Event at the American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, FL on April 19, 10am-2pm – EVs are the new muscle car of the 21st century, and this event has been one of the biggest ones nationally in previous years (with 47 vehicles registered already). The event is free, but the museum has a required donation for entry.
- EV Mississippi Spring Drive Electric Earth Day Event in Hattiesburg, MS on April 19, 10am-2pm – This one is happening at a PetSmart near a Tesla Supercharger, and is a combined EV/pet adoption event with food, pets, raffle prizes, test drives, and activities for all ages.
- Big Island EV – Cruise and Picnic in Waimea, HI on April 26, 10am-1pm – EV drivers will congregate in various places around the Big Island (Kona, Waimea, Waikoloa and Hilo), then drive up Saddle Road to the Gil Kahele Recreation Area on Mauna Kea for a potluck and a chance to talk about the experience of owning EVs on the Big Island.
- Santa Barbara Earth Day 2025 and Green Car Show in Santa Barbara, CA on April 26-27, 11am-8pm – This is part of Santa Barbara’s Earth Day celebration, which routinely attracts 30,000 participants and is one of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations on the planet. The Green Car Show includes ride & drives and an “Owners Corner” where owners can showcase their EVs and attendees can check them out and ask questions.
- Earth Day’25 – EV’s role in a sustainable future in Queretaro City, Mexico on April 26, 9am-4pm – The sole Mexican event, this is a combined in-person/online seminar at the Querétaro Institute of Technology.
- Norman Earth Day Festival in Norman, OK on April 27, 12-5pm – Another municipal Earth Day festival, with hands-on activities for kids to learn about the environment. A portion of the parking lot reserved for an EV car show for EV owners who pre-register to show off their vehicles.
- Oregon Electric Vehicle Association Test Drive & Information Expo in Portland, OR on April 27, 10am-4pm – This one is at Daimler Truck’s North American HQ, and will have several EVs for test drives, owner displays (including DIY gas-to-EV conversions), and keynote presentations by EV experts. They’ll even have a 1914 Detroit Electric EV available for test rides!
- And, we at Electrek want to give a shoutout to Rove’s EV Drive Days in Santa Ana 10am-3pm April 28 – ROVE is the company behind the “full-service” EV charging concept that we’ve talked about several times here on Electrek, and we like what they’re doing for EV charging. They’ve hosted a few community events, and this is their contribution to Earth Month.
Each event has a different assortment of activities (e.g. test drives won’t be available at every event, generally just the larger ones attended by local dealerships), so be sure to check the events page to see what the plan is for your local event.
These events have offered a great way to connect with owners and see the newest electric vehicle tech, and even get a chance to do test rides and drives in person. Attendees got to hear unfiltered information from actual owners about the benefits and trials of owning EVs, allowing for longer and more genuine (and often more knowledgeable) conversations than one might normally encounter at a dealership.
And if you’re an owner – you can show off your car and answer those questions for interested onlookers.
If you can’t make it to any of the physical events, there are also a few virtual events (go here and click “online events” at the top) including a webinar about programs to help you charge your EV at work, a virtual show and tell about EVs in middle America and an information session about potential career pathways related to e-mobility in Virginia.
To view all the events and see what’s happening in your area, you can check out the list of events or the events map. You can also sign up to volunteer at your local events, and if you plan to show off your electric car, you can RSVP on each event page and list the vehicle that you plan to show (or see what other vehicles have already registered).
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Tesla’s electric vehicle sales in the US are worse than what the media is reporting right now. That’s partly because Tesla is hiding its sales.
Here’s more accurate data.
Today, you might see many headlines about Tesla’s US sales based on Cox Automotive’s Q1 2025 US electric vehicle sales report.
The main problem with this report is that it is a complete estimate when it comes to Tesla, the biggest EV manufacturer in the US.
Of all the major automakers, Tesla is the only one that doesn’t break down sales by region or even model.
For comparison, here’s a Ford US sales report vs a Tesla global sales report (its only delivery report):
Because Tesla is so opaque with its sales, analysts often rely on reports like Cox’s, which are also estimates.
The Cox report cited in the media today claims that Tesla delivered 128,100 vehicles in the US in Q1 2025 – down 8.6% compared to Q1 2024.
That’s despite EV sales being up 10% overall in the first quarter.
Here’s the report:
| Brand | Q1 2025 Sales | Q1 2024 Sales | YOY % Change |
| Acura | 4,813 | ||
| Audi | 5,905 | 5,714 | 3.3% |
| BMW | 13,538 | 10,712 | 26.4% |
| Cadillac | 7,972 | 5,800 | 37.4% |
| Chevrolet | 19,186 | 8,957 | 114.2% |
| Dodge | 1,947 | ||
| Ford | 22,550 | 20,223 | 11.5% |
| Genesis | 1,496 | 992 | 50.8% |
| GMC | 4,728 | 1,668 | 183.5% |
| Honda | 9,561 | ||
| Hyundai | 12,843 | 12,218 | 5.1% |
| Jaguar | 381 | 256 | 48.8% |
| Jeep | 2,595 | ||
| Kia | 8,656 | 11,401 | -24.1% |
| Lexus | 1,453 | 1,603 | -9.4% |
| Mercedes | 3,472 | 8,336 | -58.3% |
| Mini | 696 | 824 | -15.5% |
| Nissan | 6,471 | 5,284 | 22.5% |
| Porsche | 4,358 | 1,247 | 249.5% |
| Rivian | 8,553 | 13,588 | -37.1% |
| Subaru | 1,154 | 1,147 | 0.6% |
| Tesla | 128,100 | 140,187 | -8.6% |
| Toyota | 5,610 | 1,897 | 195.7% |
| Volvo | 2,718 | 996 | 172.9% |
| VW | 9,564 | 6,167 | 55.1% |
| Additional EV Models | 5,930 | 6,764 | -12.3% |
| Total (Estimates) | 294,250 | 265,981 | 10.6% |
Cox’s estimate looks quite high. The best way to figure out Tesla deliveries in the US is to take deliveries based on registration data in all other markets where Tesla sells vehicles in the world, which are quite accurate, and subtract that number from Tesla’s reported global deliveries.
For the first quarter, Tesla reported 336,681 deliveries globally, and Tesla registrations in all markets except the US and Canada totaled 212,024 vehicles (via TroyTeslike).
This would mean Tesla delivered about 124,657 vehicles in the US and Canada in Q1 2025.
That’s already about 3,500 fewer deliveries than Cox’s estimate, but it includes Canadian deliveries, which are also hard to estimate in the first quarter. It’s safe to assume that they are at about 5,000 units.
This means that Tesla is down closer to 15% than 8% in the US in Q1 2025.
Electrek’s Take
Yes, the Model Y changeover certainly affected Tesla’s performance in the US, but it’s clearly not the only factor at play.
Tesla ended the quarter with record inventory not seen in years. The automaker has no backlog of orders for the new Model Y. You can get one today in many regions of the US.
I think there are good reasons to worry about Tesla’s demand in the US. The main reason is the brand damage caused by Elon Musk, which mostly occurred in the second half of the first quarter.
The lack of backlogs for new Model Y orders is concerning.
I believe deliveries will be up from Q1 this quarter, but they will be down from Q2 2024, and it is more likely that Tesla’s deliveries will be down for the full year 2025 despite most analysts still believing Tesla will still grow this year.
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