Varla Eagle One V2.0 electric scooter review: High-power full-suspension stand up ride!
The last time I was on a Varla electric scooter, it was a fun and recreational ride. Not a powerhouse, but an exhilarating ride, nonetheless. This time, they’ve stepped things up significantly with the new Varla Eagle One V2.0 electric scooter. With two powerful motors and dual suspension, this ride is seriously high-performance!
Varla Eagle One V2.0 video review
Varla Eagle One V2.0 tech specs
- Motors: Dual 1,000 W continuous motors (1,600W peak)
- Battery: 52V 20.8Ah (1,082 Wh)
- Top speed: 40 mph (64 km/h)
- Range: Claimed 42 miles (67 km) in lower power mode
- Weight: 82 lb (37 kg)
- Load capacity: 330 lb (150 kg)
- Brakes: Dual hydraulic disc brakes
- Tires: 10×3.5″ tubeless pneumatic tires
- Suspension: Front and rear swingarm suspension
- Charge time: 5-10 hours (Single vs dual chargers)
- Extras: Five electric gears/speeds, NFC card for starting, side kickstand, headlight, taillight, LED speedometer and battery meter, fenders, IP54 water-resistant rating, strong folding clamp and clasp
Fast and fun… and affordable!
At its MSRP of US $1,799 (and current sale price of $1,599), the Varla Eagle One V2.0 is of course much more expensive than your typical Amazon electric scooter. But then again, it offers much more performance while undercutting the price of some of the even fancier name-brand options from leading electric scooter companies like Apollo.
Varla’s scooters can’t hope to match the fancy features and impressive phone apps of leaders like those, but they’re getting surprisingly good for a fast and powerful mid-market electric scooter.
For example, they come with NFC cards now for extra security. A thief isn’t going to be able to steal and start your scooter without the NFC card you’ve got securely in your pocket. Just swipe that baby and you’re ready to rock and roll at up to 40 mph (64 km/h)!
Yes, that’s right. You read that correctly. Speeds of up to 40 mph are no joke on an electric scooter, and so I recommend suiting up properly with closed shoes or boots, a proper full-face helmet, crash jacket or other padded protective clothing, and just about anything else that you’d want between you and asphalt scraping along your body on 40 mph. As they say, “dress for the slide, not for the ride.”
As it stands, I don’t really ride the scooter that fast very often because it just isn’t that necessary for me. If you’ve got a long commute on the side of a 40 mph road, then this is a great feature to have. High-speed capability is nice. My parent’s minivan can theoretically do 100 mph. It’s never been necessary, but I guess it’s nice to know it can do it?
That’s sort of the philosophy I have with electric scooters. I don’t really push them into the 40’s that often. And frankly, 25-30 mph (40-48 km/h) is plenty for most urban applications. But if you ever need it, the speed is there waiting for you.
What’s more likely to benefit you on a daily basis is the power. With a pair of 1,000W motors that put out 1,600W of peak power, you’ve got 3.2 kW of power under the soles of your shoes. That requires some serious responsibility on the part of the rider since you can easily get yourself into sticky situations with that much power, but it’s super fun as long as you can trust yourself to go easy on loose and slippery surfaces.
The dual suspension design of the scooter means that you can take power off-road to get in some fun dirt and grass shenanigans.
Let’s get real though: very few people buy an electric scooter for purely off-road use. Most people who own off-road electric scooters still put a fairly high number of tarmac miles on them, too. So it’s great to see that the Varla Eagle One V2.0 works just as well in the bike lane as it does on the single track.
The suspension definitely adds some great cushioning off-road, but that same effect means you can hit potholes and curbs with much more confidence than you would on a cheaper, non-suspension scooter.
And when it comes time to stop, you’ve got those powerful hydraulic disc brakes bringing you back to zero quickly and surprisingly effortlessly.
The build quality is pretty good here too, though of course it’s not as slick as the more expensive name-brand companies. I definitely have to compliment the folding setup. It’s got a powerful clasp that works great to keep the scooter folded when you need to carry it (though it’s 82 lb and so you won’t want to carry it).
That clasp also doubles as a secure bag clip so you don’t have to dangerously hang your shopping bag off the handlebars or your elbow.
When it’s time to open the scooter back up from its folded position, you release the clasp, and then you tighten the stem clamp to hold the stem in its upright position. Then there’s a safety in the form of a steel pin that physically prevents the stem from folding, even if the clamp were to somehow vibrate completely loose.
And of course you’ve got that big 1,082 Wh battery beneath you to offer some seriously long-range riding. They claim over 42 miles (67 km), but don’t expect to get that much unless you ride slowly.
Even at faster speeds though, 25-30 miles is definitely achievable. And most people won’t be riding at top speed all the time, so you’re going to get some pretty darn good range from that big battery.
Sum it up for me
Here’s my takeaway message: This isn’t the most refined or attractive scooter, but it’s got good bang for your buck. It’s a fast and powerful solution with a big battery for long-range riding. The suspension feels good and the folding is actually well-designed.
At this price, I feel like you’re getting a great deal in terms of a highly capable electric scooter for both on-road and off-road riding. The performance is there, that’s for sure.
If you want fancier features like tracking, phone apps, custom displays, and more, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But if all you want is a fast, powerful, and comfortable electric scooter for higher-performance operation, you can’t really go wrong with the Varla Eagle One V2.0.
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Tesla (TSLA) has officially obtained a permit in California to operate an internal fleet for a ride-hailing service, but it’s not for robotaxi yet.
In fact, the automaker hasn’t even applied for an autonomous driving permit yet.
A few weeks ago, it was reported that Tesla had applied for a ride-hailing permit in California.
Even though many linked it to Tesla’s Robotaxi effort, it was specifically for the right to operate an internal fleet of vehicles with drivers to offer a ride-hailing service.
Tesla had already disclosed that it was offering such a service to its employees in the Bay Area.
Now, the CPUC has confirmed that it has approved Tesla’s application (via Reuters):
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said it approved Tesla’s application for a transportation charter-party carrier permit (TCP), a license typically associated with chauffeur-operated services, allowing the company to own and control a fleet of vehicles and transport employees on pre-arranged trips.
After Tesla’s stock crashed 5% today, the automaker’s stock went up 1.3% in aftermarket trading on the news.
The speculation is that this is in anticipation of Tesla launching its “robotaxi service”, but a CPUC spokesperson confirmed that the permit doesn’t allow Tesla to do that and that the automaker has yet to apply for a permit that would enable such a service.
Last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that Tesla would launch “unsupervised self-driving in Texas and California in Q2 2025.” That’s within the next 4 months.
However, we suspected that this would not be “unsupervised self-driving’ in customer vehicles like Tesla has been promising since 2016, but an internal fleet with teleoperation support in a geo-fenced area for ride-hailing services, much like Waymo has been doing for years.
Sure enough, Musk confirmed last month that this was the plan for Austin in June. We describe this as a “moving of the goal post” for Tesla.
With the focus on Austin in June, Tesla stopped talking about California, which was announced to happen at the same time as Texas last year.
Currently, the prediction market Polymarket puts the odds of Tesla launching robotaxis in California in 2025 at 29%:
Electrek’s Take
As I previously stated, I believe Tesla will use this permit to expand its existing ride-hailing test program in California to non-employees.
It will use that to iron out the ride-hailing system while it continues to work on its self-driving system, which is obviously the hard part to solve.
That said, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Tesla launched a “robotaxi” in California this year. It just won’t be what Tesla has been promising for years: customer vehicles built since 2016 would be capable of self-driving at a robotaxi-level (4-5 SAE levels).
Instead, it will be an internal fleet with teleoperation support in a geo-fenced area, much like Waymo has been offering in California, Arizona, and Texas for years.
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GE Vernova is going to supply more than 100 US-made wind turbines to renewables developer RWE for 308 megawatts (MW) of wind projects in west Texas.
RWE is repowering its 127 MW Forest Creek wind farm near Big Spring, Texas, and will kick off construction of the 181 MW Honey Mesquite project in fall 2025. These two projects will deliver 308 MW of clean energy with 109 of GE Vernova’s 2.82 MW wind turbines.
Construction is now officially underway at Forest Creek, bringing some big upgrades that’ll extend the wind farm’s life, which was commissioned in 2006, by another 30 years. The original wind towers, turbines, and other gear are all being decommissioned, and 45 new GE Vernova turbines are each getting fresh foundations. Forest Creek is set to be back online by the end of 2025. RWE is teaming up with Wanzek Construction (part of MasTec Renewables) to recycle or repurpose the old blades, rotors, and nacelles.
Repowering is becoming big business – GE Vernova’s onshore wind business announced in January that it received orders in 2024 to repower over 1 gigawatt (GW) of wind turbines in the US.
RWE’s new wind farm, Honey Mesquite, in Glasscock County will begin construction later this year and is expected to come online in late 2026.
Together, the two projects will create hundreds of construction jobs and bring in millions in new economic activity to the region. RWE, the US’s third-largest renewables company, says it’s invested $9 billion in Texas since 2007 when Forest Creek first began operations.
Scott Stalica, executive director of North American commercial operations at GE Vernova, said, “These projects are another example of how wind power can support the country’s growing energy needs while creating US jobs and bolstering energy security.”
Texas generates more wind power than any other US state. In 2023, Texas led the US in utility-scale wind-powered electricity generation, producing nearly three-tenths of the country’s total, according to the EIA.
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The world’s first electric muscle car, as Dodge calls it, is now arriving at dealerships in a new “Bludicrous” color. Dodge also launched a new virtual experience that lets you create the Charger you’ve been dreaming of right on your phone. To sweeten the deal, Dodge is offering hefty discounts of up to $12,500 on the new Charger Daytona EV.
Dodge launches Charger EV Virtual and big discounts
After the first electric Chargers began arriving at dealerships in January, Dodge introduced a fun, interactive new way for you to create a custom Charger from home.
Since the electric Charger is “loaded with new tech and performance features,” Dodge wants to give you the chance to experience it before you visit the dealership.
The new Dodge Charger Virtual Experience allows you to learn more about the electric muscle car’s performance, technology, design, and more. You can access it by scanning a QR code (shown below).
You can create your own Dodge Charger Daytona R/T or the 670 horsepower Scat Pack model, choosing from the different colors, interior themes, and package options available. The interactive experience even lets you open and close doors, fold the second-row seats, activate exterior and interior lights, and more.
The Dodge Charger EV has eight exterior color options, including the new “Bludicrous” blue, which costs an extra $795.
You can choose from After Dark, Destroyer Grey, Diamond Black, Peel Out, Redeye, Triple Nickel, and White Knuckle. Dodge said the new color will also be offered on the upcoming four-door Charger and gas-powered SIXPACK models later this year.
With up to 670 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque, the Scat Pack model has “SRT-like performance,” including a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.3 seconds. It starts at $73,190.
The Dodge Charger Daytona R/T starts at $59,995 with up to 496 horsepower. If you’re looking for a deal, Dodge launched a $7,500 National Consumer Cash rebate on all 2024 Charger Daytonas.
| Dodge Charger Daytona EV trim | Horsepower | 0 to 60 mph time | Starting price |
| Dodge Charger Daytona R/T | 496 hp | 4.7 seconds | $59,995 |
| Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack | 670 hp | 3.3 seconds | $73,190 |
Combined with a $3,000 National Dodge Performance Days Combo Bonus Cash and a $2,000 conquest cash offer, you can save up to $12,500. Other offers include 0% interest for 72 months and a $3,000 Bonus Cash Allowance or monthly leases as low as $519.
Ready to test out the electric muscle car in real life? We’re here to help you get started. You can use our link to find offers on 2024 and 2025 Dodge Charger EV models at a deal near you.
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