Review: Cyrusher Ripple electric snowboard actually works! (mostly)
Crusher, a Chinese company known for its burly electric bikes, surprised many in the snowboarding community when it announced its electric snowboard in December. Part snowboard and part snowmobile/e-skateboard/scooter, the Cyrusher Ripple mounts a jagged 3kW hub motor-wheel in a rear hole on a snowboard and puts the battery in a backpack that the rider must wear. Cyrusher states that the Ripple can go 30+ miles at speeds up to 30 miles per hour.
To our surprise, they actually had some review models and sent us one that we took up to Vermont to put through the paces. Would it actually work, and more importantly, would it be a fun form of transportation?
Cyrusher Ripple Setup
The Ripple came in a few boxes and is…heavy. The 156cm snowboard without the 11lb battery is a whopping 33lbs or 15kg, and all that weight is in the rear. The rear weight is jarring for someone used to carrying around a sub-10lb snowboard. This thing weighs as much as a mountain bike and is best carried with the rear wheel rolling on the ground.
It came without bindings, so I put on some old, traditional bindings I had on a snowboard I used about five years ago. I’ve ridden with Burton Step ons for almost five years, and if I had an extra set of those bindings, they would have been a much better experience. I’m also used to a longer 160cm snowboard, but 156 isn’t freakishly small for my 6′ 220lb frame.
The 635Wh battery is a big rectangular item about the size of a lunch box and must be placed in a backpack. The backpack battery situation isn’t any more awkward than putting on a backpack full of books, but you are already on a 33-pound snowboard. There’s a big wire with a spring that connects the battery and the Ripple, and that’s about all the assembly required. The battery came about half charged and, thankfully, uses a common e-bike 48V barrel battery charger.
There’s also a USB-A port that can be used to charge the controller simultaneously (my controller charger cable was missing). To turn on the system, you need to hit three buttons in order: First, the battery inside the backpack needs to be turned on, then the button on the snowboard, and then the handheld controller.
The controller is pretty interesting here and is in a gun-like shape that looks similar to some of the electric skateboard controllers I’ve used. It actually has a color display, speedometer, and battery indicator but in a font size that might not be legible through ski goggles, at speed, and in bright sunlight. It worked well for me in my limited testing while still, and frankly, I didn’t look down at it much while riding. Perhaps most interesting is that it not only accelerated the Ripple but it could also brake it too – which is helpful when a carving brake it way harder to do with the added rear weight.
Riding the Cyrusher Ripple
Cyrusher Ripple isn’t like a regular snowboard for obvious and non-obvious reasons. The use case is mostly cross-country riding or even some slight uphills. The huge extra weight in the back of that 3kW motor and controller actually keeps the wheel in the snow but also makes it really hard to carve, especially on the limited types of snow that the Ripple is made for. Cyrusher passed this cheat sheet on compatible snow and it is basically packed powder that it works best on. Wet snow is too sticky for the wheel to offset the static weight of the Rider/Ripple. Powder snow doesn’t provide enough traction for the wheel. You need the kind of groomed stuff you often find on Vermont mountains – but on flat land.
As I said before braking isn’t done by carving but by hitting the brakes on the wheel. Carving is limited to steering and it isn’t at all like a regular snowboard. One analog I can give is like riding a trike vs. a regular 2-wheeled bike.
As you can see in the video, my 100kg frame didn’t have luck on anything that wasn’t plowed already. My under 100lb son, however, was able to use it on a variety of surfaces and actually had a great experience on it. He’s also a competitive snowboarder and was able to turn and carve the thing, which in total was half his weight.
For him, this is a really fun toy, and he’s been showing it off to some of his snowboard buddies.
Cyrusher says you can climb 20% grade hills, and I think that’s probably the most optimistic of snow/rider combos. My son was able to climb slight gradients, but anything more than a few degrees would have the wheel spinning. For me, I was happy to get moving on flat land.
Electrek’s take:
I’ve often wondered what a powered snowboard would look like. I’ve even drawn up some ideas similar to this one, except the wheel is in between the feet like a One-wheel. Another idea is to make the integrated battery/motor removable and have paddles off the sides like a paddle boat. Or maybe just a jet fan to blow you across the snow like a paramotor?
But these are just pie-in-the-sky dreams, and Cyrusher actually made a powered snowboard happen! And the thing actually works!
That said, the limited types of snow and rider profiles where Ripple works as intended make it a lot less of an exciting reality. It is heavy, unwieldy, and, with the extra weight, harder to steer.
I think the appeal of this is for the tinkerer/hobbyist or that person who is addicted to snowboarding but lives in Kansas, where there are no hills. You might be able to use it as a personal snowmobile type of use case as well. Some folks will love this thing but I think it is a niche product.
But all great ideas had to start somewhere. And I do think this has “legs”. If Cyrusher, who are the leaders I the field since they are the only ones in the field, can cut about half the weight they will have a much better product. And, if it can, at the same time, make it better at grabbing more types of snow, I think you’d have a mass-market type of product here. Then make the motor sense if it is grabbing snow and slow down if it isn’t. Then maybe make the whole thing removable so you can take it off and go downhill when you want?
Then we’re getting somewhere.
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BMW Motorrad’s futuristic electric scooter just got its first real refresh since beginning production in 2021. The BMW CE 04, already one of the most capable and stylish electric maxi-scooters on the market, now gets a set of upgraded trim options, new aesthetic touches, and a more robust list of features that aim to make this urban commuter even more appealing to riders looking for serious electric performance on two wheels.
The BMW CE 04 has always stood out for its sci-fi styling and high-performance drivetrain. It’s built on a mid-mounted liquid-cooled motor that puts out 31 kW (42 hp) and 62 Nm of torque. That’s enough to rocket the scooter from 0 to 50 km/h (31 mph) in just 2.6 seconds – quite fast for anything with a step-through frame.
The top speed is electronically limited to 120 km/h (75 mph), making it perfectly capable for city riding and fast enough to hold its own on highway stretches. Range is rated at 130 km (81 miles) on the WMTC cycle, thanks to the 8.9 kWh battery pack tucked low in the frame.
But while the core performance hasn’t changed, BMW’s 2025 update focuses on refining the package and giving riders more options to tailor the scooter to their taste. The new CE 04 is available in three trims: Basic, Avantgarde, and Exclusive.
The Basic trim keeps things clean and classic with a Lightwhite paint scheme and a clear windshield. It’s subtle, sleek, and very much in line with the CE 04’s clean-lined aesthetic. The Avantgarde model adds a splash of color with a Gravity Blue main body and bright São Paulo Yellow accents, along with a dark windshield and a laser-engraved rim. The top-shelf Exclusive trim is where things get fancy, with a premium Spacesilver metallic paint job, upgraded wind protection, heated grips, a luxury embroidered seat, and its own unique engraved rim treatment.
There are also a few new tech upgrades baked into the options list. Riders can now spec a 6.9 kW quick charger that reduces the 0–80% charge time to just 45 minutes (down from nearly 4 hours with the standard 2.3 kW onboard charger). Tire pressure monitoring, a center stand, and BMW’s “Headlight Pro” adaptive lighting system are also available as add-ons, along with an emergency eCall system and Dynamic Traction Control.
BMW has kept the core riding components in place: a steel-tube chassis, 15-inch wheels, Bosch ABS (with optional ABS Pro), and the impressive 10.25” TFT display with integrated navigation and smartphone connectivity. The under-seat storage still swallows a full-face helmet, and the long, low frame design means the scooter looks like something out of Blade Runner but rides like a luxury commuter.
With these updates, BMW seems to be further cementing the CE 04’s role at the high end of the electric scooter market. It’s not cheap, starting around €12,000 in Europe and around US $12,500 in the US, with prices going up from there depending on configuration. However, the maxi-scooter delivers real motorcycle-grade performance in a package that’s easier to live with for daily riders.
Electrek’s Take
I believe that the CE 04’s biggest strength has always been that it’s not trying to be a toy or a gimmick. It’s a real vehicle. Sure, it’s futuristic and funky looking, but it delivers on its promises. And in a market that’s still surprisingly sparse when it comes to premium electric scooters, BMW has had the lane mostly to itself. That may not last forever, though. LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s electric spin-off brand, has teased plans for a maxi-scooter-style urban electric vehicle in the coming years, but as of now, it remains something of an undefined future plan.
Meanwhile, BMW is delivering not just a concept bike but a mature, well-equipped, and ready-to-ride electric scooter that keeps improving. For riders who want something faster and more capable than a Class 3 e-bike but aren’t ready to jump to a full-size electric motorcycle, the CE 04 hits a sweet spot. It delivers the performance and capability of a commuter e-motorcycle, yet with the approachability of a scooter. And with these new trims and upgrades, it’s doing it with even more style.
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If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine a fruit cart, a cargo bike, and a Piaggio Ape all in one vehicle, now you’ve got your answer. I submit, for your approval, this week’s feature for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column – and it’s a beautiful doozie.
Feast your eyes on this salad slinging, coleslaw cruising, tuber taxiing produce chariot!
I think this electric vegetable trike might finally scratch the itch long felt by many of my readers. It seems every time I cover an electric trike, even the really cool ones, I always get commenters poo-poo-ing it for having two wheels in the rear instead of two wheels in the front. Well, here you go, folks!
Designed with two front wheels for maximum stability, this trike keeps your cucumbers in check through every corner. Because trust me, you don’t want to hit a pothole and suddenly be juggling peaches like you’re in Cirque du Soleil: Farmers Market Edition.
To avoid the extra cost of designing a linked steering system for a pair of front wheels, the engineers who brought this salad shuttle to life simply side-stepped that complexity altogether by steering the entire fixed front end. I’ve got articulating electric tractors that steer like this, and so if it works for a several-ton work machine, it should work for a couple hundred pounds of cargo bike.
Featuring a giant cargo bed up front with four cascading fruit baskets set up for roadside sales, this cargo bike is something of a blank slate. Sure, you could monetize grandma’s vegetable garden, or you could fill it with your own ideas and concoctions. Our exceedingly talented graphics wizard sees it as the perfect coffee and pastry e-bike for my new startup, The Handlebarista, and I’m not one to argue. Basically, the sky is the limit with a blank slate bike like this!
Sure, the quality doesn’t quite match something like a fancy Tern cargo bike. The rim brakes aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there are three of them. And if they should all give out, or just not quite slow you down enough to avoid that quickly approaching brick wall, then at least you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes as a tasty crumple zone.
The electrical system does seem a bit underpowered. With a 36V battery and a 250W motor, I don’t know if one-third of a horsepower is enough to haul a full load to the local farmer’s market. But I guess if the weight is a bit much for the little motor, you could always do some snacking along the way. On the other hand, all the pictures seem to show a non-electric version. So if this cart is presumably mobile on pedal power alone, then that extra motor assist, however small, is going to feel like a very welcome guest.
The $950 price is presumably for the electric version, since that’s what’s in the title of the listing, though I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. I’ve bought a LOT of stuff on Alibaba, including many electric vehicles, and the too-good-to-be-true price is always exactly that. In my experience, you can multiply the Alibaba price by 3-4x to get the actual landed price for things like these. Even so, $3,000-$4,000 wouldn’t be a terrible price, considering a lot of electric trikes stateside already cost that much and don’t even come with a quad-set of vegetable baskets on board!
I should also put my normal caveat in here about not actually buying one of these. Please, please don’t try to buy one of these awesome cargo e-trikes. This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek weekend column where I scour the ever-entertaining underbelly of China’s massive e-commerce site Alibaba in search of fun, quirky, and just plain awesomely weird electric vehicles. While I’ve successfully bought several fun things on the platform, I’ve also gotten scammed more than once, so this is not for the timid or the tight-budgeted among us.
That isn’t to say that some of my more stubborn readers haven’t followed in my footsteps before, ignoring my advice and setting out on their own wild journey. But please don’t be the one who risks it all and gets nothing in return. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is the warning.
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