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Full-suspension and fat tires are basically the holy grail of comfort when it comes to e-bikes. They’re excessive in many situations, but that doesn’t stop a large swath of new e-bike shoppers looking for both. The only problem is they both tend to add to the cost of an e-bike, often pushing the number into the $2k range or higher. But what if you could get a full-suspension fat tire electric bike for under a thousand bucks? That’s what the Mukkpet Tank offers, and so I was excited to test it out and see how good it could be.

To be fair, the e-bike’s actual MSRP is $1,299, but the sale price of $999 seems to be pretty common so I’m comfortable calling it a sub-$1k bike, at least most of the time.

To see how the bike rides, watch my review video below. Or for the readers, keep on scrolling. Or check out both – you do you, my friend!

Mukkpet Tank E-bike Video Review

Mukkpet Tank Tech Specs

  • Motor: 750W rear-geared hub motor
  • Top speed: 25 mph (40 km/h)
  • Range: Claimed up to 50 miles (80 km)
  • Battery: 48V 15 (720 Wh)
  • Weight: 86 lb (39 kg)
  • Payload capacity: 400 lb (181 kg)
  • Tires: 26 x 4″
  • Brakes: Mechanical disc brakes
  • Extras: Full-suspension fork, color LCD display, LED headlight tail/brake light, Shimano 7-speed drivetrain, included fenders and rear rack platform, cast rims for spokeless design, kickstand

Good, not great

Let’s be real here. For under a thousand dollars, you can’t expect anything on a full-suspension e-bike to be top-notch quality. And nothing here is.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still decent for the price. I know that to get below the $1k figure, I’m going to see some sacrifices. So what I’m really looking for is how do those sacrifices affect the overall picture.

For example, the suspension simply can’t be amazing because good suspension is expensive. And it’s definitely not amazing, but that didn’t stop me from riding over terrain that would have sent me flying on a hard-tail bike. Some of the worst topographical surprises for commuter e-bike riders are those tree roots that pop out of sidewalks, lifting up blocks and creating the sensation of riding over a giant washboard that previously hosted a few battle tanks along the route.

That kind of terrain can rattle your bones, but the Mukkpet Tank actually made it rideable while keeping my butt in the saddle. That’s basically what it’s meant to do – not giving high-performance, sporty handling. But rather, soak up some big bumps and turn them into little bumps. For that, it seems to work just fine. Yes, it’s clicky and clacky, which is usually a sign of cheaper springs and stops. But it works, which is what cheap e-bike hunters are after.

Then there’s the performance. Hitting 25 mph (40 km/h) is fast enough for almost anyone, even if it doesn’t totally max out the 28 mph (45 km/h) limit of Class 3 e-bikes. The 48V 15Ah battery is even surprisingly large for this price. You won’t get the 50 miles (80 km) of range they claim, at least not without pedaling your heart out alongside the 750W motor, but half of that range is easily doable even on throttle.

And you’re not going to get nicer features like UL-certified batteries on a bike like this, which is part of the equation going in with such a low-cost bike, but that’s a decision everyone has to make for themselves. Do you want to pay a bit extra for that peace of mind, or do you want to save that cash?

And I’m not sure I’d trust the 400 lb (180 kg) max weight rating, especially since I’m not even at half of that figure, but neither are most riders – so I’m not sure it will be an issue.

The rest of the bike is a combination of good enough and surprisingly good. The 7-speed Shimano derailleur? Good enough for recreational riding. The chunky rear rack? Surprisingly good, plus has plenty of space to tie down cargo or lash on a basket.

The mechanical disc brakes? Good enough, though I know they’re going to require more frequent tuning. The color screen? Surprisingly good, and more than I expected on a bike like this. Same goes for the cast rims instead of wheel spokes, which not only looks great but also means you don’t have to worry about rusting or breaking spokes.

The one area that really killed my mood was the super long pedal lag, a telltale sign of a lower-cost cadence sensor to activate the pedal assist. It means that you’ve got to wait a second or two from when you start pedaling until when the motor kicks in. For folks who like to pedal, and especially those in hillier areas, that’s going to be more of a bummer. For folks that spend most of their time at constant speed on long sections without stops, or for those that just use the throttle, the cadence sensor won’t bother you.

Oh yea, and the other mood-killer is probably the weight. At 86 pounds, this is a hefty little runabout. But hey, you wanted full suspension, right?

mukkpet tank

What’s the verdict?

So let’s sum this up. The Mukkpet Tank is a strangely named full-suspension fat tire with some nice features. The suspension isn’t great, but it’s there and offers a full-suspension ride that hardtails can’t match. The speed and power are great, the range is pretty good, and the build quality is decent.

There’s nothing overly fancy, and there are some downsides like the mechanical disc brakes and the laggy pedal assist sensor.

But all told, the bike does a good job of fulfilling the role of a modest, folding fat tire e-bike. It’s comfortable and seems to work pretty well. It’s hard to gauge longevity, and I sure would have liked to see a UL label on here somewhere, but the bike still has some value to it.

I probably wouldn’t jump to call this my prime bike, but I’d happily have one for a friend to join me on rides – at least for a friend who says they need full suspension. For anyone else who can deal with a hard-tail e-bike, deals like the Lectric XP 3.0 seem to offer more value, at least in my opinion. But they don’t have that key feature of full suspension, which for whatever reason, some people seem to think they need. So if that’s you, then this bike would do it for you, and for a more than reasonable price.

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Elon can’t get it up (past 325 kW), BP can, and GM hopes to keep it up in 2025

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Elon can't get it up (past 325 kW), BP can, and GM hopes to keep it up in 2025

Despite mocking 350 kW as “a child’s toy” in 2016, the company is just rolling out 325 kW V4 chargers in 2025. Meanwhile companies like BP are celebrating 400 kW installations along major highways – and they’re making money doing it. All this and more on today’s thrilling January 47th episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got a blast from the past in the form of one of my first Electrek article from way back in 2022, GM’s performance making TSLA look like a meme stock, and a massive lithium project in the Heartland.

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.

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.

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After delays, the VW ID.7 now won’t be coming to the US at all

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After delays, the VW ID.7 now won't be coming to the US at all

Volkswagen has officially cancelled the long-delayed ID.7 electric sedan in America, instead focusing on selling it in Europe and China.

The ID.7 is VW’s electric mid-size sedan offering, currently available (and selling well) in Europe and also in China.

Previously the ID.7 had been intended to launch in 2024 in North America, after launching in Europe in 2023. But when launch time came close, VW delayed the North American debut of the model indefinitely last May.

As recently as October, VW America’s boss Pablo Di Si (who has since moved on) said that the ID.7 could still come in 2025.

But now we know that that indefinite delay is now fully definite: the model has been canceled in the US and Canada.

The news was broken yesterday by The Car Guide, speaking with a VW Canada representative. We’ve since reached out to VW, who confirmed the news to us.

Automotive News quoted a VW spokesperson saying the decision was made due to “the ongoing challenging EV climate.” Last year in North America, EV sales grew by 9%, faster than the overall auto market which grew at 2.5%, suggesting that the market is in fact more challenging for non-EVs than EVs at the moment. Further, gas car sales have been in long term decline since 2017, whereas EV sales have risen drastically in that time period.

That growth was achieved with very few available sedan models as well, with almost every EV available in America being an SUV-type. Adding additional model availability could open up the market to more buyers who want a right-sized vehicle instead of a land yacht.

But VW has been having a challenging time itself in the US. Until recently, it only offered a single SUV model, the ID.4, in the US. While the ID.4 has brought a lot of upgrades recently, it’s also one of the few vehicles whose sales were down in a growing market (which was true even before the stop sale which has now been lifted after fixing a door handle problem). Perhaps VW could have benefitted from offering a vehicle in a different format.

VW had previously blamed its delay of the ID.7 on “market conditions.” It didn’t specify which market conditions it was referring to, but we have some suspicions.

Manufacturers have a belief that Americans only want SUVs (or so they say – really, this is at least partially driven by emissions rules), and the ID.7 is not one. Although VW at one point did try to portray it as one – when we first saw the ID.7 it was in the guise of the “Space Vizzion” concept, and VW said it “combines the aerodynamic qualities of a Gran Turismo with the generous interior space of an SUV,” trying to leverage Americans’ supposed desire only for land yachts by portraying a somewhat more sensible wagon as something it’s not.

That said, the car likely would have been higher-priced than the ID.4, as it is in Europe. The best-selling electric sedan in the US is the Tesla Model 3, with few other options outside of the luxury market. The ID.7 could have offered an alternative for buyers who are looking for something that isn’t associated with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, but its likely high starting price might have limited that appeal.

But while this is a disappointment for those of us waiting for more right-sized electric vehicles, it doesn’t mean the end for new VW EVs in the US. Automotive News quoted a VW spokesman as saying that “electric vehicles continue to be a core part of Volkswagen’s long-term product strategy, and new electric models will continue to be introduced for this market.” So, stay tuned for more.

Well, if you still want an electric VW, there’s always the ID.4. To contact a local dealer and see if they have any VW ID.4s ready to sell, feel free to use our linkYou can also reach out about the ID.Buzz, if a quirky electric minivan is more your speed.


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Shares of Nextracker soar on stellar earnings. What we need to see before upgrading the stock

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Shares of Nextracker soar on stellar earnings. What we need to see before upgrading the stock

Justin Paget | Digitalvision | Getty Images

The sun is shining on Nextracker in extended trading Tuesday, as shares soared after the solar technology company reported a top and bottom line beat for its fiscal third quarter. Even better, management increased its full-year profitability outlook and reported a record backlog.

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