We need to talk about Rad Power Bikes’ new e-bike batteries
Electric bikes just may be the biggest transportation revolution of our generation, helping millions replace car usage with more affordable, more efficient alternatives. But there’s no denying that concerns have been swirling about the safety of e-bike batteries, even if such fire fears have primarily been overblown by much of the media.
Leading electric bicycle maker Rad Power Bikes has just unveiled its new “Safe Shield Battery” in an effort to mitigate worries over e-bike battery safety. And it’s something we need to talk about.
The whole underlying issue here is based on the fact that e-bike batteries are usually comprised of dozens of smaller, energy-dense lithium-ion battery cells. Those cells are similar – and sometimes identical – to the battery cells used in everything from electric cars to power tool battery packs.
The individual battery cells store lots of energy and are generally quite safe. However, danger can occur when the cells are punctured or short-circuited, with the latter often happening when water makes its way into battery packs over time. Well-made e-bike batteries use several methods to mitigate these risks, and the result is that battery fires are exceedingly rare. Even in e-bikes, which seem to unfairly receive the brunt of lithium-ion battery fire scaremongering, such fires occur in a tiny, tiny fraction of a percent of e-bikes.
To put things into perspective, New York City often gets labeled as the epicenter of e-bike fires, yet New Yorkers are somewhere around 5x more likely to die on the subway than from an e-bike fire.
However rare though, e-bike fires can and do occur in poorly made batteries or in battery packs that have been abused, damaged, or otherwise misused. And that’s exactly what it looks like Rad Power Bikes set out to solve with its new Safe Shield e-bike batteries.
The secret sauce in Rad’s batteries isn’t actually the battery cells themselves. Those are fairly standard cells like you’ll find in many other e-bike batteries. The major difference is how the battery packs are constructed.
They use a method known as potting, which basically encapsulates electronics in a waterproof resin barrier. It’s common in electronics that will live much of their lives outdoors, as it seals the sensitive components from moisture.
Remember that mosquito from Jurassic Park that was encased in tree resin amber? That’s kind of the idea with potted batteries, just with a urethane resin instead of tree sap. The battery pack already uses quality construction methods, but then to top it off, the entire thing is filled with resin that makes it impermeable to water – or intruding fingers, tools, or anything else. It’s forever sealed away from the world (though Rad says it’s still recyclable in their battery recycling program).
But it’s not just any resin, the idea is that it is also thermally insulating, which means that if one battery cell ever did go rouge and start overheating (an incredibly, incredibly rare event in well-made battery cells), the barrier would help protect any nearby cells from joining in and developing what is known as a “thermal runaway” condition that is what ultimately leads to the spread of most battery fires.
We spoke to one of the country’s leading battery experts Luke Workman on our Wheel-E podcast last year, who has often performed forensic evaluations in the aftermath of battery fires. When we asked him if there was anything that could be done to help mitigate the fire risks we were seeing in the e-bike industry, such as the widespread adoption of UL certification, he had a simple answer: “Potting.”
Workman explained that he’s performed post-fire forensic analysis on plenty of UL-certified battery packs, indicating that such certification isn’t a guarantee of safety. “You can pass UL water ingress tests with a bit of strategically placed tape over the battery seams,” he explained at the time. But potting was the truly safest method of building batteries that wasn’t intended to merely pass a certification test, but rather to actually ensure the battery cells were isolated and protected.
At the time, there was just one major company producing potted e-bike batteries, Luna Cycle, but it hasn’t gained significant traction anywhere else in the e-bike industry.
At least not until now.
With Rad Power Bikes adopting potted battery design practices, the entire industry has been put on notice. Until new technologies like fireproof solid-state batteries become commonplace, potted batteries are the single best defense against battery fires. And with one of the largest e-bike retailers in the country hopping aboard the potted train, others are all but sure to follow.
Rad has a history of setting examples that are quickly copied throughout the US e-bike industry. New e-bike models like the RadRunner spurred several copycats and jumpstarted the utility e-bike market. Rad’s expansions into several large brick-and-mortar stores pre-empted a major push by several other US e-bike companies to expand dealer networks with independent bike shops. Rad’s electric trike was quickly followed by several other competitors seeking to undercut its price.
In none of these examples was Rad the first e-bike company to make a major move, but it was the first big e-bike company to do so, and thus helped shift the industry each time. And while there’s no guarantee how the industry will react, especially in a year where e-bike sales have lagged behind the post-pandemic boom, there’s no doubt that a major e-bike maker finally adopting potted battery technology is a sign of where the industry is headed. How long it takes us to get there though, that’s anyone’s guess.
resin pouring image via: Pexels
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Hot on the heels of the Fiat 4×4 Grande Panda Manifesto comes another subcompact Stellantis compact with electric drive and off-road ambitions. Meet the Opel Frontera GRAVEL – which might be our best look yet at the next-generation electric Jeep Renegade coming in 2027.
Based on a lifted Frontera EV and riding on a set of bespoke, 7×16″ Borbet CWE wheels wrapped in aggressive AT tires, Opel says its all-electric Frontera GRAVEL’s emissions-free driving makes it ideally suited for “soft-roading” nature drives (their words, not mine), with a rugged, adventurous 4×4 appearance.
Those rugged, Jeep-like good looks are backed up enhanced by the usual overland accessories, including a front-mounted winch, side storage boxes at the rear, and a lattice-style roof rack. A slew of accessory lights mounted on the Thule Canyon XT carrier and hood, as well, for excellent nighttime visibility off-road and (presumably) retina-searing intensity on-road.
“The new Opel Frontera is already standout,” says Rebecca Reinermann, Vice President of Marketing for Stellantis’ Opel and Vauxhall brands. “It is rugged, practical, and perfect for families and everyday adventures. But with the Frontera GRAVEL show car, we’ve pushed the limits, imagining a tougher, more daring, trailblazing version. This concept is built to fire up our fanbase and test the demand for a bolder, more rugged Frontera in the future. It’s all about freedom, adventure, excitement and pushing boundaries.”
Like the recent Fiat concept mentioned at the top of this post, the production Frontera EV is based on Stellantis’ “Smart Car” BEV-native platform, and features a 113 hp electric motor and more than 300 km of WLTP range (about 185 miles) standard, with the “long range” version able of traveling up to 400 km (about 250 miles) between charges.
Either version comes with the “Pure Panel” digital cockpit featuring dual 10″ displays. For a few dollars quid more, the GS trim adds automatic climate control and Intelli-Seat front seats. And, if Mopar Insider has any idea what’s up, it might actually make for a decent little Jeep Renegade replacement (below).
Electric Jeep Renegade rendering
The Opel Frontera first came to our attention last October, when it became the first new EV from Stellantis to be offered with both ICE and battery power, for the same price – making EV price parity an objectively real thing.
Jeep parent company Stellantis has already confirmed that a new Jeep Renegade that’s priced below the upcoming Jeep Compass EV would be coming to the US as a 2027 model, and it’s expected to share its mechanicals with both the Frontera and Fiat’s recently teased Grande Panda Manifesto. If that does anything for you, let us know in the comments.
Opel Frontera GRAVEL gallery
SOURCES | IMAGES: Mopar Insider, Stellantis.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Year after year, a seemingly endless raft of all-electric concept bikes wearing Honda badges have made their way across the motor show stage without ever making it onto the dealer showroom. But now, it’s here: this unmissable, cafe racer-inspired electric Honda motorcycle is the company’s first – and you can buy it!
We got our first look at this first-ever production electric motorcycle from Honda back in March, when leaked type-approval documents hinted at a 75 mph 125 cc-class motorcycle with cafe racer styling and a “WH8000D” designation first surfaced. It was clear, then, that Honda was seriously working on a for-real electric motorcycle – what wasn’t clear was when (or even if) it would ever see productions.
The wait is over
The new Honda E-VO is available in dual- or triple-battery versions that feature either 4.1 or 6.2 kWh of battery capacity. On the triple-pack version, riders can enjoy up to 170 km WMTC (about 105 miles) of riding. Recharging takes about 2.5 hours on a standard outlet or about 90 minutes on an L2 (like the Harley-Davidson backed Livewire or Vespa Elettrica electric bikes, DC fast charging is not available).
Both battery configurations drive a motor with a peak power of 15.3 kW, or about 20 hp. And, like all electric motors, all the torque is available at 0 rpm, giving the Honda E-VO in-town performance similar to much higher (than 125 cc) displacement bikes.
In addition to superior stop-and-go performance, the Honda E-VO offers riders a number of other innovative (for a motorcycle) features, including a 7-inch TFT instrument display paired with a second 7-inch TFT screen for navigation, music, tire pressure, and battery SOC information. The smaller battery pack version of the E-VO includes a front dash cam, while the larger model has both a front and rear dash cam as standard equipment.
The Honda E-VO is available in the black and off-white color schemes (shown). Prices start at 29,999 yuan, or about $4500 for the 4.1 kWh version, and 36,999 yuan (about $5100) for the 6.2 kWh triple-pack version.
Electrek’s Take
Yes, this is a Chinese-market bike built by Honda’s Chinese Wuyang venture. No, we probably won’t ever get something like this in the US, where a raucous, 113 hp 600 cc CBR600RR is somehow positioned as a “good starter bike” by cowards with 3″ wide chicken strips on their tires. That said, if the motorcycle industry as-a-whole wants to survive in North America, zippy, affordable, lightweight motorcycles are exactly what’s needed.
Here’s hoping we get something like this stateside rather sooner than later.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Wuyang Honda; via Ride Apart, the PACK.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. The best part? No one will call you until after you’ve elected to move forward. Get started, hassle-free, by clicking here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Westerners in-the-know look longingly at the affordable, value-packed electric cars rolling out of China – but what could you get if money was no object? If you were to spend 100,000 US American dollars on a Chinese EV, how good could these Chinese cars really get? Huawei’s 852 hp Maextro S800 is the answer.
Packing up to 852 hp and a cutting-edge technology stack developed by Huawei, Chinese luxury brand Maextro revealed its latest entry into the Mercedes-Maybach EQS and Rolls-Royce Spectre segment of ultra-luxe EVs, the S800, back in February. Now, it’s officially on sale, priced at 708,000 and 1,018,000 yuan (approx $97,500-140,000), and ready to make an entrance.
As I wrote at the car’s launch, the Maextro S800’s bespoke, purpose-built platform doesn’t share any parts with a lesser offering in the Huawei lineup in the same way a Mercedes or BMW or Volkswagen does with a Maybach, Rolls-Royce, or Bentley, respectively. And, while I admit that that may not mean much to you and me, I maintain that it might to the people shopping six- and seven-figure cars. And that might be especially true to people willing to shell out that kind of cash for a car in China’s generally lower-priced market.
That seems to be the kind of upmarket experience people of the People’s Republic want, if the S800’s two thousand initial orders (in just two days) are and indication. And, lucky for those buyers, the Maextro is set to deliver plenty in return.
The vibe is immaculate
Those well-heeled buyers will get a choice of EREV or “pure” battery electric powertrains good for between 480 and 852 all-electric horsepower. 32 ADAS sensors including both radar and lidar compliment a suite of cameras analyze the road ahead and feed data to Huawei’s ADS road perception system, which is constantly adjusting torque distribution, suspension compression and rebound, and front and rear steering to deliver a tech-driven chauffeur experience that Huawei insists is second to none.
Huawei says its robotic driver is pretty handy when the weather gets nasty, too, thanks to an advanced sensor array that helps to increase the detection distance in rain, fog, and dust by 60% compared to the benchmarked competition.
While the car is its passengers around, they’ll get to enjoy luxurious, reclining rear seats with next-level mood lighting handled by a fully independent rear passenger system that supports intelligent track lighting, gesture dimming, and a panoramic “starry sky” moonroof that includes meteor shower effects.
The Maextro S800 also offers intelligent privacy glass and a unique door-closing function are also controlled with advanced gesture controls, in case you needed reminding that China is living in the year 3000 while the US is being plunged headlong into the 1940s by a pack of pseudo-conservatives too old to realize their gold standard policies will do nothing but hurt a fiat economy that’s consistently proved out the basic hypotheses behind modern monetary theory over the last five or six decades – but that’s a lot for an EV blog.
Instead of that, let’s ooh and ahh over the Maextro S800’s ultra-luxe interior in the photo gallery, below, then keep the debate to the relative merits of one of these over, say, a Mercedes-Benz EQS in the comments.
Huawei Maextro S800 gallery
SOURCES | IMAGES: Huawei Central; CarNewsChina.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. The best part? No one will call you until after you’ve elected to move forward. Get started, hassle-free, by clicking here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway