Engwe E26 review: Testing out a budget-level 1,000W electric bike
I’ve tested several Engwe electric bikes by now, and each time I’ve come away with a solid feeling. The Engwe E26 continues that trend with a fairly priced ($1,199) electric bike that comes with a surprising amount of nice features for the price.
To see what it’s like to throw a leg over this e-bike, check out my review video below. Then keep reading for all of my thoughts!
Engwe E26 video review
Engwe E26 tech specs
- Motor: 1,000W peak-rated geared rear hub motor with 70 Nm of torque
- Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
- Range: Claimed 86 miles (140 km) on pedal assist, real-world range likely half of that
- Battery: 48V 16Ah (758 Wh)
- Weight: 74 lb (33.5 kg )
- Max load: 330 lb (150 kg)
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes on 180mm rotors
- Extras: 7-speed Shimano drivetrain, large LCD color display, LED headlight and tail light, thumb throttle, mag wheels, suspension seat post, removable battery, rear rack, fenders, kickstand
- Price: $1,199
More than you might expect
The basic design of the Engwe E26 is fairly similar to most other full-size fat tire electric bikes on the market. You’ve got your 26×4″ fat tires, your step-through or step-over frame options, a modest suspension fork, and included fenders with a rear rack.
But the power here is more than you might expect at this price. The 1,000W peak-rated motor provides 70 Nm of torque, which is to say, a lot. And cruising up to 28 mph (45 km/h) is always a welcome feature, especially since I like to ride on the road with cars and usually have nothing more than a thin strip of paint separating me and those 4,000 lb machines. Without a protected bike lane, going faster is actually safer since I can better keep up with the speed of traffic instead of getting passed as frequently.
There’s even a larger battery than you’re probably expecting. The standard for these bikes is usually 48V and 14Ah. Sometimes you’ll see a 15Ah battery. On the Engwe E26 though, you get a 16Ah battery. That’s 768 Wh of capacity, which is another welcome addition – especially at this fairly low price.
You probably won’t get the 80+ miles (130+ km) of range that they so optimistically claim, but you could easily get half of that if you’re putting in some good pedaling on your own. If you’re relying on the throttle for 100% of your power and just riding around like a motorbike, then slightly under 30 miles of range is a good bet.
“Nice to see” components
A lot of what you’ll find on the Engwe E26 is fairly standard. The 7-speed Shimano Tourney derailleur is basic. The rack and fenders, they’re fine but nothing fancy. It’s great to see the included front and rear LED lights, but again, fairly standard.
But in other places, you’ll actually find some great inclusions. For example, the hydraulic disc brakes are always a welcome sight, but they’re rarely found on bikes at this price. Installing them means Engwe is giving a more powerful braking solution that requires less maintenance – which is better for everyone.
The color LCD display is also quite nice, including big and easy-to-read digits and clearly displaying all the pertinent information. And while we’re on the handlebars, check out that bell! I’ve never seen an e-bike bell quite like this. In fact, it’s shaped like an actual bell. I’m talking, Liberty Bell without the crack kind of bell. This big ol’ bell has an equally big ol’ brass thumper and sounds great. I know it’s a small detail here, but I’m a sucker for a nice, well made and loud bicycle bell. Engwe nailed this better than plenty of $5,000 e-bikes out there, and you could buy four of these e-bikes for that price.
A note on “full suspension”
Engwe refers to this as a full-suspension electric bike, which isn’t exactly correct, at least not based on traditional nomenclature. This is a hard-tail e-bike, of which we’ve seen and tested many.
Where they pull that full-suspension moniker from is the inclusion of a suspension seat post.
I see what they’re saying. Basically, you’ve got suspension in the front from the fork and suspension in the rear from the seat. Sure, that’s fine. But the term “full suspension” generally means that the bike isn’t a hard-tail, which is to say that the rear wheel also has suspension. In this case, the Engwe E26 doesn’t have rear-wheel suspension. That makes it a hardtail, not a full-suspension e-bike.
Even so, it is nice to see the included seat post suspension, which does make a difference when riding off-road or hitting potholes. Just don’t go into this bike expecting true rear suspension.
Sum it up for me
The basic takeaway here is that the Engwe E26 gives you a lot of bike for your money. It feels well made, has plenty of power and battery capacity, is only moderately heavy (for a fat tire e-bike) at 74 pounds, and comes from a company that’s been around for several years.
I’m a big fan of several of the features like the suspension seat post, gorgeous bike bell, and the punchy hydraulic disc brakes. I even like that pretty turquoise color, though the yellow colorway option also has me intrigued. And then there’s plain old black for folks that don’t want to get exciting with their color choices.
At $1,199, this is a steal of a deal in my opinion. The bike works well, is fast and powerful, and won’t leave an unfairly sized hole in your wallet. That’s a score, in my opinion!
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Aviation startup ZeroAvia says it’s been granted a “raft” of 45 new patents key to the development of practical large hydrogen aviation engines – and the company says it has 200 more H-related patents in the pipeline!
The news comes just weeks after ZeroAvia and Scottish regional airline Loganair announced a new, hydrogen-electric “turboprop” replacement motor capable of up to 5MW of shaft horsepower (~6,700 hp). United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) no. 12,341,225 covers an integrated hydrogen-electric engine design land is key to the development of a modular multi-MW hydrogen-electric engine for the ATR 42 and 72 model aircraft — which Loganair owns more than twenty of.
ATR isn’t the only potential customer ZerAvia is eyeballing, either. Despite hydrogen losing ground on utility-scale projects and more companies realizing that it’s “impossible” for hydrogen to compete as a transportation fuel, the fuel still seems to have some practical application in the aviation space. Both Airbus and Boeing have advanced plans and IP for hydrogen-ready airframes in recent weeks, as well, making the IP for large hydrogen-powered aviation engines that much more valuable.
“Recent patents filed and granted around hydrogen aviation give a window into an accelerating field of innovation,” explains Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO, ZeroAvia. “As we see the large airframe manufacturers beginning to compete on technologies for hydrogen aircraft, there is a big opportunity for companies pioneering hydrogen propulsion systems. These are the inventions that will deliver truly clean, more affordable and highly efficient commercial air travel.”
What it’s all about
Like many tech-based startups, securing IP has been an integral part of ZeroAvia’s strategy, with the value of its patents being, essentially, the value of the company. Just as – if not more important to airlines like Loganair, American, and EcoJet, however, are the potential cost-savings of hydrogen compared to conventional aviation fuels like kerosene.
Importantly, these novel engines promise cost reductions for airlines. The substantially lower maintenance needs of hydrogen-electric engines will mean a decrease in maintenance and downtime for an airline’s fleet, with hydrogen fuel also projected to be significantly more cost effective than kerosene over time.
ZEROAVIA
You can read more about the new ZA600 and ZA2000 hydrogen-electric av motors here, and let us know what you think of hydrogen’s chances against traditional, kerosense-based aviation fuels in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: ZeroAvia.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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You might want to hold onto your handlebars for this one – literally. The fashion-forward British electric scooter maker Bo just unveiled what could be the most extreme electric scooter the world has ever seen. Named The Turbo, this standing e-scooter isn’t just playing around with speed – it’s aiming to smash right through it and find out what’s waiting on the other side.
And it all begs the question, “How much is too much?”
When we talk about fast electric scooters, we’re usually in the neighborhood of 50 mph (80 km/h). But the Bo Turbo doubles those numbers.
With 100 mph+ (160+ km/h) top speeds and claimed acceleration that’s faster than a Tesla, this scooter seems to use a design philosophy pulled straight from the playbook of Formula One. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the team behind The Turbo includes engineers with experience from Williams F1 and the Bloodhound Land Speed Record rocket car.
The world’s fastest e-scooter?
Built on the same base chassis as the company’s sleek road-going Bo Model-M, The Turbo takes everything up a notch – actually, several notches. It features a 24,000 W dual-motor powertrain, 1,800 Wh battery, advanced traction control, and a power-to-weight ratio that reportedly beats a Bugatti Veyron.
At full power, the system is capable of propelling riders down a straightaway at three-digit speeds while standing upright. It’s absurd. It’s glorious. It’s gratuitous. It’s a dream. Or it’s a nightmare.
Bo says the machine is already delivering 85+ mph (137+ km/h) in early track testing at Goodwood Motor Circuit and is currently in development to push beyond the 100 mph barrier under Guinness World Record supervision.
And just in case you’re wondering if this is some experimental prototype cooked up in a lab – it’s not. The company is planning a limited run of built-to-order Turbo scooters, starting at a whopping $29,500. The first one is scheduled for delivery to a collector in Madrid during the 2026 Formula One race weekend.
From F1 brake ducts to street scooter DNA
Despite the headline-grabbing speed numbers, there’s a ton of serious engineering going on here. The Turbo uses ram-air intakes based on F1 brake cooling designs to keep the motors and controllers from overheating. The chassis – made from aerospace-grade aluminum and CNC-machined billet parts – is based on Bo’s proven Monocurve platform, the same structure that underpins the Bo Model-M. In fact, that might be the most impressive part of all, that the same chassis used underneath their everyday-ride-it-to-work Bo Model-M scooter is also holding together this 100 mph beast.
Bo’s team insists that despite the monster specs, The Turbo remains “surprisingly rideable.” Professional BMX rider Tre Whyte has piloted over 20 high-speed test runs, with the team now preparing to push the envelope even further.
A wild PR stunt – or something more?
It’s tempting to see The Turbo as just a headline machine (and hey, it works), but Bo says this project is about more than just chasing speed records. According to Bo CEO Oscar Morgan, “The Turbo is part of our mission to elevate these futuristic electric vehicles into the top tier of automotive performance.”
And honestly, they’ve got a point. E-scooters have exploded in popularity as low-speed urban vehicles, but the category rarely gets taken seriously in the performance world, despite the advent of racing leagues. Bo wants to change that – and they’re using motorsport technology to do it.
Electrek’s Take
Is this a practical daily rider? Absolutely not. But that’s not the point.
Bo is doing what so few e-scooter companies are willing to do – pushing boundaries, proving performance, and trying to make scooters feel exciting, not just functional. Whether The Turbo hits 100 mph or not, it’s already helped raise the bar for what electric micromobility can be. And if that means they develop safer and stable ways to build scooters along the way, then all the better.
The fact that they actually plan to sell these is a bit worrying, though the $30k pricetag means the local teens on your street aren’t going to be terrorizing the sidewalks with them. Well, not unless you’ve got an oil sheikh and his teenagers living on your street.
But hey, if you’ve got thirty grand and a need for painful death levels of speed – maybe this is your next toy.
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Environment
Chevron defeats Exxon in dispute over Guyana oil assets, clearing path for Hess acquisition
Chevron has prevailed against Exxon Mobil in a dispute over Hess Corporation’s offshore oil assets in the South American nation of Guyana, Exxon CEO Darren Woods told CNBC’s Becky Quick on Friday.
The ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce in favor of Chevron clears the way for the oil major to complete its $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corporation.
Chevron shares jumped about 3% in premarket trading.
“We disagree with the ICC panel’s interpretation but respect the arbitration and dispute resolution process,” Exxon said in a statement Friday.
The dispute had created significant uncertainty over whether Chevron’s acquisition of Hess would close, weighing on the oil major’s stock performance. The transaction would have failed if Exxon had prevailed.
Exxon and China National Offshore Oil Corporation had filed an arbitration case with the ICC, claiming a right of first refusal over Hess’s assets in the Stabroek Block, an oil development off the coast of Guyana.
Hess has a 30% stake in an oil patch, while Exxon leads the project with a 45% stake and CNOOC maintains 25% stake.
“We welcome Chevron to the venture and look forward to continued industry-leading performance and value creation in Guyana for all parties involved,” Exxon said.
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