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If you’ve been wanting to get your off-road e-biking thrills but think all the current eMTBs on the market are too weak with their paltry 750W motors, then Biktrix has just what you’re looking for. The new Biktrix Juggernaut FS XD is the full-suspension electric mountain bike equivalent of the hot-rodder’s hot rod.

Over 2,000 watts of power in an electric mountain bike is no joke, and Canadian electric bike maker Biktrix had to go back to the drawing board to make it happen.

The new e-bike required a custom-built mid-drive motor that was designed in-house by the Biktrix team. Instead of a massive and clunky rear wheel motor to get there, the mid-drive motor built by the company keeps the bike more balanced and allows riders to preserve the type of handling expected from a mountain bike.

And as you can imagine, having nearly 10x the amount of power produced by a human could wreak havoc on traditional bike parts like chains and sprockets, so Biktrix had to get custom there, too. The company designed a second drivetrain just for the motor power, feeding the rear wheel through a higher spec chain and sprocket set on the left side of the bike.

As the company explained:

“The innovative Coaxial-Drive motor provides all the handling and weight distribution benefits that come with a mid-drive motor. But with all this power you need a drivetrain to handle it! The Juggernaut XD features a motor side drivetrain designed specifically to handle the power this motor puts out to keep this bike even more reliable than your average mid-drive motor.”

Of course a big motor means that you’d better have a big battery as well, otherwise that fun ride is going to get cut short. Supplying the Juggernaut FS XD’s motor is a 52V 17Ah battery with 910 Wh of capacity.

The company reports an estimated range of 40 miles (64 km) from the battery, though full-power riding that makes full use of the 2,300W motor is sure to drop that range.

The range estimate likely comes from using pedal assist, though there’s a throttle too for peak fun. Riders who can resist relying purely on the throttle will find that the torque sensor pedal assist is designed to be as intuitive and responsive as possible, feeling more like a true mountain bike when you pedal it than a light dirt bike.

And it’s no surprise that a bike built with this much power also comes with heavy-duty components. The wheels feature 15mm and 12mm thru axle hubs in the front and rear, respectively. The brakes use dual-piston hydraulic calipers with 180mm and 220mm rotors. The transmission is a SRAM NX 11-speed. And the tire sizes come in three larger-than-life options of 26×4″, 27.5×3″, 26×4.8″.

To top it all off, the suspension features a Rockshox Monarch Rl rear shock with 51 mm of travel as well as five different fork options depending on how serious you want to get with your riding. The fork options include:

  • Biktrix Inverted Air Fork with 100mm travel
  • Manitou Mastadon Comp with 100mm travel
  • Wren Inverted Air Fork with 110 mm travel
  • Wren Inverted Air Fork with 150 mm travel
  • Wren Inverted Air Fork with 110 mm travel, lockout and preload

Considering the bike’s weight is listed at 71.9 lb (32.6 kg) before the battery is inserted, those suspension options (and likely the powerful hydraulic disc brakes) are going to be well-appreciated components indeed.

biktrix juggernaut FS XD e-bike

The Biktrix Juggernaut FS XD carries an MSRP of US $5,999, but there are some serious savings to be had. The bike is rolling out with a $1,000 off sale as part of the launch, and anyone who puts down a $100 pre-order deposit gets another $500 discount on top of that.

For an all-in price of $4,499, the picture is looking pretty darn rosy for such a powerful and high-spec e-bike. Just remember that with this much power comes some serious responsibility, which includes riding only where permitted and being courteous to other trail users.

Electrek’s Take

Alright, so this bike is pretty ridiculous, but in all the best ways. I mentioned the issue of being courteous of other trail users, but with this much power and suspension, you can leave the trails behind and chart your own overlanding course.

I’ve had a lot of experience with different Biktrix e-bike models over the years and have always been impressed with the company. They take pride in building e-bikes that aren’t just cookie-cutter white-labeled models chosen from an OEM’s catalog.

That means they cost a bit more, but you’re paying for the innovation. That motor certainly wasn’t cheap to develop, nor was the dual drivetrain.

Some people will probably say “just get a Sur Ron or dirt bike for that price”, but I’d argue they’re missing the point. This is still an electric mountain bike, and it still rides like one – albeit a bit heavier than most riders will be accustomed to. Just because it has 2,300W of power doesn’t mean you always need to ride it in full power mode. You can crank the power up to climb a mountain, then drop it back down to get a nice workout on the trails at the top. Most minivans can get up to 100 mph, but they rarely do. People like knowing they have the performance, even if they keep it to much lower levels most of the time. I see the Biktrix Juggernaut FS XD through a similar lens. It has the power and performance to take you places other e-bikes couldn’t, but you can always drop the power back down and ride it like an eMTB. That’s just not possible with a dirt bike or Sur Ron.

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What a cut in Reliance’s Russian crude purchases would mean for India

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What a cut in Reliance's Russian crude purchases would mean for India

The Reliance Industries Ltd. oil refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, on Saturday, July 31, 2021.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

India’s largest private oil refiner Reliance Industries is reportedly halting purchases of Russian crude, following the U.S.’ decision to sanction Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.

Reliance has become a major buyer of Russian crude. In September, it purchased around 629,590 barrels of Russian crude per day from the two firms, out of India’s total imports of 1.6 million barrels per day, according to data by commodities data analytics firm Kpler.

Over the same month last year, Reliance purchased around 428,000 barrels per day of oil from the Russian companies.

In fact, India’s Russian crude imports used to account for less than 3% of its total crude import basket, but today account for one-third of India’s crude imports, experts say.

Reliance has not responded to CNBC requests for comment on reports that it is stopping the purchase of Russian crude.

It comes as the U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday levied sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, citing Moscow’s “lack of serious commitment” to ending the war in Ukraine. The sanctions aim to “degrade” the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war, the U.S. department said, signaling more measures could follow.

If Reliance does halt Russian purchases, it will have “negative impacts on [Reliance’s] margin and profitability as Russian crude constitute more than 50% of [its] crude diet,” Pankaj Srivastava, SVP of commodity oil markets at market research firm Rystad Energy said in emailed comments.

He added that the availability of “similar crude is not an issue” and can be sourced from West Asia, Brazil, or Guyana, but Reliance is unlikely to get the same price as it does on Russian crude, as it has long-term deals with suppliers like Rosneft.

Last December, Reliance Industries signed a deal to import crude oil worth $12 billion-$13 billion a year from Russia’s Rosneft for 10 years, which would translate to roughly 500,000 barrels per day, according to a report by Reuters.

‘Opportunistic buying’

The purchase of Russian oil by Indian refiners was “opportunistic buying” driven by discounts versus comparable grades, said Vandana Hari of Vanda Insights.

India bought 38% of Russia’s crude exports in September, second only to China at 47% according to Helsinki-based think tank Centre for Energy and Clean Air.

Hari added that Indian refineries can easily pivot to buying from sources with the trade-off being “pressure on refining margins.”

Muyu Xu, senior crude oil analyst at Kpler, said the Indian refining giant might face some short-term issues as it looks to replace the Russian crude.

“Given the large volumes under the Reliance-Rosneft deal, we expect some short-term friction for Reliance in securing replacement barrels,” says Muyu Xu, senior crude oil analyst at Kpler.

She added that “Russia’s medium-sour Urals remains about $5–6/bbl [barrel] cheaper than Middle Eastern crude of similar quality.

A report by Jefferies last month indicated that the impact of Reliance Industries moving away from Russian oil was “manageable.”

The brokerage said in September that it had received queries from investors about the possible financial impact on Reliance if it halts its imports of Russian oil due to sanctions.

The benefit of Russian crude accounts for around 2.1% of the firm’s estimated consolidated EBITDA of 2.05 trillion rupees ($ 22.8 billion) for fiscal year 2027, the brokerage said.

Reliance’s consolidated EBITDA for the six months of fiscal year 2026 was 1.08 trillion Indian rupees ($12.3 billion), of which 295 billion rupees were from its oil-to-chemicals segment, while its telecom and retail ventures together contributed to nearly 500 billion rupees.

Hopes of a U.S. trade deal

Other Indian refiners are also looking to cut imports of Russian oil. Weaning off Russian oil might raise India’s import bill, but it won’t be “as big a sticker shock as [it] might have been if crude was in the $70 or $80 range,” said Hari of Vanda Insights.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were trading around $61.83 a barrel on Friday.

Experts also say the benefits of India cutting back on Russian oil purchases outweigh the downsides.

According to Natixis’ Senior Economist Trinh Nguyen, the arbitrage that Russian oil offered during the energy crisis has tapered off, and there is no need for India now to have significant purchases of Russian oil.

Natixis' Senior Economist on India's pledge to stop buying Russian oil

India’s Russian crude purchase has been a sore point in its trade relations with the U.S., which culminated in the U.S. imposing a total 50% tariff on Indian goods exported to the U.S..

With both state-owned and private refiners expected to halt purchase of Russian crude — a long-standing demand of U.S. President Donald Trump — the chances of India negotiating a mutually beneficial trade deal with the U.S. have increased.

— CNBC’s Ying Shan Lee contributed to this report 

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IONNA and Casey’s to bring more fast charging to the US Midwest

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IONNA and Casey’s to bring more fast charging to the US Midwest

Charging network IONNA is partnering with Casey’s, one of the US’s largest convenience store and pizza chains, to bring DC fast charging to EV drivers across the Midwest.

Starting this year, Casey’s customers can plug into IONNA’s 400 kW charging stations while grabbing a slice or stocking up on road-trip essentials. Eight “Rechargeries” are already under construction in six states and are expected to open in 2025:

  • Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Vernon Hills, Illinois
  • McHenry, Illinois
  • Terre Haute, Indiana
  • Parkville, Missouri
  • Kearney, Missouri
  • Blackwell, Oklahoma
  • Waco, Texas

The Casey’s deal pushes IONNA past 900 charging bays in construction or operation — more than double what it had just three months ago. IONNA says the partnership will “expand,” but doesn’t provide specifics.

“This partnership with Casey’s is key to expanding our presence in America’s heartland,” said IONNA CEO Seth Cutler. “With a shared respect and commitment to delivering quality customer experience, we are pleased to add Casey’s to our growing network of partners.”

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IONNA is a joint venture backed by eight of the world’s biggest automakers – BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota – working to rapidly scale a DC fast-charging network in the US.

Read more: Wawa is getting ultra-fast EV chargers from IONNA


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Google and Anthropic announce cloud deal worth tens of billions of dollars

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Google and Anthropic announce cloud deal worth tens of billions of dollars

Google, Anthropic agree to cloud deal worth tens of billions of dollars

Anthropic and Google officially announced their cloud partnership Thursday, a deal that gives the artificial intelligence company access to up to one million of Google’s custom-designed Tensor Processing Units, or TPUs.

The deal, which is worth tens of billions of dollars, is the company’s largest TPU commitment yet and is expected to bring well over a gigawatt of AI compute capacity online in 2026.

Industry estimates peg the cost of a 1-gigawatt data center at around $50 billion, with roughly $35 billion of that typically allocated to chips.

While competitors tout even loftier projections — OpenAI’s 33-gigawatt “Stargate” chief among them — Anthropic’s move is a quiet power play rooted in execution, not spectacle.

Founded by former OpenAI researchers, the company has deliberately adopted a slower, steadier ethos, one that is efficient, diversified, and laser-focused on the enterprise market.

Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.5, its latest AI model

A key to Anthropic’s infrastructure strategy is its multi-cloud architecture.

The company’s Claude family of language models runs across Google’s TPUs, Amazon’s custom Trainium chips, and Nvidia’s GPUs, with each platform assigned to specialized workloads like training, inference, and research.

Google said the TPUs offer Anthropic “strong price-performance and efficiency.”

“Anthropic and Google have a longstanding partnership and this latest expansion will help us continue to grow the compute we need to define the frontier of AI,” said Anthropic CFO Krishna Rao in a release.

Anthropic’s ability to spread workloads across vendors lets it fine-tune for price, performance, and power constraints.

According to a person familiar with the company’s infrastructure strategy, every dollar of compute stretches further under this model than those locked into single-vendor architectures.

Google, for its part, is leaning into the partnership.

“Anthropic’s choice to significantly expand its usage of TPUs reflects the strong price-performance and efficiency its teams have seen with TPUs for several years,” said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in a release, touting the company’s seventh-generation “Ironwood” accelerator as part of a maturing portfolio.

Anthropic takes a page from Palantir as AI battle with OpenAI goes global

Claude’s breakneck revenue growth

Anthropic’s escalating compute demand reflects its explosive business growth.

The company’s annual revenue run rate is now approaching $7 billion, and Claude powers more than 300,000 businesses — a staggering 300× increase over the past two years. The number of large customers, each contributing more than $100,000 in run-rate revenue, has grown nearly sevenfold in the past year.

Claude Code, the company’s agentic coding assistant, generated $500 million in annualized revenue within just two months of launch, which Anthropic claims makes it the “fastest-growing product” in history.

While Google is powering Anthropic’s next phase of compute expansion, Amazon remains its most deeply embedded partner.

The retail and cloud giant has invested $8 billion in Anthropic to date, more than double Google’s confirmed $3 billion in equity.

Still, AWS is considered Anthropic’s chief cloud provider, making its influence structural and not just financial.

Its custom-built supercomputer for Claude, known as Project Rainier, runs on Amazon’s Trainium 2 chips. That shift matters not just for speed, but for cost: Trainium avoids the premium margins of other chips, enabling more compute per dollar spent.

AWS outage ripples across internet, puts pressure on Amazon ahead of earnings

Wall Street is already seeing results.

Rothschild & Co Redburn analyst Alex Haissl estimated that Anthropic added one to two percentage points to AWS’s growth in last year’s fourth quarter and this year’s first, with its contribution expected to exceed five points in the second half of 2025.

Wedbush’s Scott Devitt previously told CNBC that once Claude becomes a default tool for enterprise developers, that usage flows directly into AWS revenue — a dynamic he believes will drive AWS growth for “many, many years.”

Google, meanwhile, continues to play a pivotal role. In January, the company agreed to a new $1 billion investment in Anthropic, adding to its previous $2 billion and 10% equity stake.

Critically, Anthropic’s multicloud approach proved resilient during Monday’s AWS outage, which did not impact Claude thanks to its diversified architecture.

Still, Anthropic isn’t playing favorites. The company maintains control over model weights, pricing, and customer data — and has no exclusivity with any cloud provider. That neutral stance could prove key as competition among hyperscalers intensifies.

WATCH: Anthropic’s Mike Krieger on new model release and the race to build real-world AI agents

Anthropic’s Mike Krieger on new model release and the race to build real-world AI agents

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