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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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This startup raised $8M to store clean energy under the sea

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This startup raised M to store clean energy under the sea

Ocean energy storage startup Sizable Energy just raised $8 million to bring its long-duration offshore pumped hydro system to market.

The round was led by Playground Global, with backing from Exa Ventures, Verve Ventures, Satgana, EDEN/IAG, and Unruly Capital. The funding will help Sizable move from successful wave basin testing at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) to full sea trials off the coast of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Turning ocean depth into long-duration energy storage

Sizable Energy is reimagining pumped hydro storage for the sea. Instead of using freshwater and dams, the company’s system uses saturated sea-salt brine – about 20% denser than seawater – that moves between a floating reservoir and a deep-water reservoir. By harnessing gravity and ocean depth, it can store and release gigawatt-scale power without the land use or environmental impact of onshore hydro projects. Here’s a video explaining how it works:

CEO and co-founder Dr. Manuele Aufiero says the tech could help stabilize the grid as renewables surge: “Without cost-effective long-duration storage, the grid cannot keep up, regardless of energy source. Our ocean-based system stores gigawatt-scale power affordably, making the grid more stable, resilient, and ready for the future.”

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The company claims its system offers the lowest Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) among long-duration storage technologies, even under optimistic lithium-ion cost projections. It combines readily available materials that can be made, assembled, and installed at depths of 500 meters or more, using existing maritime infrastructure.

Playground Global general partner Bruce Leak called ocean depth “a practically unlimited resource,” adding, “Sizable Energy is leveraging it to deliver long-duration energy storage at a fraction of the cost of batteries.”

What’s next

After proving its concept in the lab and at MARIN, where it functioned successfully in harsh ocean environments, Sizable Energy is now testing a new prototype in the Mediterranean. The pilot near Reggio Calabria, Italy, will validate its floating system, assembly, and deployment process, and pave the way for a multi-megawatt demonstration plant in the Mediterranean Sea.

If all goes to plan, the company expects to begin commercial project development in 2026 at multiple global sites, working with governments, energy providers, and local manufacturers to bring long-duration ocean energy storage to scale.

Read more: ‘World’s largest’ industrial heat battery is online and solar-powered


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YASA just destroyed its own record for power density with its state-of-the-art axial flux motor

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YASA just destroyed its own record for power density with its state-of-the-art axial flux motor

Three months after declaring an unofficial world record achievement in power density for an electric motor, YASA’s latest axial flux prototype has shattered that previous benchmark. The axial flux motor specialist is touting another unofficial world record, achieved with an even lighter design.

If you haven’t heard of YASA, we recommend checking out this unique company, which is doing some extraordinary things with electric motors. Over the past 16 years, YASA has evolved in tandem with its technology, revisiting and refining traditional designs dating back to the 1820s by optimizing them with modern components and materials. The result is the axial flux motor – a genuinely viable alternative to conventional radial motors used in most EVs today.

YASA motors have been integrated in production vehicles like the Koenigsegg Regera and the Ferrari Stradale SF90 hybrid. In 2023, we saw the first implementation of YASA’s axial flux motors in a Mercedes vehiclee, the Vision One Eleven concept, after the German automaker acquired the company in 2021.

By late 2024, we saw Mercedes’ first integration of YASA’s axial flux motors into its AMG.EA architecture featuring 800V capabilities and support for dual and tri-motor systems. At the time, YASA said each of its axial flux motors offers four times more torque and double the power of nearly all current tech on the market.

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Over the summer, YASA proved the tremendous power of its axial flux motor during real-world trials, achieving an unofficial world record in power density. Now, just a few months later, YASA is touting a lighter motor that delivers significantly more power, declaring yet another unofficial world record.

Axial flux motor
YASA’s latest axial flux prototype / Source: YASA

YASA’s axial flux motors could be a game-changer

To understand the latest milestone recently achieved by YASA, you need to look at the data from its last record-setting trial, which included a 13.1 kg axial flux prototype. As we reported in July, that version was able to achieve a peak rating of 550 kW (738 hp), equating to a power density of 42 kW/kg.

An unofficial world record.

Most recently, however, YASA has been testing a lighter axial flux motor prototype, weighing in at 12.7kg, on a more powerful dynamometer. The latest trials delivered a 750 kW (1000+ hp) short-term peak rating, resulting in a power density of 59 kW/kg – a 40% increase from initial testing and another unofficial world record.

According to YASA CEO Joerg Miska, that’s also triple the performance density of the top radial flux motors currently available in the industry.

Peak power aside, YASA’s latest axial flux motor has the makings of something truly special. The company reported that it estimates the continuous power of its latest prototype to be “in the region of 350kW-400kW (469 hp-536 hp).”

That’s quite impressive when you consider the limited weight and size of such an electric motor and even more exciting when you think of the possibility of four of them (or even two) powering future EVs. YASA founder and CTO Tim Woolmer spoke to the achievement:

On behalf of the entire YASA team, I’m proud and excited to so quickly follow up on the already remarkable results of our initial testing with this incredible result. To achieve a 750 kW short-term peak rating and a density of 59 kW/kg is a major validation of our next-generation axial flux technology. It’s proof of what focused engineering innovation can achieve. And this isn’t a concept on a screen — it’s running, right now, on the dynos. We’ve built an electric motor that’s significantly more power-dense than anything before it – all with scalable materials and processes. This motor will bring game-changing technology to the high-performance automotive sector.

While these prototypes still have a way to go before reaching scaled production, this latest achievement offers real-life evidence that the technology works and could change the way OEMs approach powertrain design. YASA’s Chief of New Technology, Simon Odling, said it best:

The early results are extremely encouraging. The motor’s performance on the dyno has exceeded even our most optimistic simulations. As well as its incredible peak power and overall power density, we estimate this new motor will be able to deliver all-important continuous power in the region of 350kW-400kW. This is real hardware, in real life, delivering real data – and it’s performing beautifully.

YASA’s team of engineers is already deep into the validation process of this latest axial flux prototype motor, promising further details of its development in the near future.

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Here are 6 great reasons rural drivers SHOULD embrace EVs in 2026

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Here are 6 great reasons rural drivers SHOULD embrace EVs in 2026

America’s heartland is full of rural communities that are miles away from its major cities, both geographically and culturally – but that doesn’t mean these more sparsely populated regions can’t reap the benefits of electrification. In fact, EVs offer rural drivers even more benefits than they do to city-dwellers!

“An electric lifestyle would be a boon to our rural heartland,” wrote the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Maria Cecilia Pinto de Moura. “Rural communities across the country have their own distinguishing characteristics, but certain shared characteristics such as driving distances, the type of vehicles driven, and socio-economics are factors which contribute to this larger potential to benefit from vehicle electrification.”

Pinto de Moura went on to outline five ways rural and country drivers could benefit from going electric – but that was in 2021, and a whole lot has changed in the nearly five years since.

As such, I thought it was high time we revisit some of the reasons EVs could be a great fit for rural lifestyles, see if we could uncover any new ones, and outline the reasons we think rural drivers should rush to embrace electric vehicles in the coming calendar year.

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1. More miles means more savings


David Blenkle's 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E, used for his own car service, has surpassed more than 250,000 miles in three years, providing a real-world example of what's possible with high-milage electric vehicles.
David Blenkle’s 252,000 mile Mustang Mach-E; via Ford.

When you hear that line about, “the average American drives 30 to 40 miles a day,” remember that in towns like Wellington, Ohio, or Colfax, Washington, 30 miles is a grocery run. Each way. So when people trot out that old line about range anxiety, what rural drivers actually hear isn’t reassurance. It’s dismissal — a suggestion that they drive too far for an EV to work, when nothing could be further from the truth.

A recent study by Rural Climate Partnership found that rural drivers spend an average of 44% more on fuel than city dwellers, and that the top 3.6% of rural drivers — the “supermilers” who rack up the most miles — could save over $4,000 each year by switching to electric fuel.

2. Electric trucks have arrived


Here’s How Much The 2026 GMC Sierra EV Can Tow
Sierra AT4 EV towing a boat; via GM.

Country guys and gals love their pickups, and arguably the single biggest difference between the EV markets of 2021 and 2025 is the proliferation of electric trucks and SUVs ready to help haul, chore, camp, and tow.

Why not save your expensive horses from breathing in gas and diesel exhaust. Haul ’em with your quiet new EV, instead!

3. Home charging just works


Rivian-Tesla-Powerwall
R1S home charging; via Rivian.

With only about 45% of rural counties having access to DC fast charging, public charging still isn’t as visible as many first-time EV buyers might like, but it’s far better than it used to be — and improving fast. Still, that’s not the real EV advantage. Home charging is.

Unlike many apartment-dwelling urban drivers, most rural owners can charge right at home. More than 80% of rural households have a driveway or garage that are ideal for overnight Level 2 charging, and many already have a 240V outlet, keeping setup costs (if there even are any) to a minimum.

Plug in before bed, wake up to a full battery every morning, and do it for pennies on the dollar, especially with off-peak rates.

4. Lifesaving battery power


Ford-Lightning-V2H
F-150 Lightning plugged in; via Ford.

If disaster strikes and you lose power, many electric trucks have the ability to power your home and appliances with the energy stored in their massive batteries – either from the truck itself, or through a V2X home battery system. If you live in an area prone to extreme weather events, the ability to keep medication refrigerated can be a literal life-saver!

5. EVs are more affordable than ever


Ford E-Transit Van
E-transit electric van; via Ford.

It’s been a few years since a working class guy could reasonably expect to get a new pickup for less than $50,000. And, while much has been made of the “high cost of electric vehicles,” the truth is that thanks to killer lease deals, new tax incentives, and companies like Ford Pro and TRC that are willing to help you find even more funding to help pay for them, EVs can often be had for less than a comparable gas model.

As such, getting behind the wheel of an ultra-powerful, ultra smooth-running electric pickup truck from your favorite brand is easier than ever.

6. Energy independence and American jobs


Canoo-US-Army
GM Defense electric military vehicle; via GM.

At the risk of sounding like a paranoid red hat, rural Americans are proud Americans – just like rural Canadians are proud Canadians. Unfortunately, every gallon of gas burned in their pickups and SUVs came from oil drilled, refined, and traded on global markets — and that means supporting the oil business and economies of nations whose values don’t always align with, or maybe are even outright hostile to theirs.

Switching to an EV can help more of that money right here at home, especially as more and better battery recycling efforts come online and newer battery and anode/cathode chemistries are developed, reducing dependence on rare Earth metals, cobalt, and even lithium.

Even better, thanks to the rapid expansion and dramatically reduced costs of wind and solar power, you can power your EV with energy that is 100% Made in the USA, that doesn’t support foreign oil interests even indirectly, and which creates good-paying construction and maintenance jobs for local workers.

What am I missing?


Kia-EV6-GT-lease
EV6 GT burnout; via Kia.

There are obviously more reasons to go electric than these, from lower cost of ownership to saving the planet to absolutely killer burnouts that would make the one-tire-fire era IROC Camaros hang their 305s in shame – but I think those kind of fade into the background as being appealing to all, instead of being especially appealing to rural drivers.

That said, it’s been a long time since I was back in Ohio, so maybe I’ve forgotten what it’s like. You guys are smart, head on down to the comments and let me know what I missed!

Original content from Electrek.


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