Ampler launches sleek new lightweight on and off-road commuter electric bikes
Ampler Bikes, an Estonian e-bike company that prides itself on high-quality, local European manufacturing, has announced new e-bike models that expand the brand’s focus past the bike lanes and onto the trails.
Ampler has spent years building up its street cred for the street, where the company’s different Ampler models have led the way among lightweight, minimalist-looking e-bikes. They’ve been a favorite of commuters for their simplistic look that hides away the bikes’ connected technology and quality components under the cover of minimalism.
In the company’s own words (with which this journalist agrees), “Ampler is known for producing some of the lightest e-bikes in the industry, and the new range makes them one of the most versatile selections in the market. No bulky batteries, maintenance-heavy components, or other clutter. Ampler combines modern technology with a traditional bicycle design to make pedaling easier, lighter, and faster.
Anyone looking at an Ampler e-bike would be hard-pressed to call it electric. They just look like a classy pedal bike you’d see any bike messenger pedaling down the bike lane. But hidden away inside the frames are batteries and sophisticated electronics providing a wide range of features and control parameters that let owners make the most of their e-bike.
Now the company is adding to its lineup its first non-purely road-oriented e-bike. The classic Ampler Curt model is joined by a new Curt Anyroad, which comes in both a classic diamond frame and a low-step option.
Compared to the existing Curt model, the Curt Anyroad comes with “thicker tires, fork mounts, and an advanced 10-speed drivetrain,” explained the company. “This bike is primed for all-road adventures and bike-packing escapades. Conquer rugged terrain confidently and experience optimal power and efficiency with each pedal stroke.”
Another accessible variant of the Curt has also been added, creating the Curt Low-Step. Both the Curt Low-Step and Curt Anyroad Low-Step come in frame sizes S and M, while the rest of Ampler’s lineup of several other models comes in frame sizes XS to L, offering a huge range of sizes to fit nearly every rider.
The addition now means there’s a low-step variant of all of Ampler’s e-bike models, many of which feature either single-speed Gates carbon belt drives or 9-speed and 10-speed Microshift transmissions. Most of Ampler’s e-bikes range from 14.5 to 17 kg (30 to 37 lb), making them some of the lightest urban e-bikes on the market.
And to further differentiate these lightweight and low-maintenance e-bikes, Ampler is rolling out several new color options. The company opened a massive 1,300 square meter (14,000 square feet) painting factory in 2022, allowing them to expand their color options with local painting.
Ampler’s e-bikes start at €2,790 (approximately US $3,040), with the higher spec models like the Curt Anyroad carrying a €3,690 price tag (approximately US $4,020). I’m a bit biased towards the Ampler Axel that I tested (below), which has a ride somewhere between the sportier Ampler Curt and more upright Ampler Juna.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve personally had the chance to test several of Ampler’s e-bikes during various trips in Europe, and even visited the company’s factory in Estonia to see firsthand the quality and attention they put into how they build their e-bikes (check out that video below).
The company obviously prides itself not only in its quality manufacturing, but also just how much tech is built into the bikes. In talking with Ampler’s team, I’ve always gotten the feeling that they don’t want to rush out new models just for the sake of a new model year, and that they don’t include flashy features just to check a box. If they build something new or include a new feature, it’s because they’ve tested it over sufficient time and determined that it’s actually going to benefit riders – not just grab a headline or add innovation for innovation’s sake. And I respect that.
The addition of the Curt Anyroad seems like a true-to-form move for the company, building upon the same design legacy but offering new roads (or trails) for riders to expand the possibilities for where a ride may take you.
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![Hackers turn Nissan LEAF into full-scale RC car, record drivers' conversations [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/nissan-leaf-hacked.png?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
A team of white hat European hackers using their brains, keyboards, and a couple of bits and baubles from eBay managed to take control of a 2020 Nissan LEAF and violate just about every privacy and safety regulation in the process.
The best part: they recorded the whole thing.
Budapest-based cybersecurity experts PCAutomotive were able to exploit a number of vulnerabilities in a 2020 Nissan LEAF that enabled the white hat team to geolocate and track the car, record the texts and conversations happening inside the car, playing media back through the car’s speakers, and even (this is the genuinely terrifying dangerous part) turning the steering wheel while the car was moving. (!?)
Maybe the scariest part of this hack, however, is how seemingly easy it was to pull off by starting with a “test bench simulator” built using parts from eBay and exploiting a vulnerability in the LEAF’s DNS C2 channel and Bluetooth protocol.
The PCAutomotive team gave a hugely detailed 118-page presentation of their exploit at black hat Asia 2025, which we’ve included at the bottom of this post, in case the original link goes dead. If you’re into that sort of thing, the fun stuff starts around page 27. And, if you’re not, just know that all the vulnerabilities were disclosed to Nissan and its suppliers between 02AUG2023 and 12SEP2024 (p. 116/118), and the “attack” itself can be seen in the video below that. Enjoy!
Summary of vulnerabilities
- CVE-2025-32056 – Anti-Theft bypass
- CVE-2025-32057 – app_redbend: MiTM attack
- CVE-2025-32058 – v850: Stack Overflow in CBR processing
- CVE-2025-32059 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [0]
- CVE-2025-32060 – Absence of a kernel module signature verification
- CVE-2025-32061 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [1]
- CVE-2025-32062 – Stack buffer overflow leading to RCE [2]
- PCA_NISSAN_009 – Improper traffic filtration between CAN buses
- CVE-2025-32063 – Persistence for Wi-Fi network
- PCA_NISSAN_012 – Persistence through CVE-2017-7932 in HAB of i.MX 6
Remote exploitation of Nissan LEAF
Electrek’s Take
This is one of those posts that, on the bright side, does a great job explaining how a remote operator can “log in” to a vehicle and steer it out of trouble when a weird or edge-case-type situation pops up.
Unfortunately, this is also one of those posts that some of the more clueless anti-EV hysterics will point to and say, “See!? EVs can get hacked!” But the reality is that virtually any car with electric power steering (EPS), electronic throttle controls, brake-by-wire, etc. can be hacked in a similar way. But, while steering a target’s car into an oncoming semi might be a great way to pull off a covert CIA assassination, the more worrying issue here is the breach of privacy and recording – unless you want to spend some time in El Salvadoran prison, I guess.
Remember, kids: Big Brother is watching you.
SOURCE | IMAGES: black hat.
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A major new EV battery factory is being built in Sunderland, bringing 1,000 new jobs with it. AESC, Nissan’s battery partner, is behind the £1 billion ($1.33 billion) plant, which will boost the UK’s EV battery production by six times, enough to power 100,000 electric cars annually.
The 12 GWh capacity plant, AESC’s second battery plant in Sunderland, will be powered by 100% net-zero carbon energy. That big jump in capacity helps position Britain as a global player in EV manufacturing while pushing forward the country’s net-zero goals.
The investment is getting a serious financial lift from the British government. Through a combination of support from the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance, the project is unlocking £680 million in financing from major banks, including HSBC, Standard Chartered, SMBC Group, Societe Generale, and BBVA, that covers the construction and operation of the battery factory. Another £320 million is coming from private investment and fresh equity from AESC. On top of all that, the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund is pitching in with £150 million in grant funding.
This deal follows closely on the heels of the new UK-US trade agreement announced a day earlier, which cuts car export tariffs from 27.5% down to 10% for up to 100,000 UK-made vehicles – nearly the total number exported last year. That move could save car companies hundreds of millions of pounds and help protect good-paying jobs in manufacturing hubs like Sunderland.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visited AESC in Sunderland, where she met with staff and local leaders to discuss what this means for the Northeast and the British car industry.
“This investment follows hot on the heels of yesterday’s landmark economic deal with the US, which will save thousands of jobs in the industry,” Reeves said.
Read more: UK unveils largest curbside EV charger installation of 6,000 ports
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It’s about the future of their jobs. Ford workers at two plants in western Germany are set to go on strike on Wednesday, their works council chief said on Monday.
Ford is facing a worker strike in Germany
In November, Ford announced it would cut around 4,000 jobs in Europe by 2027 as part of a restructuring, primarily in Germany and the UK. That’s still about 14% of its European workforce.
The American automaker said the move comes after it has incurred “significant losses” in recent years and a “highly disruptive market” with new EVs quickly gaining market share.
Ford blamed slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles and a weak economic situation. It also plans to slow production at its Cologne EV plant, where the electric Explorer and Capri are built.
Last week, IG Metall members voted in favor of “industrial action” with 93.5% of votes in favor of a strike. “Ford must act now—otherwise, we will go through with it,” said Kerstin D. Klein, Chief Representative of IG Metall Cologne-Leverkusen.
Ford is facing an influx of new competition, including Chinese EV makers like BYD. BYD’s overseas sales are surging with a fifth straight month of growth in April.
BYD even outsold Tesla in Germany last month, with 1,566 vehicles registered. In comparison, Tesla had just 855, and Ford saw 9,534 registrations.
On top of this, Ford, like most of the industry, is preparing for more disruption with Trump’s auto tariffs. After releasing Q1 earnings last week, Ford warned that the tariffs could cost up to $2.5 billion this year.
During Ford’s earnings call, CFO Sherry House said that recent EV launches in Europe, including the Explorer, Capri, and Puma Gen-E, helped more than double Model e’s wholesale volume in Q1.
After early success in the US, Ford also launched its “Power Promise” promotion in Europe, offering EV buyers a free home charger and several other perks.
Source: Reuters
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