How professional thieves stole $1 million worth of unreleased e-bikes in seven minutes
When my high-end electric bike was stolen last year, the intense combination of feelings ranging from violation to anger was hard to describe. But that is nothing compared to what one innovative electric bike maker is going through after $1M worth of unreleased new e-bikes was stolen in one fell swoop.
Biktrix, the Canadian e-bike maker behind several impressively designed, high-power models, shared the devastating news that a container of new Juggernaut FS ST e-bikes was stolen from the company’s Delta, BC warehouse. There were also several prototype models Biktrix is developing for release next year in the container.
It’s a huge setback for Biktrix, which has grown from humble beginnings a decade ago as a garage startup into a major e-bike maker with a 20,000-strong customer base.
The new Juggernaut FS ST e-bike model was recently announced, with Biktrix preparing to begin shipments to fulfill pre-orders. This was the first batch of these new e-bikes produced.
Unlike many white-labeled electric bikes that use a combination of à la carte components and frames chosen from a catalog of OEM parts, the Juggernaut FS ST is Biktrix’s own in-house design. It also features a unique frame with a hidden rear shock assembly, making it easy to identify.
The bike includes a powerful mid-drive motor that puts out 1,200 watts of power, as well as an industry-leading 1,300 Wh battery. That’s roughly twice the size of the average e-bike battery on most models these days.
With a combination cadence and torque sensor for pedal assist as well as throttle control, it’s quite unique among today’s high-powered full-suspension e-bikes, especially for an easy-to-mount step-through e-bike.
Its eye-catching design should make the bike easily identifiable. To further help identify the bikes, should they make it onto the secondary market, Biktrix shared that they include serial numbers in the range from BK2CE30001 to BK2CE30140.
Biktrix also shared security footage showing the suspected thieves arriving at the warehouse with a Ryder semi-truck used to pull the container. The container appears to have been mounted on a container chassis, likely from its recent delivery at the warehouse. The thieves broke the lock securing the container chassis, connected it to the semi-truck, and drove off into the night with one million dollars worth of unreleased new e-bikes in tow. They were on site for just seven minutes.
What likely would have been a fairly simple case for the police in a country with stronger public surveillance turned out to be a nightmare for Biktrix. The company discovered after talking to police that traffic cameras in Canada don’t actually record video unless a car is speeding or runs a red light. The company also provided the license plate number of the thieves, but the police could legally only surveil them for two days. As the company’s CEO explained, the vehicle didn’t go near the bikes in those two days, and so the police had to end the surveillance and effectively release the thieves.
“This container wasn’t just metal and contents, this container was like a treasure chest of our dreams, our entire team’s hard work, and considerable market value worth $1M—comprising all of our savings,” explained Biktrix Founder and CEO Roshan Thomas.
The container was insured with a standard ship to shore policy, commonplace in the ocean freight industry. However, the container had already reached Biktrix’s receiving warehouse, meaning it would typically no longer be covered under the policy.
While it is looking increasingly unlikely, the company hopes that the Canadian police will be able to locate the container before the bikes are lost. They also urge anyone who sees the container or the Juggernaut FS ST bikes to contact their local authorities. These are the only Juggernaut FS ST bikes in North America.
In the meantime, Thomas and the rest of the company are trying to keep their spirits up, explaining “We’re determined not to let this set us back. Instead, we’re using it as fuel to push harder, innovate more, and keep believing in what we do.”
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HOUSTON — Amazon, Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms on Wednesday said they support efforts to at least triple nuclear energy worldwide by 2050.
The tech companies signed a pledge first adopted in December 2023 by more than 20 countries, including the U.S., at the U.N. Climate Change Conference. Financial institutions including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley backed the pledge last year.
The pledge is nonbinding, but highlights the growing support for expanding nuclear power among leading industries, finance and governments.
Amazon, Google and Meta are increasingly important drivers of energy demand in the U.S. as they build out artificial intelligence centers. The tech sector is turning to nuclear power after concluding that renewables alone won’t provide enough reliable power for their energy needs.
Amazon and Google announced investments last October to help launch small nuclear reactors, technology still under development that the industry hopes will reduce the cost and timelines that have plagued new reactor builds in the U.S.
Meta issued a call in December for nuclear developers to submit proposals to help the tech company add up to four gigawatts of new nuclear in the U.S.
The pledge signed Wednesday was led by the World Nuclear Association on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston.
Environment
French industrial giant Schneider Electric hails the significance of China’s ‘DeepSeek moment’
China’s so-called “DeepSeek moment” is likely to be good news in the global race to develop artificial intelligence models that can carry out more complex tasks, according to Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of French power-equipment maker Schneider Electric.
“I actually think its good news. We need AI at every level,” Tricoire told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick at CONVERGE LIVE in Singapore on Wednesday.
“We need AI to optimize your whole enterprise at all levels, so that you can buy better, consume better, decide better, source better. To do all of this, we need models to operate on a smaller scale,” he added.
Tricoire said the emergence of Chinese AI app DeepSeek showed that AI models can achieve the same results as some of its more established U.S. rivals, but with a much smaller model.
It “will actually spread AI at all levels of the architecture much faster,” Tricoire said. He added that DeepSeek’s blockbuster R1 model would be “fantastic” for improving safety and reliability when deploying AI on dangerous equipment.
“The spread of AI models at every level of what we need is actually very good news,” Tricoire said.
His comments come shortly after Schneider Electric reported record sales and profits in 2024.
The company, which has been a big beneficiary of the artificial intelligence trend, raised its 2025 profit margin following robust fourth-quarter demand for data centers.
Shares of Schneider Electric rose 33% in 2024, following a 39% upswing in 2023. The Paris-listed stock is down around 7% year to date, however, with China’s recent AI push sparking concerns about AI investment and tech sector returns.
Data centers, which consume an ever-increasing amount of energy, represent a key piece of infrastructure behind modern-day cloud computing and AI applications.
— CNBC’s Ganesh Rao contributed to this report.
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