If you’ve followed my writing or videos, you’ll know I’m a “life on two-wheels” kind of guy. If there’s an electric motorcycle, e-bike, scooter, or anything else remotely rideable out there, I’ve probably thrown a leg over it at least once. Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to learn how each type of vehicle comes with its own unique personality and enjoyment, but also its own risk profile. And without the benefit of 5,000 pounds of murderous steel around us, out of necessity we motorcycle riders become masters of balancing risk.
But could the perceived risk of different types of rides, such as e-motorcycles versus e-bikes, cloud our judgment on personal protection? I think it might, at least for me. And so I’ve been on a hunt for the right gear to fix that.
To put it a different way, when I’m on my motorcycles, I prescribe pretty heavily to the ATGATT doctrine of All The Gear, All The Time.
You’ll never find me on a motorcycle without a quality full-face helmet, and 99% of the time I wear motorcycle-specific armored jackets and gloves. I’m talking full back armor, shoulders, elbows, and sometimes chest armor or even built-in airbags depending on the jacket. I take safety fairly seriously on motorcycles, I ride conservatively, and I gear up.
That being said, I’ll sheepishly admit that out of convenience I often skip my armored riding jeans in favor of my vulnerable Levis. And to be fair, I do frequently forgo my armored riding boots while opting instead for my daily work boots. But I’m never in shorts or sandals, that’s for sure.
There’s just something about my motorcycles that instills that sense of important adherence to safety gear, to (mostly) sticking to ATGATT. Though here’s a little pro tip: I learned the hard way not to fly on motorcycle trips while wearing armored jeans when I ended up standing in an airport in my underwear with two TSA agents poking around the knees of my pants looking for drug bags. Damn body scanners instead of metal detectors. Anyway, I digress.
So yeah, motorcycles always equal “gear up” in my mind.
Technically those are Levis and steel-toed work boots, but I’m mostly ATGATTing
Then there are my scooters. I’m not talking cute little Razor scooters. I’m talking faster machines, like my 60 MPH Gogoro electric scooter. Or the even faster Gogoro Pulse I just tested in Taiwan.
They’re every bit as fast as my motorcycles when riding in the city or even on urban highways. Yet for some reason, they seem to give me some false sense of security. Stepping through my scooters causes me to allow myself a looser interpretation of my own safety gear rules. I’ll don a 3/4 helmet instead of a full-face sometimes. I’ll roll out in a T-shirt instead of leathers or an armored jacket. I’ll ride in khaki shorts instead of pants. And yes, I’ll even wear sandals sometimes in the hot Tel Aviv summers.
Just a couple days ago I was bombing down a mountain road on an electric scooter in Taiwan – the same road motorcyclists would love to carve up – with nothing but my signature black tee between me and the Taipei asphalt. And for some reason it didn’t strike me as strange, even though I’d surely be in an armored jacket if I was doing that run on a motorcycle.
I don’t condone this type of nearly-nude riding (especially not the sandals thing, even though they’re practically the equivalent of dress shoes here in the Middle East), but I’m also going to be honest with you about how I ride. As someone who doesn’t own a car and thus rides daily out of necessity, it’s a big part of my life and I want to be transparent about what that means.
Somehow I couldn’t even be bothered to put my visor down on either of these Gogoro scooters, whoops…
And then there are my electric bicycles, where for some reason it all goes out the window. Sure, I’m at least almost always wearing a bike or skate helmet, but that’s pretty much where I’ve drawn the line for myself. If I’m wearing a t-shirt, that’s an upgrade over a tank top. Hell, sometimes my sandals are there just so the summer asphalt doesn’t burn my feet.
I’m not saying this is a good idea – in fact I know it’s a terrible idea. That’s why you may notice I never film my videos like this to avoid showcasing poor protection practices – I almost always film my electric bicycle videos in pants and boots. And yes, I know about degloving accidents (please don’t google that). But for some reason, even though I know academically that being hit by a car on a motorcycle would be just as bad as being hit by a car on a bike or scooter, I never really think of it that way when I go out to ride. I allow myself to be a lot more laissez-faire with my gear when on a scooter and especially when on an e-bike.
Lately though, I’ve been giving this concept a lot more thought. Why do I gear up on one type of two-wheeled vehicle but not another? I’m riding the same streets with the same obstacles and at the same speeds (at least while in the city). For a while now, I’ve been wondering why there isn’t a better solution. Sure, it seems a bit silly to mount my e-bikes wearing all the same massive gear from the motorcycle end of my small section of the closet that my wife permits me to use. But why isn’t there gear that can protect me like my motorcycle gear without making me look like I’m a Valentino Rossi wannabe?
As it turns out, there already is. It’s called Beyond Riders.
Fortunately, I’ve finally discovered the answer I’ve been looking for. I found the gear that offers the moto-level protection I want on my electric bicycles without the same over the top moto-look.
Beyond Riders specializes in full-protection riding gear that looks like casual wear. They’ve got riding shirts that look like plaid hipster lumberjack shirts. They’ve got canvas jackets that look like a classic Carhart work shirt. They’ve got mesh jackets for full protection from a slide while still getting a breeze down to your cotton undershirt in hot weather. They’ve even got pullover hoodies for a soft, warm winter feel-good shirt!
And all of these have special pockets for holding motorcycle armor to protect different combinations of your elbows, shoulders, spine, chest, and more. Imagine that, a comfy winter hoodie that also protects you in a crash.
Many of the models have other important features too, like reflective panels that illuminate at night, belt loops to keep the jacket down in a slide, hidden pockets for gear, vent panels to avoid overheating, gussets to help the shirts expand at the shoulders when you reach forward for the bars, and more.
The canvas jacket I’ve been wearing lately even has a built-in microfiber cloth in the lower inside flap for a quick way to clean your riding glasses.
Level 2 armor can be inserted into hidden pockets to protect your spine, shoulders, elbows, and chest
The aramid fiber material is protective against sliding across the asphalt, (not to mention the hidden Level 2 armor pads I have in there for impact protection), but the jacket is also light enough that I can throw it over my shoulder or into the crook of my arm and walk into a coffee shop. My wife even likes the way it looks on date nights – a test none of my other motorcycle gear has ever passed.
Basically, the jacket gives me that convenient and comfortable protection I’ve been looking for so that I can convince myself to actually wear it while riding my e-bikes. That’s the key piece here, because it only protects me on my e-bikes and e-scooters if I’m actually wearing it.
And it’s not just jackets either, but Beyond Riders also has riding pants that look like normal pants, fingerless skate gloves, protective hoodies, and more.
Then there are the color and pattern options, which seem endless, and the size range includes XXS to literally 8XL and everything in between.
After I dug a little deeper, I discovered how they can offer what seems like a thousand combinations and permutations of sizes and styles. Beyond Riders produces its clothing to order, which means it takes a few extra days (sometimes up to a week), but each shirt or other garment is produced after you order it on the website, made to the exact specifications you selected.
That surely helps them be more efficient by cutting down on stocking massive inventory, yet they can still produce just about any color or size combination quickly.
The more I researched, the more I learned. It makes sense that there’s a big motorcycle community around these jackets, but it turns out they’re popular in other riding sports like electric unicycle groups and for high-speed electric skateboard riders. So it makes perfect sense to turn it into my e-bike jacket.
You’d never know all of these armor pads are hidden in this shirt, not to mention the abrasion-resist aramid fibers
Of course this stuff doesn’t come cheap, and compared to a distressed denim jacket from Target, the prices are significant. But if you’ve ever looked at the main motorcycle gear brands like Rev’it and Alpinestars, you’ll see the prices are actually pretty decent compared to leading motorcycle protective garments.
My favorite of the two Beyond Riders jackets I got is the canvas riding jacket, which was $179 with included Level 1 pads, but I chose to add the $59 Level 2 pad upgrade for better production. The canvas jacket is certainly not a winter coat, but it keeps me warm enough in the moderate Florida and Tel Aviv winter I’ve been testing it in.
But now that temperatures are rising, I’m getting more use out of my Beyond Riders reflective mesh shirt that costs $229. It’s black (see above photo), but the reflective layer means that it’s still visible at night. And for price comparison, my Rev’it Eclipse 2 motorcycle jacket I’ve been wearing up until now was just shy of $200, so these prices are fairly par for the course when it comes to protective gear.
I definitely prefer the look of the canvas shirt better, but the mesh shirt is great for getting the same protection in hot weather.
The same jacket works great on my motorcycles and my e-bikes!
While this stuff ain’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, frankly neither is surgery. And growing back a significant portion of skin on your back, sides, or arms is something that most people would gladly have paid a few hundred bucks to have avoided once they are in the thick of it. I’ve still got some scarring from going wheels up on an electric skateboard back in 2018 – my most serious crash of my career that fortunately only left me donating more skin than I would have preferred to the asphalt. But you never forget that feeling, and so having those aramid fibers of the jacket around me (not to mention the armor) adds some significant peace of mind that my black cotton t-shirt just doesn’t provide.
And the beauty is that while I’m comfortable wearing this gear on my electric bicycles, it’s found its way onto my motorcycle rides too since it’s built with that level of protection in mind.
My tried and true Rev’it motorcycle jacket has spent a lot more time on its hanger now that I’ve got the Beyond Riders gear in my quiver.
After years of dismissing protective clothing on my non-moto rides, I’ve finally found a way to take my appreciation for safety gear on my motorcycles and apply it to my electric bikes, scooters, and other rides in a way that is convenient enough that I actually do it.
To me, that’s the real kicker. You can have the best gear in the world, but if you don’t wear it because it’s too bulky, hot, or otherwise feels like overkill on your bike, then it’s only going to protect your coat hook.
The gear that you’ll actually wear because it’s comfortable and looks good (even on a bicycle!), that’s what will truly protect you.
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Over the next two years, homebuilder Lennar is outfitting more than 1,500 new Colorado homes with Dandelion Energy’s geothermal systems in one of the largest residential geothermal rollouts in the US.
The big draw for homeowners is lower energy bills and cleaner heating and cooling. Dandelion claims Lennar homeowners with geothermal systems will collectively save around $30 million over the next 20 years compared to using air-source heat pumps. Geothermal heat pumps don’t need outdoor AC units or conventional heating systems, either.
Geothermal systems use the sustained temperature of the ground to heat or cool a home. A ground loop system absorbs heat energy (BTUs) from the earth so that it can be transferred to a heat pump and efficiently converted into warmth for a home. Dandelion says its ground loop systems are built to last for over 50 years and should require no maintenance.
Dandelion’s geothermal system uses a vertical ground closed-loop system that is installed using well-boring equipment and trenched back into the house to connect to a heat pump. The pipes circulate a mixture of water and propylene glycol, a food-grade antifreeze, that absorbs the ground’s temperature. A ground source heat pump circulates the liquid through the ground loops and it exchanges its heat energy in the heat pump with liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant is converted to vapor, compressed to increase its temperature, then passed through a heat exchanger to transfer heat to the air, which is circulated through a home’s HVAC ductwork.
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Daniel Yates, Dandelion Energy’s CEO, called the partnership with Lennar a “new benchmark for affordable, energy-efficient, and high-quality home heating and cooling.” By streamlining its installation process, Dandelion is making geothermal systems simpler and cheaper for homebuilders and homeowners to adopt.
This collaboration is happening at a time when Colorado is pushing hard to meet its clean energy targets. Governor Jared Polis is excited about the move, calling it a win for Coloradans’ wallets, air quality, and the state’s leadership on geothermal energy. Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, said that “ensuring affordable access to geothermal heating and cooling is essential to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and we’re excited to be part of such a huge effort to bring this technology to so many new Colorado homes.”
And it’s not just about cutting emissions – geothermal heat pumps help reduce peak electric demand. Analysis from the Department of Energy found that widespread adoption of these systems could save the US from needing 24,500 miles of new transmission lines. That’s like crossing the continental US eight times.
Colorado is making this transition a lot more attractive through state tax credits and Xcel Energy’s rebate programs. These incentives slash upfront costs for builders like Lennar, making geothermal installations more financially viable. The utility’s Clean Heat Plan and electrification strategy are working to keep energy bills low while meeting climate goals.
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Polestar has removed the Polestar 2 from its US website header in an early sign of how new tariffs will restrict choice and competition for American consumers, thus increasing prices.
The Polestar 2 is Polestar’s first full EV – the original Polestar 1 was a limited-edition plug-in hybrid.
It started production in 2020 in Luqiao, Zhejiang, China, where Polestar and Volvo’s parent corporation, Geely, was founded.
Unfortunately, that interacts with some news that has been getting a lot of play lately: tariffs.
The US has been gradually getting stupider and stupider on the issue of tariffs, apparently determined to increase prices for Americans and decrease the competitiveness of American manufacturing in a time of change for the auto industry.
It is widely acknowledged (by anyone who has given it a few seconds of thought) that tariffs increase prices and that trade barriers tend to reduce competition, leading to less innovation.
It started with 25% tariffs on various products from China, implemented in the 2018-2020 timeframe. Then, in 2024, President Biden implemented a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, effectively stopping their sale in the US. These tariffs included some exceptions and credits based on Volvo’s other US manufacturing, which Polestar had used to keep the most expensive versions of the 2 on sale in the US, while restricting the lower-priced versions from sale. Nevertheless, they were a bad idea.
Now, in yet another step to make America less competitive and inflate the prices of goods more for Americans, we got more tariff announcements today from a senile ex-reality TV host who wandered into the White House rose garden (which he does not belong in). These tariffs do not include the same exceptions as the previously-announced Biden tariffs.
Apparently this has all been enough for Polestar, as even in advance of today’s tariff announcements, the company suddenly removed its Polestar 2 from its website header today.
The change can be seen at polestar.com/us, where only the Polestar 3 and 4 are listed in the header area. On other sites, like the company’s Norwegian website or British website, the car is still there. The Polestar 2 page is still up on the US website, but it isn’t linked to elsewhere on the site (we’ll see how long it stays up).
We reached out to Polestar for comment, but didn’t hear anything back before publication. We’ll update if we do.
It makes sense that the Polestar 2 would still be for sale elsewhere, as it only started production in 2020. Most car models are available for at least 7 years, so this is an earlier exit than expected.
So it’s likely that all of the tariff news is what had an effect in killing the Polestar 2.
Then again, this is also just the second day of a new fiscal quarter. Perhaps the timing offers Polestar an opportunity to make a clean break – especially now that the lower-priced version of its Polestar 3 is available.
Despite the lower $67.5k base price of the new Polestar 3 variant, that represents a big increase in price for the brand, which had sold the base model Polestar 2 for around $50k originally, before all of these tariffs.
Update: Polestar got back to us with comment, but understandably, it doesn’t say much:
Polestar is a three-car company and Polestar 2 is available for customers now. There are a select number of Polestar 2s in stock at retailers that can be found on Polestar.com, but Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 will be the priority in the North American market.
Volvo decided to build the car in Belgium and export it to the US, but now that new tariffs apply to the EU as well, maybe that low-priced, awesome, fast, small EV will instead stay in Europe instead of being shipped overseas.
This shows how mercurial tariff fiats from an ignoramus are bad for manufacturing, as they mean that companies can’t make plans – and if they can’t make plans, eventually, they’ll probably just write the country making the random decisions out of their plans so they don’t have to deal with the nonsense.
And we’ve heard this from every businessperson or manufacturer representative we’ve talked to at any level of the automotive industry. Nobody thinks any of this is a good idea, because it objectively is not. All it does is make business harder, make the US less trustworthy, make things more expensive, and overall just harm America.
Yet another way that Americans are getting screwed by this stupid nonsense. 49% of you voted for inflation, and 100% of Americans are now getting it. Happy Inflation Day, everyone.
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Lucid Motors (LCID) has now had six straight quarters with higher deliveries. The delivery record comes just as Lucid prepares to begin delivering its first electric SUV, the Gravity, to customers by the end of this month.
Lucid sets sixth straight delivery record in Q1 2025
Lucid delivered 3,109 vehicles in the first quarter, up 58% from last year and topping its previous record of 3,099 set in Q4 2024.
The company also produced 2,213 vehicles at its Casa Grande, Arizona, plant in the first three months of 2025, an increase of 28% from last year. Another 600 vehicles were in transit to Saudi Arabia, where they will be assembled at its new AMP-2 plant, Lucid’s first international manufacturing facility.
At this pace, Lucid will easily top the roughly 10,200 vehicles it delivered last year in 2025 at around 12,500. Lucid will likely see even more growth this year, with customer deliveries of its first electric SUV starting soon.
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During the Gravity SUV’s “celestial arrival” last week in NYC, Lucid’s interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said the EV maker is “nearly finished building all the vehicles that we wanted to build to put them into our studio and for test drives.”
Q4 2022
Q1 2023
Q2 2023
Q3 2023
Q4 2023
Full-year 2023
Q1 2024
Q2 2024
Q3 2024
Q4 2024
Full-year 2024
Q1 2025
Lucid EV deliveries by quarter
1,932
1,406
1,404
1,457
1,734
6,001
1,967
2,394
2,781
3,099
10,241
3,109
Lucid (LCID) EV deliveries by quarter 2023 to Q1 2025
Winterhoff added, “by the end of April, we will resume customer deliveries of the Gravity.” Lucid delivered the first models in December, but they were for employees, friends, and family.
Lucid calls the Gravity a “no compromise” SUV with a range of up to 450 miles, 120 cubic feet of interior space, advanced technology, and sports car-like performance. The Gravity Grand Touring starts at $94,900, while the Touring model will arrive later this year at $79,900.
Lucid Gravity Grand Touring in Aurora Green (Source: Lucid)
The new delivery record comes after Winterhoff told Fox Business last week that Lucid has seen a “dramatic uptick over the past two months” in orders from former Tesla drivers.
Currently, “50% of all the orders we have are from former Tesla owners,” Lucid’s CEO said. Winterhoff added that many are “looking for an option to not continue having a Tesla.”
Will we see the trend continue? Tesla announced earlier today that it delivered 336,681 vehicles in the first quarter, far less than the 390,000 Wall Street analysts expected.
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