Car companies have been screwing up e-bikes for longer than you think
Believe it or not, there’s nothing new about major automakers and motorcycle companies trying and failing to build and sell electric bicycles. Despite millions upon millions of e-bikes being produced and sold each year by bicycle companies, automotive companies have spent decades failing to convert their design and manufacturing experience into e-bike success.
It might sound strange, especially since electric two-wheelers are the largest category of electric vehicles in the world – and growing quicker than any other type of EV. Even in a year when e-bike sales weren’t able to continue their meteoric growth trend, the e-bike industry still grew to a record size without any indication of stopping.
So you’d think that the automotive world, the very industry that has the most to lose from drivers becoming riders, would have gotten into the game by now.
The truth is that it has, and repeatedly. The problem is that Big Auto just hasn’t succeeded at it yet.
Chairman of the Light Electric Vehicle Association, Ed Benjamin, who has worked in the e-bike industry for nearly as long as it has been an industry and who has also advised several automakers on their e-bike projects, recently shared his thoughts on why Big Auto has failed so spectacularly in the e-bike industry.
And he certainly isn’t short on examples.
Legendary American automotive visionary Lee Iacocca was all-in on electric bikes as far back as the 1990s. He pushed for the EV Global electric bicycle (seen above), which was so revolutionary at its time that it had the word “e-bike” emblazoned across the side to let people know what it was. The e-bike started at a modest $995 and could hit 15 mph (25 km/h) all the way back in 1997 – a speed that Europeans still haven’t figured out how to surpass nearly 30 years later.
But as Benjamin explained, even automotive great Lee Iacocca couldn’t make e-bikes work for car companies. As it turned out, the deck was stacked against him. No matter how much he wanted his e-bikes to succeed, it didn’t translate into sales at car dealerships. The $1,000 price meant that car salesmen working on commission couldn’t be bothered to sell them, certainly not when they stood to make a lot more money pushing someone into a Taurus or F150. Dealerships also quickly learned that there wasn’t money to be made in servicing e-bikes when the same car bay could turn over significantly more cash.
Ford continued with global e-bike attempts into the early 2000s but was met with either quick failures or extremely slow, limited sales.
In Asia, giants such as Honda, Panasonic, and Yamaha were also met with limited success, though the limited Japanese market was one area where their early e-bikes did succeed. Panasonic was able to sell its e-bike drive system, but that agreement was largely led by the bicycle company Giant taking the reins and using its bike industry experience to set the partnership up for success.
Yamaha, it should be pointed out, actually created the first production electric bicycle as far back as 1993, though that early model also only took off in Japan while failing to gather meaningful traction in the rest of the world.
Yamaha is one of the few success stories to date, still producing impressive e-bikes, though the company famously spins its non-auto products off into their own companies. I think we can all accept that the engineers designing Yamaha’s motorcycles aren’t heavily involved in Yamaha’s pianos or biomedical products.
Harley-Davidson shocked the industry back in 2018 with its beautiful electric bike designs. Still, it ultimately spun the project out as an independent company, Serial One, that failed to achieve strong sales. The e-bike company was eventually sold off to another bicycle company, which is currently attempting to revive the Serial One brand.
In many of these cases, the actual product was quite impressive. Harley’s Serial One e-bikes often scored great reviews, despite not sticking the landing with sales.
It’s a tough cycle that has continued to repeat itself, with Benjamin explaining his belief that it comes down to the same root causes, “my opinion: The pain and failure has usually been when an engineering culture, proud of their creation, has turned the bikes over to a sales culture that did not truly understand or believe in the product.”
That might explain why plenty of new e-bikes bearing automotive company names released in the last few years were merely licensing deals, such as Jeep’s e-bike built by Quietkat, Hummer’s e-bike built by Recon Power Bikes, Polestar’s e-bike built by Allebike, Toyota’s e-bike built by DOUZE cycles, and Ducati’s e-bikes built by Thok Bikes, among others.
GM was one of the few companies to build an impressive electric bike entirely in-house, but the project came at the worst possible time as COVID was blamed for killing off the GM e-bike before it could succeed.
With decades of examples, you might think automakers would have given up on the dream of building and selling their own electric bikes. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Several major companies are still trying to develop their own models, with some even doubling down on their investments.
Porsche is one example, with the company recently buying e-bike motor manufacturers and entire e-bike companies in an attempt to bring more e-bike expertise under the Porsche nameplate.
Rivian, the US-based electric truck maker, has also significantly expanded its e-bike development team with hires from major bicycle companies. The CEO also explicitly stated the company has its eyes on an e-bike model, though didn’t share any details about the direction Rivian’s e-bike could be headed.
All of this is to say that despite automakers consistently trying and failing to bring their own e-bikes to market, one thing is crystal clear: they sure aren’t giving up.
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The new and improved Hyundai IONIQ 5, or the hot-selling Chevy Equinox EV? Which electric SUV makes the smarter lease? Here’s the rundown.
Over 607,000 electric vehicles were sold in the US in the first half of 2025, thanks to some big discounts. Many automakers are currently offering generous savings, as Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” is set to end federal EV incentives at the end of September.
According to Cox Automotive’s latest EV Market Monitor report, EV incentives reached a record of nearly $8,500 in June, or about 15% off the average transaction price (ATP).
That’s more than double the incentives offered on gas-powered vehicles. Seven electric vehicles had an ATP below $40,000, including the Chevy Equinox EV. The Equinox EV was the top-selling EV in the price range.
Starting at just $34,995, GM calls it “America’s most affordable 315+ range EV.” The electric Equinox has already propelled Chevy to become the number two EV brand in the US behind Tesla.
Through the first half of the year, the Chevy Equinox EV accounted for nearly a third of GM’s electric vehicle sales. And it could have sold even more. A dealer in California reached out to Electrek, claiming they had to wait over a month to receive Equinox EV models. It’s now on track to be among the top three selling EVs in the US.
Which EV to lease: Chevy Equinox EV or Hyundai IONIQ 5
With leases starting at just $289 per month, it’s no wonder the electric SUV is flying off the lot. The offer is for 24 months with $3,909 due at signing.
Alternatively, you can opt for 0% APR financing for 60 months, which Chevy is offering on all 2025 electric vehicle models.
| 2025 Chevy Equinox EV trim | Starting Price | EPA-estimated Range | Monthly lease Price (July 2025) |
| LT FWD | $34,995 | 319 miles | $289 |
| LT AWD | $40,295 | 307 miles | $351 |
| RS FWD | $45,790 | 319 miles | $416 |
| RS AWD | $49,090 | 307 miles | $453 |
The base 2025 Chevy Equinox EV LT starts at $34,995 with up to 319 miles of range. The interior boasts up to 57.2 cu ft of space and a 17.7″ infotainment screen.
How does it compare to the IONIQ 5? Hyundai has upgraded its best-selling electric SUV with major improvements, including increased range (now up to 318 miles), a revamped interior and exterior, and a built-in NACS port to access Tesla Superchargers.
After cutting lease prices again this month, the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 is currently listed at just $179 per month.
However, that’s for the base SE mode, which has an EPA-estimated driving range of 245 miles. The longer-range IONIQ 5 SE RWD, with 318 miles range, can still be leased for just $199 per month right now. Both offers are for 24 months with $3,999 due at signing.
| 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Trim | EV Powertrain | Driving Range (miles) | Starting Price* | Monthly lease price July 2025 |
| IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range | 168-horsepower rear motor | 245 | $42,500 | $179 |
| IONIQ 5 SE RWD | 225-horsepower rear motor | 318 | $46,550 | $199 |
| IONIQ 5 SEL RWD | 225-horsepower rear motor | 318 | $49,500 | $209 |
| IONIQ 5 Limited RWD | 225-horsepower rear motor | 318 | $54,200 | $309 |
| IONIQ 5 SE Dual Motor AWD | 320-horsepower dual motor | 290 | $50,050 | $249 |
| IONIQ 5 SEL Dual Motor AWD | 320-horsepower dual motor | 290 | $53,000 | $259 |
| IONIQ 5 XRT Dual Motor AWD | 320 horsepower dual motor | 259 | $55,400 | $359 |
| IONIQ 5 Limited Dual Motor AWD | 320-horsepower dual motor | 269 | $58,100 | $299 |
Hyundai is also throwing in a complimentary ChargePoint Level 2 home charger with the purchase or lease of a new 2025 IONIQ 5. All IONIQ 5 trims are listed with 1.99% APR financing for up to 60 months.
The 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 offers up to 59.3 cu ft of cargo space with a dual 12.3″ driver display and infotainment system setup.
Both the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Chevy Equinox EV are hard to pass up right now, with lease prices expected to be as low as they will ever be.
Looking to snag the savings while they last? You can use our links below to find offers on the Chevy Equinox EV and Hyundai IONIQ 5 near you.
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Volkswagen’s ID.3 just got a gold star from the folks at ADAC, Europe’s largest automobile club. After four years of pushing the all-electric hatchback to its limits in a long-term endurance test, the VW ID.3’s battery still held 91% of its original capacity – a big win for EV durability.
Engineers at ADAC’s Test and Technology Centre in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, put the ID.3 Pro S through its paces, clocking over 160,000 kilometers (roughly 99,400 miles). That’s the full length of VW’s battery warranty – eight years or 160,000 km – and the car came out swinging.
The ID.3 Pro S is equipped with a 77 kWh net-capacity battery. Volkswagen guarantees that its ID. models will keep at least 70% of their original net battery capacity by the end of the warranty period. After the test, the ID.3 beat that benchmark by a long shot.
The ADAC didn’t baby this car, either. Over 40% of the charging was done using DC fast chargers, and the vehicle was frequently left at 100% charge between test drives, sometimes for days at a time. (That’s a no-no for battery longevity, but it’s precisely why this test matters.)
Engineers kept a close eye on the ID.3’s battery health between drives. They also regularly updated the vehicle software, including installing Volkswagen’s EV Route Planner, which calculates optimal charging stops using real-time traffic and charge level data. One major update even bumped up the charging rate to 170 kW.
The software upgrades didn’t just improve charging – they helped boost efficiency too, especially over short distances and during chilly winter temps (0–5C/32–41F).
Beyond battery life, the VW ID.3 also scored high marks for build quality. Even after all those kilometers, ADAC said the chassis, suspension, steering, and body were still in solid shape – no significant wear or issues.
ADAC’s big piece of advice is to keep your software up to date. That made a noticeable difference in range and driving experience over the four-year test.
Martin Sander, a Volkswagen board of management member responsible for sales, marketing and after sales, says the results show its ID. line (including the US-made ID.4s) is built to last. “A high battery capacity of over 90% after 160,000 kilometers confirms our ID. models are also very attractive as used cars and continue to meet the requirements of our customers.”
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla announcing new Model 3 and Model Y variants, the robotaxi expansion wars, big Lucid news, and more
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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