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Velotric’s electric bikes stand out from all the other electric bike makers for more than just their eye-catching colors. Underneath that paint you’ll find a number of major differences. Everything from component selection, design choices, embedded technology, and a lot more helps to create a unique and high-performing electric bike that separates itself from the competition. Let’s take a closer look at the new Velotric Discover 2 to see just what goes into these premium e-bikes.

Velotric gets UL certification for the battery and bike

This is incredibly important because UL certification is the gold standard for e-bike safety these days. Not only does Velotric go directly to Underwriter Laboratories for the testing and certification, unlike others that often use third-party tests, but both the battery and the entire e-bike received separate testing and UL certifications. You can actually look it up and find their published UL certifications, which can’t be said for most e-bike companies.

The battery is certified to UL 2849 and the entire e-bike’s drive system is certified to UL 2271. That means the motor, controller, charger, electrical system, and battery pack are all UL-certified.

As more cities and states require UL certification for e-bikes to be legally sold, having this important level of testing already secured is a major advantage.

Proprietary drive system – investing where it matters

A lot of e-bike makers simply pull various components off a shelf and assemble them onto a frame selected from a catalog. Velotric is different.

The company builds its e-bikes using proprietary systems like the powertrain to ensure that it is the highest quality and offers the best performance possible. That’s not something you can get when simply selecting parts à la carte like many others.

Velotric has its own manufacturing team and has 42 utility patents and counting (plus more design patents and software copyrights), meaning they develop their own gear to ensure it all works together properly and provides the performance that riders demand. That’s a big part of the secret behind how Velotric’s Discover 2 and other e-bikes in its lineup can offer more torque and longer range compared to other electric bikes with the same specs.

It’s also an important aspect to ensure timely deliveries. By controlling its own supply chain, Velotric averages just 85 days total compared to the industry average of 150-180 days. That means you get better-designed e-bikes delivered more quickly! And with over 500 partner stores, those bikes show up where you can actually test ride them or return for support when you need it.

velotric discover 2 e-bike

Bead welded frame that is hand-finished

When you see as many electric bike frames as we do each week, you notice the small details and differences that might slip by an untrained eye. Welding quality is one of them, and it’s an area where Velotric excels.

On the Discover 2’s own in-house designed frame, the Velotric team uses quality hand-finished bead welding for smooth and strong construction.

We’ve seen some shady weld jobs on other e-bikes, and we’ve even seen multiple e-bikes break in half under normal commuter usage. So Velotric’s assistance on quality welding on a purpose-designed frame is a major safety benefit that will ensure long-lasting, good-looking e-bikes that can withstand the test of time.

The attention to detail in quality manufacturing might also explain how they can offer a two-year warranty when many e-bike companies offer just half of that.

velotric discover 2 battery

Included battery handle

This might sound like a small feature, but it makes a big difference. When you carry an e-bike battery around, having a convenient and secure handle is about more than comfort, it’s also a safety feature. Most e-bikes have bulky batteries without any good way to carry it other than gripping around the entire chunky battery shell. But the Velotric Discover 2 has a built in handle that folds away when you battery is installed but lifts up to give you a convenient way to carry it with just a few lazy fingers.

It’s another great example of taking the time to design and include small but important features that help differentiate the bike from others that haven’t been able to match Velotric’s attention to detail.

The Velotric Discover 2 is surprisingly waterproof!

This might sound strange, but you can actually toss the Velotric Discover 2 battery into a tub of water and it will be fine! The battery is IPX7 rated, which means it can withstand being submerged in over three feet of water!

In fact, the company demonstrated that feature by putting the battery in a washing machine for an entire cycle!

The rest of the bike is nearly as waterproof, carrying an IPX6 rating. That means you can pressure wash it without any issues.

If you read the fine print on most e-bikes, they explicitly warn against pressure washing and may even void your warranty if you use a pressure washer. But Velotric actually encourages it because the Discover 2 is designed to withstand high pressure water jets, making it easier to clean it after a dirty ride. And even if you never plan to pressure wash your e-bike, it sure does give us some nice peace of mind to know that getting caught in a rain storm won’t have any negative effects on the bike!

Peak performance that you can really feel

A lot of electric bikes claim to have 750W motors, but that’s often a “peak rating”, meaning the motor is actually more like a 500W motor that is capable of short bursts of 750W. But with the Velotric Discover 2, you’re getting a true 750W continuous-rated motor. That means the peak rating is actually much higher, allowing the motor to do bursts of power up to 1,100W. For anyone who enjoys strong acceleration or needs to climb big hills, that’s the kind of power you want!

And speaking of hill climbing, the 75Nm of torque found in the motor is a big part of flattening those hills. While many electric bikes struggle to climb steeper hills, the Velotric Discover 2’s torquey motor eats hills for breakfast.

Don’t believe me? Consider that the Discover 2 is rated to tow 880 lb (400 kg) of weight, showcasing just how powerful it truly is!

velotric discover 2 e-bike

Tested tougher than necessary

Standard e-bike torture tests usually involve loading a bike with a certain amount of weight on a test machine and then running it for a certain number of miles. But Velotric prefers to exceed those standards so that they know the bike can truly last longer than the competition.

The standard ISO-4210 testing protocol provides a series of tests to confirm the safety and robustness of a bike, but Velotric doesn’t use the normal values for the test. Instead, they increase them to 150% of the test standards, turning the torture test into an even more torturous test.

While nearly every other company settles for the minimum standard, Velotric voluntarily raises the bar to test their e-bikes at 50% tougher conditions. Not only does it result in stronger bikes designed to handle anything thrown their way, but it also speaks to the company’s ethos, designing and building e-bikes that riders can trust to overcome the unexpected.

More PAS levels for more pedaling options

Having a torque sensor is a nice feature, and the Discover 2’s torque sensor provides comfortable, responsive, and natural feeling pedal assist for riders who enjoy feeling like they’re part of the pedaling experience. But Velotric goes beyond merely including a torque sensor, and has included an unprecedented 15 levels of PAS (pedal assist system) settings, meaning riders will have a lot more variation to choose from. It’s all right there on the brightly-lit color LCD screen, making it easy to choose your optimum assist level.

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing and easy cruise along the beach or you want a fast workout ride that has you sweating by the end, you can find it in the Discover 2’s wide range of PAS levels. There are even other nice features like the included cruise control so you can set your desired speed and then forget about it!

Sure, it’s nice to have the throttle there for times when you just want to fly along without pedaling and quickly increase speed at a moment’s notice. But for the other times when an easy-going pedal ride is what you’re after, that torque sensor combined with the unprecedented 15 levels of pedal assist settings make the pedal experience so much nicer than any other commuter or recreational e-bike on the market.

Serious suspension designed with quality in mind

Quality suspension makes a major difference. If you’ve ever tested a budget bike with a loud, clickity-clackity front fork, you’ve experience cheap suspension. It doesn’t feel very good because it isn’t designed to truly absorb bumps and road vibration the way a true hydraulic suspension fork does.

The Velotric Discover 2 features a quality hydraulic suspension fork with 80 mm (over three inches) of travel. Whether you’re staring down a speed bump, pot hole, branch across the road, or any other obstacle in your path, this is the kind of suspension you want to actually protect your bike and body from the bruising bumps along the way.

Apple FindMy integration

In a perfect world, we’ve never need to worry about protecting our e-bikes from going missing. But until then, having a built-in tracking device is the best chance you’ll ever have of getting your e-bike back in a case of theft.

Apple’s FindMy technology is the leading low-cost tracking solution that uses a network of hundreds of millions of phones, computers, and other Apple products to wireless transmit AirTag tracker locations. Devices like the Velotric Discover 2, which have the hardware found in AirTags built into their own design, make use of that network to protect the device with constant tracking ability. We still recommend a good lock, but if your e-bike some how goes missing, the Apple FindMy technology included in Velotric’s e-bikes can show you or the police exactly where it’s now sitting.

Or, you know, you can also use it if you forget where you parked!

Attention to detail makes the difference

There is so much about an e-bike that impacts its ride and ownership experience. Power and speed are nice, but all the other little things truly affect how the bike feels, rides, and fits into your life.

Velotric obviously took the time to consider those important differences and design them into the Discover 2 and many of the company’s other new models of e-bikes. In the end, that makes a huge difference when comparison shopping between a field of electric bikes that all claim to offer similar speeds, power levels, and prices.

When it comes time to make a decision, the bikes that offer all the other features that improve longevity, comfort, safety, and security, those are the ones that truly stand out!

You can learn more at the company’s website and use the promo code electrekv1rv60 to get $60 off your new e-bike!

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This is it: the FIRST pure electric vehicle to wear a Lamborghini badge [video]

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This is it: the FIRST pure electric vehicle to wear a Lamborghini badge [video]

True to Lamborghini’s legacy of speed and excess, the first battery-electric vehicle to wear the raging bull is also the fastest of its kind. Only this time, the badge isn’t on a car — it’s on a personal watercraft. Meet the all-new Seabob SE63 jet sled.

Co-developed with the Italian supercar brand, the Lamborghini-badged Seabob SE63 features a more powerful jet propulsion system than any of the company’s existing personal jet sleds, and is fitted with a carbon fiber motor shaft as a further nod to the Italian luxury brand’s high-performance heritage.

Here’s the surprising thing, though: the new Seabob SE63 isn’t inspired by a specific road-going Lamborghini. Instead, it gets its name from the Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 sport yacht built by the Italian Sea Group shipyards.

Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63


Tecnomar for Lamborghini Verde Citra; via New Atlas.

Why, yes – I will take just about any excuse to post pictures of sexy Italian super yachts in bright, vibrant colors. Thanks for asking!

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But we’re not here for superyachts. We’re here for super sleds, and German PWC specialist Cayago set out to make this one, “most powerful Seabob ever.” As such, the SE63 is designed to be grab-and-go personal jet sled that delivers significantly higher speeds than its Seabob stablemates. In fact, its makers say it’s fast enough to keep up with sharks and dolphins.

The riding experience is not just ‘a bit faster’, but thrillingly intense and unrestrained. Acceleration off the start line delivers an immediate adrenaline rush. Thrust, agility, top speed: everything is designed for maximum performance and pure emotion. 

LAMBORGHINI

The new SE63 backs up those claims with a 6.3 kW (~8.5 hp) electric motor. And, while that hardly makes it a supercar, in the world of ePWCs, it’s enough to make the SE63 a monster. The SE63 also features a bigger, more energy-dense battery than other Seabobs, a combination good for up to 60 minutes of go-fast, water-based fun.

Seabob SE63 Lamborghini


The SE63 can recharge its batteries with a standard power outlet in just 1.5 hours, and be back on the water for even more fun in the sun.

The Seabob SE63 made its debut earlier this week at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Production is set to begin in early 2026, meaning you’ll be able to get yours just in time for the summer 2026 beach season. Prices have yet to be announced – but, like any Lamborghini product, if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it.

Check out the world premier of the Seabob SE63 for Automobili Lamborghini (the sled’s official name) in the video, below, then let us know what you think of the brand’s first BEV in the comments.

World premier video


SOURCE | IMAGES: Lamborghini; via New Atlas.


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Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles

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Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles

A duo of Tesla shareholder-influencers tried to complete Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving ride that he claimed Tesla would be able to do in 2017 and they crashed before making it about 60 miles.

In 2016, Elon Musk infamously said that Tesla would complete a fully self-driving coast-to-coast drive between Los Angeles and New York by the end of 2017.

The idea was to livestream or film a full unedited drive coast-to-coast with the vehicle driving itself at all times.

We are in 2025 and Tesla never made that drive.

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Despite the many missed autonomous driving goals, many Tesla shareholders believe that the company is on the verge of delivering unsupervised self-driving following the rollout of its ‘Robotaxi’ fleet in Austin, which requires supervision from Tesla employees inside the vehicles, and improvements to its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) systems inside consumer vehicles, which is still only a level 2 driver assist system that requires driver attention at all times as per Tesla.

Two of these Tesla shareholders and online influencers attempted to undertake a coast-to-coast drive between San Diego, CA, and Jacksonville, FL, in a Tesla Model Y equipped with the latest FSD software update.

They didn’t make it out of California without crashing into easily avoidable road debris that badly damaged the Tesla Model Y:

In the video, you can see that the driver doesn’t have his hands on the steering wheel. The passenger spots the debris way ahead of time. There was plenty of time to react, but the driver didn’t get his hands on the steering wheel until the last second.

In a follow-up video, the two Tesla influencers confirmed that the Model Y had a broken sway bar bracket and damaged suspension components. The vehicle is also throwing out a lot of warnings.

They made it about 2.5% of the planned trip on Tesla FSD v13.9 before crashing the vehicle.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla shareholders used to discuss this somewhat rationally back in the day, but now that Tesla’s EV business is in decline and the stock price depends entirely on the self-driving and robot promises, they no longer do.

I recall when Musk himself used to say that when you reach 99% self-driving, it is when the “march of the 9s” begins, and you must achieve 99.999999999% autonomy to have a truly useful self-driving system. He admitted that this is the most challenging part as the real-world is unpredictable and hard to simulate – throwing a lot of challenging scenario at you, such as debris on the road.

That’s where Tesla is right now. The hard part has just started. And there’s no telling how long it will take to get there. If someone is telling you that they know, they are lying. I don’t know. My best estimate is approximately 2-3 years and a new hardware suite.

However, competition, mainly Waymo, began its own “march of the 9s” about five years ago.

Tesla is still years behind, and something like this drive by these two Tesla influencers proves it.

I was actually in a similar accident in a Tesla Model 3 back in 2020. I rented a Model 3 on Turo for a trip to Las Vegas from Los Angeles.

I ended up driving over a blown-out truck tire in the middle of the road like this. I was Autopilot, but I don’t know if the car saw it. I definitely saw it, but it was a bit late as I was following a truck that just drove over it. I had probably less than 2 seconds to react. I applied the brakes, but my choices were driving into a ditch on the right or into a car in the left lane.

I managed to reduce the force of the impact with the braking, but the vehicle jumped a bit like in this video. There wasn’t really any damage to the front, but the bottom cover was flapping down. I taped it together at the next gas station and I was able to continue the trip without much issue.

However, after returning it to the Turo owner and having the suspension damage evaluated by Tesla, the repair job was estimated to be roughly $10,000. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a similar situation with this accident.

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Stellantis’ new EV battery tech will put it ahead of – well, EVERYONE [video]

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Stellantis' new EV battery tech will put it ahead of – well, EVERYONE [video]

Chrysler parent company Stellantis is calling its new, Intelligent Battery Integrated System (IBIS) system a breakthrough technology that will make future EVs lighter, more efficient, and quicker. Now, that “breakthrough” tech is now moving from concept to reality.

Co-developed with Saft, Sherpa Engineering, Université Paris-Saclay, and Institut Lafayette, Stellantis’ IBIS embeds the charger and inverter functions directly into the battery pack, an integration that results in reduced design complexity, interior space savings, and lifetime easier maintenance.

That improved efficiency carries on to the battery’s second life, too. IBIS facilitates the reuse of electric vehicle batteries in second-life battery energy storage systems (BESS) applications by reducing the need for extensive (and expensive) reconditioning.

“This project reflects our belief that simplification is innovation,” explains Ned Curic, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer at Stellantis. “By rethinking and simplifying the electric powertrain architecture, we are making it lighter, more efficient, and more cost-effective. These are the kinds of innovations that help us deliver better, more affordable EVs to our customers.”

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Key IBIS benefits

  • up to 10% energy efficiency improvement (WLTC cycle) and 15% power gain (172 kW vs. 150 kW) with the same battery size
  • reduces vehicle weight by ~40 kg and frees up to 17 liters of volume, enabling better aerodynamics and design flexibility
  • early results show a 15% reduction in charging time (e.g., from 7 to 6 hours on a 7 kW AC charger), along with 10% energy savings
  • easier servicing and enhanced potential for second-life battery reuse in both automotive and stationary applications

Those benefits stem from the fact that EVs spend a lot of time and energy converting Alternating Current (AC) to Direct Current (DC) and back again with the – that’s true whether we’re talking about a L2 home charger or energy harvested from regenerative braking. Doing away with that process and the hardware that goes along with it could unlocks significant weight and efficiency benefits, with some estimates indicating that an IBIS car could weigh in at 40 kg less than a conventionally-equipped BEV, while still offering similar range and performance. 

IBIS has been in development for several years, with the first proof-of-concept for stationary applications being built in 2022. The news today, however, is that the first fully functional, IBIS-equipped battery electric vehicle (BEV) is finally ready to hit the road.

Stellantis’ researchers installed the system under one of the company’s new Peugeot E-3008 electric crossovers. Guilt on the STLA Medium platform, the prototype follows years of design, modeling, and simulation by both Stellantis and Saft, and (if all goes well) could pave the way for the integration of IBIS technology into Stellantis’ electric and hybrid production vehicles by the end of this decade.

Stellantis IBIS EV battery tech


SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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