Failed SONDORS Metacycle motorcycle was never street legal, reveals employee
A former SONDORS employee has revealed new details regarding the Metacycle electric motorcycle sold by the now-defunct SONDORS e-bike company, describing the project as “a freight train wreck turned into a dumpster fire.”
The Metacycle was the first motorcycle built and sold by SONDORS, a company that had previously built budget-priced electric bicycles.
The Metacycle made waves upon its unveiling in early 2021, both for its novel design and the shockingly low price for a supposedly highway-capable electric motorcycle at just US $5,000.
However, after a series of mismanagement issues and amid accusations of fraudulent business practices, the company was effectively closed and forced into receivership in late 2023. The closure occurred shortly after Electrek exposed the first images of warehouses full of thousands of SONDORS Metacycles sitting unpaid at the Chinese factory that had been contracted to build the bikes.
It is unclear how many Metacycles were delivered to customers, but import records put the number at likely between 1,400 to 1,500 units. At multiple points, SONDORS had claimed to have deposits or full pre-payments from customers for several thousand more Metacycle orders.
Former SONDORS Director of Project Management and Engineering Bill Ruehl recently shared a number of alarming revelations about both the bike and the company during an appearance on The ITC Show podcast.
Bill joined SONDORS after spending nearly 8 years at Zero Motorcycles, where he served as Director of Prototype and Test. His hiring came as SONDORS added several key additions from the automotive and motorcycling industries, including from companies such as Zero, Ducati, and Tesla.
Bill has a long history as an engineer working with electric motorcycle designs and a rider himself. While the Metacycle was already designed and had begun making deliveries before Bill joined the company, he explained that he quickly assumed a role that dealt in large part with solving the rapidly increasing issues discovered in the motorcycle.
“I took it upon myself to learn the nuances of this vehicle as quickly as I could,” Bill explained. “So it was regular calls with the factory. It was regular involvement in doing forensic involvement on failures, going to customers and looking at their problems.”
According to Bill, the issues proved to be widespread, covering everything from technical concerns to business practices and even road legality. On the technical side, the bike’s speed controller, which is essentially the brain of an electric motorcycle responsible for delivering power from the battery to the motor, would often fail due to poor components and construction. On the business side, the company had a tendency to skirt importation tariffs through improper classifications. And during homologation, major issues were overlooked that would render the bike non-street legal.
In the US, all motor vehicles operated on public roads must conform to regulations compiled in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Motorcycles have specific design requirements relating to their design, operation, and manufacturing.
The process of homologation refers to preparing and approving a vehicle to meet applicable regulations for sale in a certain market.
Unlike in Europe, the US does not have type approval, where the government or an appointed body inspects and certifies vehicles as road-worthy. Instead, the US uses a system known as self-certification, in which manufacturers are responsible for verifying that they have indeed met or exceeded federal regulations for homologation.
“If you don’t meet those requirements, basically you can’t sell your product for use on US roads, so it becomes unregisterable,” Bill explained. “And there were a lot of issues with the Metacycle. In fact, if you were to hold a gun to my head and ask me if it was legitimately homologated, it was not. There were shortcuts that were taken. The biggest one of these is that the braking system, by FMVSS definition, is not suitable for a vehicle called a ‘motorcycle’ on US roads.”
Bill explained that each time he attempted to raise these concerns, he was pushed aside. “I was told to be quiet, and not repeat this anymore.”
While many riders were able to register their Metacycles at their local DMVs, this was not always straightforward or even possible. Several states would not allow the motorcycles to be registered. And even for those that were registered successfully, the registration is not an indication that the vehicle is actually street legal, but merely that the DMV permitted the application to be processed. Several riders reported having to make multiple attempts on successive days before a DMV worker accepted and filed their registration application.
Another key issue the Metacycle encountered was a high controller failure rate due to poor MOSFET selection and implementation, which Bill attributed to cost-saving measures at the controller manufacturer. The failure tends to occur under heavy loading, such as hill climbing and other high-power scenarios.
The problem doesn’t affect all Metacycles and depends on how well the multiple MOSFET chips in the controller are paired to each other, which is essentially random luck without a process for evaluation during the controller manufacturing stage.
“There are good Metacycles out there. I’m not trying to say that all Metacycles are bad and all Metacycles have this controller issue, but many of them do,” he added.
Bill had choice words for several other components on the bike, including the Metacycle’s security system.
“Honestly, I believe that the security system they used on the Metacycle was probably the worst thing ever unleashed on the American public.”
Bill attributed the many problems at SONDORS to its leadership, namely the company’s founder and CEO Storm Sondors.
“I will say there were a lot of people behind the scenes at SONDORS who were really trying hard to make a difference. They were not all Storm. But the problem is when you have an individual like Storm at the head of a company like that, the lies and the BS trickle down.”
After SONDORS closed and the company entered receivership, Bill decided to put his experience with the bike to use in helping owners who need support or spare parts. He now consults by appointment and is currently working with the former Metacycle factory in China to hopefully provide original Metacycle equipment to owners.
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It’s a big day for upstart electric semi truck manufacturer Windrose. The company has lined up what could be a landmark, $60 million deal and announced plans to being shipping its innovative HDEV trucks to South America.
ChinaTrucks is reporting that Windrose has lined up a deal to supply several hundred of its long-range, battery-powered heavy-duty trucks to US-based, zero emissions logistics company Nevoya that, once finalized, will represent the startup’s largest North American order to date. The agreement, which is reportedly valued at more than 430 million yuan (approximately $60 million, as I type this), has initial deliveries of the Windrose R700 BEV semi planned by the end of 2025, with full deployment expected by the end of 2026.
To meet those ambitious delivery dates, Windrose has shipped its first batch of “knock-down kits” to the US, where the distinctive sleeper cabs will be joined to Windrose’s electric chassis.
The company used its own electric trucks to complete the logistics process between warehouses and ports in both Shanghai and Los Angeles, achieving what it’s calling a fully zero-emission transport loop. Windrose CEO Wen Han posted the knock-down kits arriving at the Port of Long Beach a few days ago, and it appears that these could be the first of hundreds of electric semi trucks destined for deployment at Nevoya.
Expansion plans
At the same time, Windrose announced expansion into its 5th continent, thanks to a partnership with Chilean logistics firm Trailerlogistics Sudamerica.
Chile has a goal of reaching 100% zero-emission sales of freight transport and intercity buses by 2045. This aligns with its broader National Electromobility Strategy, which targets carbon neutrality by 2050. Chile is ranked as the 5th largest economy in Latin America by nominal GDP and 46th in the world (just above Finland and Portugal). Further, Chile has the highest per-capita GDP in Latin America. In 2024, there were 14,267 trucks sold in Chile, according to National Automotive Association of Chile.
For their part, Trailerlogistics Sudamerica seems excited by the prospect of electrifying their fleet with Windrose. “I am completely convinced Chile is the perfect market to start with Windrose in South America,” says Hernan Searle Ferrari, the company’s founder and CEO. “Apart from having totally open trade agreements with all international markets, Chile boast world-class highways and a unique geography; from the desert in the north, all the way south down to Antarctica, covering a total of 4000km. This will allow us to continue developing the dominance of our long-haul EV technology in all terrains.”
The first Windrose trucks will arrive in Chile to begin route testing with Trailerlogistics later this year, with a stated goal of deploying up to 100 trucks by the end of 2026.
SOURCES | IMAGES: China Trucks; Windrose, via LinkedIn.
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Environment
ECOVACS Goat RTK robot mowers start from $850 low, Rad Power RadWagon 4 cargo e-bike $1,499, EcoFlow solar bundle flash sale, more
This week’s hump day Green Deals start off with the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower returning to its $850 low for the third time ever, while its upgraded A2500 model is down at its second-lowest price too. From there, we have a spotlight on Rad Power’s popular RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike at $1,499 while the brand’s Back to School Sale continues through to next week, as well as EcoFlow’s final 24-hour July Monthly Madness flash sale that is taking up to 55% off DELTA 2 Max and DELTA 3 Pro solar generator bundles starting from $1,349, while also offering an increased EcoCredits purchase option. We also have a returning low on the 80V Pro-grade Greenworks 18-inch chainsaw, a one-day-only discount on Anker’s SOLIX C300X DC power station with a book-sized 60W folding panel, and more waiting for you below. Plus, all the hangover savings at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Navee ST3 Pro electric scooter savings, Aiper’s HydroComm pool monitor hitting its lowest price for the second time, and more.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Save up to 35% on ECOVACS’ Goat RTK robot lawn mowers with fisheye cameras starting from an $850 low
Amazon is offering the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower for $849.99 shipped, which beats out the brand’s direct website pricing by $50. This newer lawn care solution has only been on the market for five months and normally goes for $1,000 at full price, with discounts having mostly taken the price down to $900, aside from the two recent falls to the $850 low in May and June, while getting skipped over during Prime Day sales. This is the third time that we’ve seen this all-time low price appear with $150 cut from the tag price, and you’ll also find its upgraded counterpart benefitting from a discount below.
The ECOVACS Goat O1000 robot mower is the base model of the series designed to handle up to 1/4 of an acre of land on each full charge, with it able to stop, charge, and return to its duties for larger yards. Forget having to deal with laying boundary wires here, as it’s been given RTK navigation that provides more accurate location tracking on top of efficient route planning, with bolstered support from the LiDAR (3D-ToF) and fisheye camera that can take over steering when it enters heavily shaded or tree-lined areas that the satellites can’t see into. There’s also AIVI 3D obstacle avoidance tech, with the added bonus that it can also identify small animals alongside everyday inanimate objects around your yard – whether in the sun or in the dark.
ECOVACS’ Goat robot mowers can fit into tighter spaces between fences and the like that a normal mower may struggle or fail to tackle well, thanks to the compact and narrow design of its body, with it even given an IPX6 waterproof construction should it need to tough out sudden weather changes as it works. There’s plenty of remote smart controls available via its companion app, giving you the means to adjust settings, monitor its real-time performance, and edit the 3D maps it creates.
There’s also the more advanced ECOVACS Goat A2500 RTK Robot Lawn Mower down at its second-lowest price of $1,299.99 shipped right now, down from its $2,000 price tag. This model comes with a 32V motor and dual-blade discs, with a 5Ah battery that allows it to cover up to 5,382 square feet of mowing on a single charge, which it can be ready to pick back up on after only 45 minutes of charging at its station. It brings much of the same smart capabilities for its navigation and obstacle avoidance as the above model, with the added bonus of responding to voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant too.
Shepherd kids and packages with Rad Power’s popular RadWagon 4 cargo e-bike at $1,499
As part of its ongoing Back to School Sale running through August 6, Rad Power Bikes is offering its RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike at $1,499 shipped, alongside the ongoing low RadExpand 5 pricing and the new RadRunner e-bike bundles. This popular model fetches $1,799 at full price, which we’ve only seen dropped down to $1,599 over the last year, with more frequent returns to $1,499 in 2025 or otherwise given some bundled accessory packages. This is the lowest price we have tracked in the last two years, beaten out by the $1,399 post-launch low from 2023 and the all-time $1,299 preorder low from its launch years before.
If you want to learn more about this model, be sure to check out our original coverage of this e-bike here, while you can also browse the entire Rad Power Back to School Sale lineup here.
EcoFlow’s final July Monthly Madness flash sale takes up to 55% off DELTA 2 Max and DELTA Pro 3 bundles starting from $1,349
As part of the final days of its July Monthly Madness Sale running through July 31, EcoFlow has launched the last of this sale’s scheduled 24-hour flash sales through tomorrow at 9 a.m. PDT / 12 p.m. EST with up to 55% discounts on two solar generator bundles and an increased EcoCredits one-time purchase promotion. The most budget-friendly of the two bundles gives you the DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station with a 400W solar panel at $1,349 shipped, and that price matches at Amazon too. This bundle would normally cost you $2,298 at full price, with discounts having mostly kept costs between $1,399 and $1,599 over the year, though we have seen it go as low as $1,279 during Prime Day. You’re looking at a 55% markdown here for the next 24 hours that saves you $949 at the third-lowest price we have tracked. Head below to learn more about this unit and the other offers during this sale.
If you want to learn more about this power station or the other offers during this 24-hour flash sale, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.
Cover storm cleanup, firewood, more with Greenworks’ Pro 80V 18-inch cordless chainsaw at $199 low
Amazon is offering the Greenworks Pro 80V 18-inch Brushless Cordless Chainsaw with 2.0Ah battery at $199 shipped, while it’s priced at $229 directly from the brand’s website. It carries a $350 MSRP direct from Greenworks, but we have been seeing it more often at $299 at Amazon, with discounts mostly keeping things at $229 on average, with two previous falls to the $199 low, most recently during Prime Day three weeks ago. You’re looking at the best price we have tracked on this pro-grade model, giving you significant power for sawing needs with $100 cut from the tag (and $151 off the MSRP).
If you want to learn more about this pro-tier tool, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.
Carry Anker’s SOLIX C300X DC power station with a book-sized 60W folding solar panel at $237 (Today only)
As part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is now offering the Anker SOLIX C300X DC Portable Power Station bundled with a 60W foldable solar panel for $236.99 shipped. While this model starts for $330 at full price here, it carries a lower $300 tag directly from the brand’s website, where it’s currently sitting untouched by discounts, while Amazon’s matching grey colorway is priced $23 higher. For most of 2025, while there have been price cuts, they generally hit $250, though it did drop a tad lower to $230 during Prime Day, as well as $220 in February, with everything beaten out by the $190 Black Friday low. For the rest of the day, you can pick up this solar generator bundle with $63 off the going rate ($93 off the Best Buy tag) at the third-lowest price of the year and fourth-best overall.
If you want to learn more about this compact solar generator bundle, be sure to check out our coverage of this one-day-only deal here.
Best Summer EV deals!
- Aventon Ramblas Electric Mountain Bike: $2,599 (Reg. $2,899)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive Gates Belt CVT e-bike: $2,595 (Reg. $2,795)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 DRT Off-Road Moped-Style e-bike: $2,495 (Reg. $2,595)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 Full Suspension Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Rad Power RadRunner Max Cargo Utility e-bike with $139 bundle: $2,299 (No price cut)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive 9-Speed e-bike: $2,095 (Reg. $2,495)
- Segway Xafari Red e-bike: $2,000 (Reg. $2,400)
- Velotric Nomad 2 All-Terrain e-bike with $120 bundle (new model): $1,999 (No price cut)
- Rad Power Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Rad Power Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 35Ah Cargo e-bike w/ up to $654 bundle: $1,999 (Reg. $2,653)
- Tenways AGO X All-Terrain e-bike with $307 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,499)
- Velotric Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike with $150 bundle (new model): $1,799 (No price cut)
- Aventon Pace 4 Smart Cruiser e-bike (new model, first discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 26Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $505 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,204)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Long-Range Off-Road e-bike with $390 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,089)
- Aventon Aventure 2 All-Terrain e-bike: $1,699 (Reg. $1,999)
- Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
- Rad Power RadRunner Cargo Utility e-bike with $109 bundle: $1,499 (No pirce cut)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Standard Off-Road e-bike with $227 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,726)
- Lectric XP Trike2 with $227 preorder bundle (through July 28): $1,499 (Reg. $1,726)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,799)
- Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bikes with $118 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Velotric Nomad 1 Plus All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Aventon Sinch 2 Folding e-bike (lowest price): $1,399 (Reg. $1,699)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 13Ah Cargo e-bike with $326 bundle: $1,399 (Reg. $1,725)
- Aventon Level 2 Commuter e-bike (2025 low): $1,399 (Reg. $1,899)
- Ride1Up Roadster V3 Lightweight Premium e-bike: $1,395 (Reg. $1,495)
- Velotric T1 ST Plus Lightweight e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,649)
- Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $410 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,709)
- Lectric XP4 750 LR Folding Utility e-bikes with $356 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,655)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 JW Black LR e-bike with $128 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,227)
- Ride1Up Portola Folding e-bike with BOGO accessory promo: $995 (Reg. $1,095)
- Lectric XP4 Standard Folding Utility e-bikes with $79 bundle: $999 (Reg. $1,078)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes with up to $128 bundles: $999 (Reg. $1,127)
- Heybike Hauler Single-Battery Cargo e-bike: $999 (Reg. $1,499)
- Rad Power RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike (new low): $999 (Reg. $1,599)
- Navee ST3 Pro Electric Scooter (new model): $760 (Reg. $1,014)
- Navee GT3 Pro Electric Scooter (new model): $520 (Reg. $714)
Best new Green Deals landing this week
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
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Ford (F) reported Q2 2025 earnings on Wednesday, beating top and bottom line expectations. Despite the revenue growth, Ford is warning profits will take a hit thanks to Trump’s tariffs. We will also learn about Ford’s plans to build “breakthrough” EVs in the US very soon.
Ford Q2 2025 earnings preview
After suspending full-year guidance in May, Ford warned that it expected to take a $2.5 billion hit from Trump’s auto tariffs.
Given that Ford builds more vehicles in the US than any major automaker, outside of Tesla, it’s expected to see less of an impact from the 25% tariff on imports.
Ford imports just about 21% of the vehicles it sells in the US. In comparison, crosstown rival GM imports around 46%. GM announced last week that the tariffs cost it an extra $1.1 billion in the second quarter. For the full year, GM still expects a $4 billion to $5 billion impact.
Unlike GM, Ford breaks down earnings into three units, including Model e, its electric vehicle business. Ford’s Model e posted a nearly $1 billion loss in the first quarter, but new EVs rolling out in Europe boosted revenue.
Although Ford’s vehicle sales rose 14% to over 612,000 in Q2, EV sales dropped 31% to just 16,438. Ford spokesperson Martin Gunsberg told Electrek that both the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning were impacted by the changeover to the 2025 model year and the Mach-E recall.
According to Estimize, Wall Street expects Ford to post second-quarter EPS of $0.33 on revenue of $43.75 billion.
Improving costs and more EV news to come
Ford beat earnings estimates posting second quarter revenue a record $50.02 billion in revenue, up 5% YOY and an adjusted EPS of $0.37.
- Ford Q2 2025 Revenue: $50.02 billion vs $43.75 billion expected
- Ford Q2 2025 adjusted EPS: $0.37 vs $0.33 expected
Despite the higher revenue, Ford posted a $36 million net loss, which was due to a “field service action and expenses related to a previously announced cancellation of an electric vehicle program.” It also incurred an $800 million loss due to tariffs in the quarter.
Ford Pro continues to drive both top and bottom-line growth with high-margin revenue streams from software and services.
Its Model e EV business, on the other hand, lost another $1.3 billion in the second quarter. Through the first half of the year, Model e has now lost $2.2 billion.
Ford attributed the higher losses to tariff-related costs and investments in launching its new EV battery plant in Michigan.
After launching new EVs in Europe, like the Capri and electric Explorer, Model e’s revenue doubled to $2.4 billion. Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning material costs also improved in the quarter.
Ford now expects full-year adjusted EBIT of $6.5 billion to $7.5 billion, including a $2 billion hit from tariffs. That’s down from the $7 billion to $8.5 billion it previously forecasted.
The company will partially offset a $3 billion gross adjusted EBIT impact, partially offset by $1 billion in recovery actions.
CEO Jim Farley announced an event on August 11 in Kentucky, where Ford will share more details about its “plans to design and build breakthrough electric vehicles in America.”
Check back for more info from Ford’s Q2 2025 earnings call. We will keep you updated with the latest.
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