Swiss electric scooter maker VMAX unveils two new budget and performance models in US
Swiss-based VMAX has been a key player in the European electric scooter market since 2015, and last year expanded into the US market. Now we’re getting our first look at two new models released into the US market, the VMAX VX2 Extreme and the VX5 Pro.
The company is leveraging its Swiss heritage and the quality reputation that goes along with it, even if the scooters aren’t actually made in Switzerland like your favorite timekeeper or chocolate. Still, that penchant for quality seems to live on in the brand’s industry-leading two-year warranty, focus on UL certification testing, IPX6 waterproof rating, and fully-stocked replacement parts warehouse in the US, just in case anyone needs to test out that warranty.
Now, the company is showing off a pair of new scooters in the US market, targeting both the higher-performance market and the entry-level segment. The $999 VX2 Extreme is designed for that type of higher-performance riding, while the $449 VX5 Pro is built with budget shoppers in mind.
Both models include several important features, such as relatively large tubeless pneumatic tires (10″ and 9″ on VX2 Extreme and VX5 Pro, respectively), LED lighting with included blinkers, UL 2722 certification from SGS, IPX6 water resistance to protect the scooters in a rain shower, and a combination of electronic regenerative braking and sealed drum brakes.
To dive into the details, let’s start with what looks to be the more adrenaline-laced model. The new VMAX VX2 Extreme is the company’s latest update to the VX2 Pro, which is still available as one of the company’s best sellers. In fact, one of my colleagues got a chance to test out the VX2 Pro last year. With any luck, I’ll try out the even higher-performance VX2 Extreme.
Upping the ante, the VX2 Extreme comes with a higher power motor featuring 1,600 peak watts, a steeper max climbing grade of 33%, a longer range per charge of up to 43 miles (69 km), a wider deck for added comfort, an upgraded 4-inch TFT LCD display, a new companion app, a higher weight limit of 330 lb (150 kg), and a new top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h).
The base model offers a 500Wh battery with 28 miles (45 km) of range. There are also two larger battery options available. Riders can opt for 624 Wh or 792 Wh battery packs offering ranges of 34 and 43 miles (54 and 69 km), respectively.
At $999 (or an extra $100/$200 for the larger battery options), that’s a lot of performance. We’ve seen other companies targeting this high-performance/low-price segment lately, but rarely with the bang-for-buck that VMAX is offering with the VX2 Extreme.
On the more relaxed ride end of the spectrum, the new VMAX VX5 Pro offers several upgrades over the company’s VX5 budget e-scooter.
The 18 mph (30 km/h) scooter now comes with new LED blinkers for indicating turns, and the pneumatic tires have been increased to a 9″ size while also going tubeless.
The scooter also maintains the same VMAX Connect App, IPX6 water resistance rating, UL 2722 certification by SGS, and a combination of regenerative braking and sealed drum brakes.
The $449 entry-level price includes a smaller 11-mile (18 km) battery, but there are two longer-range options with larger batteries that offer 17 miles or 22 miles (27 or 35 km), with each adding just $50 to the price.
Electrek’s Take
I’m pretty impressed by the value here. The performance of both models exceeds the price, especially when you consider some of the nice added features like turn signals and wider decks. It used to be that getting a $400 scooter meant shopping from one of the shady off-brand brands. But now you can get a solid scooter for the cost of a car payment and still have enough left over for a solid lock and helmet.
The only hesitation I have is the suspension, or lack thereof. I’m a bit split here. On the one hand, it’s great to have suspension when riding on surfaces like pavers, bricks, and cobblestones. On the other hand, scooters are more rugged and generally last longer without it (not to mention are less expensive and several pounds lighter). So as long as you don’t have crazy rough streets, this is probably sufficient, and the added bonus is the scooter will likely last for more years.
Those 9″ and 10″ pneumatic tires will also help with the occasional pothole, even if they aren’t the same as true suspension. But for anyone cruising Boston’s cobblestone streets, for example, that true suspension on competitors’ models does start to look mighty interesting.
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With the launch of the first-ever Class 8 vocational EV in the North American market, PACCAR Kenworth is raising the battery-electric bar and underscoring just how far the market has come since the Tesla Semi made its debut nearly a decade ago.
When Tesla pulled the wraps off its all electric Semi truck all the way back in November of 2017, the rest of the industry was hardly thinking about BEVs. Nearly a decade later, the world is still waiting for the Semi to begin regular production, and PACCAR is launching its second generation of HDEVs with the debut of this, the all-new Kenworth T880E vocational truck.
“The Kenworth T880E marks a groundbreaking milestone in Kenworth’s history as we bring to market the first Class 8 battery-electric solution built for vocational applications,” explains Kevin Haygood, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “The T880E is engineered to meet the evolving needs of operators and vocational fleets while still providing the durability, reliability and customization our customers expect.”
The new electric K-whopper is motivated by PACCAR’s in-house ePowertrain platform, capable of putting up to 605 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of peak torque to work, while delivering the same levels of drivability and dependability fleets expect from a Kenworth – but power and torque are only part of the T880E’s work-ready résumé.
Open to work
In addition to a stout, Class 8 electric chassis fitted with heavy-duty Kenworth brakes and axles, the T880E’s central drive eMotor allows for significant wheelbase flexibility so fleet buyers can spec out exactly the machine they need to get the job done. The T880E was also designed to enable lift axle installations from trusted Kenworth upfitters for a vocational-friendly BEV integration.
Additionally, the T880E features a wide selection of factory-installed options that include both high- and low-voltage ePTO (electric Power Take Off) ports, mechanical ePTOs, and the same wide array of body configurations as the ICE version.
Speaking of the ICE version, the electric T880E also can also be had in the same set-back front axle and set-forward front axle configurations with the same multi-piece hood construction. Inside the cab, the latest in driver-focused technology includes the Kenworth SmartWheel and a new 15″ DriverConnect digital touchscreen. Dash and vocational features like RAM Mounts and factory-installed PTO switches are available. The T880E is also offered with Kenworth ADAS packages for customers interested in DigitalVision Mirrors, Bendix Fusion, and Lane Keeping Assist.
It’s so big, you guys
The T880E was on static display at last week’s ACT Expo in Anaheim, California. Check with your local Kenworth dealer for availability.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Kenworth.
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The tire-blistering SU7 Ultra has been the Xiaomi brand’s flagship super sedan since its launch, but a controversial software setting has limited the car to “just” 900 hp in regular driving – resulting in an outcry from owners who ponied up for the big boy numbers. With its latest software update, that missing 648 hp is back on tap!
The SU7 Ultra made waves throughout the performance car world when a bright yellow striped example lined up alongside a white quarter mile king, the 1,000+ hp Tesla Model S Plaid, and promptly smoked it.
That wasn’t all. A preproduction SU7 Ultra prototype lapped the legendary Nürburgring circuit in just 6 minutes and 46.874 seconds, firmly stamping the 1,500+ hp Xiaomi’s alphanumeric into the track’s record books with a time nearly fifteen seconds quicker than a Rimac Nevera or, on the ICE front, either a Corvette ZR1, Viper ACR, or Porsche 918 (take your pick).
It’s hardly any wonder, then, that the customers who signed up – in droves, too – were disappointed to learn that the SU7 they were allowed to buy had been neutered by the safety nannies to the tune of nearly 650 hp. (!)
We’re so back
The outrage from SU7 Ultra owners was immediate. And, facing mounting pressure online and on social media, Xiaomi ultimately decided to withdraw the performance-limiting features while acknowledging the need for more transparent communication about future software updates they messed up, saying in a statement, “we appreciate the passionate feedback from our community and will ensure better transparency moving forward.”
So, rich people can rocket themselves down the road in 9 second hypercars again and all is right with the world. A happy ending – but one that sort of illuminates a fresh set challenges for automakers peddling “software-defined vehicles” to a market that still thinks of their cars as very much hardware defined products.
That’s evidenced by the resistance to pay for features by subscription and complaints by more informed customers that “software locked” range and convenience features just subsidize the cost of more expensive trim levels and pad profits for manufacturers and suppliers.
The new reality is playing out in real time now, and the Jeff Bezos-backed $20,000 electric compact pickup from Slate Auto is going the other way entirely – time will tell whether more, or less tech is the answer.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Xiaomi, via CarNewsChina.
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Tesla (TSLA) has started offering reduced interest rates on the new Model Y in the US — this equates to a direct discount on the brand new vehicle that was supposed to spark Tesla’s demand back.
The automaker has announced “1.99% APR or $0 Due at Signing available for well-qualified buyers” on the new Model Y in the US for the first time:
This amounts to a direct discount worth a few thousand dollars. It is the first widely available discount on the new Model Y coming just weeks after the cheaper non-Launch Edition launched in the US.
It follows a $2,000 direct discount that Tesla offered to early Model Y owners last week.
These discounts and subsidized financing point to soft demand for the updated best-selling vehicle in the US. Tesla just delivered a disastrous first quarter, which it mostly blamed on the Model Y changeover, resulting in lower inventory.
However, industry watchers, including Electrek, noted many signs that the Model Y changeover was not the only issue. Tesla added significantly to its inventory in the first quarter, and the wait times for the new Model Y were extremely short.
Now, the discount weeks after launching the new Model Y confirm the soft demand in the US.
It’s not as bad as Europe and China, where Tesla has already been offering 0% financing on the new Model Y for weeks.
Electrek’s Take
I think it’s clear by now: the new Model Y is not coming to save Tesla.
Let’s be honest: It will still be a significant vehicle program by volume. It just won’t help Tesla return to growth this year.
The RWD Model Y is still coming and has a chance to help in the US. It is already available in China, and it’s not helping Tesla much there, but that’s in a hyper-competitive market, especially at lower prices where the RWD Model Y operates.
Tesla’s performance in Q2 in China will be interesting since it is basically back to its regular lineup for the whole quarter.
The US appears to have been Tesla’s least affected market, but Q3 will be the real test with the full lineup and no backlog of demand for new Model Y.
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