I’ve been on the hunt for an electric mountain bike that would give me much of the performance of the fancier, high-priced models, yet without their major downside: that higher price. The Velotric Summit 1 rolled in at the perfect time, and while the bike itself isn’t perfect, it’s darn near exactly what I’d want from an eMTB that focuses on keeping prices down.
The bright orange e-bike is even more fun to ride than it is to look at. But you’ll want to watch too, so make sure you take a gander at my riding video below to come along with me. Then keep reading for even more, below!
Velotric Summit 1 Video Review
Velotric Summit 1 tech specs
Motor: 750W (1,300W peak-rated) rear hub motor with 90Nm of torque
Top speed: 28 mph (50 km/h)
Range: Claimed up to 70 miles (up to 112 km)
Battery: 48V 14.7Ah (705.6 Wh)
Weight: 62 lb (28 kg)
Load capacity: 440 lb (200 kg)
Frame: Triple-butted aluminum alloy
Tires: Kenda 27.5×2.6″ fat tires
Brakes: Dual-piston Shimano hydraulic disc brakes
Extras: Color display, 15 pedal assist levels, front and rear LED light with brake light, front suspension, kickstand, internally routed cables, removable battery, Apple FindMy, torque sensor, UL-compliant battery and e-bike system
What does this e-bike offer
First of all, since Velotric is known more as a street-focused brand, the Summit 1 retains a lot of what makes the brand’s other models great for cruising the roads. That means you still get features like built-in LED lighting, Apple FindMy location tracking, and the ability to add fenders/racks for city and utility riding.
But of course, the main purpose of Summit 1 is trail riding, and that’s where the bike feels most at home.
The 750W rear motor puts out a peak power figure of closer to 1,300 watts, which along with the 90 Nm of torque is where your true hill-climbing potential comes from. For those of you with flat terrain like me, that also translates into powerful off-the-line starts, so it’s not wasted on us coastal sea levelers.
The battery is rather average-sized at 700 Wh, but is easily removable for charging either on or off the bike. Since the bike weighs 68 lb, you also might want to take that battery out when you lift the bike, such as into the back of a truck.
And another note on the battery: it’s UL-compliant. In fact, the entire e-bike is UL-compliant also, giving riders added peace of mind.
When it comes to range, Velotric says you’ll get 60 miles (100 km) on throttle or 70 miles (112 km) on pedal assist.
That pedal assist range sounds about right, considering the 15 levels of pedal assist can provide either powerful or soft assist, and that lower power end of the spectrum is where your best range will come from.
But the 60-mile throttle range seems quite lofty unless you’re cruising around at leisurely speeds of 10-12 mph. And if you’re riding off-road nature trails, there’s a chance you will be. But suffice it to say that with 700Wh of capacity, the bike has roughly average battery capacity and will hang with or surpass just about any other eMTB in its class when it comes to range.
Torque sensor for the win!
On bikes that are designed to be pedaled frequently, such as electric mountain bikes, a torque sensor is a beautiful piece of equipment to have. As we’ve talked about before, the torque sensor basically makes the power delivery a lot more natural and intuitive by giving you more or less power based on how hard you pedal instead of how fast you pedal.
On a bike designed for cruising in the bike lane, the lack of a good torque sensor is less noticeable. But when you’re trying to climb up a steep mountain bike trail, having instantaneous power on tap is a great advantage to have.
I’m also glad to see the bike is well-made, including using a strong through-axle for the front wheel and frame welds that look solid.
The bike is tested to exceed standard ISO tests used for electric mountain bikes, which is how the company can claim that higher weight capacity for a type of bike that is expected to live a rough life handling tough trails and bumpy rides.
The battery is even IPX7-rated, which means it can be submerged in water. I tested that very claim by tossing a Velotric battery in a tub of water, and lo and behold, it worked just fine when I took it out. So if the storm clouds move in during your ride, you may have to worry about traction, but you won’t have to worry about the safety of your battery.
And if I’m being a bit superficial, I’m also glad to see the nice, vibrant color options there are. Obviously that’s not a key performance differentiator, but since many people like to choose a bike color that matches their personality, having bright oranges and blues in addition to the more muted grayscale is nice to see.
What are the downsides?
Look, the bike rides great. The 120mm hydraulic suspension fork does a great job on the bumps and the bike is comfortable to flick around a trail. But no bike is perfect, and it’s fair to say that Velotric had to cut some corners compared to the fancier “true eMTBs” you’ll see in the bike shops.
For one, there’s no mid-drive motor, which the more lycra-minded riders often tout as the pinnacle of eMTB drives. Yes, mid-drives give great balance and usually mean a fancy German motor, but they also come with fancy German prices. So you’re giving up that mid-drive in favor of a rear-heavy hub motor, but saving a lot of green!
Next, the 8-speed derailleur is a simple Shimano Altus. It’s not bad, but it’s not a great piece of kit, either. It’s fine for recreational riders, but it won’t take the same beating or have the same lower maintenance as higher-end derailleurs.
And those tires? They’re Kendas, not something fancier like Maxxis. But here again, it feels fine for normies like me. I was hitting sandy singletrack without any traction issues, and I haven’t gotten a single flat… yet.
So sure, there are some modest parts mixed in here to help keep the price down to just $1,999, compared to the higher dollar eMTBs out there. But I think the right compromises were made in the right places, saving areas like safety and build quality as the main points where Velotric invested more heavily.
Sum it up for me!
The Velotric Summit 1 is a great riding e-bike that can handle mountain bike trails the way they’re meant to be ridden, but doesn’t carry the same $4-6k price tag of many more pro-level electric mountain bikes. At just $1,999, it’s a lot easier for a casual rider to justify.
I’ve had a blast riding trails on it the way I’d use a fancier hard-tail electric mountain bike. Sure, a mid-drive motor and higher-end transmission would upgrade the bike, but I’m happy to make those sacrifices in favor of more recreational-focused components that get the same job done at a fraction of the price.
With the build quality and safety that’s been engineered into the bike, I’m giving this one a solid recommendation for newer riders and enthusiasts alike. Just don’t think you’ll catch big air on the massive jumps you see $8,000 full suspension eMTBs handling.
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Fleet electrification expert Tony Nisam took to LinkedIn yesterday to post a deal that he ran across at a Washington State Costco that stacks a $25,500 manufacturer rebate with $3,000 in “regular” Costco Member Savings, $2,750 in “LIMITED-TIME” Manufacturer to Member Incentives, plus an additional $250 for Costco Executive members.
Do a bit of math (add up 25,500 + 3,000 + $2,750 + 250), and you’ll calculate an almost unheard of $31,500 discount on one of the best, most capable commercial vans on the market – ICE or electric. And that’s before you factor in the 0% interest financing (72 mo.) being advertised at Blade Chevrolet, the Mount Vernon, Washington, where VIN 2G58J2TY6S9104313 (the exact van shown, below) is shown as stock number 16757.
If you’re not a Costco member yet and you’re looking for a new truck for your business or even a unique #vanlife ride with zero emissions, modern tech, and a nationwide dealer network, GM makes that $130 Executive membership seem like a no-brainer.
Is a $39,000 price cut enough to get you to take a look at a new Brightdrop? At $45,235 (from a starting price of $84,235), can you afford not to? Head down to the comments and let us know.
Tesla has quietly removed the Cybertruck’s range extender from the options in its online configurator.
Does Tesla still plan to bring the product to market?
When Tesla unveiled the production version of the Cybertruck in late 2023, there were two main disappointments: the price and the range.
The tri-motor version, which was the most popular in reservation tallies, was supposed to have over 500 miles of range and start at $70,000.
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Tesla now sells the tri-motor Cybertruck for $100,000 and only has a range of 320 miles.
As for the dual-motor Cybertruck, it was supposed to cost $50,000 and have over 300 miles of range. The reality is that it starts at $80,000, and it has 325 miles of range.
However, Tesla had devised a solution to bring the range closer to what it originally announced: a separate battery pack that sits in the truck’s bed. Tesla called it a “range extender.” It costs $16,000 and takes up a third of the Cybertruck’s bed.
Even though the Cybertruck has been in production for a year and a half at this point, the range extender has yet to launch.
At the time, Tesla also reduced the range that the removable battery pack adds to the Cybertruck to “445+ miles” rather than “470+ miles” for the dual motor – a ~25-mile reduction in range.
Now, Tesla has removed the option from its online Cybertruck configurator. It used to take reservations for the range extender with a “$2,000 non-refundable deposit”, as seen on the image above, but now it’s not in the configurator at all at the time of writing.
It’s unclear if Tesla is not planning to launch the product anymore or if it is just pausing reservations.
In its specs page, Tesla still lists the achievable range of both versions of the Cybertruck with and without the range extender battery:
Electrek’s Take
I’m curious. Is it dead, or does Tesla just want to stop taking reservations for it?
At first, I was curious about the product even though I didn’t think it would make up for Tesla’s significant miss on Cybertruck specs.
However, after it was confirmed that it takes up 30% of your bed and that it needs to be installed and removed by Tesla at a service center, I think it’s pretty much dead on arrival at $16,000.
It’s going to be a product limited to only a few people at best. And now that’s if it makes it to market.
With the option being removed from the configurator, there’s no production timeline available. Again, the last one was “mid-2025”, which is soon.
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Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
Source: EcoFlow
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
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This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Source: EcoFlow
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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