Velotric Summit 1 E-Bike review: The fast, lower-cost torque sensor eMTB I’ve wanted
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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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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