All of Yadea’s latest full-suspension electric scooters are slick-looking machines. Nicely contoured cast frames, dual swingarms for the complete suspension package, and single-side supported wheels make the scooters look like they’re floating at just the right angle. But it’s the most powerful model of the bunch that packs the biggest surprise. Behind the cute exterior of the Yadea Elite Prime is a veritable wolf in sheep’s clothing, offering up to 1,500W of power in a scooter that looks like it belongs behind a leggy model in a Paris fashion shoot.
This scooter may not outwardly look like a hotrod, but the Yadea Elite Prime sure has the power to fly off the line. Check out how the scooter performs in my video review below. Then keep on reading for even more info on this fun, compact little rocket!
Yadea Elite Prime video review
Yadea Elite Prime tech specs
Motor: 800W continuous (1,500W peak) rear hub motor
Battery: 48V 14.5Ah (696 Wh)
Top speed: 20 mph (32 km/h)
Range: 40 miles (64 km)
Weight: 64 lb (29 kg)
Load capacity: 265 lb (120 kg)
Brakes: Front mechanical drum brake, rear mechanical disc brake and regen braking
Tires: 10-inch pneumatic street tires
Lights: Front and rear LED, rear turn signals
Launching off the line
So here’s the thing about the Yadea Elite Prime that differs from the smaller Yadea Elite Max and the even smaller Yadea Artist: This thing is powerful. After the first kilometer of riding, it lets you unlock the full power mode on the scooter, and that means some serious torque.
The first time I tried it, I accidentally popped a wheelie from a standstill. I just wasn’t expecting that kind of power from what looks like a cute, approachable electric scooter.
Most scooters are weak enough that you just mash the throttle all the way down and hold it until you reach the speed you want. But in the highest power mode, the Yadea Elite Prime has so much power and torque that you actually have to modulate the throttle like you would on a motorcycle or the accelerator pedal on a car. It’s surprising since most sub-$1k scooters simply don’t come with that level of power.
Of course you don’t have to keep the scooter in highest power mode, and you’re probably better served by not using that highest mode all the time, unless you know you want all of that power on tap for fun acceleration or you have some big hills to climb on your commute. Because with a slope rating of 30%, you can climb some serious inclines with this scooter.
But more important than mere power is comfort, and that’s where scooter really excels. There are two sides to comfort here. On the one hand, the acceleration is smooth (in all modes but the highest power!) and so it feels like you’re in solid control of the scooter. On the other hand, the scooter is physically quite comfortable thanks to that dual suspension design with front and rear swingarm.
I really like the way the front wheel is single-supported, which is both convenient for tire changes and simply looks pretty cool. Combined with the cast frame instead of more welded connections and you get a really sleek appearance.
Obviously, this isn’t an off-road scooter, and that suspension isn’t meant for crazy terrain, but it will certainly do well with the occasional curb hops and potholes. The 10-inch pneumatic tires are also relatively large, at least by scooter standards, which further helps smooth out the ride and gives you a fighting chance when hitting a pothole.
If there’s one area that I would have liked to see improved, it would be the scooter’s top speed. At 20 mph (32 km/h), the Yadea Elite Prime can rocket up to speed quickly but then it suddenly runs out of steam, not letting you continue to the higher speeds that you might expect such a powerful scooter to reach.
That’s a bit of a double-edged sword. I like being able to go faster to keep up with traffic, but there’s no doubt that fast speeds on standing scooters don’t always mix with the best results. So going a bit slower does have some safety advantages.
But at least that slower top speed translates into better range, with the scooter offering up to 40 miles (64 km) per charge. The slower you go, the better range you get, and so you can’t stay at top speeds and expect to go 40 miles. But even at top speed, nearly 700Wh of battery will do pretty much any normal commuting trip in most cities.
The other area that’s a bit of a downer is the weight. The scooter is a bit portly at 64 lb (29 kg). The folding mechanism is solid and secure feeling, meaning I feel good about picking it up and carrying it around without worrying that it would suddenly open back up. But not everyone is going to want to carry 64 pounds of aluminum, copper, and lithium for long distances. If you need to do an occasional carry up a flight of stairs or onto a subway train, it’s doable, but not exactly a pleasurable experience.
But those two issues of weight and top speed aside, everything else about the scooter pretty much checked my boxes for a comfortable, full-suspension ride. The scooter feels well built, and having visited one of Yadea’s factories myself earlier this year, I’ve seen how much care they put into their assembly lines. And with added niceties like turn signals, regenerative braking, and an elegant design, there’s more than just meets the eye here.
At a price of $899 from Yadea or the same price on Amazon, the scooter feels like a solid choice for a powerful, comfortable, and robust ride. It’s heavy and not the fastest, but it does everything else so well that I came away from this experience very impressed. I’d absolutely recommend this scooter, especially to someone who specifically doesn’t want to go super fast but does want real power for acceleration and hill climbs.
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The first electric Range Rover is expected to hit showrooms in the next few months. With its official debut just around the corner, Range Rover’s first EV was spotted testing in Sweden. Here’s a sneak peek of the luxury electric SUV.
Range Rover’s first EV put through the paces in Sweden
Range Rover is finally gearing up to introduce its first EV later this year. Earlier this year, JLR confirmed that the Range Rover Electric already has 57,000 buyers on the waiting list.
The company claims the new model “redefines” the electric luxury SUV with an “unrivalled driving experience.” To prove it, Range Rover is putting its first EV through the paces in sub-zero conditions in Sweden.
Range Rover’s electric SUV has been through 45,000 miles of testing across frozen lakes and land tracks. The latest round allowed engineers to test their new thermal management system.
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The company’s new ThermAssist thermal management system reduces heat energy consumption by up to 40% and is designed to warm the propulsion system or cabin in temperatures as low as ‑10°C (14°F).
Range Rover said it also helps optimize driving range while minimizing the impact of extreme temperatures on charging performance.
Combined with an 800V battery, the first one built in-house by JLR, the company promises the best possible performance, with optimized energy density, range, and charging times. The Range Rover’s first EV will be powered by a 117 kWh battery, consisting of 344 prismatic cells.
Built for both on- and off-road performance, the electric SUV features new additions like single-pedal driving and a switchable twin-chamber air suspension system.
Range Rover tested the single-pedal capabilities on both 28-degree and 17-degree split-mu inclines at its Arctic test facility.
Range Rover Electric prototype (Source: JLR)
Matt Becker, Vehicle Engineering Director at JLR, explained that the electric SUV maintains the brand’s signature driving experience “by marrying all the essential Range Rover elements with new and advanced technologies.”
Following its second season in Sweden, Range Rover will continue testing prototypes ahead of the official launch later this year.
After its first EV, Range Rover is already preparing another smaller electric SUV, which is expected to be the Sport model. In 2026, the company is expected to release a mid-sized electric SUV, likely the Velar.
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Volvo is launching a nearly $2 billion (SEK 18 billion) restructuring plan to drive growth and mitigate the impact of Trump’s tariffs. With the new EX30 and ES90 EVs rolling out, Volvo is taking drastic action to drive growth.
Volvo launches restructuring plan due to Trump’s tariffs
After its operating income fell by nearly 60% to SEK 1.9 billion in the first quarter, Volvo launched a cost and cash action plan.
The restructuring is worth SEK 18 billion, with most of it being realized in 2026. Volvo’s new strategy includes SEK 3 billion in variable cost actions and SEK 5 billion in indirect spend efficiencies. The additional SEK 10 billion will be added in cash actions to reduce working capital and capital expenditures this year and in 2026.
Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson said, “The automotive industry is in the middle of a very difficult period with challenges not seen before.”
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With “turbulence in the market,” Samuelsson added that the company needs to “further improve our cash flow generation and lower our costs.”
Volvo EX30 (source: Volvo)
To do so, Volvo is focusing on three areas: profitability, electrification, and regionalisation. Volvo is already leading the premium segment, with electrified vehicles accounting for 43% of sales in Q1. However, with new EVs launching, Volvo said more will need to be done to overcome the impact of Trump’s tariffs.
Volvo created a new region called Americas, which includes the US, Canada, and Latin America, to streamline its global operations.
Volvo EX90 electric SUV (Source: Volvo)
In the US, the company is looking to sharpen its product line-up and plans to boost production at its Charleston, South Carolina, plant.
Earlier this month, Volvo started production of the EX30 at its Ghent plant, which will help it ramp up deliveries in the second half of 2025.
Since it will be imported into the US, Volvo is bracing to take a hit from tariffs. Even the EX90, which is made in Charleston, is heavily impacted, as most components still come from Europe.
Volvo EX30 production at its Ghent plant (Source: Volvo)
Volvo also revealed the new ES90 last month, its new electric sedan and second EV built on the Volvo Cars Superset Tech Stack. It’s Volvo’s sixth fully electric vehicle following the EX90, EM90, EX40, EX40, and EX30.
In China, Volvo plans to adapt to the changing market with its first extended-range PHEV model, which will launch later this year.
Volvo said it remains “firm on becoming a fully electric car company.” Despite a weaker overall market, almost a fifth of the vehicles it sold in the first quarter were electric.
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In a warming world with increasingly extreme weather events, homeowners are turning to backup batteries for relief and peace of mind. But the backup only lasts only so long, and there’s a bigger problem at play: aging power grids.
Enter the virtual power plant, managed through a cloud-based system. It’s a fertile market for a number of companies as consumers look for more reliability, especially in areas prone to extreme temperatures and storms.
Base Power, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is a virtual power plant and hardware company that provides battery backup to homeowners. The startup manages the batteries, and virtually controls the power that’s going in and out.
“We install our batteries on our customers’ homes. When the grid is up and running, we use those batteries to support the power grid,” said Base CEO Zach Dell. “When the grid goes out, our customers get those batteries to back up their home. We’re also able to save our customers on the order of 10 to 20% a month on their electricity bills.”
Unlike Tesla and Enphase, Base doesn’t sell home backup batteries. Rather, it rents the batteries to homeowners, providing the hardware, software, installation, operations and electricity. Essentially, it’s a battery-based energy company.
“We own and operate it,” Dell said. “We handle all the maintenance. We take care of the system like it’s ours.”
That control allows Base to manipulate how the battery is used, specifically accessing cheaper power and passing that savings on to the consumer. Base charges the battery from the grid when demand is low, typically during overnight hours. When demand is at its peak — summer evenings and winter mornings — Base sells power, discharging the battery to support the grid.
For an upfront fee of $595 and then about $19 a month, homeowners get access to reliable power, provided by Base. That power is generated by several sources, including wind, solar, natural gas and coal. About half of Base’s customers have solar, according to the company, which lowers their costs even more and allows them to sell that power back to Base.
A company spokesperson said Base compensates customers for the power they sell back, calculated as the real-time wholesale energy price plus an additional 3 cents per kilowatt hour. Buyback rates may vary depending on market conditions and other factors.
Base is now serving one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, Lennar, which is also an investor. Base installs batteries during the construction process in roughly 20 Lennar outage-prone communities in Texas.
Stuart Miller, Chairman and co-CEO of Lennar, said it’s not just about making money.
“It’s, are we going to be able to improve the overall stature of the home building business, as it seeks to address the markets that are stressed and having problems?” he said. “Utilities and electricity is a part of that.”
Base has raised a total of $268 million from investors including Lennar, Thrive Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Andreesen Horowitz.
Base recently announced its first utility partnership near San Antonio. Dell said the company hopes to soon expand outside of Texas. However, the batteries are made in China, and Dell said he expects to see an impact from tariffs.
— CNBC producer Lisa Rizzolo contributed to this piece.