Phil Molyneux, CEO of Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes, has left the company under unclear circumstances, marking another major leadership shake-up for the embattled e-bike brand.
Molyneux, who previously held executive positions at Sony and Dyson, had been leading Rad Power Bikes since late 2022. Molyneux’s LinkedIn profile now lists his tenure at Rad Power Bikes as having recently ended. In addition, his LinkedIn status has been updated to “considering what next”.
Despite Molyneux apparently signaling his departure, Rad Power Bikes has not made an official announcement. The company has also not yet responded to Electrek’s requests for comment.
The leadership change comes as Rad Power Bikes continues to navigate a series of financial and operational challenges. The company has undergone multiple rounds of layoffs, the most recent publicly-announced round occurring in mid-2024, in an effort to stabilize its business. In addition, Rad exited the European market in mid-2023, focusing solely on North America after years of aggressive expansion.
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The only remaining C-level executive at Rad Power Bikes now appears to be the company’s CFO, Stephanie Roberts.
Now Molyneux’s exit raises questions about the company’s future direction, as Rad has faced increasing competition from a growing number of direct-to-consumer e-bike brands and mounting pressure from evolving e-bike regulations across the U.S.
Adding to the uncertainty, a review of employees on LinkedIn also seems to indicate that another round of layoffs has recently taken place or is currently ongoing. It remains unclear whether Molyneux’s exit was part of a planned transition or the result of deeper struggles within the company.
Molyneux originally took over as CEO from Rad Power Bikes founder Mike Radenbaugh, who stepped down from the role in November 2022 but remained involved with the company as a board member. At the time, the leadership change was framed as part of a move to strengthen Rad’s operational efficiency amid supply chain challenges and shifting consumer demand.
Once a dominant force in the U.S. e-bike market, Rad Power Bikes was one of the most well-funded micromobility startups, raising over $300 million in venture capital to fuel its expansion. However, its rapid growth was followed by cost-cutting measures, layoffs, lawsuits related to product safety concerns, and the recall of thousands of e-bikes due to brake defects.
The uncertainty comes at a time when several other once-leading electric bicycle companies have shuttered their doors after becoming overextended and unable to raise sufficient capital to cover their liabilities.
With Molyneux now out, the company faces an uncertain road ahead. Rad Power Bikes’ next leadership move will be closely watched as the e-bike industry continues to evolve in an increasingly competitive and regulated environment.
[Update: Rad Power Bikes responded to a request for comment with the following statement to Electrek:
“Rad Power Bikes recently announced a leadership transition, with Phil Molyneux stepping away from the company. Over the past three years, Phil has helped Rad achieve significant milestones, from launching new products to advancing safety innovations, and we thank him for his leadership and expertise. CFO Stephanie Roberts, who joined Rad alongside Phil, will assume the role of interim CEO while a search for the next CEO is underway. Phil will continue to advise Stephanie to ensure a smooth transition.
While it is always challenging to make these decisions, we are approaching this transition with empathy and unwavering support for our talented team members and are confident that this pivot will better support our riders and the advancement of our mission going forward. Our priorities remain delivering great products and service for our riders, supporting our retail partners, and encouraging more people to Ride Rad.
In addition, Rad Power Bikes continued its strategic pivot to support a more significant focus on physical retail, which required downsizing our teams involved in the direct-to-consumer business. The best experience for our customers is when they can see and test ride our ebikes at a local bike shop or Rad Retail location near them. Our Rad Retail and retail partner teams remain fully intact and ready to support new and existing riders, as well as local bike shops.”]
Electrek’s Take
It’s unclear what is happening at Rad Power Bikes (and the fact that my PR contacts were sadly part of the recent layoffs isn’t helping me make the matter any clearer). However, the writing has been on the wall for some time. We’ve essentially lost count of the number of rounds of layoffs at Rad since the company quickly stopped publicizing them, but its quite obvious that sales and operations have significantly reduced over the past few years.
The general industry has been hurting during that time, but several other direct-to-consumer companies like Lectric Ebikes and Aventon seem to have weathered the storm well, either by doubling down on accessibility and affordability for the former or with the support of major Chinese financial backing for the latter. Rad has also raised major capital over the years but had a burn-rate unmatched in the industry due to its incredibly large workforce, meaning the company has racked up its liabilities at an alarming rate. Even after many rounds of layoffs, it doesn’t appear that the company has been able to recatch the wave that propelled it to the top of the industry just a few short years ago.
At the same time, the company still has its creditors who can’t wait forever for their investments (or to continue writing checks into perpetuity). All of this is to say that despite Rad not yet sharing insight into the current situation, the simple fact of the matter is that it doesn’t look good in Seattle.
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It’s that time of the year once again, with Amazon’s Prime Day officially kicking off with plenty of amazing Green Deals and beyond – with several even continuing from earlier July 4th events. The savings train has officially rolled into the station, and this year we’re getting four days of deals that are dropping prices to some of the lowest of the year, alongside many of our favorite eco-friendly tech brands also offering direct parallel sales too. You’ll find price cuts on EVs, power stations, electric tools, ENERGY STAR-certified appliances, and much more below, curated together in this one-stop shopping hub. Don’t miss your chance to electrify your life at the best prices while they last during this event. We will be regularly updating this hub over the course of the event, so check back later if nothing catches your eye yet.
Rivian flew us out to Lake Tahoe to show off the crazy capabilities of its new quad-motor powertrain on both its R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV. Rivian’s original R1S and R1T were quad-motor vehicles, but as of the second generation of the R1 platform, only dual and tri-motor variants existed. So why quad? Why now?
First of all, let’s get the specs out of the way. The new Rivian Quad is a beast, all the way from its $120,000 price tag to its over 1,000 horsepower and 1200 lb-ft torque.
Prices for R1T start at $115,990 USD / $190,990 CAD and the R1S starts at $121,990 USD / $201,990 CAD – Deliveries begin summer 2025
Launch Edition R1T starts at $119,990 USD / $196,990 CAD and Launch Edition R1S starts at $125,990 USD / $207,990 CAD. Rivian is reintroducing Launch Edition for the Gen 2 Quad, celebrating the configuration that first defined our commitment to all-electric performance and adventure.
Destination and freight charge is $1,895 USD / $2 ,695 CAD
Powertrain: Horsepower: 1,025 hp Torque: 1,198 lb.-ft.
Range: EPA-estimated up to 3 74 miles of range (Up to 400 miles in Conserve mode)
Charge Port: NACS (North American Charging Standard)
How does one characterize this massive spec monster in the larger vehicle landscape? Before we try to get our head around that, there is more.
The Rivian R1 Quad brings back tank turn as a new feature: Kick Turn – And it is actually useful.
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From our history books, we know that one of the features that the original R1 Quads touted was the ability to turn in a circle/spin on its axis by having its right side wheels spin one way and its left side wheels spin the other. While the ‘tank turn’ disappointingly never made it to the original production vehicles, Rivian hadn’t let go of the idea.
Kick Turn.
The New R1 Quads bring back the ability to turn/spin on a dime when offroading. However, this isn’t just a parlor trick. It is actually useful when negotiating tight switchbacks.
Here’s what it is like to invoke the “Kick Turn” from inside the vehicle. Unintuitively, you don’t want to turn the steering wheel. Instead, you simultaneously push both steering wheel buttons in the direction you want to turn.
The same maneuver from behind:
I was able to use and master the kick turn pretty quickly after trying it for the first time and it is sooooo fun….and useful. Rivian says that the kick turn should only be done on gravel and loose dirt. But I could see ejecting out of a parallel parking spot with this feature…or doing a U-Turn on a country road.
I imagine the wear on the tires that are already taking a beating from this super heavy vehicle doing 2.5 second 0-60s is massive. Rivian says that the standard tires are guaranteed for 30,000 miles but imagine that loses a few miles every time a kick turn is invoked.
Perhaps most devestating, the original Rivian Quads won’t get the Kick Turn functionality. As an owner who was excited about the tank turn functionality when making my buying decision, I’m not pleased. Rivian says that the controllers for the original Quad Motors aren’t tuned and accurate enough to master the move. I’m ready to sign a petition that Rivian try anyway.
Quad offers four different wheel and tire options:
22” Super Sport
22” Sport Burnished Bronze
20” All-Terrain Dark
20” Dune Satin Graphite All-Terrain
Also, there will be Launch Editions:
Rivian is reintroducing Launch Edition for the Gen 2 Quad, celebrating the configuration that first defined our commitment to all-electric performance and adventure. The new Launch Edition Quad will feature an exclusive “Launch Edition” IP badge and a suite of special features, including: Two standard colorways:
Launch Edition exclusive: the return of Launch Green paint with Black Mountain + Brown Ash Wood interior
Storm Blue paint with Slate Sky + Walnut Wood interior Additional included features:
Lifetime Rivian Autonomy Platform+
Lifetime Connect+
Camp Speaker
Gen 2 Key fob
NACS native
One more nice thing about the Rivian R1 Quad is that it is the first Rivians, and one of the first non-Teslas overall, to have the NACS port standard. This allows the vehicle to charge at most Tesla chargers without adapter. The flip side however is that it will need the included CCS adapter to charge at most other network charging stations including Rivian’s own RAN charging network, at least until the networks and Rivian switch their chargers over to NACS. We had success on a V4 Supercharger near Lake Tahoe but obviously weren’t able to test the charging speed or charging curve since the vehicles we were given started at 80%.
One other nice trick is that the Quad has a control panel that allows the driver to make their own drive modes.
RAD Tuner (exclusively on Quad, coming in September): Developed by the Rivian Adventure Department, a team of engineers, software developers and designers who create and test features that push the boundaries of our vehicles.
Rivian drivers will have better control over their vehicle’s dynamic behavior. Through intuitive sliders, you can fine-tune ride handling while creating personalized and savable drive modes.
Start from scratch or build upon presets like “Rally” or “Sport.” There are even preset modes that were born from real-world triumphs:
Desert Rally mode was meticulously engineered during the 2023 Rebelle Rally, a grueling competition where the R1T made history as the first fully-electric vehicle to ever win
Hill Climb mode was honed at the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where in 2024, our R1T conquered the race as the fastest production truck to ever make the ascent.
Oh and Rivian now lets you record Launch Mode with Launch Cam so those 2.5 second 0-60s where you beat the Ferrari off the line can now be downloaded and shared with friends on social media. The videos include real-time stats like speed and distance overlays. Unfortunately Rivian no longer includes an interior camera to capture passengers’ reactions.
Electrek’s take
At a starting price near $120K and realistically over that with some bells and whistles, the Rivian R1 Quad vehicles aren’t going to have mass appeal. In fact, I don’t think these will even be Rivian’s top sells since the $80,000 Rivian vehicles with dual motors are almost as good (and better on efficiency).
However, Rivian is really trying to build its brand ahead of the R2 launch and this vehicle is as adventurous as it gets, electric or otherwise. Think about it: This is a 7-seat, off roading monster that will beat almost any supercar off the line…and can now spin on a dime.
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Kia is entering Europe’s most competitive EV segment with the upgraded EV5. It’s slightly smaller than the Tesla Model Y, but Kia says the EV5 is “a cornerstone” to its growth strategy in Europe.
Kia EV5 lands in Europe
After launching the EV5 in China in November 2023, Kia’s electric SUV quickly became a hit. It’s already leading Kia’s comeback in the world’s largest EV market.
Although Kia has introduced the EV5 in other markets, including Australia and New Zealand, this is the first time it has revealed specs for the upgraded version specifically designed for Europe.
The upgraded EV5 is powered by an 81.4 kWh battery offering up to 329 miles of WLTP range. Unlike the Chinese version, which uses a BYD LFP Blade battery, the European version features a nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack.
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It will be available in baseline and GT-line models. All EV5 variants can recharge from 10% to 80% in as little as 30 minutes.
Both variants are offered in FWD with up to 215 hp (160 kW) and 218 lb-ft (295 Nm) of torque. Kia’s electric SUV also includes bi-directional charging, including vehicle-to-load (V2L) with up to 3.6 kW of power.
Kia EV5 GT-Line for Europe (Source: Kia)
The exterior remains essentially unchanged from the version sold in China, featuring an upright stance similar to that of the larger EV9.
The European-spec EV5 measures 4,610 mm in length, 1,875 mm in width, and 1,675 mm in height, which is slightly smaller than the Tesla Model Y. It’s closer in size to the Hyundai IONIQ 5.
Kia EV5 baseline trim for Europe (Source: Kia)
Inside, the EV5 “creates a lounge-like environment” with comfort-focused seats that include massage functions, heating, and ventilation.
The interior is centered around Kia’s new ccNC (connect car Navigation Cockpit) infotainment system. The setup includes dual 12.3″ driver clusters and infotainment screens in a panoramic display, plus a 5.3″ climate control display.
Kia EV5 GT-Line interior (EU) (Source: Kia)
Kia will build the upgraded EV5 for Europe in Korea, unlike the Chinese version, which is produced by its joint venture Kia Yueda.
Although prices have yet to be confirmed, the EV5 will sit between the EV3 and EV6 in Kia’s lineup. Given the EV4 starts at £34,695 ($47,700) and the EV6 is priced from £39,235 ($53,200), the EV5 is expected to start at below £40,000 ($55,000) in the UK.
Kia EV5 GT-Line interior (EU) (Source: Kia)
Sjoerd Knipping, Kia Europe’s COO, said that “The EV5 is a cornerstone of Kia’s European growth strategy.” He added that the electric SUV is “tailored to the way Europeans live, work, and drive.”
Kia has already confirmed the EV5 will be sold in other global markets, including Canada. However, it will not arrive in the US.
The company said it will launch the EV5 “exclusively for the Canadian market” in North America. It will be available with FWD and AWD powertrains, as well as two battery sizes: 60.3 kWh and 81.4 kWh, offering a range of up to 310 miles (500 km).
What do you think of Kia’s new electric SUV? Would you buy one over the Tesla Model Y or the Hyundai IONIQ 5? Let us know in the comments.
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