CLIP Unveils BOLT, a $250 e-bike conversion system aimed at expanding access to cycling
Brooklyn-based e-bike conversion kit maker CLIP has launched BOLT, a front-mounted electric motor designed to transform standard bicycles into e-bikes. The company is marketing the device as the world’s most affordable quick-install e-bike upgrade, with a focus on making electrified transportation accessible in low-to-moderate income communities and emerging markets.
Unlike traditional e-bikes, which often start at around US $1,000 and go up quickly from there, BOLT is positioned as a low-cost alternative. The device features a 450W motor and a swappable battery system, providing pedal assistance up to 15 mph (25 km/h).
The kit installs on the front fork of most adult bicycles, making it an option for riders who want an e-bike experience without purchasing a dedicated electric bicycle.
While CLIP has previously targeted the business-to-consumer (B2C) market with its easily mountable e-bike conversion kits, BOLT will be distributed primarily through business-to-business (B2B) channels. The company seems to have its sights set on bike sharing and other commercial operators of bike fleets.
In the US and Europe, CLIP is selling the system to businesses for $250, including two 144 Wh battery packs. In emerging markets, BOLT will be offered at a $100 price point, excluding the battery, with users paying a $5 per month subscription fee to access rechargeable battery swaps through local partners.
“BOLT is designed to make e-bike commuting truly accessible and equitable for people everywhere, from New York to New Delhi,” said Som Ray, Founder and CEO of CLIP. “BOLT removes the price barriers of traditional e-bikes while maximizing environmental impact to scale sustainable transportation worldwide.”
CLIP is framing BOLT as both an environmental and social mobility tool, citing the high cost of traditional e-bikes as a barrier to widespread adoption. The company states that over 60% of its riders come from low-to-moderate-income communities, and it plans to partner with local organizations to expand access.
The product is being marketed as a low-impact alternative to full e-bike production, with CLIP claiming that BOLT requires 50 times fewer resources to manufacture and has a 30 times smaller logistics footprint compared to conventional e-bikes. The system is manufactured in Kolkata, India, with localized assembly in North America, Europe, and India.
CLIP has positioned BOLT as a disruptive force in e-bike affordability, which tracks with the device’s rather rare design. Instead of a traditional hub motor or mid-drive motor, CLIP uses a friction drive that presses against the front tire of the bike, forcing it to roll forward. The device’s front-mounted motor configuration is notably different from mid-drive or rear-hub e-bike motors. Additionally, its business-to-business sales model means that individual riders will not be able to purchase the system directly, relying instead on third-party distribution networks.
The company has yet to announce specific partnerships or large-scale deployments, though it has set ambitious climate goals. It claims that widespread adoption of BOLT could eliminate up to 3.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
As BOLT appears set to enter the market, its impact on the growing e-bike sector remains to be seen. With its low price point and modular design, the system could appeal to budget-conscious riders if it proves to be a viable and reliable alternative to traditional e-bikes.
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Tesla (TSLA) released its financial results and shareholders’ letter for the second quarter (Q2) 2025 after market close today.
We are updating this post with all the details from the financial results, shareholders’ letter, and the conference call later tonight. Refresh for the latest information.
Tesla Q2 2025 earnings expectations
As we reported in our Tesla Q2 2025 earnings preview yesterday, the Wall Street consensus for this quarter was $22.279 billion in revenue and earnings of $0.40 per share.
The expectations had been significantly downgraded over the last month, as analysts were surprised by Tesla’s announcement of much lower deliveries than expected in the first quarter.
How did Tesla do compared to expectations?
Tesla Q2 2025 financial results
After the market closed today, Tesla released its financial results for the first quarter and confirmed that it delivered on expectations with earnings of $0.40 per share (non-GAAP), and it exceeded revenue expectations with $22.496 billion during the last quarter.
Tesla’s earnings per share are down 23% year-over-year amid a booming EV market.
Operating income decreased 42% year-over-year to now less than $1 billion, and almost half of it came from regulatory credits.
Tesla’s cash on hand has decreased this quarter for the first time in years. The company lost about $200 million of its giant war chest – now sitting at $36.8 billion.
We will be posting our follow-up posts here about the earnings and conference call to expand on the most important points (refresh the page to see the most recent posts):
Here’s Tesla’s Q2 2025 shareholder presentation in full:
Here’s Tesla’s conference call for the Q2 2025 results:
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Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, which CEO Elon Musk claims is ahead of the industry and will sell in the trillions of dollars, failed while serving popcorn on the first day of Tesla’s new diner launch.
Musk has been touting Optimus as a revolutionary product that will generate “trillions of dollars” per year for Tesla.
It’s the latest pivot that the CEO has led Tesla into, as electric vehicle sales are declining, and it is becoming increasingly clear that its self-driving effort is unlikely to be profitable anytime soon.
The company needs new revenue streams to justify a $1 trillion valuation, given its declining revenue and earnings.
However, we have been reporting on how the program appears to be in shambles lately.
Last month, Tesla’s head of the program, Milan Kovac, left the company just a few months after being promoted to vice-president.
Earlier this month, we learned that Tesla paused production to perform some much-needed upgrades to the current version of the robot, as it is reportedly currently only able to move some batteries within Tesla’s workshop at a rate lower than that of human workers.
That’s despite Tesla claiming for months that the robot is already performing useful work within its factories and plans to ramp up production to 100,000 units per month next year, with the goal of starting to sell the robot.
Aside from gullible Tesla shareholders, not many people believe this narrative. The main issue is that Tesla is not seen as having a lead in humanoid robots, which is still a nascent industry, and its previous demonstrations have been misleading.
For example, Tesla was less than forthcoming about its robots being teleoperated by humans during its ‘We, Robot’ event last year.
The launch of its new diner in Los Angeles was the latest occasion to showcase Optimus. Tesla had an Optimus robot serve popcorn to customers.
Again, Tesla employees at the event confirmed to attendees that the robot was teleoperated, which makes the demonstration unimpressive to start with, but the disappointment doesn’t stop there.
The robot was seen frozen and stopped operating during the first day of the Tesla diner launch.
Attendees were told that the robot lost connection.
Electrek’s Take
To be clear, Tesla can only get the Optimus robot to serve popcorn for a short period before it fails, even with the use of human teleoperation.
Yet, Musk claims that Tesla will make 100,000 of these next year and sell them to customers.
It makes no sense. It’s similar to Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin, which requires teleoperation and a human safety monitor with a finger on a kill switch at all times.
That said, I honestly believe that Tesla will be able to scale Optimus faster than its robotaxi service. However, they will both scale much slower than Tesla shareholders currently believe and the competition is already ahead of both.
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BYD officially launched the Atto 1 in Indonesia on Wednesday. Starting at just $12,000 (IDR 195 million), the Atto 1 is now one of the most affordable EVs on the market.
BYD launches the Atto 1 entry-level EV
The Atto 1 is a rebadged version of BYD’s top-selling electric car in China, the Seagull EV. BYD’s smallest and most affordable EV is sold under the names Dolphin Mini and Dolphin Surf in other overseas markets.
BYD introduced the Atto 1 at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) on Wednesday, priced from IDR 195 million, or about $12,000.
The new entry-level EV is available in two trims: Standard Range Dynamic and Long Range Premium. Powered by a 30.08 kWh BYD Blade battery, the standard range Atto 1 Dynamic offers a NEDC range of 300 km (186 miles).
Upgrading to the Premium model costs IDR 235 million ($14,500), but it’s equipped with a bigger 38.88 kWh battery, providing an NEDC range of 380 km (236 miles).
The interior resembles that of other BYD brand vehicles, featuring a minimalist, high-tech smart cockpit. It features a 10.1″ intelligent touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 7″ digital driver’s instrument display.
Meanwhile, the Long Range Premium version comes with an added wireless charging pad and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel.
At 3,959 mm long, 1,720 mm wide, and 1,590 mm tall, the Atto 1 is smaller than a Toyota Yaris, but slightly bigger than the Kia Picanto.
“This launch in Indonesia marks the first release of the Atto 1 in ASEAN, and the car is now available for pre-order,” BYD Indonesia’s operations director, Nathan Sun, said at the event.
The Atto 1 is BYD’s third electric vehicle to arrive in Indonesia, and the brand’s most affordable yet. BYD also sells the Seal, starting at IDR 629 million, Atto 3 SUV (IDR 515 million), and Dolphin (IDR 425 million).
Indonesia is the largest auto market in Southeast Asia, and EV sales are picking up with new government policies supporting local production. In the first half of the year, the EV market share doubled to 10% from 5% in the same period last year.
Earlier today, Toyota, which controls around 30% of the Indonesian auto market, announced plans to begin building EVs locally by the end of 2025.
Source: JakartaGlobe, BYD Indonesia
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