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JackRabbit, the leading name in micro e-bikes, has just unveiled two new models that put the micro in micromobility. The new JackRabbit OG2 Pro and JackRabbit XG Pro build upon the success of the company’s existing models, but add more of what the riding community has longed for.

JackRabbit has built quite a name for itself centered around its quirky, lovable design. The brand leans heavily into its small, lightweight form factor. There are tens of thousands of self-styled “Jackos” in the ever-growing rider community whose fan rabidness seems second only to heavyweight Super73. It’s no wonder they proudly slap on the brand’s stickers touting phrases like “Micro and proud” or “Butts love me”.

Those Jackos have long touted the extreme portability of micro e-bikes—which technically aren’t electric bicycles since they lack pedals but otherwise look and handle like a bike. Starting at just 25 lb yet with full-size 20″ bicycle wheels and 20 mph (32 km/h) speeds, the combination of convenience and performance is hard to match—as long as you don’t mind looking different. For many, though, that uniqueness is the biggest plus.

But if there are three things that I regularly hear as the main requests to JackRabbit from the market, it’s a longing for more range, more power, and lower prices. Now, the company has responded with a resounding “We can do two of those things.”

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Meet the new JackRabbit OG2 Pro and XG Pro.

Both are built on the same small-format frames of the already popular OG2 and XG, but have major upgrades to their performance and ride feel.

These will come as a welcome change to those who are already familiar with JackRabbit’s lineup, or as a major surprise to anyone getting ready to throw their leg over the diminutive yet powerful rides for the first time.

JackRabbit OG2 Pro

First of all, the OG2 Pro has seen the OG’s 300W motor swapped out for a more powerful and torquier 500W motor—the same motor found in the XG.

It also comes standard with JackRabbit’s bigger RangeBuster battery, which upgrades the range from 10 miles (16 km) to 24 miles (39 km).

Mid-rise handlebars and bar grips give the OG2 Pro a taller stance without adding more bulk. The handlebars retain the same pivoting design that allows the bike to shrink down to just 7 inches (18 cm) wide, easily slipping into the trunk of a car or under a dorm room bed. Those handlebars also get the XG’s nicer LCD handlebar display.

The upgrades may add another 5 lb (2.2 kg) to the bike, but it still weighs a mere 30 lb (13.6 kg), which is a featherweight in the e-bike world.

The OG2 Pro is priced at $1,649, and it comes in a new fun orange color option as well as a less fun black color option.

JackRabbit XG Pro

Similarly to the over-the-top upgrades on the OG2 Pro, the XG Pro also gets some serious ‘turn it up to 11’ energy.

The 500W motor on the XG has now been boosted to 749W on the XG Pro. It’s also much torquier for better hill climbing. In addition, riders can unlock the 20 mph (32 km/h) top speed to a faster 24 mph (38.6 km/h) in the new off-road mode. Importantly, though, that off-road mode is only available to 18+ riders who sign a waiver and agree to terms, including only using the off-road mode on closed course riding, etc.

Importantly, for a small bike with a faster top speed, larger 180mm brake rotors ensure the JackRabbit XG Pro has just as much stopping power as it has going power.

In fact, off-roading is a major part of the XG Pro’s intended use case. The new 20×2.8″ tires are more aggressive for better trail performance and look more at home on a mountain bike than a micro e-bike. With a nearly 3-inch profile, these tires also add quasi-suspension in the form of a more cushioned ride with more air volume between riders and the road.

Optional accessories for the brand’s other models now come standard on the XG Pro, including JackRabbit’s “Mega Metal Footpegs” that provide a larger foot platform, the high-rise handlebars that give an even more comfortable and upright seating position, and the LED light package that runs off the JackRabbit batteries.

Speaking of those batteries, just like the XG model, there are two battery slots on the XG Pro. However, the XG Pro comes standard with a pair of RangeBuster batteries that provide a combined 48 miles (77 km) of range.

Now available to order, the JackRabbit XG Pro is priced at $2,249 and comes in a never-before-seen Army Green and an unfortunately-seen-before black color.

Electrek’s Take

To look at this another way, the new OG2 Pro is basically the guts of an XG packaged into the more compact frame of an OG2, giving riders more performance with less bulk (and for $100 less than an XG).

The XG Pro, on the other hand, is basically an XG inside a fever-dream, with just about everything boosted way up. More power, more speed, more range, more craziness.

Now, let’s get to my opinion. First of all, I love the upgrades. More power, more speed, more range? Yes, yes, and yes! Then with the new and more comfortable handlebars included standard, the bikes are better than ever. Instead of sacrificing performance and ride comfort for a smaller size, now riders can get both. The XG Pro is especially interesting with its larger tires and all of those included accessories like the from-the-battery LED lights, the double big-boy batteries, the high-rise bars, etc.

I really like the OG2 Pro’s new orange colorway, and the Army Green is an interesting and likely welcome choice for the XG Pro. I made a couple of jokes about the black colorways in the article above merely due to my preference for the brighter color options that I’ve long enjoyed from JackRabbit, but I understand that not everyone wants to stand out. I don’t understand why, but I at least accept that those people exist. In my opinion though, if you’re going to get a unique ride like this, you want it to pop. If someone buys a Lamborghini, they get it in a fun color like yellow, red, bright blue, etc. You ever see a black Lambo? They exist, but they just don’t look as good. They’re muted and dull. Fun vehicles deserve fun colors, and that’s why I always preferred the original yellow from JackRabbit, though that orange is giving me some lip-biting action as well.

The killer here, though, which is likely to rain on more than a few parades, is the price. At $1,649 and $2,249, these are expensive. Not even a little bit, they’re downright pricey. And I think that’s going to cut into sales. Now I know we’re staring down the barrel of new (and potentially ever-increasing) tariffs, and it is also absolutely fair to say that JackRabbit has an edge with their unique design and one of the few options for such cool micro-rides like these. But JackRabbit also has to spend more money building many of their own parts. They don’t benefit from using the same cookie-cutter e-bike frame chosen from page 325 of a massive Chinese e-bike factory’s catalog. They don’t get to enjoy selecting whatever cheap battery they can purchase off-the-shelf that is already produced by the millions. They have to invest in their own tooling and build their own parts to fit their unique design. And that costs money.

The problem is, that simply might not matter to many folks. In my opinion, too many riders seem to only look at watts and dollars, ignoring dozens of other specs and touchpoints. I’m not trying to look into anyone’s wallet, and which e-bike you can afford is a deeply personal decision. But for the undiscerning folks who merely look for the price-per-watt comparison, JackRabbit will never win. The company simply can’t and won’t compete in that category. But for those who are prepared to pay a premium for a bike that is smaller, lighter, more convenient, and frankly more fun in many aspects, JackRabbit has a leg up. Now the question is whether folks are prepared to pay for it.

Let’s hear your thoughts on the new bikes in the comments below, and stay tuned for my review of the XG Pro coming in the next day or two! Spoiler alert: it’s a wheelie-inducing, tire-spinning, freakin’ incredible ride!

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SunZia Wind’s massive 2.4 GW project hits a big milestone

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SunZia Wind’s massive 2.4 GW project hits a big milestone

GE Vernova has produced over half the turbines needed for SunZia Wind, which will be the largest wind farm in the Western Hemisphere when it comes online in 2026.

GE Vernova has manufactured enough turbines at its Pensacola, Florida, factory to supply over 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of the turbines needed for the $5 billion, 2.4 GW SunZia Wind, a project milestone. The wind farm will be sited in Lincoln, Torrance, and San Miguel counties in New Mexico.

At a ribbon-cutting event for Pensacola’s new customer experience center, GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik noted that since 2023, the company has invested around $70 million in the Pensacola factory.

The Pensacola investments are part of the announcement GE Vernova made in January that it will invest nearly $600 million in its US factories and facilities over the next two years to help meet the surging electricity demands globally. GE Vernova says it’s expecting its investments to create more than 1,500 new US jobs.

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Vic Abate, CEO of GE Vernova Wind, said, “Our dedicated employees in Pensacola are working to address increasing energy demands for the US. The workhorse turbines manufactured at this world-class factory are engineered for reliability and scalability, ensuring our customers can meet growing energy demand.”

SunZia Wind and Transmission will create US history’s largest clean energy infrastructure project.

Read more: The largest clean energy project in US history closes $11B, starts full construction


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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Stablecoin issuer Circle files for IPO as public markets open to crypto

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USDC stablecoin issuer Circle files for IPO as public markets open to crypto

Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder and CEO, Circle 

David A. Grogan | CNBC

Circle, the company behind the USDC stablecoin, has filed for an initial public offering and plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange.

The prospectus, filed with the SEC on Tuesday, lays the groundwork for Circle’s long-anticipated entry into the public markets.

JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup are serving as lead underwriters, and the company is reportedly aiming for a valuation of up to $5 billion. It will trade under ticker symbol CRCL.

It marks Circle’s second attempt at going public. A prior merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) collapsed in late 2022 amid regulatory challenges. Since then, Circle has made strategic moves to position itself closer to the heart of global finance, including the announcement last year that it would relocate its headquarters from Boston to One World Trade Center in New York.

Circle reported $1.68 billion in revenue and reserve income in 2024, up from $1.45 billion in 2023 and $772 million in 2022. The company reported net income last year of about $156 million., down from $268 million a year earlier.

Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro

A successful IPO would make Circle one of the most prominent pure-play crypto companies to list on a U.S. exchange. Coinbase went public through a direct listing in 2021 and has a market cap of about $44 billion.

Circle will be trying to hit the public markets at a volatile moment for tech stocks, with the Nasdaq having just wrapped up its steepest quarterly drop since 2022. The tech IPO market has been mostly dry for over three years, though there are signs of life. Online lender Klarna, digital health company Hinge Health and ticketing marketplace StubHub have all filed their prospectuses recently. Late last week, artificial intelligence infrastructure provider CoreWeave held the biggest IPO for a U.S. venture-backed tech company since 2021. But the company scaled back the offering and the stock had a disappointing first two days of trading before rebounding on Tuesday.

Circle is best known as the issuer of USD Coin (USDC), the world’s second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization.

Pegged one-to-one to the U.S. dollar and backed by cash and short-term Treasury securities, USDC has roughly $60 billion in circulation and makes up about 26% of the total market cap for stablecoins, behind Tether‘s 67% dominance. Its market cap has grown 36% this year, however, compared with Tether’s 5% growth.

The company’s push into public markets reflects a broader moment for the crypto industry, which is enjoying political favor under a more crypto-friendly U.S. administration. The stablecoin sector specifically has been ramping up as the industry gains confidence that the crypto market will get its first piece of U.S. legislation passed and implemented this year, focusing on stablecoins. President Donald Trump has said he hopes lawmakers will send stablecoin legislation to his desk before Congress’s August recess.

Stablecoins’ growth could have investment implications for crypto exchanges like Robinhood and Coinbase as they become a bigger part of crypto trading and cross-border transfers. Coinbase also has an agreement with Circle to share 50% of the revenue of its USDC stablecoin, and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said on the company’s most recent earnings call that it has a “stretch goal to make USDC the number 1 stablecoin.” 

The stablecoin market has grown about 11% so far this year and about 47% in the past year, and has become a “systemically important” part of the crypto market, according to Bernstein. Historically, digital assets in this sector have been used for trading and as collateral in decentralized finance (DeFi), and crypto investors watch them closely for evidence of demand, liquidity and activity in the market.

WATCH: Circle CEO on launching first stablecoin in Japan

Circle CEO on launching the first stablecoin in Japan

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BYD’s global EV takeover is far from over as overseas sales double to start 2025

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BYD's global EV takeover is far from over as overseas sales double to start 2025

After its meteoric rise in the global auto industry last year, the Chinese EV giant is off to a hot start in 2025. BYD sold over one million EVs and plug-in hybrids in the first three months of the year. Even more impressive, BYD’s overseas sales doubled to start the year as it expands into new markets. With new EVs arriving, some predict BYD could see even more growth this year.

BYD’s overseas sales are surging as new EVs arrive

BYD sold 377,420 new energy vehicles (NEVs) last month alone. Like most Chinese automakers, BYD reports NEV sales, including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and fully electric vehicles (EVs).

Of the 371,419 passenger vehicles BYD sold in March, 166,109 were EVs, and the other 205,310 were PHEVs. Combined, BYD’s sales were up 23% compared to last year.

BYD’s Dynasty and Ocean series accounted for 350,615, while its luxury Denza brand sold 12,620, Fang Cheng Bao had 8,051, and its ultra-luxury Yangwang brand sold another 133 models.

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Through the first three months of 2025, BYD sold over one million (1,000,804) NEVs. That’s up 60% from the 626,263 sold in Q1 2024. Fully electric models accounted for 416,388 while PHEV sales reached 569,710, an increase of 39% and 76% from last year, respectively.

BYD-overseas-EV-sales
BYD Dolphin (left) and Atto 3 (right) at the 2024 Tokyo Spring Festival (Source: BYD Japan)

BYD’s overseas sales reached a new record last month, with 72,723 vehicles sold in markets outside of China. Through March, BYD has sold over 206,000 NEVs overseas, more than double (+110%) the number it sold last year.

BYD has made a name for itself with ultra-low-cost EVs like the Seagull, which starts at under $10,000 in China. In overseas markets, like Mexico, it’s sold as the Dolphin Mini and starts at around 358,800 pesos, or around $20,000.

BYD-overseas-EV-sales
BYD Seagull EV (Dolphin Mini) testing in Brazil (Source: BYD)

The world’s largest EV maker is quickly expanding into new segments with pickup trucks, smart SUVs, luxury models, and electric supercars rolling out.

Last week, BYD launched the Yangwang U7, its first ultra-luxury electric sedan. With four electric motors, the U7 packs 1,287 horsepower, good for a 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) sprint in just 2.9 seconds. It also has up to 720 km (447 miles) CLTC driving range.

BYD's-ultra-luxury-EV-sedan
BYD Yangwang U7 ultra-luxury electric sedan (Source: Yangwang)

The Porsche Panamera-size EV is loaded with BYD’s top-tier “God’s Eye” A advanced driving assistance system, DiPilot 600, and a host of other premium features. All of that, and it starts at just just 628,000 yuan ($87,700).

In Europe, BYD is aggressively expanding with new vehicles tailored to buyers in the region, like the Sealion 7 midsize SUV and Atto 2. It’s also expected to launch the low-cost Seagull EV in Europe later this year or early 2026 as the “Dolphin Surf.”

BYD-overseas-EV-sales
BYD’s wide-reaching electric vehicle portfolio (Source: BYD)

According to S&P Global Mobility, BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe this year to around 186,000. By 2029, that number could reach 400,000 or more.

BYD outsold Honda and Nissan in 2024. As it aims to sell 5.5 million vehicles this year, BYD could be on track to surpass Ford in global sales this year. BYD also aims to sell over 800,000 EVs overseas in 2025, double the number it sold last year.

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