I tried taking a tiny e-bike kayak-camping on a deserted island. Here’s what happened
When I first looked at the JackRabbit XG Pro, my instinct was to take it somewhere wild. Sure, it’s designed to be a compact, fun-sized ride for urban zipping and off-road excursions — but what if I took it even further? What if I used it to tow a kayak… to the beach… and then paddled that kayak with the e-bike strapped to it to a deserted island to go camping?
Sometimes bad ideas turn into great stories. This was one of those.
You may recall that I recently covered the launch of this wild new micro e-bike (that technically isn’t a bicycle due to the lack of pedals, as my commentors will surely point out). The lightweight 35 lb (16.7 kg) ride can hit 20 mph – or 24 mph in off-road mode (32 to 39 km/h), and has 749 watts of power combined with 48 miles (77 km) of range.
So basically, it’s a lot of performance packed into the frame of something that feels and rides like a small-format throttle-controlled e-bike.
And at half the weight of most off-road e-bikes, this is just about the only one I could find that would be able to tow 100+ lb (45+ kg) of kayak and camping gear in off-road conditions, including uphill through sand, and still be small enough to then carry it on my kayak in open water. Or at least that was the plan, and I hoped it was going to work.
To see this crazy idea play out before your eyes, check out my video of the whole debacle. It’s a bit of an investment at 30 minutes, but word on the street is it’s worth it, and you’re probably running out of options on Netflix anyway.
Towing a kayak with a 37 lb micro e-bike
The JackRabbit XG Pro is often referred to as a “micro e-bike”, but it felt light a might micro e-bike pulling all my gear.
I attached a DIY trailer to my 10 ft sit-inside (shout-out to my dad, since I stole the trailer he built for his larger kayak to get it from the van to the boat ramp) and loaded up with enough gear to keep me comfortable for an overnight island camp.
Then I hit the road — a mix of beachside streets, bike paths, and some surprisingly rough off-road sections.
The bike never flinched. I was legitimately surprised because I had expected this to be a ‘pushing it to its limits’ situation but the JackRabbit XG Pro didn’t really care.
The only time I ever felt like I was pulling a trailer was during slow uphill sections when it would tend to wheelie due to the slow speed, high torque, and the 100 lb kayak pulling back on the seat post.
I kept speeds modest — around 5 to 8 mph (8-13 km/h) felt like the sweet spot before things got bouncy in the kayak filled with camping gear — but the e-bike never seemed to struggle.
Phase two: Packing the JackRabbit onto the kayak
Once I made it to the launch point after several miles of towing my kayak, it was time to test a theory I hadn’t actually tested: Can you fit the JackRabbit onto the bow of a sit-inside kayak and still paddle?
Turns out: kind of.
I broke the bike down as small as I could — batteries out, front wheel off, handlebars turned sideways — and lashed it to the bow. I had added a few tie down points to my kayak the night before to make this lashing process easier, and those definitely helped.
The trailer, wheel, and loose gear filled the rest of the space, and I wedged myself in around it all. Barely. I had to offload gear just to fit my legs in. After moving my tent, sleeping pad and a few other bits of gear to the stern to make more leg room, I finally managed to squeeze in. A quick drag down the waterline reminded me just how heavy the kayak had become, but there wasn’t any turning back now. It was either sink or swim. Or, well, hopefully neither.
Paddling into the unknown
Despite being comically overloaded, the kayak floated (barely), and I pushed off toward an uninhabited barrier island I’d scouted via satellite maps.
The paddle was a bit stressful at first until I was pretty sure the three inches (7.5 cm) of freeboard I had left was enough to keep me from capsizing. The wake thrown off from passing jet skis and pontoon boats made things exciting in all the wrong ways.
I paddled around for a while until I finally found the cut in the mangrove trees I had spotted via blurry satellite map, though it took me several false alarms as I discovered others so small they didn’t show up on the pixelated images.
When I finally found the right cut in the mangroves and slid into a coarse, natural sand ramp, the feeling was somewhere between “I can’t believe that worked” and “Oh no, now I have to unpack it all.”
Island life, e-bike style
I didn’t end up unpacking the bike at camp. It had taken a lot of effort to get it loaded and I could see the clearing I had spotted on the satellite images was only a short walk through the trees, so I stashed the boat and bike in the mangroves to keep them out of sight from the water and humped my gear the rest of the way.
I found the clearing, set up my tent, and cooked dinner over a twig-burning stove under the creeping suspicion that the Florida Skunk Ape was going to join me at any moment.
The moon was just a sliver that night, but I had a really cool 44-foot (13 meter) solar-powered string light that Biolite sent me and so I set that up for a little extra light as the sun went down. This area of Florida is under a burn ban right now, meaning open fires due to recent drought conditions leading to extra dry brush. I checked with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and confirmed I could use a camping stove, so between that small fire and the string light, I could see my way around my small camp at night. The two were just enough to illuminate all the rats that came out at dusk, who apparently had taken over the island.
I thought I had cleaned my mess kit well after dinner, but throughout the night I was listening to and watching through my tent mesh all of the rats rummaging through it and my bag.
While I had been looking forward to my morning coffee and oatmeal, that pretty much made the decision right there that I’d have to skip it and go for the granola bar I had safely tucked away with me in my tent.
The rats aren’t dangerous by themselves but they do carry diseases and so I wasn’t going to be using that cooking gear until I had a chance to clean it thoroughly.
The ride back: Just as wild
Packing everything back up was just as tight the second time. I loaded everything back into kayak and after one last look at the beautiful sunrise, I pushed off into the open water of the Gulf of Mexico.
I had considered a longer paddle that would cut down the road segment of my ride, but once I got out in the deeper water and the waves picked up, I quickly called an audible and realized I shouldn’t mind the extra miles on the road since drowning in asphalt is a lot less likely.
I beelined it for the coast and have never been happier to hear the crunch of sand under my bow as I beached the kayak for the last time of the trip.
Back on the sand, I hopped out and strapped the kayak to the trailer, reloaded the bike, and cruised back down the highway and into the nearest beach town — tired, sore, a little sunburned, but incredibly satisfied.
The JackRabbit XG Pro isn’t meant for towing a kayak to a beach and then sailing away with it. But that’s what makes this microbike such a fun tool. It’s small, but mighty. Weirdly capable. Surprisingly rugged.
It’s true that JackRabbit’s tiny e-bikes are a favorite among boaters for taking up such little room on a boat, though I think this might be the smallest vessel anyone has ever brought one on. They’re also popular in the light airplane and RV community for the same reason – e-bike-sized wheels for riding around when you get to your destination.
Would I recommend repeating this trip? Only if you enjoy problem-solving on the fly, questionable decision-making, and the occasional kayak-side existential crisis. But yes — it was absolutely worth it.
And considering this is about the worst case scenario for portability and power in a small e-bike, most people should find the JackRabbit XG Pro more than capable of a daily commute or a fun off-road adventure.
What do you think? Would you ever want to try a trip like this? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below. And before you go, check out my video review of the JackRabbit XG Pro below, which stayed (mostly) on dry land. Or check out my full kayak towing/paddling adventure video here.
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Tesla (TSLA) is not paying its bills, and this has led to at least two small American businesses going bankrupt. The automaker had over $110 million in liens with contractors over the last 5 years.
CNN released a new report that examines lien claims from contractors hired by Elon Musk’s companies in Texas, particularly Tesla.
In Texas, contractors have filed liens for more than $110 million against Tesla in the last five years. Over $24 million is still allegedly owed to dozens of businesses, according to the report.
In two cases, contractors, most often small American businesses, had to file for bankruptcy due to the unpaid bills.
The report highlights the example of a small pipe welding business that landed a multi-million-dollar contract with Tesla to build the Gigafactory Texas in Austin in 2022.
The owner, Jennifer Meissner, dedicated her whole crew to the project for a year, hired more people, and bought new equipment for the project, including some with loans she guaranteed herself:
For the first seven years Meissner’s company was in business, she prided herself on not once being late to pay her workers, she told CNN. After securing the business deal with Tesla in 2022, she said her company’s annual revenue grew exponentially, and she hired even more employees. With business booming, she was also hopeful that she would finally be able to start setting aside money for her special needs daughter, whom she adopted at the age of seven.
Her dream quickly turned into a nightmare when Tesla stopped paying its bills. It started putting incredible pressure on Meissner’s company, leading her to take more loans, thinking that Tesla would eventually pay.
Eventually, it led to her inability to pay her own employees and subcontractors, and ultimately, it contributed to her own bankruptcy.
Tesla ultimately paid $650,000 to cover her subcontractors, but claimed it was “overbilled.”
Another local small business, Full Circle Technologies, found itself in a similar situation after Tesla didn’t pay them $600,000 for installing security systems at the factory:
In bankruptcy filings, Full Circle Technologies said Tesla owed it nearly $600,000 and that it was “forced to take on short term high interest loans to bridge the gap between performing the work for Tesla and the payment for its services.” When a creditor began to levy the company’s bank accounts, the company said it had no option but to file for bankruptcy. Tesla then made its own claim in the bankruptcy hearings, stating Full Circle actually owed the carmaker money for allegedly breaching its contract. The two companies ultimately settled, but Full Circle CEO Abheeshek Sharma told CNN that Tesla was released from its obligation without paying a cent.
Another case involved Sun Coast Resources, a company that delivered fuel to Tesla’s factory, claiming that the automaker wasn’t paying millions in bills.
In this case, Tesla never denied receiving the fuel or subpar service, but it provided a myriad of procedural reasons to explain why it did not pay.
The case was publicized a bit earlier this year, and it was reportedly solved following the publicity.
All these cases are linked to Tesla, but some are pointing out that it is Elon Musk’s modus operandi, as his other companies also have a lot of lien claims against them.
The report found seven companies that filed for bankruptcy after Twitter simply stopped paying their bills after Musk acquired the company.
One of Tesla’s subcontractors said about Musk:
“His goal is to run through everything now – he doesn’t care what or who that impacts – to save the future of the world,” said one entrepreneur about his impression of Musk. He spoke with CNN anonymously and said he remains a fan of Musk but that Tesla has a reputation in Austin of leaving contractors desperate to get paid – noting that his company had to take out extra lines of credit while awaiting payment from Tesla. “Tesla was probably one of the only companies we did business with where it just felt like they absolutely did not care about putting a company out of business.”
In one of the lien cases, Tesla’s own outside counsel agreed that Tesla is not great at paying on time. He said: “I don’t disagree that it does take Tesla some time to pay, that goes for legal bills, too … I know it full well.”
Electrek’s Take
It’s quite something for someone to say that a company “doesn’t care about putting another company out of business by not paying what you owe them” and “I’m still a fan” in the same breath.
The excuse of “saving the future of the world” doesn’t make sense if it also happens to “coincidentally” result in Musk becoming extremely wealthy while his contractors go bankrupt.
If that’s the case, the goal is not saving the future; it’s getting rich.
Regarding the claims in the report, Tesla has a reputation for poor payments. That much is clear when its own outside counsel complains about it in the middle of defending Tesla against claims of not paying its bills.
Some of that is simply due to things slipping between the seat cushions. At any given time, Tesla has about $13 billion in accounts payable.
But it seems to be its way of doing business also because over $100 million in liens in Texas alone is concerning and that’s just for Tesla. Musk has employed a similar approach at other companies, including telling Twitter contractors that they will only pay when forced to.
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Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference at the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., on July 8, 2025.
David A. Grogan | CNBC
OpenAI has secured $8.3 billion in new capital as part of its $40 billion fundraise, according to a person familiar with the transaction.
The fresh capital comes as the artificial intelligence company’s business accelerates.
Annual recurring revenue jumped to $13 billion, up from $10 billion in June, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential financial information, and is projected to top $20 billion by year-end.
Paid business users of ChatGPT have climbed to five million from three million just months ago, they said. The round was completed ahead of schedule and was five times oversubscribed.
DealBook was first to report the transaction.
The raise underscores surging investor appetite for AI platforms as competition intensifies among leading model makers.
Dragoneer Investment Group contributed $2.8 billion to the round, the person said, joining Blackstone, TPG, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue, Altimeter, D1 Capital, Tiger Global, and Thrive Capital.
While Dragoneer was the largest investor in this latest tranche of funding, SoftBank remains the lead backer of the broader $40 billion fundraising effort.
Rivals are also raising massive sums.
Anthropic, one of OpenAI’s chief competitors, is in talks to secure between $3 billion and $5 billion in new funding led by Iconiq Capital at a potential $170 billion valuation, CNBC confirmed. That follows a $3.5 billion round in March that valued the startup at $61.5 billion.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic are courting Middle Eastern capital to finance their ambitions.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently signaled a willingness to reverse his previous stance against Gulf sovereign wealth funds, warning in a leaked memo shared with Wired that it’s become “substantially harder to stay on the frontier” of AI development without tapping that money.
OpenAI, meanwhile, is working with Emirati firm G42 to build a massive data center in Abu Dhabi.
WATCH: Anthropic to be valued at $170B in Iconiq-led funding
Hyundai set another US sales record after sales surged 15% in July. The new IONIQ 5 had its best sales month ever as Hyundai’s EV plans begin to unfold.
Hyundai IONIQ 5 sets new US sales record in July 2025
Hyundai sold 79,543 vehicles in the US last month, up 15% from the same period last year. It was also the Korean automaker’s best July sales month since launching its first vehicle in 1986.
The growth was mainly driven by electrified vehicles, including EVs and hybrids (HEVs). Hyundai said that electrified vehicle sales “reached new heights,” after climbing 50% compared to July 2024.
Electrified vehicles accounted for nearly a third (32%) of Hyundai’s retail sales in July 2025, with several popular nameplates setting new all-time monthly sales records, including the new IONIQ 5.
Hyundai IONIQ 5 sales surged 71% in July with 5,818 units sold. Through the first seven months of 2025, Hyundai has now sold nearly 25,000 IONIQ 5 models in the US. Hyundai’s electric SUV remains one of the top-selling EVs in the US, boasting a long driving range, ultra-fast charging capabilities, advanced technology, and a stylish design.
After upgrading it for the 2025 model year, the IONIQ 5 now features a range of up to 318 miles, an upgraded infotainment system, and a built-in NACS port, allowing you to charge at Tesla Superchargers.
The 2025 IONIQ 5 is built at Hyundai’s EV plant in Georgia, alongside the new three-row IONIQ 9. After deliveries kicked off in late May, Hyundai has sold a total of 2,086 IONIQ 9 models in the US, including 1,073 units in July.
Ahead of the upgraded model, IONIQ 6 sales picked up with 949 units sold last month (+22% YOY). Through July, Hyundai sold 7,271 IONIQ 6 models in the US, representing a 5% decrease from the same period last year.
Since both the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 are built in Georgia, they still qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. However, that’s set to expire at the end of September.
Although it will still face billions in extra costs due to tariffs, Hyundai called the new trade agreement between the US and South Korea a “historic win.” Hyundai avoided a 25% tariff, but still faces a 15% rate.
| 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Trim | EV Powertrain | Driving Range (miles) | Starting Price* | Monthly lease price July 2025 |
| IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range | 168-horsepower rear motor | 245 | $42,500 | $179 |
| IONIQ 5 SE RWD | 225-horsepower rear motor | 318 | $46,550 | $199 |
| IONIQ 5 SEL RWD | 225-horsepower rear motor | 318 | $49,500 | $209 |
| IONIQ 5 Limited RWD | 225-horsepower rear motor | 318 | $54,200 | $309 |
| IONIQ 5 SE Dual Motor AWD | 320-horsepower dual motor | 290 | $50,050 | $249 |
| IONIQ 5 SEL Dual Motor AWD | 320-horsepower dual motor | 290 | $53,000 | $259 |
| IONIQ 5 XRT Dual Motor AWD | 320 horsepower dual motor | 259 | $55,400 | $359 |
| IONIQ 5 Limited Dual Motor AWD | 320-horsepower dual motor | 269 | $58,100 | $299 |
Hyundai is currently offering some of the best deals on EVs to take advantage of the available incentives. After cutting lease prices again last month, the 2025 IONIQ 5 is now available to lease for as low as $179 per month. The three-row IONIQ 9 is listed for lease at just $419 per month.
Hyundai is also offering a complimentary ChargePoint L2 home EV charger with the purchase or lease of a new 2025 IONIQ 5 or 2026 IONIQ 9.
Want to test one out for yourself? We’re here to help you get started. You can use our links below to find deals on Hyundai’s electric vehicles in your area.
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