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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been talking about releasing his ‘Tesla Master Plan Part 4’ for over a year now. It has yet to come, and Tesla has yet to complete the goals in Parts 2 and 3. So I decided to come up with my own Tesla Master Plan.

Now, this post is partly tongue-in-cheek. I’m not delusional. I’m fully aware that this is unlikely to happen, but one can dream. As a long-time fan of Tesla and someone who greatly appreciates the Company’s incredible contributions to accelerating the world’s transition to electric transport and renewable energy, I like to imagine a world where Tesla can return to being something more than just a meme stock for degenerate gamblers to bet on.

Tesla was the world leader in electric vehicles, but now its core business is in evident decline. For the first time in over a decade since achieving volume production, Tesla saw its annual sales decline in 2024.

They declined by only 1%, but now they are on pace to be down more than 10% in 2025, and there is no sign of recovery. That’s happening while EV sales are surging globally. Things are expected to worsen with EVs losing incentives in the US, brand damage impacting sales in Europe, and competition eroding Tesla’s market share in China.

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Tesla’s lineup is becoming stale with only a single new vehicle launched in the last 5 years, the Cybertruck, which turned out to be a commercial flop.

That’s due to CEO Elon Musk, who put Tesla all-in on autonomous driving while putting actual electric vehicle programs on the back burner.

Meanwhile, Musk has been consistently wrong about autonomous driving for years. He has promised that every Tesla vehicle produced since 2016 would be capable of unsupervised self-driving, but he was wrong about it working on the first version of hardware HW2, HW3, and now everything points to things stalling on HW4.

Separately, Musk decided to venture into politics senselessly, propagate misinformation on X, and alienate a large part of Tesla’s customer base in the process.

He gave $300 million to get Donald Trump elected, who then gave him free rein to destroy several government agencies, which happened to be investigating him and his companies, in the name of “unrooting corruption”, which never led to any charges.

Trump and the GOP campaigned on a clear agenda that went directly against Tesla’s mission and Musk helped get them elected nonetheless. He only briefly appeared to come to his senses after being pushed out of the White House last month, but he quickly got back to supporting Trump.

While doing all that, Musk also frequently violated his fiduciary duties to Tesla shareholders by starting an AI startup that competes for AI talent with Tesla and threatening shareholders not to build AI products at Tesla, despite claiming these products were critical to Tesla’s future, if he didn’t gain more control over the company.

Tesla shareholders are actively suing him over these issues.

In short, Tesla’s sales are in free fall and expected to drop even sharply next year after its least affected market, the US, removes incentives on electric vehicles.

CEO Elon Musk appears to have lost his mind and his bet on autonomous driving is simply not paying off while other companies, like Waymo and Baidu, are pulling ahead.

At this rate, Tesla is expected to go back to being a money-losing company next year as it is quickly becoming a niche automaker in Europe, it is being squeezed out of the market in China by competition, and the removal of incentives in the US next year is going to cripple its only somewhat healthy market.

In fact, Tesla is already a money-losing company when excluding regulatory credit sales, which are expected to disappear rapidly over the next few years:

With data indicating that sales are not expected to recover in Q2, Tesla is likely to maintain this clear trend through 2025.

Here are Tesla’s quarterly deliveries in Europe:

They have been steadily declining for the past two years, and while Tesla blamed the sharp drop in Q1 on the Model Y changeover, the Company is expected to perform just as poorly in Q2 based on the latest data.

Musk also recently lied by claiming that every other automaker is doing badly in Europe right now, which is not only false, but all-electric vehicle sales are surging.

The US is Tesla’s only somewhat healthy market, and this is expected to change in 2026 with the removal of the federal tax credit and the phasing out of regulatory credits over the next few years.

Things are about to get worse if nothing changes, and as much as some shareholders want to believe it, autonomous driving is unlikely to save Tesla’s financials anytime soon.

Tesla Master Plan Part 4

1- Fire Elon Musk and the board

This is the most challenging part of the whole plan, and unfortunately, nothing else works without it. Unless maybe it is revealed that Elon Musk was held against his will in a basement somewhere since 2020 and replaced by an evil clone. Unlikely.

I say it’s challenging because Tesla shareholders and the board are the only ones that can make it happen, and they are currently completely disincentivized to do it. That’s because the majority of Tesla’s current valuation (trading at nearly 200 times earnings) is based on Musk’s false promises, hype, and made-up projections about multi-trillion-dollar new ventures.

If they fire him, the stock would revert to trading on fundamentals, which would result in a significant decline. However, those fundamentals would likely improve without Musk and his brand destruction.

I previously referred to this as the Tesla shareholders’ dilemma, and ultimately, it’s Tesla’s biggest challenge right now.

Again, I completely understand that there’s no desire from the shareholder base to do that now due to the short-term impact on Tesla’s valuation. Still, they need to ask themselves: “How long can Tesla maintain this valuation if fundamentals don’t start to recover?”

There’s no sign of recovery; everything suggests that things will worsen soon, and autonomy is unlikely to contribute positively anytime soon.

Elon Musk Game of Thrones FI

I know this is the hard part, but I think more shareholders are going to start seeing problems now that ‘Robotaxi’ has been launched, sort of, and it will become clear that Tesla is facing many of the same bottlenecks in scaling as Waymo, which has a significant head start.

At some point, Musk will run out of people who believe that Tesla’s vision-only approach is a magic weapon for scaling autonomy, and those who do see the light on this issue will not return to the cult.

Yes, Tesla’s stock will drop if that happens and Musk is ousted, but the stock will eventually drop regardless if the fundamentals don’t start to recover soon.

The board, which has been protecting Musk and allowed multiple breaches of fiduciary duty, should also be ousted for meaningful change to happen.

Suprinsgly, Tesla has yet to announce its 2025 shareholders meeting, which is the only opportunity for shareholders to vote out board members and attempt to change the leadership at Tesla. Usually, it happens in June or July.

2- Make things right with customers and shareholders

After Musk is gone, this needs to be the first step in regaining customer trust and rebuilding demand.

Tesla needs to offer to reimburse everyone who bought the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package and also make a permanent open offer to transfer FSD to new cars with the latest FSD hardware – even with a discount on top.

The caveat here is that the new “FSD”, or whatever you want to call it, doesn’t come with the promise that it will eventually turn into unsupervised self-driving. This can still be the ambition (on new hardware, as I don’t believe HW4 will ever support level 4 self-driving outside of a geo-fenced area with teleoperation), but it’s not something that owners should be expecting.

Tesla has done a lot of great work in autonomous driving, but it has made promises that it can’t keep and set expectations that have created complacency, which in turn resulted in safety issues.

The company should continue developing ADAS and autonomous driving systems, but it should be way more cautious about setting expectations, and it should be more transparent with its data.

The fact that Tesla never released any FSD data other than its cumulative mileage still shocks me.

I would also like to see Tesla make things right for shareholders by suing Musk and the board for having frequently misled them with outright lies and threats, as previously explained. It would undoubtedly be a lengthy legal battle, but if successful, Tesla could recover billions of dollars that Musk and the board had taken from Tesla.

For context, Musk has made more money from Tesla, about $40 billion, by selling stocks, than Tesla made in net income throughout its entire existence: about $34.5 billion.

As for the board, they pocketed over $1 billion.

3- Buy Redwood Materials and Heron Power with stock deals to regain top talent and expand

Tesla has experienced a significant and ongoing exodus of talent for years, but this trend has accelerated substantially over the last year.

Ultimately, a company is only as good as its people. There’s still top talent at Tesla. Some are Elon loyalists who could be problematic, but others are simply talented employees and engineers who seek the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology and share Tesla’s mission.

Nonetheless, the talent exodus has had a significant impact, and Tesla’s pace of innovation has dropped significantly.

With Musk gone, Tesla will need new leadership, and it should be easier to hire top talent with the polarizing CEO no longer at the helm.

However, acquisitions or mergers could be considered to speed up the reintegration of top talent.

I think the top targets should be Redwood Materials and Heron Power. It would bring JB Straubel and Drew Baglino, arguably the two most impactful engineers in Tesla’s 21-year history, back into Tesla’s engineering leadership.

Redwood Materials Europe
The Redux Recycling crew, now part of the Redwood family / Credit: Redwood Materials

Approximately 120 employees of Redwood Materials were former Tesla employees, including many who Straubel handpicked for their notable impact on Tesla.

On a smaller scale and more recently, Baglino did the same with Heron to build new solid-state transformers. He recruited many veteran Tesla engineers, especially in the energy and power electronics departments.

Redwood has also recently launched a new energy storage business, in addition to its battery recycling and battery material manufacturing operations. It has become a direct competitor to Tesla Energy.

Both Redwood and Heron could help push Tesla’s energy business to the next level and keep the company’s only growing division growing.

This can be achieved through all-stock transactions. It wouldn’t cost the company anything, and it would help quickly reshape the shareholder base at Tesla.

4 – Back to the basics: expand the line-up with great and efficient electric vehicles

The EV business is significantly tougher than the energy business for Tesla, particularly in terms of demand and growth.

Musk has been betting everything on autonomous driving, but the result is that the lineup has been neglected, with only a single new vehicle introduced in the last five years: the Cybertruck, which has been a commercial flop.

I don’t claim to have a silver bullet here, nor any groundbreaking solutions, but there are several things the automaker could do to return to growth.

Obviously, I think Musk being out of the equation alone should help with demand. However, I think Tesla’s problem is way bigger: it needs a significant refresh to its lineup.

First off, Tesla execs plead with Musk not to cancel the “$25,000 Tesla” or Model 2, or whatever you want to call it. I think you have to reconsider that vehicle program right away.

I am confident that there could be other EV programs or changes to existing ones that Musk shut down amid his focus on autonomous driving at Tesla. Those should also be reconsidered.

The Cybertruck should either be scrapped in favor of a more traditional-looking all-electric pickup truck or undergo a major update. It has been a commercial flop, but there’s no denying that it garnered a lot of interest at some point. The fact that it was launched with a lot less range and a higher price is the main reason it flopped.

If that can be addressed, perhaps by utilizing different battery cells than Tesla’s own 4680, which fell short of the performance announced at Tesla’s Battery Day in 2020, it should be considered.

I’d also love to see Tesla bring some of the advancements brought to market in the Cybertruck program to other vehicles. For example, the steer-by-wire and 48-volt electronic architecture should already have been introduced in the Model S and Model X.

Tesla family hero

Tesla’s pace of innovation has slowed significantly in recent years, but the automaker still maintains a lead in efficiency among most of its competitors. I’d love to see Tesla utilize that to cover more automotive segments.

5 – Autonomous vehicles

Autonomous driving should still be a critical priority program at Tesla, but I think it should be revised. Musk backed the entire company into a corner by trashing lidar sensors for years and insisting that vision-only was the best approach.

Before he blocked me and Electrek, he actually told us in DMs that he agreed that high definition radars combined with computer vision would be safer than just vision, but he didn’t believe such a radar existed (May 2021):

When I shared such a radar with him, he ignored the comment. Furthermore, lidar sensors essentially function as high-definition radars, utilizing lasers instead of radio waves. However, combining all of them is even better, as each possesses its own advantages. Radar gathers vast amounts of data in waves, while lidar acts more like a scanner.

Musk has repeatedly and very publicly expressed disdain for lidar sensors and for self-driving companies using the technology. He started criticizing the technology when a single sensor cost several thousand dollars and Tesla was trying to build a hardware suite that would be integrated as standard on all vehicles, even if they didn’t purchase its expensive “Full Self-Driving” package.

However, lidar sensors have now become more affordable, costing only a few hundred dollars. Nevertheless, it appears that Tesla is still committed to a vision-only approach, likely due to its CEO’s very public stance against lidars.

Tesla’s HW5 suite should probably include not only a more powerful computer but also the capacity to include a radar and/or a lidar sensor.

6 -Bring back a PR department

Musk’s decision to dissolve Tesla’s PR department in 2020 was a terrible one, and it should be reversed as soon as possible.

It led to Musk being Tesla’s sole mouthpiece, and we all know how that turned out.

Tesla’s PR department was small for a company of its size and even more so for one receiving such extensive news coverage. Nonetheless, it was still successful in ensuring more accurate coverage on average.

Even in negative articles about Tesla, it would try to get Tesla’s side of the story included. Now, all you have is Musk sometimes denying news articles after the fact, and he has little to no credibility doing so after he denied several news articles that turned out to be true.

With Musk gone, a PR department would also be even more critical in trying to realign Tesla with its original mission to accelerate the advent of electric transportation and renewable energy.

The communications around Tesla’s move should explain how those moves advanced the mission. Since Musk dissolved the department and took over communications, it appears that most communications from Tesla are focused on stock pumping rather than advancing the mission.

Along with a PR department, Tesla should focus more on marketing and even advertising. Lately, Tesla appears to have fallen into the trap of legacy automakers, where electric vehicles compete with other electric vehicles. This is a dumb approach, especially in the US where EV still have an extremely low ~10% penetration rate.

With the vast majority of the market still consisting of ICE vehicles, the focus of electric vehicle markets should be on this market and how to encourage people to transition to electric vehicles.

Electrek’s Take

Again, I’m not delusional. I understand this is all extremely unlikely to happen as Musk has an incredible hold on the Tesla shareholder base, and the stock remains high.

However, shareholders could quickly turn into bagholders if Tesla’s fundamentals don’t start to turn around and the company starts losing money next year.

The primary goal of this post is to demonstrate that there’s a world where Tesla could still thrive after Elon Musk, if there’s ever a desire among shareholders to make that happen.

It wouldn’t be easy. It would require significant reforms at the company and for the company to assume the giant liability that Musk created by promising unsupervised self-driving on millions of vehicles.

I believe it’s the right thing to do and the only way I can envision Tesla regaining significant consumer trust, thereby returning to growth and positively contributing to its original mission once again.

Anything else you can think of that should be included in the plan? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Aventon Sinch 2 folding e-bike at $1,399 low, Autel AC Lite 50A level 2 EV charger $455, NIU KQi 300X e-scooter $750, EcoFlow, more

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July 22, 2025

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Aventon Sinch 2 folding e-bike at ,399 low, Autel AC Lite 50A level 2 EV charger 5, NIU KQi 300X e-scooter 0, EcoFlow, more

Today’s Green Deals are all about EVs and power stations, with our headliner being Aventon’s Sinch 2 Folding e-bike at its $1,399 low. Right behind it, we have Autel’s MaxiCharger AC Lite Home Level 2 EV charger down at $455, as well as NIU’s KQi 300X All-Terrain Suspension Electric Scooter for $750. From there we have four limited-time EcoFlow member-only solar generator bundle deals at up to 56% off, Anker’s SOLIX C1000 power station, and a one-day-only sale on Anker’s SOLIX BP1000X expansion battery for the previously mentioned station. All these and more are waiting for you below. Plus, there’s all the hangover savings at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Anker PowerCore Reserve dropping under $90, Schumacher’s new portable level 1 EV charger, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Aventon’s space-saving Sinch 2 folding e-bike brings utility to your commutes for up to 55 miles at its $1,399 low

Among the selection of Aventon e-bikes retaining their post-July 4th Sale lows, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the brand’s Sinch 2 Folding e-bike that is still down at $1,399 shipped. Normally going for $1,699 at full price, we’ve mostly seen this model discounted to $1,499 over the last year, with more recent sales dropping the costs to its $1,399 low, mostly in response to the launch of the upgraded Sinch 2.5 descendant model. You’ll be saving $300 off the going rate while the savings last, giving you a space-saving commuter at the best price we have tracked.

Aventon’s Sinch 2 e-bike is the second-generation legacy model among its folding series of commuters, with the frame providing more space-saving functionality when storing or transporting it. It comes equipped with a 500W rear-hub motor (peaking at 1,056W) alongside a 672Wh battery in order to reach top speeds of 20 MPH for up to 55 miles of travel while its four PAS levels are activated, which come supported by a torque sensor. Of course, you’ll gain added utility thanks to included features like the rear cargo rack, with others including the integrated front and rear lighting that sport turn signal functionality, an 8-speed derailleur, fenders to go over both 20 by 4-inch tires, an LCD smart “easy read” display, and more.

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You can check out the full lineup of Aventon’s current deals in our original coverage of these extended savings here, which include models like the Level 2 Commuter e-bike still down at its $1,399 annual low. You can also find the brand’s new Pace 4 Step-Through Cruiser e-bike that comes with an array of smart features still benefitting from its first-ever savings at $1,699 too.

man using Autel AC Lite 50A level 2 EV charger to charge EV

Install Autel’s MaxiCharger AC Lite level 2 EV charger at home for up to 50A speeds for $455

Through its official Amazon storefront, Autel is offering Prime members its MaxiCharger AC Lite Home Level 2 EV charger back at $455.20 shipped, which we’re also seeing matched in price direct from the brand’s website. While this model goes for $569 at full price directly from the manufacturer, we’ve regularly been seeing it keep down to this same rate for most of 2025, with things only falling lower in that period to $450 during Prime Day two weeks ago. You can take advantage of the 20% savings that cuts $114 off the tag for the third-lowest price we have tracked – $56 above the low from Black Friday.

If you want to learn more about this at-home EV charger, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

man posing on NIU KQi 300X electric scooter

NIU’s 37-mile trekking KQi 300X all-terrain e-scooter with hydraulic suspension and regen braking at $750

NIU’s official Amazon storefront is now offering its KQi 300X All-Terrain Suspension Electric Scooter for $749.99 shipped, which is also matching in price direct from NIU’s website. While this higher-end model from the brand would cost you $1,299 at full price, it keeps down between $1,049 and $1,198 at Amazon on average. From January to late June we mostly saw discounts taking things to $999, with more recent price cuts seeing drops lower to $919 and $899. While the deal here lasts, you’re looking at a 42% markdown from its MSRP, with up to $549 in savings landing it at the best price we’ve tracked in 2025, only beaten out by the $731 low we last saw in October 2024.

If you want to learn more about this NIU e-scooter, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

EcoFlow DELTA Pro power station sitting next tow extra battery and solar panel in yard

Score up to 56% savings on four EcoFlow bundles like the DELTA Pro with a 400W panel at $2,169

As part of EcoFlow’s current post-Prime Day power deals, the brand is offering up to 56% off four members-only bundle units through July 24, with sign-up being free, though we’re also seeing these or lower prices at Amazon for Prime members. Among the offers, a notable standout is the DELTA Pro Solar Generator bundle with a 400W panel that is down at $2,169 shipped, and also matching in price at Amazon. This package would normally run you $4,898 from the brand at full price, while we see it keep down at $3,999 at Amazon on average. This opportunity also beats out the costs of two of the current flash sale offers that give you the station, panel, and protective bag for $2,428 (though you won’t get the bag that adds $99 to that price). You’re looking at a 56% markdown with this bundle deal, saving you up to $2,729 at the second-lowest price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this solar generator package, as well as the other bundle deals, be sure to check out our original coverage here.

man powering griddle with Anker SOLIX c1000 power station

Cover power needs on camping trips through Anker’s SOLIX C1000 station at $469

By way of its official Amazon storefront, Anker is offering its SOLIX C1000 Portable Power Station at $469 shipped, beating out the brand’s direct pricing by $50. While this model fetches $999 at full price directly from the brand, we see it keep down at $799 when at full price at Amazon, with discounts having taken things as low as $429 in the past, which was last seen two weeks ago during the Prime Day event. If you missed out on the pricing then, you’re still looking at a solid 41% markdown off the going rate here (53% off its MSRP), giving you up to $530 savings at the third-lowest price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this model, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

man and woman having picnic on beach with Anker SOLIX C1000 power station and expansion battery

Expand your Anker SOLIX C1000 station with the BP1000 add-on battery at a new $380 low for today only

As part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is giving folks a small window to expand their Anker SOLIX C1000 setup with the BP1000X Expansion Battery at $379.99 shipped, which beats out Amazon’s pricing of the standard model by $49 and Anker’s direct pricing by $419. You’d normally have to shell out $799 for this add-on gear at full price, which we’ve seen discounted as low as $400, the most recent of which was back at the tail-end of March. All the deals we’ve ever seen before are getting beaten out here for the rest of the day, with the 52% markdown saving you $419 at the best new price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this expansion battery, be sure to check out our original coverage of this one-day-only sale here.

Best Summer EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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The Hyundai IONIQ 2 is an affordable little brother to the IONIQ 5 [images]

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July 22, 2025

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The Hyundai IONIQ 2 is an affordable little brother to the IONIQ 5 [images]

Hyundai-IONIQ-2

The Hyundai IONIQ 2 was just spotted out in public for the first time. Hyundai is expected to introduce the smaller, more affordable EV later this year. Here’s our first look at the IONIQ 5’s little brother.

The Hyundai IONIQ 2 is coming in just a few months

According to Xavier Martinet, president and CEO of Hyundai’s European operations, the new EV will debut “in the next few months.”

Hyundai is expected to showcase the electric crossover SUV at the Munich Motor Show in September. It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform that powers Hyundai’s other IONIQ models and the Kia EV lineup.

The new model is expected to arrive as the IONIQ 2, positioned between the Inster EV and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s electric vehicle lineup. Based on the same platform, Hyundai’s new EV will likely share components with the upcoming Kia EV2.

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Kia is launching the EV2, its smallest and most affordable EV, next year. The Hyundai IONIQ 2 is expected to arrive shortly after.

Ahead of its official debut, we are getting our first glimpse of Hyundai’s upcoming EV. A camouflaged prototype was spotted by Korean blogger ShortsCar in a parking garage.

Although it’s covered, the crossover SUV-like profile is still visible, similar to the EV2. You can also see Hyundai’s signature EV elements, such as pixelated lighting on the side mirrors and front LED headlights.

Like the EV3, it will likely be offered with several battery options, including a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack. The standard range battery is rated for a WLTP range of 267 miles, while the extended range pack offers a range of up to 372 miles. Both variants are powered by a single front-mounted electric motor with 201 horsepower.

Hyundai-IONIQ-2
Kia Concept EV2 (Source: Kia)

Although it will share components with the EV2, the IONIQ 2, according to Autocar, will be a “step change” in terms of usability, featuring advanced new software and in-car features.

It will likely debut with Hyundai’s new Pleos software and infotainment system. The end-to-end software-defined platform connects everything from the vehicle’s infotainment to the operating system (OS) and then to the Cloud.

Hyundai-IONIQ-2-Pleos-infotainment
Hyundai’s next-gen infotainment system powered by Pleos (Source: Hyundai)

Hyundai plans to unlock new features, including self-driving capabilities and real-time data analysis. With an Android-based system, the infotainment system has a “smartphone-like UI,” offering new functions like multi-window viewing. It also comes with an AI voice assistant.

Hyundai-IONIQ-2
Kia EV3 Air in Frost Blue (Source: Kia UK)

Prices and final specs will be revealed closer to launch. However, given that the Kia EV3 starts at €35,990 ($42,500), the Hyundai IONIQ 2 is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400).

For those in the US, sorry to disappoint, but the IONIQ 2 is not likely to make the trip overseas. Hyundai is betting on bigger electric SUVs, including the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9.

The Kia EV3 is already the most popular retail EV in the UK. Will Hyundai’s IONIQ 2 see the same demand when it arrives?

Source: TheKoreanCarBlog, ShortsCar

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Ride1Up TrailRush launched as affordable mid-drive electric mountain bike

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July 22, 2025

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Ride1Up TrailRush launched as affordable mid-drive electric mountain bike

Ride1Up is officially hitting the trails in a big way. Known for its commuter-focused electric bikes that deliver impressive value, the San Diego-based brand has just announced the new Ride1Up TrailRush: a trail-ready electric mountain bike that marks Ride1Up’s first true entry into the rugged world of eMTBs.

Sure, Ride1Up has branched out from its commuter roots, offering mopeds and trekking-style bikes before. There’s even been an XC version of its highly-acclaimed Prodigy line. But the new TrailRush, with its Brose mid-drive motor, MTB geometry, dropper seat post, and other trail-focused features, is purpose-made for hitting the dirt and winding through those trails, whether uphill or downhill.

And this isn’t a token hardtail with a fancy name. The TrailRush is packing a legit, highly-engineered German mid-drive motor, name-brand suspension, proper trail geometry, and a component list that reads more like a wish list – all at a price that could make a few legacy mountain bike brands start sweating.

The heart of the TrailRush is the German-made Brose TF Sprinter motor, producing a healthy 90Nm of torque. It’s paired with an integrated torque sensor in the bottom bracket to provide smooth, intuitive pedal assist, up to 28 mph. The controller is tucked neatly inside the mid-drive motor housing, while a 1.5-inch color display on the bars gives you ride stats at a glance. There’s no throttle, in true European style, meaning this fast trail bike is a true Class 3 ride in even the strictest interpretation.

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Fueling that fancy mid-drive motor is a 36V 14Ah battery built with Samsung cells and a smart BMS. It’s not the largest pack in the eMTB game, but its 504 Wh of capacity should give some decently long-range touring and light cross-country riding, especially without a throttle to drain the battery so quickly. Ride1Up’s real-world range estimate is 30-50 miles (50-80 km) per charge, depending on power level, rider weight, local terrain, and other contributing factors.

The drivetrain features Shimano’s Deore M6000 10-speed setup, complete with a clutch-equipped derailleur, Rapidfire Plus shifter, and a wide-range 11-36T cassette. That’s a reliable workhorse setup, and a good choice for trail riders who want durability without the fuss of constantly tuning a lower-end derailleur. It’s also several steps up the Shimano transmission hierarchy, which is a welcome change compared to what we’re used to seeing from direct-to-consumer (D2C) electric bike brands.

Up front, riders will find a 120mm RockShox Judy Silver TK air fork, which marks another big step up from the basic components we’re used to seeing on D2C bikes. This isn’t the typical spring forks that you’ll find on many budget eMTBs.

And to help keep your ride under control on the descents, Ride1Up went with Tektro’s Orion HD-M745 quad-piston hydraulic disc brakes. Again, there’s a common theme here: these are all much nicer parts than you’d expect. These components are more at home on bike shop e-bikes than something that the FedEx guy drops off by your front porch.

Continuing around the bike, a 150mm Exaform dropper post comes standard, letting you get low on the descents or quickly pop back up for climbs. The TrailRush rolls on Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR 29×2.6” tubeless-ready tires, which are trail favorites that should inspire plenty of confidence across a variety of terrains.

Back up in the cockpit, riders will find 780mm-wide mountain bike handlebars with a 28mm rise and 6° sweep, along with a Selle Royal SRX saddle. The bike uses standard 110mm/142mm hub spacing (plus thru-axles instead of skewers for more robust construction), so wheel upgrades and replacements won’t require any niche nonsense.

All of this is available for a price of $2,095, which comes in well below the big names in mid-drive electric mountain bikes. And keeping with the theme of offering more here, Ride1Up has three color options to choose from (Burnt Sunset, Cobalt, and Midnight), plus two frame sizes to better fit a range of riders. The three colors each seem to pack a bit of a surprise, too. The Sunset orange fades into that burnt color, the Cobalt blue incorporates a fun and funky wave pattern near the headtube, and the Midnight black hides away rainbow sparkles that pop in the sunlight – a pattern we first saw on Ride1Up’s CFRacer carbon road bike.

Ride1Up says the TrailRush was built for “long-range touring and light XC riding,” but with that build sheet, it’s clearly capable of punching above its weight on serious singletrack too. And priced at just a hair over $2k, this is likely the best deal in the entire market when it comes to a high-end German mid-drive on a quality electric mountain bike.

Electrek’s Take

This is a big move for Ride1Up. The company built its reputation on urban-focused commuters and hybrid e-bikes that make everyday riding more accessible. But with the TrailRush, Ride1Up is going full throttle into the trail market, errr, at least without a throttle. And the company is doing it with a bike that looks anything but entry-level.

A Brose mid-drive motor, RockShox air suspension, Maxxis rubber, quad-piston brakes, dropper post, and all for a price that’s well under what the big brands charge for similar builds? If the TrailRush lands anywhere near Ride1Up’s typical pricing strategy, it’s going to shake up the eMTB space.

In fact, it almost feels like they took a look at the Aventon Ramblas and said, “Hold our sports bottle.” The bikes offer similar specs, but with Ride1Up coming in at $500 less. I wish it had gone with LED lights like Aventon did, partly for trail visibility but mostly just as an extra safety feature when folks inevitably also use it on the road or in bike lanes. But as it stands, the TrailRush is a pretty compelling argument, and I’m excited to get on one later this week and start testing it out so I can bring you my full review.

Until then, let’s hear what you think about the new Ride1Up TrailRush in the comments below.

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