Review: Lectric’s XP4 750 Folding Utility e-bike raises the bar on America’s favorite ride
America’s best-selling e-bike has taken a step further in its evolution, all while maintaining its accessibility to the everyday rider. Lectric’s new XP4 750 Folding Utility e-bike is quite the step up for the XP series, coming well-rounded and stocked with a solid array of features for a quality, high-performing experience. With the new descendant models, the king of the proverbial e-mobility hill has given the XP4 e-bikes more power, further traveling range, an even smoother ride, and a bunch of safety upgrades that are quite impressive for its affordable pricing. Check out our full hands-on review here.
Head to school in style on Rad Power’s new RadRunner cargo utility e-bikes with passenger gear starting from $1,499
Rad Power Bikes has launched its Back to School Sale through August 6 with up to $300 in savings on one legacy model and two of the brand’s newest models, as well as the ongoing $600 discount on the RadExpand 5 e-bike. Of course, the biggest deals in this sale are on the new RadRunner Cargo Utility e-bike with a free $109 passenger package at $1,499 shipped while the most advanced RadRunner Max Cargo Utility e-bike gets a $139 passenger package at $2,299 shipped. Unfortunately, we have yet to see any actual price cuts on this or its two counterparts since they released back at the end of April, though the RadRunner Max has already been apart of two previous free bundle promotions in the time since. The passenger packages that accompany your purchase give you a seat to convert the cargo racks into a place for passengers (as the name suggests). Head below for more on these and the other deals we’re seeing.
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Starting off with the base model in this new series that is seeing its first-ever deal, the Rad Power RadRunner e-bike is one of the refreshed models (alongside the Plus counterpart) that maintains simplicity with notable improvements over its predecessor build. There’s a 750W rear hub motor paired with a 624Wh Safe Shield advanced external battery that provides 20 MPH top speeds for up to 55+ miles when its five PAS levels are activated. It’s rated to carry up to a max 320-pound payload, and sports features like a Gemma Hydraulic GA-950E brake system, puncture-protected multi-surface tires, a color display, an LED headlight and integrated taillight with brake lighting, auto ambient light sensor, daytime flashing lights, memory setting, 4 lighting modes, and more.
On the opposite side of the series’ spectrum is Rad Power’s most advanced RadRunner Max e-bike that starts with a 750W rear hub motor and a larger 672Wh semi-integrated battery for 60+ miles of pedal-assisted travel at up to a 28 MPH max speed. You can also add the new range extender here alongside an additional battery to double that travel range to 120+ miles. It comes decked out with a wide array of physical and smart features – the latter of which includes Apple Find My integration, Bluetooth proximity locking, a 328-foot radar, and more. There’s also the same puncture-protected multi-surface tires, Exsho suspension, hydraulic brakes, and much more.
Rad Power’s full Back to School Sale e-bike offers:
Get Christmas pricing in July through Lectric’s latest sale with up to $654 e-bike bundles starting from $999
Just as we published our in-depth hands-on review of Lectric’s new XP4 750 Folding Utility e-bike, the brand has now launched its Christmas in July Sale, which is seeing up to $654 in free bundled gear accompany its e-bikes. Among the offers, we’re seeing increased gear with the popular XPress 750 Commuter e-bike that gets a $410 bundle at $1,299 shipped. These bundles would fetch $1,709 were the savings not in the form of the free gear, which has been increased since its Prime Day Sale two weeks ago – plus, these models are eligible for the $200 off spare battery promotion that you’ll find on the landing page. The packaged gear contains a rear cargo rack, a fender set, an Elite headlight upgrade, a suspension seat post, and a waterproof pannier bag.
First cash savings hit Autel’s new MaxiCharger AC Pro 80A level 2 EV charger at $899
By way of its official Amazon storefront, Autel is now offering the first cash savings on its new MaxiCharger AC Pro 80A Business Level 2 EV Charger to $899 shipped. It hit the market a few months ago carrying a $1,299 price tag, which is where it’s currently priced directly from the brand’s website. This is the very first price cut we’ve spotted on this powerful charging solution, with the 31% markdown here cutting $400 from the tag while also setting the bar for future discounts down the road.
Save $300 on Rad Power’s multi-terrain RadRover 6 Plus e-bike at its second-best $1,299 price through the weekend
Running alongside its Back to School Sale that will be lasting through August 6, Rad Power Bikes is now also offering a weekend flash sale on its popular RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat-Tire e-bike for $1,299 shipped. Coming down from its $1,599 price tag, you can save $300 through July 27 for the second-best price we have tracked. We’ve been seeing it drop down to $1,399 a lot during 2025, with today’s deal only being beaten out by the $1,199 low that we briefly saw back at the start of the year.
Segway’s Navimow i Series of robot mowers tackle up to 1/4 acres at a time starting from $799
Segway Navimow is offering up to 20% discounts on its i Series of robots, starting with the i105 Robot Lawn Mower down at $799 shipped that is also matching at Amazon, while the upgraded i110 Robot Lawn Mower has been dropped to $1,099 shipped and also matching at Amazon. These models haven’t seen as frequent discounts from their $999 and $1,299 starting rates in 2025 like the H Series of robots, with them both having seen a drop to $849 and $1,099 in June and falling to their lowest $749 and $999 rates during the Prime Day window. If you missed out on those low prices, you’ll be getting them at your second-best price of 2025, saving you $200 while upgrading your lawn care routine with autonomous support.
Clip grass for up to two miles with Greenworks’ 80V 16-inch carbon fiber cordless string trimmer at $209
Amazon is offering the Greenworks 80V 16-inch Carbon Fiber Cordless String Trimmer for $209.46 shipped. It’s coming down from its usual $300 price tag, while remaining priced in full directly from the brand’s website. This is the second time in 2025 that we’ve seen discounts take things to $209, which is beaten out this year by a drop to $206 in April and falls to the $199 low, most recently during the Prime Day event two weeks ago. You’re looking at the fourth-lowest price we have tracked, which doesn’t sit much higher than the other rates – just $9 above the low overall – with $91 in total savings here while it lasts.
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.
Japanese equipment giant Komatsu has added a not-so-giant electric excavator to its growing lineup of battery-powered construction equipment. The new Komatsu PC20E-6 electric mini excavator promises a full day of work from a single charge.
Komatsu says the design of its latest mini excavator was informed by data sourced from more than 40,000 working days of comparably-sized diesel excavators. The company found that, in 90% of its global customers’ mini excavator deployments, these vehicles are in active use for less than 3.5 hours per day.
“This defined the target for the required, reliable working time with the excavator,” reads the Komatsu web copy. “This result makes it possible for Komatsu to offer an attractively priced machine with a performance that exactly matches the requirements.”
Keeping costs down are relatively conservative specs. Komatsu chose to power the PC20E-6 with a 23.2 kWh battery pack sending electrons to an 11 kW (~15 hp), high-torque electric motors. Not exactly super impressive on paper, but the machine has an operating weight of 2,190 kg and enough juice for up to four (4) hours of continuous operation.
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More than enough, in other words, to have completed 90% of of those 40,000 work days the company analyzed.
Getting it done
PC20E-6 electric mini excavator; via Komatsu.
If, for some reason, that four hours’ runtime isn’t enough, an on-board charging option for 230V and 3kW charging power compatible with various plug adapters is standard, with an external DC quick charger for 400V and 12 kW charging as optional. In either case, it won’t be long before the machine is back at work.
To help the later adopters sleep well about their battery-powered investments, the PC20E-6 ships with Komatsu’s E-Support maintenance program, which includes free scheduled maintenance by a Komatsu-trained technician, a 3 year/2,000 hour warranty on the machine, plus a 5 year/10,000 hour warranty on the electric driveline. The company says the battery should last 10 years.
“The Komatsu E-Support customer program is included free of charge with every market-ready electric mini excavator and offers exclusive machine support,” said Emanuele Viel, Group Manager Utility at Komatsu Europe. “The bottom line is that the risk for the end customer is significantly reduced, especially when it comes to exploring the electrification advances in the industry.”
Komatsu hasn’t released official pricing quite yet, but has revealed that the P20E-6 will begin series production this October.
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Tesla has unexpectedly terminated a contractor’s contract at Gigafactory Texas, resulting in the layoff of 82 workers who were supporting the automaker’s production at the giant factory in Austin.
MPW Industrial Services Inc., an Ohio-based industrial service provider specializing in cleaning and facility management, has issued a new WARN notice, confirming that it will lay off 82 workers in Texas due to Tesla unexpectedly ending its contract with the company.
Here are the details from the WARN notice:
State / agency: Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
Notice date: August 27, 2025.
Employees affected: 82
Likely effective date: September 1, 2025
Context from the filing/letter: layoffs tied to an unexpected termination of a major customer contract (Tesla—Gigafactory Texas, 1 Tesla Road); positions include 61 technicians, 7 team leads, 7 supervisors, 7 managers; no bumping rights; workers not union-represented.
In April 2024, Tesla initiated waves of layoffs at the plant, resulting in the dismissal of more than 2,000 employees in Austin, Texas.
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Since then, Tesla’s sales have been in a steady decline. While the automaker is expected to have a strong quarter in the US in Q3 due to the end of the tax credit, sales are expected to decline further in Q4 and the first half of 2026.
Many industry watchers have expected Tesla to initiate further layoffs due to the situation.
Electrek’s Take
We may be seeing the beginnings of a new wave of layoffs at Tesla, as the automaker typically starts with contractors.
To be fair, Tesla could also potentially end the contract unexpectedly for other reasons, but the timing does align with the need to cut costs and staff ahead of an inevitable downturn in US EV sales.
I think it’s inevitable that we start seeing some layoffs. I think Tesla will have to slow down production in the US to avoid creating an oversupply, especially in Q4-Q1.
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First, it was e-bikes, offering an efficient, effective, and low-cost way for teens and just about everyone to zip around town, yet drawing the temper of suburban traditionalists. Now golf carts are the new public enemy number one in suburbia, at least if you ask the growing number of online groups where residents complain about these small electric vehicles “clogging” their streets.
But beyond the hand-wringing, golf carts and their more sophisticated cousins known as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) or Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), are quietly becoming a popular alternative to cars for short trips around US cities and suburbs.
While most people still associate golf carts with retirement communities in Florida or slow rides across 18 holes, street-legal versions have been around for the last few decades.
But these aren’t your grandpa’s bare-bones carts, complete with a golf pencil clip. Many now come with DOT seat belts, lights, turn signals, mirrors, backup cameras, and speed limiters that allow them to operate legally on roads up to 35 mph, as long as they meet all the federal requirements for Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs).
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That means such vehicles are legally allowed to operate like cars, trucks, bicycles, or motorcycles on the vast majority of residential streets and a surprising portion of urban grids. In other words, for grabbing groceries, school drop-offs, or cruising to a friend’s house, they’re a practical, cheaper, and far greener substitute for firing up a 5,000-pound SUV.
The Club Car Cru adds extra luxury to the concept of an LSV
Golf carts have been slowly taking off for years, but the pandemic accelerated the trend. Sales of golf carts and LSVs spiked as families looked for safe, outdoor transportation and an easy way to get around their neighborhoods. Now, in cities all over the country, the sight of parents driving their kids to school or running errands in a cart is increasingly common. In some towns, petitions have even popped up with hundreds of residents asking for local ordinances to legalize them on more streets, according to the Daily Mail.
Of course, not everyone is thrilled. There’s growing backlash against the increase in golf carts on streets, with many residents calling them a “plague” and complaining that they’re taking up space on the roads, in parking lots, or creating unsafe conditions. While rare, there have been serious accidents too, with a handful of tragic cases highlighting the dangers of mixing small, lightweight carts with full-size vehicles. Critics argue that carts lack the crash protection of cars and don’t always fall under homeowners’ insurance policies if an accident happens.
But for every critic, there’s a supporter pointing out that golf carts take cars off the road, save money on fuel, and are no more dangerous than scooters or e-bikes – modes of transport that already share the streets. And major golf cart makers have been happy to respond to the demand with boosted sales and new models. Companies like E-Z-GO, Club Car, WAEV, Kandi, and others are all rushing new models to the market as more suburban commuters discover that their next electric vehicle might just cost a fraction of what they thought it would – and come with a better breeze, too.
The GEM microcars are classic LSVs that have brought smiles to families’ faces for decades
Electrek’s Take
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s like the Karens are just following me around to poo-poo on any alternative vehicle I happen to drive that week. They’ve hit all my favorites. Pretty soon, they’ll be coming for my electric tractors, too!
But seriously, this feels like déjà vu. The same arguments we’ve heard for years against e-bikes are now being recycled against golf carts: too unsafe, too disruptive, too “different” from the car-centric status quo.
But the reality is, again, quite the same as e-bikes. These are small electric vehicles that make a ton of sense and are totally street legal, at least when they’re built correctly to conform to the proper laws.
They come with a lot of the same benefits, too. They’re cheap to operate, easy to park, perfect for short trips, and they prevent larger cars from needlessly clogging residential streets. Will they ruffle feathers among the kind of folks who have had one too many frisbees land in their yard? Perhaps. But much like e-bikes, their popularity is only going one direction – up.
I leave you with a few images of perhaps my favorite of all, the Kandi Mini. The nay-sayers can pull it from my cold, dead, golf
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