The hidden deadly threat to scooter and e-bike riders (besides cars)
A recent tragic incident in Portland, Oregon, one of countless similar occurrences, is putting a spotlight on a less-discussed but very real threat to micromobility riders: the condition of our roads.
Earlier this month, a Portland husband and father tragically lost his life while riding an electric scooter along an otherwise innocuous local street. It was marked just 25 mph, but it wasn’t the road’s speed that was the issue, or even the car traffic, which is usually to blame for most riders’ deaths. According to reports, Randy Phelps was thrown from his scooter after hitting a pothole in the road. He spent nearly three weeks on life support before passing away. His organs went on to save the lives of three others.
The loss is heartbreaking – but sadly, not unique.
The pothole had been reported to the city many times, including by local residents and businesses located along the street. Just a few days after Phelps died, the city finally filled in the pothole.
We talk a lot about the dangers that cars pose to cyclists and scooter riders. And for good reason… they are far and away the leading cause of injuries and fatalities for micromobility users. But it’s time we start recognizing that crumbling infrastructure is another deadly factor.
Potholes, cracks, unmarked trenches, and uneven pavement may go unnoticed or simply seem like minor annoyances to drivers in SUVs or pickup trucks. But to someone on an electric scooter or e-bike, they can be catastrophic. Especially at the typical speeds many of these vehicles travel, often between 15 to 28 mph (25 to 45 km/h), a sudden jolt or loss of control from hitting a deep pothole can easily send a rider flying.
Electric scooters are particularly vulnerable here. Commonly available with small 8 to 9-inch wheels, they simply don’t have the ability to roll over wide cracks or potholes that larger diameter wheels have. Instead, they tend to fall into them. Hitting a large pothole on a scooter can often end in an immediate crash. E-bikes usually fare better, with larger diameter wheels offering a bit more forgiveness. But even on a bike, deep pot holes or simply the wrong bump at the wrong angle can flip you over the handlebars or throw off your line, especially if you’re already navigating traffic or a narrow bike lane. And the edge of a pothole can easily puncture an underinflated bicycle innertube with a pinch flat, leading to loss of control at speed.
It’s part of why fat tire e-bikes – with their big, 3 or 4-inch wide tires – are so popular. Not only do they give a cushy ride, but they offer a layer of protection by rolling more smoothly over broken pavement and filling in small potholes instead of dropping into them. They’re not a magic solution, but they help on rougher roads.
I’ve recently been spending time on the new VMAX VX2 Hub e-scooter, which, by electric scooter standards, has relatively large 10-inch tires. They’re also tubeless, functioning closer to motorcycle tires. While 10 inches still isn’t huge, I tend to prefer these types of larger-wheeled scooters versus the small-wheeled budget options precisely for the extra safety that those larger tires offer.
Ultimately though, this isn’t just about tire width or diameter. This is about infrastructure. Many cities across the US have done a great job encouraging people to choose alternative forms of transportation. In fact, Portland is often seen as one of the most cycling-friendly cities in the country, and even there it took the death of a local rider to get a pot hole filled in.
It takes more than just encouraging people to switch from cars to scooters or bikes. It means they have a responsibility to maintain safe conditions for those users. That includes repaving cracked roads, filling potholes quickly, and keeping bike lanes clear and usable – not just painting lines and calling it a day.
And while I hope this doesn’t come across as victim-blaming, we riders also need to recognize that part of surviving on two wheels means riding defensively – not just against cars, but against the road itself. That might mean scanning ahead more actively, slowing down when visibility is poor or the pavement is suspect, and choosing routes with safer surfaces whenever possible. On one of my first e-bikes back in 2010, I turned my wheel from an O-shape into a D-shape while following too close behind a car to see a big pot hole in time, and that taught me a big lesson that I still remember 15 years later.
None of this is meant to place blame on riders. The responsibility is on cities to fix their roads. But until that happens — and while we push for it — we riders have to ride like our lives depend on it. Because often times, they do.
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![Here's our first look at the Genesis GV70 EREV [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/First-Genesis-GV70-EREV.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Genesis is gearing up to introduce its first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), the GV70. Ahead of its debut, the Genesis GV70 EREV was spotted in Korea, offering a closer look at the upcoming SUV.
Genesis prepares for its first EREV, the GV70
The luxury automaker is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a slate of new EVs, hybrids, and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) set to arrive over the next few years.
During its CEO Investor Day last month, Hyundai revealed plans to launch several new Genesis vehicles, including its first EREV.
First up will be the Genesis GV70 EREV, promising to deliver over 1,000 km (620 miles) of driving range. The electrified SUV will still run on a 100% electric motor, but a small gas engine acts as a generator to charge the battery when it becomes low, thereby extending the driving range.
Although the Genesis GV70 EREV isn’t due out for another year or so, we are already getting our first look at the new extended-range electric SUV.
The folks at HealerTV spotted the new vehicle parked in South Korea, giving us a better idea of what to expect when it arrives.
Although it’s still covered in camouflage, you can see it’s nearly identical to the current gas-powered GV70. At least from what we can see, the front and back ends look about the same.
We also got a sneak peek at the interior, which also appears to be essentially unchanged. Genesis just introduced an updated interior and exterior design on its current vehicle lineup, so no major changes are expected.
Since it’s still a prototype, the design could change by the time it hits the market, which is expected in December 2026.
Genesis will launch its first hybrid next year, the GV80 SUV, which is expected to be followed by the GV70 EREV later in the year. Following that, at least two new luxury SUVs will join the lineup, based on the Neolun (pictured on the left) and X Gran Equator concepts (pictured on the right).
The Neolun is expected to arrive as the Genesis GV90, an “ultra-luxe” flagship electric SUV, while the X Gran Equator will be an off-roader.
Genesis plans to expand into up to 20 European markets while boosting brand sales in the US with its new lineup. By 2030, the luxury brand aims to sell 350,000 vehicles globally.
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Austin-based Base Power just raised $1 billion in Series C funding to accelerate its mission to modernize the Texas grid, one home battery at a time.
Addition led the round, with support from existing and new investors. The fresh capital will help Base scale up operations, grow its team, and build out domestic manufacturing to meet surging demand for resilient, distributed home batteries.
Base Power is a licensed electricity provider operating in Texas’s deregulated electricity market, and it functions as a virtual power plant (VPP). Its model is simple but transformative: customers pay a monthly fee for energy, installation, and a home battery – no rooftop solar required. When the grid is up, Base’s networked batteries help stabilize it; when it goes down, the battery keeps the lights on at home.
“The chance to reinvent our power system comes once in a generation,” said Zach Dell, Base Power’s CEO and cofounder. “We’re scaling the team to make our abundant energy future a reality.”
In under two years, Base has already deployed more than 100 megawatt-hours (MWh) of residential battery capacity, making it one of the fastest-growing distributed energy platforms in the US. The company’s rapid growth has been fueled by organic customer demand, partnerships with major homebuilders like Lennar, and collaborations with forward-thinking utilities.
Base Power currently serves homeowners across the Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin regions, and plans to expand nationwide. To support that growth, the company is building its first factory, an energy storage and power electronics manufacturing hub at the former Austin American-Statesman printing press site in downtown Austin.
The company also recently qualified for Texas’s Aggregated Distributed Energy Resource (ADER) program, which allows distributed batteries to participate directly in the grid market. That means extra reliability for the state and lower costs for customers through shared revenue from grid services.
“The only way to add capacity to the grid is by deploying hardware — and we need to make that here in the US, ourselves,” said Justin Lopas, Base’s COO and cofounder. “This factory in Austin is our first, and we’re already planning for our second. We’re building the tools and systems to reindustrialize America and reinvent the grid.”
Electrek’s Take
Texas’s grid struggles, from heatwaves to winter blackouts, make Base Power’s model timely. Linking home batteries to a virtual power plant offers home backup and grid support. (I was part of a VPP in Vermont, and I can’t stress enough how great it is, especially in power outages.)
With $1 billion in new funding and a planned Austin factory, Base aims to scale fast. For context, Tesla deployed over 31 GWh of storage in 2024, but that figure includes utility-scale Megapacks as well as residential Powerwalls because Tesla didn’t separate out the two in its report. Sunrun’s VPPs now include 20,000+ customers across nine states, and it supplies significant grid support in California. Base’s 100 MWh so far is much smaller, but as a licensed electricity provider, not just a technology platform, its focused Texas rollout and participation in the state’s ADER program could position it as a nimble challenger in the growing VPP space.
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GM is ending plans for a program that enabled its dealers to extend the $7,500 tax credit for new Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac EV leases beyond the September 30 deadline. Instead, it has another plan to keep the savings going.
GM ends $7,500 EV tax credit and plans its own savings
After the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles expired at the end of September, GM was among the automakers planning to extend the incentive through leasing.
That will no longer be the case after the automaker suddenly reversed its decision. According to Bloomberg, GM will not extend the credit for EVs that were in transit to dealers ahead of the September 30 deadline.
Instead, GM will provide about $6,000 from its own pockets for a limited time to continue supporting electric vehicle leases.
A company spokesperson confirmed that “GM worked on an extended offer for the benefit of our customers and dealers,” adding “After further consideration, we have decided not to claim the tax credit.”
The savings will last until the end of the month. The spokesperson said in an email that “GM will fund the incentive lease terms through the end of October.”
GM and Ford announced programs last week that involved buying EVs through their financing units, which would enable them to qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. The companies would then use the funds to extend the credit through leasing.
A source close to the matter told Reuters that GM decided to end the program after Republican Senator Bernie Moren urged the end of the loophole that enabled the $7,500 credit to be passed on through leasing.
The announcement comes after GM delivered a record of over 66,500 electric vehicles in the third quarter. Through September, GM sold 144,668 EVs, more than double the amount it sold in the same period in 2024.
The Chevy Equinox EV is now the best-selling non-Tesla EV in the US, while Cadillac ranked as the top luxury electric vehicle brand in Q3.
Ford, Jeep maker Stellantis, and BMW are still planning to extend the credit for those EV leases for at least another few months. GM was expected to extend the offer until the end of the year.
GM already has one of the most affordable EVs in the US with the Chevy Equinox EV starting at under $35,000. In 2026, it will face a wave of new lower-priced EVs, including the new Nissan LEAF, which will start at under $30,000. General Motors is betting on more affordable EVs, including the 2027 Chevy Bolt, to gain a bigger share of the market over the next few years.
Interested in testing out one of GM’s electric vehicles for yourself? From the Chevy Equinox EV to the Cadillac Escalade IQ, you can use our links below to see what’s available near you.
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