Segway launching wild-looking 100 mile smart e-bikes & new US bike division
Segway is planting its e-bike flag in the US with a new dedicated electric bike team ahead of the upcoming launch of its two hotly anticipated long-range electric bicycle models, the Segway Xafari and Xyber.
The two impressive (and perhaps slightly imposing) e-bike models were first unveiled earlier this year and are still slated for a launch in Q1 2025, which is now fast approaching.
While Segway hasn’t spilled all the beans yet (that’s likely coming ahead of the January 7 pre-order launch), we do know that the more commuter-looking Xafari is rated for 88 miles (141 km) of range while the moto-styled Xyber will apparently be capable of up to 100 miles (160 km) per charge in its dual battery format.
Despite the radically different designs of the two bikes, they’re both technically classified as electric bikes, sporting all the necessary gear (mainly the fully functional pedals) and presumably operating within the current US three-class e-bike regulations.
But more than typical electric bikes, Segway’s models appear to be armed to the teeth with smart tech, providing incredibly connected bikes using what is known as the “Segway Intelligent Ride System”. The company describes it as “industry-leading technology with features that have more in common with cars than e-bikes.”
“In many ways, we’re a technology company first,” explained Segway’s head of e-bike Nick Howe. “Product conversations start with discussions of ‘tech stacks’ and expand from there. We are using our technology to create a more seamless user experience much like what has been done with automobiles.”
What kind of features are we talking about here? Your guess is as good as mine, but we expect to learn more as the pre-order date approaches early next year. From the pictures alone we can see both models feature full-suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, integrated lighting, fenders, and chunky batteries indicative of the long-range figures we’ve heard so far, not to mention the futuristic and sleek designs. The Xafari takes on a more recognizable cycling-focused design and includes a rear rack, while the Xyber looks more like a mini-moto, despite its pedals helping it retain that coveted e-bike classification for legal riding.
As part of the preparations for what is shaping up to be a major US launch, Segway has begun building up extensive operations stateside, including a dedicated e-bike division.
The company’s head of e-bike, Nick Howe, joined Segway this summer, bringing with him 25 years of experience in the cycling industry. That includes serving as the executive director of Orbea and as the global brand director for Trek, not to mention having owned and operated several Colorado bike shops.
Other key additions to the team include Heather Henderson as senior brand manager and Sophie Eaton as sales operations director. Henderson previously served in various roles at Trek, Cannondale, and Cervélo Cycles, and she has also owned and operated her own bike shop. Eaton has senior sales experience with HLC, Cinelli Bicycles, Giant Bicycle, and Clif Bar.
In other words, Segway has snatched up some key cycling industry folks for its e-bike division’s leadership team, underscoring the brand’s focus on a major rollout with these two new models and perhaps more to follow in the future. “These are two incredible yet very different bikes and this is only the beginning,” said Howe. “We can’t wait to show you what else we have in store for 2025 and beyond.”
In addition to building up its US team and preparing for the launch of the Xyber and Xafari models, Segway has also announced plans to grow a national dealer network in the US.
The brand has shared that it will focus on independent bicycle shops, dedicated electric bicycle shops, and what it is calling “other bicycle dealers” or OBDs—shops that may not be bike-specific but are a good fit for its e-bikes, such as motorcycle, powersports, and outdoor retailers.
Not limiting itself to only retail sales, Segway is also offering online sales options where the bikes can be ordered online and then shipped to a local dealer of their choice for assembly. This method also helps ensure riders know where they can easily find service for their bikes.
“These are awesome machines,” said Howe. “But they’re also very sophisticated and technical. We want to ensure the customer has the best experience possible, and that means professional assembly and service. It also gives us a great opportunity to support the dealers who are the backbone of the bicycle industry.”
While there are many technical details and specs we’re still waiting for, we do have a hint at the pricing. Segway has claimed that the new models will “top out in the $3,000 range.” The company is pitching that as a major deal considering the technology included in the bikes. It’s a bit hard to judge that yet without knowing what that technology package looks like, or the rest of the bikes’ specs, but suffice it to say that we’re likely looking at e-bikes that will fall somewhere in the underserved gap between the budget and premium ends of the spectrum.
These aren’t likely to compete on price with the budget e-bikes out there, but should also be more affordable than heading to the usual suspects of premium e-bike companies like Specialized, Trek, Giant, and others that have long enjoyed major market share on the more premium end of the spectrum.
What do you think of the upcoming Segway Xafari and Xyber, at least based on the details we know so far? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Mitsubishi is partnering with Ample and Yamoto Transports to deploy an innovative new battery swap network for electric cars in its Japanese home market — but it’s not just for electric cars. Mitsubishi Fuso commercial trucks are getting in on the action, too!
Despite a number of early EV adopters with an overdeveloped concept of ownership, battery swap technology has proven to be both extremely effective and extremely positive to the overall EV ownership experience. And when you see how simple it is to add hundreds of miles of driving in just 100 seconds — quicker, in many cases, than pumping a tank of liquid fuel into an ICE-powered car — you might come around, yourself.
That seems to be what Mitsubishi thinks, anyway, and they’re hoping they’ll be your go-to choice when it’s time to electrify your regional and last-mile commercial delivery fleet(s) by launching a multi-year pilot program to deploy more than 150 battery-swappable commercial electric vehicles and 14 modular battery swapping stations across Tokyo, where the company plans to showcase its “five minute charging” tech in full view of hundreds of commercial fleets and, crucially, the executives of the companies that own and manage them.
A truck like the Mitsubishi eCanter typically requires a full night of AC charging to top off its batteries, and at least an hour or two on DC charging in Japan, according to Fuso. This joint pilot by Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks, and Ample aims to circumvent this issue of forced downtime with its swappable batteries, supporting vehicle uptime by delivering a full charge within minutes. The move is meant to encourage the transport industry’s EV shift while creating a depository of stored energy that can be deployed to the grid in the event of a natural disaster — something Mitsubishi in Japan has been working on for years.
Trucks like the eCanter already serve a number of roles throughout the global truck market, including municipal waste collection, regional delivery support, and more.
The pilot is backed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Technology Development Support Project for Promoting New Energy,” with local delivery operator Yamato Transport testing swappable EVs for delivery operations on both its eCanter light-duty trucks and Mitsubishi Minicab kei-class electric vans.
Electrek’s Take
Electrifying the commercial truck fleet is a key part of decarbonizing city truck fleets – not just here in the US, but around the world. I called the eCanter, “a great product for moving stuff around densely packed city streets,” and eliminating the corporate fear of EV charging in the wild just makes it an even better product for that purpose.
Here’s hoping we see more “right size” electric solutions like this one (and more battery swapping tech) in small towns and tight urban environments stateside somewhat sooner than later.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Mitsubishi, Fuso.
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After becoming the first European brand to offer fully electric versions of every model it sells — and at the same price as the ICE models — Opel is going even further, with a new, AWD electric SUV that should give American Jeep fans hope for a new electric Cherokee!
Now part of the Stellantis, rather than GM portfolio of brands, Rüsselsheim-based Opel showed off the first official pictures of its new Opel Grandland Electric AWD — the company’s first all-electric SUV to feature the “Blitz” performance emblem and all-wheel drive.
“Our top-of-the-range Grandland SUV is a milestone for Opel,” says Opel CEO Florian Huettl. “Customers already have a choice of battery-electric drive, plug-in hybrid and hybrid with 48-volt technology. We are now offering even more choice with the Grandland Electric AWD and thus ensuring that our customers can enjoy maximum efficiency and safety in diverse weather and road conditions, combined with plenty of driving fun.”
Stellantis gets it right in Europe
Opel says its new, AWD Grandland is its most aerodynamically efficient model yet, with a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.278. That efficiency, paired with similarly efficient electric motors and a 73 kWh li-ion NMC battery give the electric crossover a 501 km (311 mile) WLTP range, while a combined 325 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque should make for suitably spirited acceleration to go along with all that green cred.
Suspension and handling, too, are promised to deliver on what Opel claims is a “typical” Teutonic driving experience in the Grandland AWD:
Both driving pleasure and comfort are further emphasized by dampers with frequency selective damping technology. This unique technology comes as standard on the Grandland Electric AWD and incorporates a second hydraulic circuit in the damper chamber to mechanically adapt the damping force in relation to the frequency. Depending on the situation, road surface conditions and driving style, it enables different damping characteristics for comfortable gliding at high frequencies – i.e. with short impacts such as on cobblestones or a manhole cover – as well as for a sporty, ambitious driving style with more direct contact with the road at low frequencies. The Grandland reacts even more immediately and directly to any command from the driver and, as is typical for Opel, remains stable when braking, cornering and at high speeds on the Autobahn.
OPEL PRESS RELEASE
The Opel Grandland Electric AWD ships with four standard drive modes that include “normal,” eco, sport, and 4WD mode, which simulates locking axles and true 4×4 off-road performance. The ESP and traction control systems adopt specific settings to enhance grip in 4WD mode as well, and maximum power and torque are instantly available.
Electrek’s Take
As you maybe could tell by now, feeding European Stellantis EVs into an AI image generator and asking it to “make them into Jeeps” is one of my new favorite things to do. This new Opel is no different, and the resulting image (above) paired with the models’ stated specs give me hope that the next wave of Jeep EVs will do better than the Wagoneer S at attracting buyers. All they really need, I think, is the right name — and the right price, to be winners.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Opel.
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Like a 90s “gifted” kid that was supposed to be a lot of things, the electric Jeep Wagoneer S never really found its place — but with dealers discounting the Jeep brands forward-looking flagship by nearly $25,000, it might be time to give the go-fast Wagoneer S a second look.
SKIP THE STORY: get straight to the deals.
Whether we’re talking about Mercedes-Benz, Cerberus, Fiat, or even Enzo Ferrari, outsiders have labeled Jeep as a potentially premium brand that could, “if managed properly,” command luxury-level prices all over the globe. That hasn’t happened, and Stellantis is just the latest in a long line of companies to sink massive capital into the brand only to realize that people will not, in fact, spend Mercedes money on a Jeep.
That said, the Jeep Wagoneer S is not a bad car (and neither is its totally different, hideously massive, ICE-powered Wagoneer sibling, frankly). Built on the same Stellantis STLA Large vehicle platform that underpins the sporty Charger Daytona EVs, the confusingly-named Wagoneer S packs dual electric motors putting out almost 600 hp. That’s good enough to scoot the ‘ute 0 to 60 mph in a stomach-turning 3.5 seconds and enough, on paper, to convince Stellantis executives that they had developed a real, market-ready alternative to the Tesla Model Y.
With the wrong name and a sky-high starting price of $66,995 (not including the $1,795 destination fee), however, that demand didn’t materialize, leaving the Wagoneer S languishing on dealer lots across the country.
That could be about to change, however, thanks to big discounts on Wagoneer S being reported at CDJR dealers in several states, according to our friends at the Car Dealership Guy podcast.
- Jimmy Britt Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Georgia, has a Wagoneer S with an MSRP of $67,590 listed at $43,104 ($24,486 off)
- In Florida, Taverna Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat has a $67,590 Wagoneer S slashed to $43,138 ($24,452 off)
- Chris Nikel Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat in Oklahoma has a Wagoneer S listed for $43,425 ($24,165 off)
“Stellantis bet big on electric versions of iconic American brands like Jeep and Dodge, but consumers aren’t buying the premise,” writes CDG’s Marcus Amick. “(Stellantis’ dealer body) is now stuck with expensive EVs that need huge discounts to move, eating into already thin margins while competitors focus on [more] profitable gas-powered vehicles.”
All of which is to say: if you’ve found yourself drawn to the Jeep Wagoneer S, but couldn’t quite stomach the $70,000+ window stickers, you might want to check in with your local Jeep dealer and see how you feel about it at a JCPenneys-like 30% off!
Jeep Wagoneer S gallery
SOURCES | IMAGES: Car Dealership Guy, CarScoops, and CarsDirect.
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