Xtracycle Hopper review: A better cargo e-bike at a better price
More people are shifting from car-focused lifestyles to a mix of cars and bikes—or even going mostly car-free. While switching to a bike or e-bike might seem limiting, the cycling industry offers a wide range of categories to suit various needs.
Take cargo e-bikes, for example. These are basically the SUVs or pickup trucks of the electric bike world. And having spent many good miles on the Xtracycle Hopper cargo e-bike, the newest offering from the most famous cargo bike maker in the US, I can tell you that this family truck in an e-bike form is capable of a lot more than many people would expect.
This is not Xtracycle’s first spin around the block. The company traces its roots back to 1998 when it pioneered the concept of longtail cargo e-bikes, which feature a stretched rear end. Until that time, the most popular version of cargo bikes were Dutch-style bakfiets, often called “box bikes” at the time due to their large wooden box that sat on the stretched front end.
Long-tail cargo bikes were lighter and rode more like traditional bicycles, despite having an elongated design perfect for carrying more cargo or passengers.
Over the years, Xtracycle has introduced several high-end cargo e-bikes, though they’ve traditionally had lofty price tags in the $4k-$5k range. Last year, a revamp with a new model saw the brand recently introduce the new Xtracycle Hopper, which draws upon the same high-end design and componentry influences from Xtracycle’s roots yet drops the price to a mere US $2,999 – a rarity in the premium cargo e-bike space.
To see what it’s like to get around on the Xtracycle Hopper, check out my review below. Or keep reading for the full story!
Xtracycle Hopper Video Review
Xtracycle Hopper tech specs
- Motor: 750W hub motor with torque sensor
- Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h) on pedal assist or 20 mph (32 km/h) on throttle
- Range: 20-50 miles (32-80 km)
- Battery: 720 Wh frame-integrated and removable battery
- Weight: 38.5 kg (85 lb) with all cargo accessories installed
- Frame: Aluminum alloy with cargo-rated suspension fork
- Tires: Kenda Kwick 20″ x 2.25/2.40″ front/rear (on triple-wall tubeless-ready rims)
- Brakes: 174 Hudson dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes with electric cutoffs
- Extras: Shimano 8-speed shifter, KMC 8-speed chain, fenders, included front and rear racks, child cage on rear rack, running boards, bright LED display, front and rear LED lights, dropper seat post (with dual telescoping latches for more height adjustment), and touch-up paint included
A little big cargo bike
Despite Xtracycle being considered somewhat of the grandfather of longtail cargo bikes, the Hopper model here is arguably more of a mid-tail model than a true longtail. That’s because it’s actually somewhat compact, at least by cargo bike standards. It’s still got a longer rear rack than you’ll find on a traditional bike, which means you can easily fit two kids or a bunch of cargo, but it’s not the crazy long cargo bikes we’ve seen in the past.
That’s nice for apartment dwellers like me, and I was able to fit it fairly easily into my elevator, even if I still had to rock it up on its tail for the elevator doors to close. However, I have to do that for my regular-sized commuter e-bike also, so that should tell you how small the elevator is.
The Hopper may be more compact than a traditional longtail cargo e-bike, but it still hauls a ton of stuff. It comes standard with that rear child cage (called the Hooptie), which is designed to provide a safer area for children. It even has dual side-bars so the kid can hold onto the inner bar and not get their fingers pinched if the outer bar rubs on an obstacle.
I took my two nephews on the bike with me, and based on how much they liked to squirm around and dance on the back of the bike (as you probably saw in the video above), it’s a good thing that the bike comes with that Hooptie accessory to hold the kids in. For even younger passengers, like my friend’s toddler, we added a child safety seat to the rack.
The front of the bike is adorned with another rack, which is also great for adding more cargo. In fact, the bike’s frame is rated to 500 lb total, the rear rack alone is rated to 242 lb, and the front rack is rated to 55 lb, so you’ve got a lot of cargo-carrying options.
I let my friend borrow the bike for a week so that he could try bringing his kid to daycare every day with it. He found it to be a fun way to spend more quality time with his son as well as get some fresh air and exercise each day. He was even able to put his son’s stroller in the back behind the child safety seat so that the babysitter could pick the kid up on a day he had to stay later at work.
I also tested out the Porterpack, a front bag for easily accessible cargo, and a set of CargoBay bags, expandable pannier bags that fit on either side of the rear rack. They’re rain-resistant, adjustable in size, and covered in reflective material to make the bike stand out even more at night.
With all those bags, I found it easy to use the Hopper as my grocery-getter vehicle, doing a week’s worth of grocery shopping with just the three bags on the bike. Not only was I using a cargo e-bike to go get my groceries, but I was also getting a little exercise on the way there and back.
That’s another big benefit of using a cargo e-bike like this, is you have the opportunity to sneak a little exercise into your day. The Hopper does have a traditional thumb throttle, meaning you won’t have to work very hard if you don’t want to. But it’s also got a torque sensor-based pedal assist system that makes it a pleasure to actually pedal the bike. The 750W rear hub motor is powerful so you can use a large amount of assist for just a small workout, or you can leave the assist in low power and get more of a workout. The choice is yours, and yours alone!
With a big battery measuring 720 Wh, even if you use the higher power settings, you’ll still have plenty of energy left for longer rides. You could likely get over 50 miles (80 km) if you stick to lower power pedal assist, but even cruising around on throttle will still likely net you at least 25 miles (40 km).
The entire electrical system is certified to UL2849, meaning that the motor, controller, wiring, and other electric parts have all been tested to safely operate together. The battery is certified to UL2271, giving peace of mind and full compliance in locations that require UL certification.
At the same time, the bike isn’t quite as premium as the $4k-5k models in Xtracycle’s lineup, as evidenced by the more entry-level Shimano derailleur and the hub motor instead of a mid-drive motor. But other than those two components, pretty much everything else feels like it came straight from a premium, bike shop-level cargo e-bike.
Really nicely designed and outfitted
The Xtracycle Hopper walks a nice line, balancing the brand’s premium roots with the goal of affordability for more families. The bike is obviously premium-leaning, which you can see from a wide selection of quality parts. There are the 174 Hudson dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes, the wide and super-stable Y-kickstand, the mesh safety covering over the rear wheel to protect children’s feet, the nicely designed running boards and rear rack, the built-in LED lighting, and the dropper seat post to allow riders to drop into a lower position for mounting and dismounting the bike, then return the seat post back up to a better pedaling position once they’re up in the saddle, all with one finger.
Unlike dropper posts you may be familiar with from the mountain biking world, which usually have a button on the handlebars, this dropper post is wireless and instead has its button underneath the saddle. It’s a bit less convenient and also looks like you’re trying to get to second base with yourself, but you get used to the button placement quickly. Plus, you deserve a little fun. Treat yourself!
The cargo-rated Suntour Mobie suspension fork is a quality piece of kit that adds to the comfort without compromising the bike’s strength or ruggedness.
The 20″ tires are wide enough to offer even a bit of off-road ability, though more in the direction of a smooth nature trail.
My buddy took the bike on a trail with his kid in back, and the two had a wonderful time, so the Hopper certainly seems capable of excursions outside the typical bike lane commute.
With full UL compliance on the electrical system, a powerful motor that provides a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) if unlocked from the standard 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit, and great cargo-carrying accessories that come standard, it’s frankly kind of surprising that it’s priced at just $2,999. This undercuts the more premium cargo e-bike brands on the market while still offering much nicer build quality than the budget models.
Oh yeah, and it even comes with a little bottle of touch-up paint, which is a small detail but just one more differentiator compared to the more budget-level cargo e-bikes out there!
It won’t compete against cargo e-bikes twice its price, but it offers a heck of a lot nicer build quality and better components than the budget cargo e-bikes we’re used to seeing.
What are the downsides?
Every e-bike is ultimately a series of compromises. More range means heavier. More speed means chunkier motors. Higher-end components mean higher price tags. Everything is a tradeoff, and how those tradeoffs are balanced results in how well the bike fits into the market.
On the Xtracycle Hopper, I think the company did a great job finding a comfortable balance to produce a more premium bike that still carries an affordable price. But even so, that means there are still a few things I can complain about.
The rear tail light is nicely integrated into the fender, which is great for ruggedness and reliability since there aren’t any external wires to snag. But it also means the light can be more obscured when looking from a rear side-angle as compared to directly from the rear, as the wheel guards slightly hide it at wider angles. You could add a second tail light onto the child cage or the back of the rear rack, which is probably a good idea for extra nighttime visibility.
The throttle requires the bike to be slightly rolling before it kicks in, which is better for component longevity but is a bit annoying if you want to blast away from a standstill. It means you need to give a quarter or half turn of the pedals before you can use the throttle.
And lastly, the bike is quite heavy at 85 lb with all the accessories installed. There’s not a lot that can be done about that though. It’s already got an aluminum frame, and when you build a bike that can carry three people for long distances at high speeds, it’s just going to get heavier.
So I can complain about the nitty gritty, but the major components, features, and design of the bike are all incredibly well done.
Sum it all up
Basically, the Xtracycle hopper feels like a great in-between cargo e-bike, both in the sense of fitting in between the smaller and larger sizes on the market, as well as fitting in between the value brands and the premium brands.
It’s not going to rival the bang-for-your-buck of something like a Lectric XPedition at half the price, but it’s going to give a much nicer riding experience and last a lot longer.
It’s not going to be as high-end as a top-shelf Tern or Riese & Müller, but it costs half as much as those more premium models.
So basically, it falls in the Goldilocks zone for a lot of people. It’s premium enough to get those nicer parts, the bigger battery, the dropper seat post, etc. But it’s not so fancy that it costs most people several paychecks. It’s the cargo bike for when you don’t want to cheap out on the thing you’re carrying your kids on, but you also don’t need the fanciest thing out there, either. And that’s the sweet spot for me!
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Daimler Truck AG CEO Karin Rådström hopped on LinkedIn today and dropped some absolutely wild pro-hydrogen talking points, using words like “emotional” and “inspiring” while making some pretty heady claims about the viability and economics of hydrogen. The rant is doubly embarrassing for another reason: the company’s hydrogen trucks are more than 100 million miles behind Volvo’s electric semis.
Earlier this month, Daimler Truck AG issued a press release entitled, “Five and a Half Times Around the World: Daimler Truck Fuel Cell Trucks Successfully Complete More Than 225,000 km (~139,000 miles) in Real-World Customer Operations.” Don’t bother looking for it on Electrek, though. I didn’t run it. And I didn’t run it because, frankly, a fleet of over-the-road semi trucks managing to cover a little over half the number of miles that David Blenkle put on his single Ford Mustang Mach-E isn’t particularly impressive.
In the meantime, Daimler competitors like Volvo, Renault, and even tiny Motiv are racking up millions and millions of all-electric miles and MAN Truck CEO Alexander Vlaskamp is saying that it’s impossible for hydrogen to compete with batteries. Heck, even Daimler’s own eActros BEV semi trucks are putting up better numbers than those hydrogen deals.
So, why then is Rådström pouring on the hydrogen love over on LinkedIn?
For some reason – posts about hydrogen always stir up emotions. I think hydrogen (not “instead of” but “in parallel to” electric) plays a role in the decarbonization of heavy duty transport in Europe for three reasons:
- If we would go “electric only” we need to get the electric grid to a level where we can build enough charging stations for the 6 million trucks in Europe. It will take many years and be incredibly expensive. A hydrogen infrastructure in parallel will be less expensive and you don’t need a grid connection to build it, putting 2000 H2 stations in Europe is relatively easy.
- Europe will rely on import of energy, and it could be transported into Europe from North Africa and Middle East as liquid hydrogen. Better to use that directly as fuel than to make electricity out of it.
- Some use cases of our customers are better suited for fuel cells than electric trucks – the fuel cell truck will allow higher payload and longer ranges.
At European Hydrogen Week, I saw firsthand the energy and ambition behind Europe’s net-zero goals. It’s inspiring—but also a wake-up call. We’re not moving fast enough.
What we need:
- Large-scale hydrogen production and transport to Europe
- A robust refueling network that goes beyond AFIR
- And real political support to make it happen – we need smart, efficient regulation that clears the path instead of adding hurdles.
To show what’s possible, we brought our Mercedes-Benz GenH2 to Brussels. From the end of 2026, we’ll deploy a small series of 100 fuel cell trucks to customers.
Let’s build the infrastructure, the momentum, and the partnerships to make zero-emission transport a reality. 🚛 and let’s try to avoid some of the mistakes that we see now while scaling up electric. And let’s stop the debate about “either or”. We need both.
Commenters were quick to point out that Daimler recently received €226M in grants from German federal and state governments to build 100 fuel cell trucks – but, while Daimler for sure doesn’t want to give back the money, it’s also pretty difficult to believe that Rådström’s pro-hydrogen posturing is sincere.
Especially since most of it seems like nonsense.
We’re not doing any of that
At the risk of sounding “emotional,” Rådström’s claims that building a hydrogen infrastructure in parallel will be less expensive than building an electrical infrastructure, and that “you don’t need a grid connection to build it,” are objectively false.
Further, if her claim that “putting 2,000 H2 stations in Europe is relatively easy” isn’t outright laughable, it’s worth noting that Europe had just 265 hydrogen filling stations in operation in 2024 (and only 40% of those, or about 100, were capable of serving HD trucks). At the same time, the IEA reported that there are nearly five million public charging ports already in service on the continent.
Next, the claim that, “Europe will rely on import of energy, and it could be transported into Europe from North Africa and Middle East as liquid hydrogen” (emphasis mine), is similarly dubious – especially when faced with the fact that, in 2023, wind and solar already supplied about 27–30% of EU electricity.
I will agree, however, with one of Rådström’s claims. She notes that, “some use cases of our customers are better suited for fuel cells than electric trucks – the fuel cell truck will allow higher payload and longer ranges.” That’s debatable, but widely accepted as true … for now. Daimler’s own research into lighter, more energy-dense, and lower-cost solid-state battery technology, however, may mean that it won’t be true for long, however.
Unless, of course, Mercedes’ solid-state batteries don’t work (and she would know more about that than I would, as a mere blogger).
Electrek’s Take
As you can imagine, Karin Rådström post generated quite a few comments at the Electrek watercooler. “Insane to claim that building hydrogen stations would be cheaper than building chargers,” said one fellow writer. “I’m fine with hydrogen for long haul heavy duty, but lying to get us there is idiotic.”
Another comment I liked said, “(Rådström) says that chargers need to be on the grid – you already have a grid, and it’s everywhere!”
At the end of the day, I have to echo the words of one of Mercedes’ storied engineering partners and OEM suppliers, Mahle, whose Chairman, Arnd Franz, who that building out a hydrogen infrastructure won’t be possible without “blue” H made from fossil fuels as recently as last April, and maybe that’s what this is all about: fossil fuel vehicles are where Daimler makes its biggest profits (for now), and muddying the waters and playing up this idea that we’re in some sort of “messy middle” transition makes it just easy enough for a reluctant fleet manager to say, “maybe next time” when it comes to EVs.
We, and the planet, will suffer for such cowardice – but maybe that’s too much malicious intent to ascribe to Ms. Rådström. Maybe this is just a simple “Hanlon’s razor” scenario and there’s nothing much else to read into it.
Let us know what you think of Rådström’s pro-hydrogen comments, and whether or not Daimler’s shareholders should be concerned about the quality of the research behind their CEO’s public posts, in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Karin Rådström, via LinkedIn.
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Chevy flew us out to San Diego and hosted us for a quick adventure to the mountains east of the city to show off the new Chevy Silverado Trail Boss EV. Was this the new boss of the trails or just some expensive inside and outside trim updates? As usual, the answer lies in between. Let’s take a look…
Exterior
Chevy’s Silverado EVs have a distictive look from the ICE varieties and that contiues with the new Trail Boss trim. Most notable is the smaller grill, hiding the large Frunk and triangular blades on the bed, both of which make the aero on the EV version better.
The trail boss extends the rugged looks on the outside with a 2-inch lift, and 35-inch all terrain tires. Somehow however, Chevy rates the same 410 miles extended/478 miles Max range as the unlefted, smaller tire LT. There is a slightly reduced 625/725 horsepower over the 645/760 horsepower LT but higher torque which jibes with the bigger tires and the off roading motif.
Standard four-wheel steer and Sidewinder diagonal steering give it the ability steer around tight corners and drive diagonally like its GMC Hummer and Sierra Crabwalking brethren.
Interior
The inside of the Trail Boss is distinctly sport/rugged exclusive (any color as long as it is) Black and Artemis interior with Red accent stitching reminiscent of the Chevy Blazer EV SS. Like other Silverado EVs, there’s a midgate that allows lots of expandibility options.
The drive
There’s a lot to love about the drive. I’m always amazed how well this huge GM EVs handle driving around town. I got to trailer a 10,000lb Polaris for 20 minutes and almost forgot it was there (which ironically is probably its biggest safety hazard). Unfortunately we weren’t on any Supercruise approved roads but I’ve taken the Sierra EV out on long trips and it is one of, if not the best Super Cruise form factors available.
Off roading was a little tame for my tastes – perhaps I’ve been spoiled by Rivian adventures. We hit some dirt roads/trails in a very slow a deliberate manner. With the huge, heavy battery, long wheelbase and gargantuan footprint, this isn’t as agile through the trails as I’d hoped. However that rear steering did help turning radius quite a bit and it chomed up everything we threw at it, especially in Off-road mode. I think the Silverado has a lot more to offer than what we got to see on this trip in terms of off roading. In the breif moments I was able to air this thing out, on road and off, it never dissapointed.
Charging
Charging for the Trail Boss is almost completely like the other Silverado EVs which means very fast CCS (no native NACS yet) charging on a huge battery. GM claims 100 miles in 10 minutes. On the Max battery, that will be at 350kW, 300kW on the extended battery. I have to give Chevy props however for making charging part of this adventure. We stopped at a Tesla Supercharger station, whipped out or NACS adapters and let it fly. At over 86% state of charge, we still got over 120kW of charging speed which is only slightly less impressive when you consider this is sort of like 2x100kWh batteries charging at 60kW/ea.
Electrek’s take
GM’s monster 205kWh hour battery is still the only game in town for those who want to tow really long distances or get huge range out of a monumentally inefficient full-sized pickup design. For towing, nothing will take you further between charges, Silverado/Sierra EVs are the distance champs.
The Silverado EV Trail Boss though takes that off road in a meaningful way with the lift, bigger tires and off road modes, perhaps not as seriously as the Hummer EV but at a much more palatable starting price of $72,000.
Also this is the biggest mobile battery in town with its 10kW output which will go full bore for an amazing 20 hours on a charge. That means you can run your house/campsite/worksite/etc for much longer and at higher power than anyone else.
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Tesla has officially launched and started taking orders for the updated Model Y Performance in the US, starting at $57,500 before incentives.
In January, Tesla began rolling out the Model Y design refresh, but as it typically does, it didn’t launch the top performance version immediately.
We are already aware of the new version, as it was launched in Europe a month ago, but Tesla is launching it in the US today.
The main thing we didn’t know about the Model Y Performance in the US is the price. It is now confirmed to start $57,490 before incentive:
We also didn’t know the EPA estimated range, which is now confirmed to be 308 miles (496 km).
The Performance version can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds.
In terms of design, the new version also comes with slight changes to the front and back designs:
It features the slick 21″ Arachnid wheels, which look fantastic.
As usual, the performance version includes an improved suspension with adaptive damping.
The Model Y Performance also features more high-density battery cells, which enable faster charging, as Tesla previously announced when introducing the Model Y Performance in Europe.
Inside, the most significant change is in the seats, which now feature bigger side cushions and powered thigh cushion extenders for extra comfort.
Electrek’s Take
It looks like Tesla timed the release just before the end of the tax credit. Literally, hours before.
As we previously reported, the IRS has allowed individuals to take delivery after the September 30th deadline, provided they have a binding order with a deposit paid before the deadline.
It appears that Tesla is encouraging people to secure their orders tonight before the limit is reached to take advantage of the federal tax credit.
Sales-wise, it is actually a pretty smart approach.
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