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In an end-of-the-year miracle to close out 2024, the often-lauded ONYX moped maker has announced its return after shutting down operations earlier this year. The company’s return kicks off with the release of 100 limited edition electric mopeds.

ONYX Motorbikes first hit the scene in 2018, with founder and moped-builder Tim Seward launching the company to bring his custom designs for electric mopeds to life. The company grew its US manufacturing base and launched multiple models, but that growth came at a cost.

After Seward sold the company in 2019 to his friend James Khatiblou, who became the new CEO, Khatiblou led ONYX through several rollercoaster years of both boom and bust. But the company’s US-based manufacturing proved expensive, and bringing on new investors resulted in misgivings and stress that reportedly eroded Khatiblou’s health, culminating in the 37-year-old’s sudden death from a pulmonary embolism in late 2023.

A continuing battle ensued between the company’s creditors and investors over ownership of ONYX’s assets, leading to the brand effectively closing operations earlier this year. But that wasn’t going to be the last chapter in ONYX’s story, at least not if the brand’s original founder, Tim Seward, had anything to say about it. Now, Seward is announcing a relaunch for ONYX.

The launch kicked off last week with the listing off 100 ONYX RCR LTD bikes, a limited edition version of the brand’s iconic electric moped. “With only 100 units of the ONYX RCR LTD available, each bike comes with an upgraded 45ah battery and is uniquely numbered with a holographic authenticity sticker, making it a true collector’s item for those who crave both performance and style,” explained the company. Standard production RCRs are expected to follow the limited edition bikes this coming Spring.

The US $4,299 ONYX RCR LTD is built on a steel chassis with a locking wooden battery cover and a set of both brushed aluminum and holographic black side panels. Each moped is spec’d with holographic stickers identifying its uniquely numbered status as part of the 100 LTD bikes.

The bike comes with a rear hub motor boasting over 15 kW of peak rated power and 7.2 kW of nominal power, or enough to blast it up to 30 mph (48 km/h) in just four seconds and to reach a top speed of 55+ mph (88+ km/h) in Sport Mode. Two other modes of Eco and Normal have lower speed limits of 20 mph (32 km/h) and 40 mph (64 km/h), respectively.

The RCR LTD is powered by a 3,240 Wh battery with a Bluetooth-enabled BMS allowing for remote monitoring from the rider’s smartphone.

The battery offers a range of up to 120 miles (200 km) in Eco mode, though riders should expect a mere fraction of that when cruising around at top speed.

And of course, in true ONYX fashion, the RCR LTD still includes functional pedals, though pedaling a 150+ lb bike isn’t for the faint of heart. With the Eco mode supposedly limiting the motor’s power to 750W along with the electronically capped 20 mph speed limiter, the pedals seem like a Hail Mary to keep this thing classified as a Class 2 electric bicycle in its lowest power mode. Whether or not that flies likely depends on your local regulations, but much of ONYX’s marketing refers to “off-road” performance, hinting at the fact that this is far outside the realm of a typical electric bike. Past ONYX RCRs have included a VIN plate in the hopes that riders could register and tag their moped as a motorcycle, though several of the bike’s components don’t appear to meet DOT regulations for that category. Suffice it to say that the RCR remains something of a line straddler in the two-wheeler world, maintaining classic moped requirements (namely a motor and pedals) yet existing in a regulatory grey area that ebbs and flows depending on each state’s local laws.

Electrek’s Take

This is certainly exciting news. I believe I was one of the first to cover ONYX’s Kickstarter back in 2018, spreading news on the garage startup turned moped manufacturer and helping propel it to a world stage, and it has been fascinating to watch the company grow throughout the years.

My first review of the bike got over a half million views and helped cement for me just how much fun electric mopeds like these can be.

But watching ONYX’s slow tailspin and the tragic death of the company’s CEO, followed by a year of legal battles, has been a heartbreaking process for any fan of the company. So the brand’s relaunch is welcome news.

That being said, there are still unfinished legal battles swirling in the background as former ONYX creditors continue to duke it out, and we’re still waiting to hear how that could impact the brand’s future. But fingers are crossed that ONYX will stick to the landing and roll back out with a new wave of momentum and awesome electric mopeds.

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America – it’s a party now! Plus: an electric Honda Ruckus and updated BMW

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America – it's a party now! Plus: an electric Honda Ruckus and updated BMW

Elon Musk isn’t happy about Trump passing the Big Beautiful Bill and killing off the $7,500 EV tax credit – but there’s a lot more bad news for Tesla baked into the BBB. We’ve got all that and more on today’s budget-busting episode of Quick Charge!

We also present ongoing coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix and dive into some two wheeled reports on the new electric Honda Ruckus e:Zoomer, the latest BMW electric two-wheeler, and more!

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025

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FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025

Solar and wind accounted for almost 96% of new US electrical generating capacity added in the first third of 2025. In April, solar provided 87% of new capacity, making it the 20th consecutive month solar has taken the lead, according to data belatedly posted on July 1 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

Solar’s new generating capacity in April 2025 and YTD

In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through April 30, 2025), FERC says 50 “units” of solar totaling 2,284 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in April, accounting for 86.7% of all new generating capacity added during the month.

In addition, the 9,451 MW of solar added during the first four months of 2025 was 77.7% of the new generation placed into service.

Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 20 consecutive months, from September 2023 to April 2025.

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Solar + wind were >95% of new capacity in 1st third of 2025

Between January and April 2025, new wind provided 2,183 MW of capacity additions, accounting for 18.0% of new additions in the first third.

In the same period, the combination of solar and wind was 95.7% of new capacity while natural gas (511 MW) provided just 4.2%; the remaining 0.1% came from oil (11 MW).

Solar + wind are >22% of US utility-scale generating capacity

The installed capacities of solar (11.0%) and wind (11.8%) are now each more than a tenth of the US total. Together, they make up almost one-fourth (22.8%) of the US’s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity.

Moreover, at least 25-30% of US solar capacity is in small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the US total.

With the inclusion of hydropower (7.7%), biomass (1.1%), and geothermal (0.3%), renewables currently claim a 31.8% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now about one-third of total US generating capacity.

Solar is on track to become No. 2 source of US generating capacity

FERC reports that net “high probability” additions of solar between May 2025 and April 2028 total 90,158 MW – an amount almost four times the forecast net “high probability” additions for wind (22,793 MW), the second-fastest growing resource. Notably, both three-year projections are higher than those provided just a month earlier.

FERC also foresees net growth for hydropower (596 MW) and geothermal (92 MW) but a decrease of 123 MW in biomass capacity.

Taken together, the net new “high probability” capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years – i.e., the bulk of the Trump administration’s remaining time in office – would total 113,516 MW.  

FERC doesn’t include any nuclear capacity in its three-year forecast, while coal and oil are projected to contract by 24,373 MW and 1,915 MW, respectively. Natural gas capacity would expand by 5,730 MW.

Thus, adjusting for the different capacity factors of gas (59.7%), wind (34.3%), and utility-scale solar (23.4%), electricity generated by the projected new solar capacity to be added in the coming three years should be at least six times greater than that produced by the new natural gas capacity, while the electrical output by new wind capacity would be more than double that by gas.

If FERC’s current “high probability” additions materialize, by May 1, 2028, solar will account for one-sixth (16.6%) of US installed utility-scale generating capacity. Wind would provide an additional one-eighth (12.6%) of the total. That would make each greater than coal (12.2%) and substantially more than nuclear power or hydropower (7.3% and 7.2%, respectively).

In fact, assuming current growth rates continue, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar is likely to surpass that of either coal or wind within two years, placing solar in second place for installed generating capacity, behind only natural gas.

Renewables + small-scale solar may overtake natural gas within 3 years

The mix of all utility-scale (ie, >1 MW) renewables is now adding about two percentage points each year to its share of generating capacity. At that pace, by May 1, 2028, renewables would account for 37.7% of total available installed utility-scale generating capacity – rapidly approaching that of natural gas (40.1%). Solar and wind would constitute more than three-quarters of installed renewable energy capacity. If those trend lines continue, utility-scale renewable energy capacity should surpass that of natural gas in 2029 or sooner.

However, as noted, FERC’s data do not account for the capacity of small-scale solar systems. If that’s factored in, within three years, total US solar capacity could exceed 300 GW. In turn, the mix of all renewables would then be about 40% of total installed capacity while the share of natural gas would drop to about 38%.

Moreover, FERC reports that there may actually be as much as 224,426 MW of net new solar additions in the current three-year pipeline in addition to 69,530 MW of new wind, 9,072 MW of new hydropower, 202 MW of new geothermal, and 39 MW of new biomass. By contrast, net new natural gas capacity potentially in the three-year pipeline totals just 26,818 MW. Consequently, renewables’ share could be even greater by mid-spring 2028.

“The Trump Administration’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ … poses a clear threat to solar and wind in the years to come,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “Nonetheless, FERC’s latest data and forecasts suggest cleaner and lower-cost renewable energy sources may still dominate and surpass nuclear power, coal, and natural gas.” 


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Tesla was forced to reimburse Full Self-Driving in arbitration after failing to deliver

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Tesla was forced to reimburse Full Self-Driving in arbitration after failing to deliver

Tesla has been forced to reimburse a customer’s Full Self-Driving package after an arbitrator determined that the automaker failed to deliver it.

Tesla has been promising its car owners that every vehicle it has built since 2016 has all the hardware capable of unsupervised self-driving.

The automaker has been selling a “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) package that is supposed to deliver this unsupervised self-driving capability through over-the-air software updates.

Almost a decade later, Tesla has yet to deliver on its promise, and its claim that the cars’ hardware is capable of self-driving has been proven wrong. Tesla had to update all cars with HW2 and 2.5 computers to HW3 computers.

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In January 2025, CEO Elon Musk finally admitted that HW3 also won’t be able to support self-driving and said that Tesla will have to upgrade the computers. 6 months later, Tesla has yet to communicate a plan for retrofits to owners.

Tesla is now attempting to deliver its promise of unsupervised self-driving on HW4 cars, which have been in production since 2023-2024, depending on the model. However, there are still significant doubts about this being possible, as the best available data indicate that Tesla only achieves about 500 miles between critical disengagements with the latest software on the hardware.

The situation is creating a significant liability for Tesla, which already needs to replace computers in millions of vehicles, and it may need to do so in millions more.

On the other hand, many customers are losing faith in Tesla’s ability to deliver on its promise and manage this computer retrofit situation. Some of them have been seeking to be reimbursed for their purchase of the Full Self-Driving package, which Tesla sold from $8,000 to $15,000.

A Tesla owner in Washington managed to get the automaker to reimburse the FSD package, but it wasn’t easy.

The 2021 Model Y was Marc Dobin and his wife’s third Tesla. Due to his wife’s declining mobility, Dobin was intrigued about the FSD package as a potential way to give her more independence. He wrote in a blog post:

But FSD was more than hype for us. The promise of a car that could drive my wife around gave us hope that she’d maintain independence as her motor skills declined. We paid an extra $10,000 for FSD.

Tesla’s FSD quickly disillusioned Dobin. First, he couldn’t even enable it due to Tesla restricting the Beta access through a “safety score” system, something he pointed out was never mentioned in the contract.

Furthermore, the feature required the supervision of a driver at all times, which was not what Tesla sold to customers.

Tesla doesn’t make it easy for customers in the US to seek a refund or to sue Tesla as it forces buyers to go through arbitration through its sales contract.

That didn’t deter Dobin, who happens to be a lawyer with years of experience in arbitration. It took almost a year, but Tesla and Dobin eventually found themselves in arbitration, and it didn’t go well for the automaker:

Almost a year after filing, the evidentiary hearing was held via Zoom. Tesla produced one witness: a Field Technical Specialist who admitted he hadn’t checked what equipment shipped with our car, hadn’t reviewed our driving logs, and didn’t know details about the FSD system installed on our car, if any. He hadn’t spoken to any sales rep we dealt with or reviewed the contract’s integration clause.

There were both a Tesla lawyer and an outside counsel representing Tesla at the hearing, but the witness was not equipped to answer questions.

Dobin wrote:

He was a service technician, not a lawyer or salesperson. But that’s who Tesla brought to the hearing. At the end, I genuinely felt bad for him because Tesla set him up to be a human punching bag—someone unprepared to answer key questions, forced to defend a system he clearly didn’t understand. While I was examining him, a Tesla in-house lawyer sat silently, while the company’s outside counsel tried to soften the blows of the witness’ testimony.

He focused on Tesla’s lack of disclosure regarding the safety score and the fact that the system does not meet the promises made to customers.

The arbitrator sided with Dobin and wrote:

The evidence is persuasive that the feature was not functional, operational, or otherwise available.”

Tesla was forced to reimburse the FSD package $10,000 plus taxes, and pay for the almost $8,000 in arbitration fees.

Since Tesla forces arbitration through its contracts, it is required to cover the cost.

Electrek’s Take

This is interesting. Tesla assigned two lawyers to this case in an attempt to avoid reimbursing $10,000, knowing it would have to cover the expensive arbitration fees – most likely losing tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

It makes no sense to me. Tesla should have a standing offer to reimburse FSD for anyone who requests it until it can actually deliver on its promise of unsupervised self-driving.

That’s the right thing to do, and the fact that Tesla would waste money trying to fight customers requesting a refund is really telling.

Tesla is simply not ready to do the right thing here, and it doesn’t bode well for the computer retrofits and all the other liabilities around Tesla FSD.

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