Last year we reported on the storied e-bike brand Juiced Bikes falling on hard financial times and eventually closing down. Now, in a video announcement just posted to the seemingly defunct Juiced Bikes YouTube channel, the charismatic young founders of Lectric Ebikes have announced their purchase of Juiced Bikes along with their intention to revive the brand to its former glory.
Juiced Bikes was founded in 2009, making it one of the first major electric bicycle brands in the US. Operating continuously until its closure in 2024, its decade and a half of high-performance electric bicycle building created a massive fan base and a reputation for pushing the industry towards power and speed built around innovative designs instead of mere cookie-cutter copycats.
In a candid video posted to the brand’s previously abandoned YouTube channel, Lectric Ebikes founders Levi Conlow and Robbie Deziel openly shared several details about their lengthy bid to purchase Juiced Bikes and their plans to revive the company.
Now to achieve their goal, the pair will have to rely on the lessons they learned in building their own brand, Lectric Ebikes, into the largest electric bicycle company in North America.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Founded in 2009, Juiced Bikes was the epitome of old school in the e-bike industry. On the other hand, Lectric Ebikes and its two charismatic “e-bike bro” founders are the full embodiment of young e-bike whipper snappers. But despite bursting onto the scene relatively recently in 2019, Lectric Ebikes rocketed past hundreds of other e-bike brands to snatch the title of most annual e-bike sales by 2023. Clenching the title again in 2024 and likely on track for a three-peat in 2025, Levi and Robbie obviously know a thing or two about building up a successful e-bike company.
Lectric has now become known as the go-to source for the best bang-for-your-buck electric bikes, from folding e-bikes to off-road adventure-style rides, cargo e-bikes, and more. But despite Lectric Ebikes’ success, it doesn’t look like its founders intend to merely bring Juiced Bikes into the Lectric family. Instead, the duo seems to be focused on reviving the brand as it is – or at least as it was.
“What drew us into Juiced is the same thing that drew many Juiced customers into the brand in the first place,” explained Levi Conlow, CEO of Lectric Ebikes. “That high performance, that torque, that acceleration, the thing you love about Juiced. That is our full intention, to preserve and continue that beautiful performance into the future, and carry Juiced into its next 15 years. It’s had this hiccup now, but I hope that everyone has seen what we’ve done with Lectric Ebikes and has a great level of confidence in what we’re going to do.”
As Robbie and Levi explained, the process of purchasing the Juiced Bikes brand and attempting to revive it was a long and complicated journey that still seems to be taking shape. Lectric originally placed a winning bid when the brand’s assets were put up at auction in an attempt to pay back Juiced Bikes’ creditors, but the winning bid was rejected, leaving Juiced’s future in limbo. As Levi detailed, eventually he and Robbie were able to salvage a deal where they purchased nearly all of Juiced’s assets outside of its physical inventory. That means the branding, the website, the intellectual property, and pretty much everything else that was once part of the Juiced Bikes company… other than the bikes that used to line the shipping department of its Chinese factory.
And while the pair didn’t explicitly say it, we’ve since seen much of Juiced’s inventory siphoned off by a Chinese-backed e-bike brand called VeloWave, which has been selling it seemingly dropshipped online, so it doesn’t take a lot of internet sleuthing to see why they couldn’t get everything at once.
That means there’s a lot of hard work ahead of Levi and Robbie to rebuild supplier relationships and get bikes moving again. There’s also a number of disappointed Juiced customers who had placed orders for e-bikes just before Juiced collapsed last year and never received them. Levi explained that the company had hoped to fulfill those orders, and may still be able to help those customers out, but that it would take some time to get things moving again.
But while they admit that they may not be able to immediately help many of the frustrated customers or support the larger Juiced Bikes owner community with spare parts until they can build up some inventory, they appear focused on bringing the same commitment to customer service and support to Juiced that they’ve built at Lectric Ebikes.
This is of course still a developing story and we’ll be learning more soon about the backstory to Lectric’s purchase of the Juiced Bikes brand and their plans to return Juiced to its heyday. If you have questions, put them in the comments below and we’ll be sure to find out more when we sit down with Robbie and Levi soon.
Electrek’s Take
This is fascinating. We all thought that there was a chance Juiced Bikes could be saved, but it was a long shot. It meant finding someone who could convince investors that there was still hope, and not that many still saw the hope. But if there ever was, it’s with Levi and Robbie. These guys built the modern-day equivalent of a garage startup into the biggest e-bike company on the continent and almost single-handedly brought previous titans of the industry to their knees. Yet instead of merely forcing other e-bike brands out, here they are trying to save them.
And what I love about this is that it comes from a place of genuine love for the game. If you watch the video above (which you should), you can see Levi and Robbie nerding out about how great Juiced Bikes’ e-bikes were. And they’re right. Those were awesome bikes. Saving the company isn’t just about offering another revenue stream in the high-performance market that Lectric hasn’t previously focused on, but also saving an important part of the history of the nascent American e-bike market. Juiced Bikes WAS the American e-bike market for a long time, back when it was basically just those guys and Pedego… and a few weird chainstay-mounted brush motor e-bikes that looked like they had toaster-shaped batteries strapped to their rear racks.
All of this is to say that this is a really cool story, one that is currently being written, and for which we likely won’t really know how well it will work for many months to come. But damn, am I here for the ride!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Honda is set to pull the covers off a new electric motorcycle on September 2, teasing the upcoming reveal with camouflaged images on the brand’s social media. The upcoming unveiling is sparking speculation that this could be one of the first models in Honda’s long-promised push into more powerful motorcycle electrification.
The teasers show the shape of a motorcycle with fairly conventional proportions, including a two-up seat, standard riding posture, single-sided rear swingarm, and no visible foot-forward scooter ergonomics, which suggests this will be an honest-to-goodness motorcycle rather than an e-scooter. The bodywork looks sporty but subdued, lacking the aggressive fairings of a supersport, which may point to a street-oriented commuter or naked bike. In fact, it looks a lot like the EV Fun Concept unveiled by Honda last October in Milan, seen above.
Street commuter bikes are common among electric motorcycle makers. They capitalize on the strengths of electric drivetrains without requiring the long range associated with touring motorcycles. It’s a move we’ve seen play out time and again among brands like Can-Am, Kawasaki, Ryvid, and others who have produced smaller, urban-focused electric motorcycles in the last few years.
This aligns with Honda’s previously stated plans. The company announced years ago that it would introduce at least 10 electric motorcycle models by 2025, ranging from commuter vehicles to high-performance machines. So far, its progress has been modest, with small-scale launches focused around electric scooters and prototype testbeds like the CR Electric motocross bike.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Whispers from Honda have hinted at an upcoming street bike, and some observers believe this new model could be the production version of that EV Fun Concept from EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show. Whether it uses Honda’s swappable batteries like the EM1 e: remains to be seen, but it’s likely to target daily riders in urban markets rather than aiming for long-range touring or high-speed sport performance.
Honda has been characteristically cautious in its entry into the electric space, especially compared to startup rivals and brands like Zero, LiveWire, and Ryvid. But the September 2 reveal may signal a new chapter as the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer finally takes electric motorcycles more seriously.
We’ll be watching closely to see what Honda brings to the table, especially as legacy brands start feeling pressure from both regulators and riders to electrify their lineups.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
With its tire-blistering acceleration and record-setting performance, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra has been getting attention throughout the auto industry, impressing everyone who’s seen it. That “everyone” now seems to include the OG supercar brand, itself.
CarNewsChina posted pictures from a Weibo user that reportedly show a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra exiting the storied Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy. According to a Chinese blogger going by 西米露在博洛尼亚 (which seems to translate to “Sago Dessert in Bologna”), the prancing horse brand is actively benchmarking the Chinese hypercar for its own upcoming EV.
The SU7 Ultra was definitely coming from inside Ferrari’s facility. After verification, we learned this specific vehicle was officially purchased by Ferrari for testing, and the development of their next-generation electric platform.
The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra made its debut last year, promising 1,548 hp, sub 2.0-second 0-60 mph times, and a top speed well over 200 mph – all at a price lower than a Tesla Model S Plaid or Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The car sold out almost immediately after it was unveiled, racking up some 50,000 orders almost overnight.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
The new electric benchmark
Xiaomi SU7 Ultra at Fiorano; via Weibo user Piniluoshan.
In the automotive world, “benchmarking” is a process in which car companies systematically tear down each others’ competitive products to compare everything from sound insulation, vehicle ride and handling, component materials, and even manufacturing methods against their own or against other industry leaders. The goal is to evaluate performance, cost, quality, and other key metrics, effectively figuring out “where they stand” in the market.
Featured image via Xiaomi; sources throughout the post.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
We’re finally getting our first teases of the upgraded 2027 Chevy Bolt, built on GM’s battery/motor platform formerly known as Ultium. So far, so good for the vehicle, which will be revealed later this Fall.
Chevy took to social media today to tease the 2027 Chevy Bolt, saying, “You asked, we listened. The #ChevyBolt is back and better than ever. More this fall. 👀”
Chevy ended the original Bolt program with the 2023 model, which was loved by a loyal group of customers (including myself). Some of the major gripes, including charging speed and rear brake lights, already look to be addressed. Also, a new more aggressive fascia is debuting.
Hopefully, the new Bolt will have improved charging speeds over and above the 54kW that previous Bolts adhered to. One possible downgrade is that the old Bolt’s amazing wireless CarPlay/Android Auto system will likely be replaced by GM’s move to Android’s built-in experience. For a few years, the Chevy Bolt was the most affordable long-range EV, and it won our 2022 Electrek car of the year for its versatility and price.
I would, of course, like to see the new Bolt as a hot hatchback, but GM CEO Mary Barra has hinted that it will likely take more of the EUV’s SUV form factor. Things like AWD options, SuperCruise, pricing, power and range are yet to be revealed, but stay tuned to Electrek for the latest on Bolt developments.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.