High-tech Äike T electric scooter gets world’s first proximity unlocking feature
The Äike T electric scooter was already positioned as one of the most tech-infused and highly engineered scooters in the world. But now the company is pushing the envelope even further by bringing a feature normally only found in electric cars to the European manufacturer’s light electric two-wheeler.
Äike’s new smart-unlock feature allows riders to unlock their electric scooters simply by walking up to the scooter.
Most electric scooters and e-bikes don’t offer any security locking as a software feature. Those that do usually rely on a time-consuming pin code system that often gets disabled by the owner due to the inconvenience.
But Äike’s smart-unlock ensures that only the rider can operate the scooter while still making the unlocking process quick and easy.
Thanks to a Bluetooth connection automatically created by the user’s phone via the Äike app, all the rider has to do is walk up to the Äike T electric scooter. It then automatically unlocks as the rider approaches, ready for a ride.
When the rider parks and walks away, the scooter automatically locks again, preventing anyone else from starting and operating the scooter.
The new feature is made possible thanks to the vertically integrated design of the scooter.
The company produces the Äike T entirely in-house, making it one of the only non-Asian-made electric scooters on the market.
With complete control over the hardware and software used in the scooter, Äike is able to implement features like these and push them out quickly via over-the-air updates to the smartphone application.
By using sister company Comodule’s IoT connectivity, a favorite among light electric vehicle companies from SUPER73’s electric bicycles to Cake’s electric motorcycles, Äike is able to further build upon the smart connectivity features in the scooter.
As explained by Kristjan Maruste, CEO & founder of Äike & Kõu Mobility Group:
Releasing this Smart-Lock feature is simply another example of the benefits of operating in a locally based and vertically integrated company. As we manufacture our own electronics, hardware and software, we can from the ideation to the release phase in a matter of weeks. Our aim is to make Äike scooters the most user-friendly e-vehicles in the world.
You can watch Kristjan demonstrate the new feature in the humorous 45-second video below.
The new smart-unlock feature brings automotive-level bells and whistles to the scooter, adding to its growing list of impressive specs.
The Äike T launched as the first-ever USB-C charging electric scooter in the world, allowing riders to use their existing computer and tablet chargers to also charge up their scooter in a pinch.
A higher-power charge port can also be found on the scooter for faster charging than currently allowable by USB-C.
A 100W laptop charger can refill a 100% depleted battery in six to eight hours, while the dedicated fast charger can do it in nearly half.
The removable battery can also be used as a power station to charge up USB-powered devices like phones and tablets.
The scooter is over-engineered to ensure it can support heavy loads of up to 150 kg (330 pounds). It has also been tested to withstand operating temperatures as broad as -17 to 35ºC (1 to 95ºF).
There’s a removable battery locked inside the deck that features a 583 Wh capacity and is rated for up to 40 km (25 miles) of range. A second smaller battery is built into the scooter to run the onboard devices like GPS theft tracking when the main battery is removed for charging.
It’s a pretty darn impressive scooter, and one that I’ve had the pleasure of taking a few test rides on during a trip to Tallin, Estonia, earlier this year as well as during Eurobike in Frankfurt, Germany, this summer.
In fact, if you’ve got another two minutes then you’ll want to check out the Äike T scooter’s launch video below. It’s good for another few laughs with and/or at the CEO.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger last week at Canadian C-store chain On The Run, but that’s not the good part. As part of a limited time offer, these chargers are FREE!
The Canadian convenience store chain just took the wraps off its new, ABB-developed, 400 kW chargers earlier this month, but they’re already planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season – something On The Run hopes its customers will appreciate.
“The A400 charger delivers an enhanced customer experience, with reliability and performance from a 32-inch screen to higher power charging sessions and power sharing,” reads the company’s official announcement, via LinkedIn. “Download the Journie Rewards app to start the charge – free for a limited time.”
On The Run’s new 400 kW ABB DC fast chargers are compatible with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs, and can accommodate Tesla and other NACS-equipped vehicles with an adapter. That said, the company seems to imply that Tesla drivers in particular will have a maximum charging speed of “just” 50 kW, which feel hilarious (given the current state of affairs between Tesla and the Canadian government), but probably isn’t.
In addition to the ABB A400 400 kW units shown here, On The Run locations also employ the ABB Terra 184 dispensers rated at 180 kW. On The Run plans similar deployments at the four BC locations mentioned above, as well as two more each in Quebec and Ontario slated to go live towards the end of this year.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk once mocked 350 kW charging speed as being “for a child’s toy,” despite the fact that, nearly nine years later, his own cars and Superchargers can barely make it to 325 kW while others have sailed right on past. I made fun of that fact on the Quick Charge episode shown, above – and, while I do think it’s funny and relevant, the much more relevant piece of news here is that companies like BP Pulse, Revel, and Wallbox are actively deploying 400 kW solutions, today (while others hit the same mark as far back as 2017).
It’s just a fact: Tesla has fallen way behind.
SOURCE | IMAGES: On The Run, via Electric Autonomy.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Terawatt Infrastructure‘s first medium- and heavy-duty electric charging truck stop in California is now online, in Rancho Dominguez.
Located 12 miles north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the private Rancho Dominguez site, which is shared among multiple fleets, will support electric trucking fleet operations in and out of the largest container ports in the US.
First customers include Dreaded Trucking, Hight Logistics, PepsiCo, Quick Container Drayage, Southern Counties Express, Tradelink Transport, and WestCoast Trucking & Warehousing.
Terawatt’s electric charging truck stop features 20 pull-through and bobtail DC fast charging stalls with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW), enabling charging for up to 125 trucks per day using a simple reservations system. Terawatt’s site features a proprietary charge management system, in-house technicians, 24/7 customer service, and onsite parts management.
“This launch underscores growing collaboration between enterprises, shippers, carriers, and charging infrastructure providers to advance sustainable technologies across logistics and transportation operations, especially in the medium and heavy-duty sectors,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and cofounder of Terawatt. Palmer added that the company will bring another charging site online in Rialto, California, in June.
Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers in September 2024 to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, the “first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor.” Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. 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. They have 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 Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
In its most aggressive attack against offshore wind yet, the Trump administration halted the $5 billion Empire Wind 1, already under construction off New York’s coast.
Norwegian developer Equinor announced yesterday that it received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordering Empire Wind 1 to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted this tweet yesterday:
Burgum gave no indication of what insufficiencies there were in the approval process for the fully permitted offshore wind project, despite Trump’s recent declaration of a national energy emergency that speeds up permitting processes.
The commercial lease for the 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind 1’s federal offshore wind area was signed in March 2017 during the first Trump administration. It was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction in 2024.
The project is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, which was due to come online in 2027, has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes.
“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet in a statement. “We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much-needed power to the grid.”
As Electrek reported, Equinor secured $3 billion to finance Empire Wind 1 in January. The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of March 31 was around $1.5 billion.
As of March 31, Empire Wind has a gross book value of around $2.5 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (pictured above), which was expected to become the US’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.
In response to BOEM’s stop work order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement:
Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond.
As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.
Equinor says it’s considering appealing BOEM’s order.
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to 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. They have 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 you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway