Game-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
If I told you that Phoenix-based Lectric eBikes took another popular-yet-expensive electric bike and found a way to produce something that is almost as good but at a fraction of a price, would you even be surprised anymore? That’s become the brand’s defining ethos, and they’ve proven it once again with the release of the Lectric XPedition electric cargo bike.
There are a lot of cargo e-bikes that we could compare side-by-side with the Lectric XPedition. Heck, there are simply a lot of electric cargo bikes out there these days.
But if you ask me, this is a poor man’s Tern GSD.
The Tern GSD is one of the most highly refined, beautifully designed, and expertly engineered electric cargo bikes on the market. It also ranges from $5,000 to $9,000, depending on the version.
At just $1,399, the Lectric XPedition probably costs less than just the Bosch powertrain on the GSD.
If you’re a cynic, then the XPedition was designed to eat the GSD’s lunch. If you’re more idealistic, then the XPedition brings much of the GSD’s convenience (small size, massive cargo capacity, wide range of rider fitment) to the masses at a price that normal folks can afford.
However you see it, the end result is undeniable. This is an electric cargo bike that will change the industry. Period.
Check out my video review of the new e-bike below, then read on for more about the bike!
Lectric XPedition video review
Lectric XPedition – key specs
I’ll have a more in-depth ride experience review coming in a couple days, but for now let’s start with the bike’s specs and my first impressions from several days of riding.
To start with, there are two models: a single and dual battery version.
They’re otherwise identical. They both use a 48V system, have a 750W continuous-rated motor and claim 1,310W of peak power. More on that peak power in a moment.
The single battery version has a 48V 14Ah battery for 672Wh of capacity, while the dual battery version double that to 1,344Wh of battery. That’s enough for 75 or 150 miles (120 or 240 km) of range on pedal assist, respectively. Even on throttle, you’ll probably still get a solid 30 or 60 miles (48 or 96 km) of range.
The Lectric XPedition hits 20 mph (32 km/h) on throttle-only riding but can reach as high as 28 mph (45 km/h) on pedal assist. The large 54-tooth chainring up front and the small 11-tooth sprocket on the 7-speed cassette help achieve a reasonable pedal cadence even at high speeds.
The bike rolls on 20″ wheels and features a custom 3″ urban tire designed by Lectric. The tires come with pre-Slimed tubes, meaning you basically get your first few flat tires for free. You probably won’t know that the self-healing Slime in your tubes saved you, but you ultimately could have several thorns, staples or other road debris in your tires months from now and still be rolling pretty with air in your tires.
Also, those tires may be custom but they’re still a standard size, so you can easily find tubes to fit.
For stopping, the bike includes a pair of hydraulic disc brakes on 180mm rotors. There’s an IP65-rated water-resistant display, a sturdy dual kickstand, a long rear bench, and support for a front rack/basket.
The handlebars fold down to make the bike even shorter, which is perfect for sliding it between the seats in an SUV or minivan.
And get this: the weight rating is insane. Not only is the bike rated for a max rider weight of 330 lb. (150 kg), but the total payload capacity is rated at 450 lb. (204 kg). The rear rack alone is rated for 300 lb. (136 kg) loads.
That means a 150 lb. rider like me can still have a 300 lb. passenger on back and remain within the bike’s weight ratings, as long as neither of us had a big lunch.
What about that power?
So I mentioned that I wanted to talk about that “1,310 watts of peak power” that Lectric claims. I’m going to have call B.S. on that. Allow me to put my rarely used engineer hat on for a second here (hey, I dust off that degree occasionally!).
E-bike power can be calculated as simply as multiplying the electrical voltage by the current (amps). That gives you the electrical power flowing through the system and ignores losses due to inefficiencies, such as how much power actually makes it from the battery to the rubber to the road. But it’s a good enough proxy for e-bike power that it is basically what we use.
The XPedition has a 24A controller, but the 48V battery (like all 48V Li-ion batteries) actually charges to 54.6V when fully charged. So Lectric took that higher number, multiplied it by 24 amps, and got that magically impressive 1,310 W peak power figure. But the problem is that the battery will only ever be at 54.6V for the first fraction of a second coming off a fresh full-charge. It drains throughout the ride, eventually dipping below 40V before cutting out at empty. So we generally use 48V as an average voltage, which gives us a more realistic 48V x 24A = 1,152W. And while the 1.15 kW peak power isn’t that different than the 1.31 kW claimed by Lectric, it’s a measurable difference. Okay, now let’s put that journalist/YouTuber/bike tester hat back on.
Having said all that, now let me tell you this. Whether you use the 1.3 kW or 1.1 kW number, the bike is disgustingly powerful. Like, just grossly powerful. And I mean that in the absolute best way possible. It has so much power that I grin ear to ear when I use it to haul a load or climb a hill. It feels like it can outpull a donkey. On hill climbs, it feels like the tires are filled with helium. The thing simply climbs and climbs. And it does so fast.
Remember when I tested the Lectric XP Trike and took it to a massive hill? I was amazed I could even climb up the hill on the trike. It wasn’t terribly fast, but rolling at 6-10 mph up a hill that was difficult to walk up felt impressive. Well, get this. After that test, I went back with the Lectric XPedition. It climbed that hill and flew past the XP Trike so fast it was just a three-wheeled blur.
So there’s no lack of power here. If anything, I’d recommend springing for the second battery model if you can, just so that you have extra charge to supply that power-hungry motor.
Better pedal assist that almost feels like a torque sensor
An interesting note about the Lectric XPedition’s pedal assist is that even though it uses a cadence sensor, it feels a bit more like a fancier torque sensor’s pedal assist.
There’s still telltale cadence sensor lag when you begin pedaling, but it doesn’t rocket you up to preset speeds at each pedal assist level. That’s because instead of using a speed-based pedal assist programming structure, Lectric used a power-based structure. Essentially, each pedal assist level allows progressively higher power, meaning you can pedal at whatever speed you wish and just enjoy more or less power, not more or less speed.
Lectric eBike’s CEO Levi Conlow explained it to me before I had the chance to test it as his form of cheating. “We like to cheat here. Just like how we cheated a mid-drive into the Lectric XP Trike by starting with a hub motor, we’re basically cheating our way to a torque sensor with this type of pedal assist programming.” Having tried it myself, I can confirm. They cheated, and it works great. It’s just a more comfortable way to use pedal assist as it allows you to ride at your own pace, more like a torque sensor-based system.
It doesn’t do anything to solve the pedal assist lag, but it makes the rest of the pedal assist experience so much better.
Top value, as usual
Value has become Lectric’s calling card. They might as well be named “Bang For Your Buck E-bikes” because that’s exactly what they do. And that’s exactly what you get with the Lectric XPedition.
It’s nowhere near as good as the Tern GSD or other many-thousand dollar bike shop e-bikes out there. It lacks the Bosch mid-drive motors, the quick-release thru-axles, the higher end automatic shifting and ultra powerful brakes, the fancier tail-standing rack, the higher spec hardware, and many of the nicer fit and finish details. It doesn’t come in a rainbow of colors and it doesn’t have a super-optimized weight saving frame (though 68 lb. isn’t bad for a high-power cargo e-bike). But you could also buy a parking space full of XPeditions for the price of one of the e-bikes that it imitates.
And for most people, that’s darn good enough.
The bike is a heavy-hauling, accessible e-bike that comes priced for the common man. And that’s something that the world needs more of.
If you can afford to buy a GSD, do it. It’s an amazing bike and you won’t regret it. But for those that could never justify spending several thousand dollars on an e-bike when money is tight enough as it is, bikes like the $1,399 Lectric XPedition will give you 80-90% of the day-to-day utility. And that’s good enough for me!
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Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN) has networked more than 16,200 customers’ solar + storage systems to support California’s electrical grid during the summer months.
Sunrun’s CalReady virtual power plant will play a key role in supporting California’s grid, providing essential energy to communities when it’s most needed to help cut costs and prevent power outages.
A virtual power plant is a network of decentralized power generating units – such as solar + storage – collectively managed by a central control system to supply power and provide grid services efficiently.
In the summer of 2023, Sunrun’s Peak Power Rewards virtual power plant program delivered up to 32 megawatts of power to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) during evening peak hours, thanks to the participation of 8,500 customers and their batteries.
Sunrun expects to roughly double 2023’s capacity and participants for the statewide Demand Side Grid Support virtual power plant program this summer.
The California Energy Commission runs the Demand Side Grid Support program, which is a key part of the state’s Strategic Reliability Reserve. This initiative helps increase energy supplies during challenging times like heat waves, wildfires, and other extreme events. Thanks to the efforts of aggregators who enroll tens of thousands of batteries, the program plays a crucial role in stabilizing the grid and reducing the risk of rolling blackouts.
Sunrun, as the largest participant in the Demand Side Grid Support program, will handle the monitoring and dispatching of enrolled customers’ batteries. Those who join the CalReady program through Sunrun will receive compensation for sharing their stored solar energy with the grid while Sunrun takes care of all the dispatching details.
Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said that “a typical customer won’t even notice that they’re sharing their stored power to bolster the grid while getting compensated for doing so.”
CalReady will support California’s grid every day from 4 to 9 pm, from May through October, when energy demand peaks and the grid is most susceptible to outages. Sunrun will ensure that customers’ batteries always maintain a minimum backup reserve of 20% to keep their homes powered during local outages.
Chris Rauscher, Sunrun’s head of grid services, explained:
Just like how a centralized fossil fuel power plant is controlled and dispatched by a single entity, so too is Sunrun’s CalReady virtual power plant – making it a powerful contributor to California’s grid. Because CalReady is a distributed resource spread across households statewide, it’s more resilient and adaptable when compared to a physical power plant.
Throughout the five-month program, the California Energy Commission may tap into Sunrun’s enrolled solar + storage systems up to 35 times to provide extra energy to the grid. Sunrun’s CalReady program enrollment is still open, and participation is expected to increase.
Sunrun’s Q1 results, released yesterday, reported a significant jump in storage attachment rates – reaching 50% on installations, up from 15% in the same period last year. The company installed 207.2 megawatt-hours during the quarter.
To date, Sunrun has installed over 102,000 solar and storage systems, representing more than 1.5 gigawatt hours of stored energy capacity.
Read more: Check out the ‘world’s first’ DC-to-DC solar-powered EV charger
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. – affiliate*
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Environment
Big Willy style! Will Smith is the latest team owner to join the E1 electric boat racing series
Young electric boat racing series E1 continues to garner star power as it continues its inaugural UIM World Championship season. Actor, producer, and musician Will Smith and his team, Westbrook Racing, have joined E1 to compete against several other big names in sports and entertainment.
The UIM E1 World Championship is a new electric racing boat series first announced back in 2022 that kicked off its inaugural season this past February with the Jeddah GP in Saudi Arabia. Since its inception, E1 co-founders Rodi Basso and Alejandro Agag have put together an impressive roster of team owners.
In the past year, we’ve seen E1 add teams owned by sports legends Rafael Nadal, Didier Drogba, and the NFL’s Tom Brady to the race card, as well as Formula 1 veteran Sergio Perez, superstar DJ Steve Aoki, and cricket star Virat Kohli who is responsible for Team Blue Rising.
In December 2023, the league announced musician Mark Anthony had joined as the owner of Team Miami, setting the playing field at eight teams. They would end up placing second in Jeddah behind Team Brady, with Team Rafa taking the podium in third.
Today, the E1 Series has announced another famous entertainer joining as a team owner – Will Smith.
Will Smith’s Westbrook Racing to compete in UIM E1 Series
Per a release from E1 earlier today, Oscar-winning actor Will Smith has joined the league as owner of Westbrook Racing, named after the Fresh Prince’s global entertainment company, Westbrook Inc. E1 states that the formation of the Westbrook Racing team aligns with Smith’s “affinity for electric and competitive sports with E1’s mission to accelerate sustainability in marine mobility.”
Despite the featured image above, we won’t see Will Smith competing on the water in an E1 Racebird, but his new team has already recruited its two drivers. Five-time Les Mans racer Lucas Ordoñez joins the squad alongside experience in SuperGT and Formula 3.
Ordoñez will compete alongside Sara Price – a professional racer and stuntwoman with 17 national motocross championships and racing experience in Extreme E and the Dakar Rally. Smith spoke about the opportunity to own a team in E1 and compete:
As a fan of racing, the opportunity to be part of the E1 fleet and play a role in realizing its broader vision got me very inspired. The entire Westbrook team is truly excited to bring Westbrook Racing to the water and join such an amazing group for this race.
This news comes at a perfect time as Will Smith’s team is scheduled to compete in E1’s second race, the Venice GP, which will take place this weekend, May 11 and 12. We will follow the nine-team GP and post a recap to see how Westbrook Racing fares in its first E1 electric boat event.
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Environment
Trump reportedly told oil execs he’ll end electric car incentives for $1 billion in donations
Donald Trump has reportedly told oil executives that he will end electric car incentives if they contribute $1 billion to his election campaign.
The former president has been all over the place with his comments on electric vehicles.
Most of the time, in his rallies, he has brought them up as a talking point to ridicule them – focusing on the premise that “don’t go far” and “charging is a pain”. He went as far as calling them a “hoax”.
But he has also claimed that he is “all for electric cars” and during his 2020 campaign, he tried to take credit for incentives put in place during the Obama administration.
In practice, the former president was trying to put in place policies to slow down electric car adoption – at the request of some automakers, to be fair. The Trump administration attempted to eliminate the tax credit for electric vehicles in the original version of their 2020 budget, though the provision never passed.
Furthermore, Trump was actively seeking to roll back vehicle emission standards that were encouraging automakers to produce more electric cars.
With this new 2024 campaign, the former president has been clearer about the fact that he is against any initiatives that would accelerate the rollout of electric vehicles.
Now, the Washington Post reports that it had sources in a meeting between Trump and oil executives in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club last month. In the report, the publication claimed that Trump made them an offer when asked about his plan recording environmental regulations:
Trump’s response stunned several of the executives in the room overlooking the ocean: You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation.
The former president reportedly specifically mention rolling back policies on electric vehicles and wind energy.
Electrek’s Take
I don’t like to get too political at Electrek. Those who know me personally know I’m as apolitical as it gets. I don’t believe the biggest changes come from politics. I’m not biased toward any side in politics, but I am biased toward electric vehicles and I do like policies that encourage them, especially those that incentivize them in a way that represents their benefits for the environment. Since Trump has a real chance of becoming president again, it’s important to cover his views and policies on electric vehicles.
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that Trump would roll back incentives if reelected, which I would have no problem with as long as he implements a carbon tax to properly represent the cost of fossil fuel burning, but who are we kidding?
Even if you don’t believe in human’s contribution to climate change, you must at least believe to clean air?
Everyone agrees that burning fossil fuels is extremely polluting. That’s why you don’t start your car’s engine inside your garage. Now, that’s for a small, closed environment, but the science is also clear that this affects general air pollution when you have millions of cars in the same area, which is most cities today.
This air pollution has a massive health cost calculated in the billions of dollars in the US alone.
From this perspective alone, it makes sense to encourage the purchase of EVs over ICE vehicles. Then, there’s also the clear fact that the rest of the world is moving to EVs at an incredible pace.
A strong market helps a strong industry. If the US auto market falls behind in electrification, the US auto industry will also fall behind and it will be another manufacturing industry that the US is going to lose.
You don’t want to be the last country with a strong fossil fuel industry.
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