Amsterdam wants to reduce electric bike speed limits to just 20 km/h (12 mph)
If you thought most Europeans had it bad with lower e-bike speed limits of just 25 km/h (15 mph), then prepare yourself for even tighter restrictions in one European capital. That’s because Amsterdam’s city officials are proposing to reduce the electric bike speed limit on cycle paths to just 20 km/h (12 mph).
According to a letter to the city council from city transportation chief Melanie Van Der Horst regarding the subject of electric bike speed limits, many e-bikes traveling on the city’s vast cycling path network are said to reach speeds of 30 km/h (18 mph) or higher. The letter explained that the vast range of different speeds from slower non-electric bikes to faster electric bikes can be dangerous to kids and elderly riders on the cycling paths.
According to Dutch News, in order to create the reduced speed limit for e-bikes, a national law would need to be passed.
In the meantime, the city is trying to encourage faster electric bike riders to stick to the roads instead of cycling paths. They are also exploring the use of smart apps that can notify cyclists when they enter lower speed zones.
The issue of fast e-bikes may be uniquely important in Amsterdam, often seen as the cycling capital of the world. According to Road.cc, two thirds of daily transportation trips in the city are performed by bike.
Around 50% of bicycles sold in the city are electric, meaning e-bikes and non-electric bikes constantly mix on the cycling paths.
European electric bicycle laws don’t permit manufacturers to allow e-bikes to travel at over 25 km/h (15 mph) assisted. After hitting that speed, the motor must cut out and any additional speed is only obtainable under pedal power alone. However, non-compliant e-bikes that can exceed the established European e-bike standards can still be found.
Some electric bicycles that come programmed with EU-legal speed limits can also be modified to travel faster, though manufacturers and regulators have attempted to put an end to this practice of e-bike hot-rodding.
Electrek’s Take
The balance of speed and efficiency is tricky, especially in a place like Amsterdam where two-wheeled traffic can outnumber four-wheeled traffic. Faster e-bikes are often preferred because they reduce travel time and thus are more effective. But faster e-bike speeds can sometimes come at the cost of safety when cycling paths are already crowded.
However, I’m not sure that targeting e-bikes is the best way to handle it, especially when pedal bikes often ride faster. This is especially true in Europe, where the lower 25 km/h (15 mph) speed limit on e-bikes already means that many pedal cyclists pass by e-bikes in the cycling lanes.
Instead, it seems like a system that treats cycle path users like road users makes more sense. Creating a speed limit that is posted on the bike lane and then ticketing anyone who exceeds it or otherwise rides dangerously would seem sensible to me. It would allow e-bikes to be capable of higher speeds, which is useful when on the open road, but would ensure that people only use those speeds where safe and appropriate.
Of course that would require more manpower in the form of increased traffic cops. But if the issue here is safety, and if you’re playing with the kind of tax money that European countries get to enjoy, then it seems worth it to me.
But hey, they don’t ask me for my opinion on Dutch cycling laws. Nor should they.
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Environment
Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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