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When it was unveiled last year, the CSC RX1E joined a select group of electric motorcycles that could reach highway-capable speeds yet at an affordable price. Now the bike is joining an even more limited category: those bikes that are actually shipping.

There are plenty of low-cost electric motorcycles and scooters out there, but most are designed for city use and thus can’t reach highway speeds. Then there are high-performance, high-speed electric motorcycles designed for racing or sport riding yet that cost well over $20,000. The RX1E became one of only a few electric motorcycles debuted in the US that could reach highway speeds while maintaining a budget price.

Reservation holders that got in line late last year for the sub-$8,000 motorcycle are finally seeing their motorcycles ship this week. Even after the promotional pre-order price ended, the bike’s new $8,495 price tag puts it well below the cost of most other highway-capable electric motorcycles in the US.

CSC Motorcycles, the Azusa, California-based motorcycle dealer that brought the bike to the US, launched the CSC RX1E as a similar-looking bike to the company’s gas-powered RX4 and RX3 adventure bikes. The RX1E may look adventure ready, but it’s really more of an urban bike with adventure flavoring.

That means the bike gets a tall riding stance, long travel suspension, included cargo boxes, and crash bars from the off-road world, but comes with street-ready tires designed to turn your car commute into a fun, more adventurous ride to work.

But commuting isn’t the bike’s only use, as I discovered during some fun canyon carving just outside of LA.

With multiple power levels and a maximum speed of 80 mph (130 km/h), the CSC RX1E is equal parts peppy and comfortable, helping it live with one wheel in the commuter space and the other wheel in the Sunday riding world.

The max range of over 100 miles (160 km) certainly won’t allow anyone to go touring on a cross country ride, but it should be plenty for navigating any city with some highway riding thrown in as well.

csc rx1e

The bike gets its power from a mid-mounted electric motor that puts out 8 kW of continuous-rated power and 18 kW at its peak. That’s a max of 24 horsepower but with a torque profile that will likely have you thinking it is significantly higher. The liquid-cooled motor is able to run at higher power levels for longer than air-cooled motors.

The CSC RX1E can hit a maximum speed of around 80 mph (130 km/h) with a 0-60 mph acceleration time of under nine seconds. Again, that’s not going to leave a rubber tire snake on the road, but it will still feel like plenty of power for recreational rides or slicing through traffic on the way to work.

Supplying that motor is a 6.16 kWh lithium-ion battery that is rated for 112 miles (180 km) on the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle), though faster riding with more time spent on the highway will drain the battery more quickly.

Charging is performed from a typical 110V home wall outlet. A full recharge is said to take six hours, but it will usually be faster in real-world conditions when you’re starting from a partially charged battery.

A Continental belt drive connects the motor to the 17″ rear wheel, which wears a 120/80-17 tire to match the front’s 100/80-17 tire.

The CSC RX1E sports Bosch’s dual ABS brakes and a combined braking system for safety. While many bikes in this new wave of mid-power electric motorcycles use the left-hand lever for the rear brake, the RX1E sticks with convention by activating the rear brake with the right foot pedal.

Another nod to convention is the speedometer, which has an actual physical needle. I haven’t seen needle gauges on an electric motorcycle in years, but I much prefer them. They’re easier to read at a quick glance because the physical location of a bright orange needle will always be more legible than small digital numbers.

There’s still a digital readout on the display as well for the rest of the important information, but lovers of tradition will surely enjoy the return of a needle gauge speedometer.

The CSC RX1E’s inverted front fork offers 4.7 inches of suspension travel, while the rear mono-shock with adjustable preload and rebound damping is nearly there at 4.3 inches of travel.

The RX1E has a curb weight of 436.5 pounds (198 kg), though the included crash bars and luggage cases add another 32 pounds (14.5 kg) to the bike.

The bike’s trio of luggage cases increases the storage already found in the faux tank, which looks like a gas tank but is actually a glove box.

The 30.9-inch seat height is fairly low and easy to manage, though throwing your leg over that top box may take some practice.

csc rx1e electric motorcycle

The SONDORS Metacycle became the first highway-capable budget e-moto to begin shipping when deliveries began late last year. But the promised 80 mph (130 km/h) top speed turned out to be more like a sustained 60 mph (96 km/h), with a turbo button that allowed brief sprints up to 80 mph. The range of the Metacycle also turned out to be significantly less than the promised 80 miles (130 km).

The CSC RX1E, on the other hand, can sustain its 80 mph top speed and offers over 50% more range than the Metacycle thanks to an over 50% larger battery.

The RX1E will have to compete against similarly priced models like those from Kollter, and other rivals like the Ryvid Anthem and SUPER73 C1X are expected to hit the market in the next year.

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Ford beat every supercar at Goodwood with a truck because EVs are just better

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Ford beat every supercar at Goodwood with a truck because EVs are just better

The Goodwood Festival of Speed happened this weekend, and Ford’s electric SuperTruck managed to beat every other vehicle, gas or electric, to the top of the hill.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a yearly event on the grounds of Goodwood House, a historic estate in West Sussex, England. The event started in 1993, and has become one of the largest motorsports festivals in the world.

Many companies attend Goodwood to debut new models, and enthusiasts or race teams will show off rare or customized vehicles or race unique cars.

One of the central features of the event is the Goodwood hillclimb, a short one-way race up a small hill on the property. The track is only 1.17mi/1.89km long, with a 304ft/92.7m uphill climb. It’s not a particularly taxing event – merely a fun way to show off some classic or unique racing vehicles.

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As is often the case, companies brought out several interesting EVs to the event, including Honda’s Super EV concept, the recently-unveiled Hyundai Ioniq 6N, and the upcoming Porsche Cayenne EV, still in camouflage after recently setting an SUV record at another UK hillclimb.

Many of these cars came just to show off, to do a demonstration run up the hill and join the company of the world’s most exotic hypercars.

But some cars show up for the glory, and join “the shootout,” the sprint up the hill for the best time.

And Ford didn’t come to show off, it came to win. And in order to win, it brought…. a truck.

The F-150 “SuperTruck” / Source: Ford

Ford’s SuperTruck is a one-off, 1,400+ horsepower prototype electric vehicle, supposedly based on the F-150 Lightning, but in fact bearing almost no similarity or even resemblance.

It’s been festooned with aerodynamic elements all about, lowered, equipped with race tires, and power output has been boosted to the aforementioned 1,400hp. It was driven by Romain Dumas, who Ford have been using since 2022 to drive their electric prototypes.

For the purposes of a hillclimb, perhaps the most important aspect is the Ford’s electric drive. Hillclimbs are a popular form of racing in Britain, and often consist of a short sprint up a small hill, showcasing acceleration and nimbleness more than anything.

Electric cars do well in this sort of racing due to their instant low-end torque, being able to jump off the line faster than the gas competition. They also tend to have plenty of torque, which helps with carrying them up the hills involved.

EVs do well on longer hillclimbs too, because as races reach higher and higher altitudes, gas cars suffer from reduced power due to less oxygen being available for combustion. EVs don’t suffer from this, so they tend to do well at, say, Pike’s Peak hillclimb – which, incidentally, Ford also brought its SuperTruck to, and also beat everybody at.

This year was not the first time Ford has brought a ridiculous electric chonker to Goodwood. Last year, it brought the SuperVan, which has a similar powertrain to the SuperTruck, and also beat everybody.

The SuperVan’s main competition last year was Subaru’s 670hp “Project Midnight” WRX, piloted by Scott Speed, who Dumas handily defeated by over two seconds, 43.98 to 46.07. And this year, the SuperTruck’s main competition was… the same Subaru, piloted by Speed, who Dumas handily defeated by just under two seconds, 43.23 to 45.03.

Ford did not, however, set an all-time record with the SuperTruck, in fact coming in fifth on the list of fastest runs ever. In front of it are two gas cars and two electric – the gas-powered Gould GR51, a tiny open-wheel race car, with a 42.90; an F1 car driven by Nick Heidfeld that set a 41.6 in 1999; the electric VW ID.R, also piloted by Dumas with a 39.90 (which broke Heidfeld’s 20-year record); and the all-time record holder the electric McMurtry Spierling “fan car,” with a mind-blowing 39.08 in 2019.

You’ll notice something similar about all of these – they’re all small racecars that are actually built for speed, whereas the truck is… a big truck. And yet, Ford still managed to beat every single challenger this year, with its big honker of an EV, because EVs are just better.

Watch the run in full below, starting at 9:34. Blink and you’ll miss it.

And now, if Ford continues its pattern, we’re looking forward to seeing the Super Mustang Mach-E at Goodwood next year, which did well this year at a tough Pike’s Peak, getting first in its class and second overall, likely due to inclement conditions that limited running to the lower portion of the course, limiting the EV’s high-altitude advantages.

Given the Super Mustang is a real racecar, and not a chonky truck, it might even give VW’s ID.R time a run for its money (but, frankly, really has no shot at the overall record, because the Spierling’s “fans” give it an absurdly unbeatable amount of downforce).


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GM gears up to build low-cost LFP EV batteries in Tennessee after announcing new upgrades

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GM gears up to build low-cost LFP EV batteries in Tennessee after announcing new upgrades

GM is preparing to begin converting production lines at its battery plant in Tennessee later this year for low-cost LFP EV batteries. GM’s joint venture, Ultium Cells, announced additional upgrades at the facility on Monday as it prepares for a new era.

GM will build low-cost LFP EV batteries in the US

After beating out Ford and Hyundai last year to become America’s second-best EV seller, GM is widening its lead in 2025.

Ultium Cells, GM’s joint venture with LG Energy Solution, announced plans to upgrade its Tennessee battery plant on Monday as it prepares to introduce lower-cost lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cells.

The upgrades build on the $2.3 billion investment announced in April 2021 to convert the facility into a key EV and battery hub. The company initially said the Tennessee plant was “at the heart of GM’s EV strategy,” but that was also when GM was still committed to an all-electric future.

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GM will begin converting production lines to accommodate the lower-cost LFP batteries at the facility later this year. By late 2027, the company expects to start commercial production.

GM-low-cost-EV-batteries
Ultium Cells Spring Hill, Tennessee plant (Source: Ultium Cells)

With LFP batteries, GM said it’s “targeting significant battery pack cost savings compared to today’s high-nickel battery pack while increasing consumer EV choice.”

The Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant currently employs around 1,300 employees. With the ability to produce multiple chemistries, GM said the facility will “guide the next phase of” its battery strategy.

GM-low-cost-LFP-EV-batteries
2025 Chevy Equinox EV LT (Source: GM)

After choosing Spring Hill for its LFP batteries, the next step, according to GM, is finding a home for lithium manganese-rich batteries. GM recently announced plans to become the first company to produce LMR prismatic battery cells at commercial scale.

GM-low-cost-EV-batteries
GM plans to build a “next-gen affordable EV) in Kansas (Source: GM)

Meanwhile, GM’s Warren, Ohio, plant will continue producing NCM batteries, which it says have helped it unlock over 300 miles of range.

Electrek’s Take

GM’s electric vehicle sales more than doubled in the second quarter, led by the hot-selling Chevy Equinox EV. The company sold nearly 46,300 EVs in Q2, up 11% from last year.

Chevy is currently the fastest-growing EV brand in the US, while Cadillac claims to have already achieved “EV leader” status in the luxury segment this year. However, that does not include Tesla.

Even GMC is building momentum with the new Sierra EV, seeing strong initial demand, and Hummer EV sales are picking up.

With new, lower-cost batteries on the way, GM aims to continue narrowing the gap with Tesla. GM offers 13 electric vehicles, covering nearly every segment of the market. It already calls the Chevy Equinox EV “America’s most affordable +315 range EV,” but GM has even lower-priced models on the way, including the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV.

Ready to test drive one for yourself? You can use our links below to find Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EVs in your area.

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Elon Musk says Tesla is going to have ‘the most epic demo ever’, but we heard that before

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Elon Musk says Tesla is going to have 'the most epic demo ever', but we heard that before

Elon Musk is teasing Tesla doing “the most epic demo ever”, but we heard him claim that before and nothing came of it.

On X last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he was shown something at the Tesla Design Studio and that the company will hold the ” most epic demo ever by the end of the year”:

Just left the Tesla Design Studio. Most epic demo ever by the end of the year. Ever.

I used to get excited about Musk making statements like that, but I was burned one too many times.

In 2016, Musk said this:

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Our goal is, and I feel pretty good about this goal, that we’ll be able to do a demonstration drive of full autonomy all the way from LA to New York … by the end of next year.

The end of 2017 came and went without this demonstration and now in 2025, Tesla can’t do it either.

However, since Musk referenced being at Tesla’s Design Studio, where it mostly works on car designs and advanced features, people are speculating that it’s something else.

A possibility is the next-gen Tesla Roadster, as Musk has made similar comments about it in the past, but they were again about demonstrations that never happened.

Shortly after the unveiling of the next-gen Roadster in 2017, Musk talked about adding cold air thruster to the supercar to allow it to have unprecedented racing performance and even possibly hover over the ground.

In 2019, Musk told me that Tesla aimed to do a demonstration of that by the end of 2020:

5 years later, it never happened, and the Roadster was initially supposed to come to market in 2020. It has never launched.

In 2024, Musk claimed that Tesla would unveil and demo the new Roadster by the end of the year:

It also didn’t happen, and the CEO instead said that Tesla was “close to finalizing design” at the end of 2025.

Electrek’s Take

The comment about the demo makes me think of the Roadster, but it could be something else. Maybe a bot, but I’m not sure out of the design studio.

Either way, for the reasons listed above, it’s hard to get too excited.

You can’t just believe what Musk says these days. Historically, he has been wrong or lied too often, especially about upcoming demonstrations like this new comment.

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