Here are the coolest e-bikes and more we saw at Micromobility Europe 2023
Micromobility Europe 2023 returned to Amsterdam last week for a two-day microEV extravaganza. Personal electric vehicles from all over Europe and beyond converged on the venue, bringing in e-bikes, e-scooters, e-unicycles, electric micro-cars and more. To cap off two full days of product displays, expert panels, startup pitches and more, the conference joined local cyclists in Amsterdam for a massive rave ride, complete with a DJ on a cargo e-bike blasting music along the route.
Below is a selection of some of the many interesting things I saw at the show.
I couldn’t include everything (and if you want to see even more, make sure to attend the US show this coming Fall in San Francisco). But I’ll do my best to feature many of the most interesting and sometimes far-fetched designs below.
Check out my video also to get a sense of what it was like to attend the show and take in the highlights.
Micromobility Europe 2023 video highlights
Clip electric bike conversion kit
I covered Clip’s kit a couple years ago when they launched it, but this was the first time I’ve seen it in person. After watching them install it on a bike in under six seconds, I knew I had to test this thing out myself.
The elegantly simple design uses a friction drive to power the front wheel from a wirelessly controlled throttle button. It’s not a true throttle since you have to be pedaling for it to work, but it gives you handlebar control so you won’t start receiving any assist unless you actually want it.
The design may look a bit funny sticking out in front of the wheel, but it works surprisingly well. The price is somewhere around the $500 mark, so it’s a cheap way to get an e-bike without buying an entire e-bike. Instead, you just plop it on your existing pedal bike.
It turned out to be a crowd favorite as well, taking home the top prize in the Startup Awards as well. You can see my test ride in the video above.
Ampler
Ampler Bikes makes some of the slickest looking stealthy e-bikes out there, meaning you can barely distinguish them from pedal bikes.
That’s great for two reasons: They look sexy without the eyesore of big batteries or chunky frame tubes, and they also don’t draw the attention of thieves looking for pricey e-bikes or components to liberate from those bikes.
Ampler has several models for various styles of riding. I’m a big fan of the Stellar for its laidback and relaxed geometry, though the Junta’s hybrid style is a nice compromise. The Curt is the go-to model for those that prefer a more old school style with a forward tucked riding stance.
All of the bikes are made in Ampler’s Tallinn-based factory in the heart of Estonia. I visited the factory last year, and it is impressive to see the company’s dedication to quality manufacturing.
Navee with waterproof drivetrain
This one blew my mind a bit. Navee was at the show with their electric scooters, but what really grabbed my eye was their demonstration showing off how waterproof their drivetrain was.
What better way to get the point across than to fully submerge it?
That’s right, they had the battery, motor, and controller operating inside of a tank of water.
I guess if your Navee electric scooter ever goes for an accidental swim (or just rides through a puddle), you’ll be good to go.
WingsEV
Unless you live in India then this one likely won’t affect you anytime soon, but it’s still fun to see new electric microcars!
WingsEV is developing a tandem-style (one seat behind the other) tiny electric car for the Indian market. In a country where two-wheelers rule the road due to their ability to wiggle through traffic jams, the team behind this narrow car knew it was important to build a microcar that could do the same.
The company is still early stage, but I’m looking forward to seeing big things from them!
Swobbee
Swobbee is a battery swapping company with an interesting model. Unlike Gogoro, which has become the defacto standard for battery swapping thanks to their highly-refined battery model and swapping stations, Swobbee doesn’t have their own battery standard.
Instead, Swobbee offers battery swapping as a service that uses other manufacturers’ batteries. Companies like NIU have worked with Swobbee to customize Swobbee’s battery cabinets to fit OEM batteries. That means Swobbee can deploy different battery stations that fit different manufacturer’s batteries – or even one station that can fit several different styles of batteries.
It’s a slick setup that has helped the company already complete around 80,000 battery swaps and counting.
Vammo
Speaking of battery swapping, Vammo was at the show to share their South American-based battery swapping solution. They’re certainly more early stage than Swobbee above, but are progressing towards their own first automated battery swapping cabinets to augment the current manual swapping operations.
With a focus on the Latin American market where motorcycle use is higher due to increased reliance on daily two-wheeled travel, Vammo likely has plenty of room for expansion ahead of them.
SoFlow
This one is a bit weird, but I love it anyway.
SoFlow has normal electric scooters. That’s all fine and good, but what caught my eye is their super weird people mover platform. It’s like a scooter, but with a wide deck so that people and cargo can move around warehouses or other areas on a more stable platform.
It’s glorious in its odd appearance, which only makes me love it even more.
Segway
What’s a micromobility show without Segway?
I’m not talking about the old school two-wheel balancing scooter. That’s long gone. But the company is still around under the Ninebot umbrella, now with many other electric scooters and e-bikes that were on display at the show.
Inokim
Inokim, the Israeli electric scooter company that has been around nearly as long as electric scooters have existed, was also on site to show off their latest models.
I’ve tested several Inokim electric scooters and always been impressed with their build quality.
They aren’t cheap, but they build very good scooters that don’t cut the same corners seen in cheaper e-scooter companies.
Ellio
I’ve seen all-wheel-drive electric bikes before, but never like this.
The Ellio doesn’t use two hub motors to achieve AWD performance, but rather a single hub motor in front and then a mid-drive motor to power the rear wheel.
Combined with a large battery in a compact bike design, it results in a fast Class 3 or Speed Pedelec e-bike with some serious performance.
Taito scooter
Three-wheeled electric scooters are rare, but leaning three-wheeled electric scooters with suspension are even more rare.
That’s exactly what the team at Taito have created, though, and it works better than I expected! I was able to pick up the carving nature of the vehicle in just a few seconds, making it much more intuitive feeling to control than other three-wheeled electric scooters I’ve tried in the past.
The team also picked up one of the Startup Awards at the show, so I wasn’t the only one impressed with their work!
Microlino
I’ve been following the Microlino quadricycle for years, but this was my first chance to actually get behind the wheel of one.
Theses electric microcars can reach speeds of around 90 km/h (56 mph), though I was testing the Microlino in a parking lot which meant I wasn’t able to really open her up.
Even so, the power is palpable when you step on the accelerator. I was also surprised that the admittedly spartan interior was still quite nice. It’s certainly an odd vehicle, but I think small (and cute) electric microcars like these have a big place in cities as replacements for unnecessarily large cars.
Hilo scooter
I can all but guarantee that you’ve never seen an electric scooter quite like this one. The Hilo is a folding electric scooter unlike any I’ve covered in the past.
It folds so small that it seems like it is part scooter, part origami.
The creator says it’s likely a year or two away from commercialization though, so don’t start pulling out your wallet just yet. Even so, we can still enjoy the impressive design!
Joyride
If you ever wanted to start your own scooter sharing company, Joyride is the service you’ll want to check out.
They’re a one-stop shop for operators that need to manage a large fleet of micromobility vehicles. So if you ever want to take on Lime or Bird with your own Micahshare e-bikes or e-scooters (but get your own name), Joyride can make it happen.
Async
Async’s new moped-style e-bike is another one of those heavy duty, motorcycle-inspired electric bikes, but with a new look. This one takes on more of an industrial-style than I’ve typically seen, espeically compared to the retro-styled SUPER73 type of of e-bikes that are more common in this category.
With 750W of power in on-road mode and 2,500W in off-road mode, this isn’t a “for looks only” type of e-bike. It has the aggressive powertrain to match.
The company has apparently already sold a bunch of e-bikes, so they’re brand new at this. Despite this being my first time seeing or hearing about them, though, they seem to be serious about snagging a piece of the moped-style electric bike market.
NIU
NIU has just updated their NQi line of electric scooters, with the two major updates being a new display and repositioned batteries.
The display is a major upgrade over the old style that I have on my own personal NQi GT Pro electric scooter. But the bigger deal is that by moving the underseat battery down under the floorboard with the second battery, there’s a bunch of new space under the saddle for storage. That was always a weak point on the model since the underseat area had barely enough space for a wallet. But the scooter now matches others with more room for a bag of groceries or small backpack.
NIU was also showing off a proof of concept for wireless charging through a partnership with Tiler. The add-on to the scooter’s kickstand allows an owner to charge simply by parking with the kickstand positioned on the charging pad. It’s not ready for primetime, but it’s a feature that I’d love to see NIU roll out.
Sure, plugging in a scooter to charge isn’t hard. But removing that step entirely would be even better!
Äike
Äike is one of my favorite electric scooter companies for two reasons: The team is equal parts awesome and silly, and the scooters are equal parts awesome and high-tech. Ok, maybe that’s four reasons.
Äike showed off their Äike T electric scooter, which I’ve featured before. But now there are several new upgrades to the scooter to make it better than ever. One thing that didn’t change, though, is that you can still charge the battery with your laptop’s USB-C charger, meaning you can grab a charge when you’re on campus or at a friend’s house, even if you didn’t bring your scooter charger. By including a pair of USB-C ports (one on the scooter and one on the removable battery), any USB-C charger can become a scooter charger.
The removable battery also works like a portable power station or battery bank for charging your cell phone or other devices. You could even charge your laptop up from it too, coming full circle.
Tannus
You know how tactical vehicles use run-flat wheels so they can keep driving even if they get a puncture from picking up a nail or getting their tires blown out in a Hollywood-style shooting car chase? Well, Tannus’s tire liners are kind of like that for bicycles.
They make it much less likely that you’ll ever get a flat since they add a thick layer of protection to the inner tube, but they can also serve as a sort of run-flat by keeping the tire partially supported if the tube somehow still gets punctured.
Tannus also showed off their new solid tires at the show, which are 100% impervious to flat tires since they don’t need any air!
Rave ride
Last but certainly not least, the event ended with a huge rave ride. Hundreds of event attendees and locals from Amsterdam joined together along with DJ Dom Whiting for a rave ride through the streets of Amsterdam. Dom’s custom built DJ stand is actually a three-wheeled electric cargo bike, allowing him to cruise while blasting out tunes.
We wound our way through the streets in a mass of smiling and arm waving cyclists, dancing to the music while pedaling, and enjoying the waves and shouts from onlookers along the way.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’m so glad I had the chance to be a part of. What a way to end an incredible event!
I’m not sure it’s something that they’ll be able to recreate when the show returns to San Francisco later this year for Micromobility America, but if last year’s US event was any indication, the even larger show this year will still have plenty of treats in store!
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Environment
Trump is wielding the power of the state to back critical mineral companies. These are the possible next targets
The Trump administration needs to strike multiple deals with U.S. miners to secure the nation’s supply chain against China, said Mark Chalmers, CEO of Energy Fuels, a miner focused on uranium and rare earth minerals.
The Pentagon decision to take an equity stake in MP Materials, the largest U.S. rare earth miner, in July and support the company with a price floor surprised many in the industry, Chalmers told CNBC.
But it was a necessary step that the White House should now follow with more deals to diversify the U.S. supply chain and reduce the risk that would come with backing a single national champion, the CEO said.
“One company doesn’t fix it,” Chalmers said of the MP Materials deal. “You have to have multiple deals to ensure that you don’t just have the company risk, because all companies aren’t going to deliver.”
The White House is “not ruling out other deals with equity stakes or price floors as we did with MP Materials, but that doesn’t mean every initiative we take would be in the shape of the MP deal,” a Trump administration official told CNBC.
Rare earths are key inputs in weapons platforms such as the F-35 warplane as well as consumer products like electric vehicles and smartphones. The U.S. is almost entirely dependent on China, which supplied 70% of rare earth imports in 2023, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
China has manipulated the market by suppressing prices to drive Western competition from the market, said Ryan Castilloux, founder of Adamas Intelligence, a critical mineral market research firm. The MP deal demonstrated that the U.S. is willing to break with free market ideals and push back against China by mimicking its model of strategic capitalism when necessary, Castilloux said.
“We’ve seen just how disadvantaged the free market view is versus a long term, industrial policy driven market — and something needed to give,” Castilloux, an expert on critical minerals, told CNBC.
Possible rare earth targets
Energy Fuels’ stock has surged nearly 200% since the MP deal on July 10, as investors speculate that it could be a deal target for the Trump administration. Critical mineral miner NioCorp Developments is also up almost 200%, Ramaco Resources has gained 140%, and USA Rare Earth is up more than 70%.
MP Materials will likely need more heavy rare earths as it develops a second facility to make magnets under the Defense Department deal, Castilloux said. Heavy rare earths are needed to produce magnets that can withstand high temperatures in EV motors and defense industry applications, he said.
Headquartered in Denver, Energy Fuels is the largest uranium miner in the U.S. and is forming a rare earth operation through mines it has acquired around the world. Its operation will produce heavy rare earths, Chalmers said.
Energy Fuels is focused on “providing a product that is attractive to the U.S government” and complements the strengths of MP Materials, the CEO said.
“The government cannot bet on one horse — it just doesn’t make sense,” Chalmers said. “We spend a lot of time in D.C. making sure they understand the merits of our strategy,” he said.
Trump eyes lithium
Other critical minerals like lithium, cobalt and graphite are ripe for federal investment to smooth out volatile price fluctuations that undermine U.S. miners, said Rich Nolan, CEO of the National Mining Association. Those minerals are all used in batteries, among other applications.
The Trump administration has proposed an equity stake in Lithium Americas, as the Canadian company renegotiates the terms of a $2.2 billion loan from the Department of Energy for its Thacker Pass mine in northern Nevada. The mine is expected to become one of the largest sources of lithium in North America, with the first phase of the project scheduled to start operations in late 2027.
Lithium Americas stock surged more than 90% this week on news of the potential government stake.
Albemarle CEO Kent Masters told CNBC that something “in the ballpark” of the MP deal could apply to the lithium sector. Albemarle, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the largest lithium producers in the world.
“What you want to do is move the market such that private industry can invest behind it,” Masters told CNBC in July, pointing to Apple‘s offtake agreement with MP just days after the Defense Department deal.
Miners seek price floors
While it might take a government equity stake to move the market in some cases, the price floor established by the Pentagon in the MP deal is the “critical part” that allows private industry to invest and build out the supply chain, Masters said.
Price support from the federal government “sends a true market signal that these investments are long term, that they are here to stay,” the National Mining Association’s Nolan said.
Under the MP deal, the Pentagon set a price floor of $110 per kilogram for neodymium-praseodymium oxide, or NdPr, a key input in rare-earth magnets. The government pays MP the difference when the market price is below $110 but in turn takes 30% of the upside when the price is above $110.
The price of NdPr surged 40% in the wake of the MP deal, Castilloux said.
“It serves as a blueprint for any market where suppressed pricing is slanting the competitive playing field against the U.S. and its allies,” the analyst said of the price floor. The deal signals that “there is a way to break free of China’s artificially suppressed pricing,” he said.
This month, we’ve been running a sidebar survey about what losing the federal home solar tax credit means for Electrek readers and how it impacts their solar power plans. After receiving nearly two thousand responses, here’s what you told us.
With the 30% federal home solar tax credit set to expire at the end of this year, homeowners everywhere are showing mixed reactions. And, in the case of nearly 30% of our readers, a sense of urgency. Nearly four in ten (38.7%) of our solar survey responders said that they were “deeply concerned” about the credit ending, and moving up plans to install a home solar system before the credit is gone.
That response suggests the industry could see a meaningful surge of demand in the final quarter of the year as households look to lock in tax benefits while they still can.
Another 19.2% said they were aware of the credit, but it wasn’t a major factor in their solar plans one way or the other (if you’re curious, I fall into this second category).
Meanwhile, 16.4% of Electrek survey respondents admitted they had no idea there even was a 30% federal solar credit. That fact, while frustrating, serves to highlight the need for better public awareness around both clean energy incentives, and the potential benefits to adding solar power to your home.
Interesting, but does it matter?
That said, it’s important to consider the source here. Electrek readers tend to be more educated in general than the American public at large to begin with (check out our Partner Program page for some of that demographic data), and you’re certainly more educated and informed about things like EVs, home battery backups, and – of course – solar power.
The general public? The people who don’t read Electrek, don’t follow the cimate tech blogs, and generally have no idea what’s going on in the world of clean energy incentives? Getting rid of a tax credit they don’t even know exists may not move the market one way or the other. And, frankly, I don’t think it will.
What do you guys think? Is the march towards more universal home solar system deployment already too far along to stop, or do you think eliminating the tax incentive will turn off enough people to do the industry in for good? Head to the comments and let us know.
Original content from Electrek, featured image via UCF.
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.
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In a record-setting deal worth billions, Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer XCMG has agreed to deliver more than 200 of its 240-tonne electric haul trucks to Australian mining giants Fortescue in one of the biggest moves yet to decarbonize mining.
From pioneering its “world’s first” best-practice model for smart mining at China Huaneng’s Yimin Mine and winning the 2025 Decarbonizing Mining Award to ranking among the world’s top four open-pit heavy equipment makers, XCMG is rapidly building a reputation for building high-quality electric equipment options that can do all the work without any of the emissions.
Earlier this week, XCMG joined Fortescue, one of the world’s largest iron ore producers, at a grand signing ceremony in Beijing for a strategic cooperation agreement on green mining equipment solutions. Under the terms of the new deal, XCMG will deliver up to 200 of its massive, 240T battery-electric haul trucks to Fortescue, beating a similar deal posted last year and marking China’s largest-ever export order for green mining machinery.
It’s also one of the largest-ever EV sales, period.
Big deal
Fortescue believes the deal isn’t just significant for its size and scope, but for building new global bridges in the quest for full decarbonization.
“The world once benefited from open trade and cooperation – now it is divided,” explains Fortescue Executive Chairman and Founder, Dr. Andrew Forrest. “Fortescue is showing that industry can help glue back that multilateral spirit. Not through rhetoric, but through practical alliances that prove heavy industry can follow a new path – one where profits rise as emissions fall.”
“China is scaling and manufacturing green technologies at unprecedented speed,” adds Forrest. “and “Our partnerships give Fortescue access to that capability.”
As for the trucks themselves, the new XCMG 240T electric haul trucks are absolute giants, built to handle payloads over 500,000 lbs., with a gross vehicle weight rating somewhat north of 380 (!) tonnes (that’s almost 420 Imperial tons, to you and me).
There’s enough power on tap from the big haul trucks’ 1,900 kW (2,550 hp) electric drive system to climb 17% grades and hit speeds up to 56 km/h (35 mph). That’s enough to make XCMG’s 240T one of the most powerful and capable EVs on the planet, slashing emissions without sacrificing hauling performance.
With Fortescue already saving hundreds of millions in fuel costs, this deal – big as it – is going to put an absolutely massive dent in global diesel demand.
SOURCES: Fortescue, Yahoo! Finance.
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.
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