First ride: FUELL Flluid-2 and Flluid-3 electric bikes change the game
Eurobike 2023 was my first chance to check out the recently unveiled second-generation FUELL Flluid electric bikes, the Flluid-2 and Flluid-3. I was able to see both models up close and personal, and take a test ride on the Flluid 3 to see how well that new Valeo gear box motor works.
First of all, a big thanks to FUELL for sponsoring Electrek’s Eurobike coverage and allowing me to get some extended saddle time with the bikes while also meeting with the team that brought the new models to life.
There at the show I was able to see firsthand just what went into the centerpiece of the new bikes: the Valeo Cyclee motor, complete with intelligent gearbox.
The motor is surprisingly powerful, claiming 750 to 1,000 peak watts (depending who you ask and where you are), but it’s the torque numbers that are the real takeaway here. With 130 Nm of torque, the Valeo Cyclee motor means serious business. Torque figures are often the better comparison when evaluating the strength of one electric bike motor compared to another, and 130 Nm puts Valeo near the top of the list when it comes to e-bike mid-drive motors.
Complementing that power is the nicely engineered gear box. It pairs with intelligent software that lets riders entirely forget about shifting. The motor analyzes the rider’s pedaling speed and strength, using it to automatically adjust the gear ratios to maintain a comfortable and efficient pedaling cadence.
When you come to a stop, it downshifts for you. As you get rolling and pick up speed, it upshifts for you. The automatic shifting generally works great, though there was one aspect that I’d love to modify.
From my experience, I felt like it let me reach a bit higher pedal cadence than I would have preferred before shifting into the next higher gear, but the team explained to me that pedal cadence figures are modifiable.
And in fact, FUELL and Valeo remain working in close partnership to further dial in the motor and gearbox to the exact desires of the FUELL team.
And remember, I’m talking about just when using the predictive shifting mode. For those that think they’re smarter than the computer, you can put the bike into manual shifting mode with the press of a button and use the electronic shifting to select your own gears whenever you want, also with the press of a button. I tried both, but preferred to leave it in predictive mode to make use of the automatic shifting.
Sure, I can drive a stick. But automatic transmissions are much nicer when you’re in the city. And as I discovered, the same goes for e-bikes.
If you’re like me and often forget to downshift at a stop after spending a lot of time pedaling in high gear, you’ll enjoy the automatic downshifting of the gearbox just as much as the automatic upshifting.
And if you’re a belt drive fan (also like me), then you’ll love that the design allows for the use of a Gates Carbon Drive belt setup, meaning you never have the hassle of a chain. Most belt drive e-bikes have to use a rear internally geared hub to allow for shifting with a belt drive, but FUELL’s partnership with Valeo means that you can have a simple single-speed rear hub, instead letting the motor and gearbox in the center of the bike do all the work. That puts more weight in the middle of the bike and also takes one more expensive component out of the more easily stealable rear wheel.
Whenever I test a new bike, I always try to hunt around for the negatives even in the sea of cool new features. And depending on your opinion, I may have found one in the sound of the motor. The sound level of the Cyclee motor/gearbox combo surprised me, as I’m used to much more quiet e-bikes. But a mechanical gearbox is a tricky thing to mute, unlike a simple electric motor with a serious lack of intermeshing, moving parts.
When you pedal or throttle up on the Flluid-2 or Flluid-3, you can hear the gearbox windup as you fly down the road, and the sound actually grew on me over my time testing the bike. Interestingly, you don’t really hear the automatic shifting, though you do feel it when your cadence is modified throughout the acceleration.
At first I wasn’t a fan of the sound of the motor winding up, but by the end of my test riding, it became a part of the experience. It adds to the sensation of accelerating, offering audible feedback instead of just the typical visual feedback of watching the world whizz by. If you’re a silent e-bike purist, you’re probably not going to like the extra sound. But if you enjoy more sensations with your riding, you’ll likely find it to be a positive. I’ll take an electromechanical sound over combustion engine exhaust any day, that’s for sure.
To hear it for yourself, check out my first ride video at the top of the article.
But this isn’t just about that new motor from Valeo. There’s a lot more to the Flluid-2 and Flluid-3 as well. Both of the new models use FUELL’s 1 kWh batteries, developed in-house by the team’s engineers. But the Flluid-2 actually features two of those batteries, offering 2 kWh of battery capacity.
If you’re using lower-power pedal assist, you might see nearly 200 miles (320 km) of range. If you’re cranking hard in high-power pedal assist, that range will drop to somewhere still north of 100 miles (160 km). If you’re riding on purely throttle (which is only available in North America), you’ll still get around 60 miles (100 km) of range per charge in a worst-case scenario.
That’s frankly quite amazing, as the worst-case scenario for range on most other e-bikes tends to drop into the 10-20 mile range. On the FUELL, the worst range you’ll get is comparable to the “perfect world” range on many other e-bikes.
The rest of the bike follows a similar tune to the battery specs: overbuilt. Solid rear rack, attractive fenders with tight tolerances, bright LED lighting, high-end hydraulic disc brakes, etc. Plus there are several other convenience upgrades, like a battery balancer that charges and discharges both batteries on the Flluid-2 simultaneously instead of one at a time.
As FUELL’s cofounder and CEO Francois-Xavier Terny explained to me, a big part of the choice for these types of components and the huge battery capacity came back to Erik Buell’s design focus. It’s apparent that these bikes were built by someone who comes from a more vehicle-oriented background. As a legendary motorcycle designer, Buell didn’t set out to build a Sunday cruise bike for recreational riding. You could use it that way, but the bike is overbuilt for that.
Frankly, it’s even overbuilt for commuters, but that too was part of the design. As a bike that is intended to be used for heavy duty car-replacement type of riding, where this must be a dependable daily rider, reliability was an overarching theme of the design.
That means components like belt drive and hydraulic disc brakes that simply keep working with very little maintenance. That means more battery capacity than most people need, giving riders confidence that they’ll never run dry (and also opening the possibility of infrequent charging). And that means having to design much of the bike in-house to get exactly what they wanted.
The result isn’t cheap, but it did achieve their goal: building a unique and highly reliable e-bike that is both rugged and comfortable at the same time. It’s pricey, starting at $5,495, and that’s going to cut out a large swath of the market that will be better served by more budget-friendly bikes. But for those that are seeking a car-replacement bike, the kind that you can depend on the way many people do for a daily driver car, the price makes sense. The bike is largely bulletproof and rated for more than most people will need. And that’s exactly why I can see it being so successful.
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Tesla has officially launched the new Model Y in North America and Europe after launching it in China earlier this month.
The difference is that Tesla is now taking orders for both the older and newer versions of its best-selling electric SUV.
That’s a unique launch for Tesla. I don’t remember the automaker doing that before.
After launching the new Model Y design refresh in China two weeks ago, Tesla is now starting to take orders for the refresh in North America and Europe.
But it looks like the design refresh is still a transitional in Tesla’s production as the automaker is still taking orders for the previous version:
For the launch in North America and Europe, Tesla has only added a new “trim” on the Model Y online configurator for a ‘Launch Series New Model Y’, which is the version unveiled in China earlier this month.
But in China, only this new version has been available for sale since the last two weeks.
Tesla estimates that the new version will have 320 miles of EPA range. Compared to 311 miles for the previous Model Y Long Range AWD, the only version of the new Model Y Launch Series available.
Here are all the other changes with the new Model Y compared to the previous version:
| Feature | Model Y | New Model Y |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price After Est. Savings | $31,490 Available Now | $46,490 Available Starting March |
| Trims | Long Range RWD Long Range AWD Performance AWD | Launch Series Long Range AWD |
| Range | 277-337 miles (EPA est.) | 303-320 miles (est.) |
| Seating | First row: power recline and heated Second row: manual fold and heated | First row: power recline, heated and ventilated Second row: power two-way folding and heated |
| Displays | 15.4″ front-row touchscreen | 15.4″ front-row touchscreen 8″ second-row touchscreen |
| Ride Comfort | First-generation suspension First-generation noise reduction hardware | Second-generation suspension Second-generation noise reduction hardware |
| Cameras | 7 exterior cameras | 8 exterior cameras (includes a new front-facing camera) |
| Audio | Long Range RWD: 7 speakers Long Range AWD: 13 speakers, 1 subwoofer Performance AWD: 13 speakers, 1 subwoofer | Launch Series Long Range AWD: 15 speakers, 1 subwoofer |
| Connectivity | First-generation hardware | Second-generation hardware |
| Trunk | Power open | Hands-free power open on approach |
| Interior | Footwell and door pocket ambient lighting Wooden detailing with black interior | Footwell and door pocket ambient lighting Wrap-around ambient lighting Aluminum detailing and premium textiles |
| Climate | Tinted and laminated safety glass Power-actuated first-row air vents Manual second-row air vents | Tinted and laminated safety glass with metallic infrared reflective coating Power-actuated first- and second-row air vents |
For the Launch Series, Tesla is pricing the new Model Y Long Range AWD at $59,999 USD. That’s $12,000 more than the previous Model Y Long Range AWD, which is still available to order.
Specifically for the Launch Series, buyers get a bunch of special badging around the car:
But they also get things called “Premium Textil Trim” and “Vegan Suede for Black Interior”:
Currently, Tesla is only offering the new Model Y in Stealth Grey, Pearl White Multi-Coat, Ultra Red, and Quicksilver, but they are all included in the Launch Series price.
The Glacier Blue that is offered in China is currently not offered in North America or Europe.
Tesla is talking about the first deliveries of this new version of the Model Y coming in March in North America.
Electrek’s Take
This came sooner than expected, as most expected the launch to be closer to March based on how Tesla launched the Model 3 refresh last year.
But this is also different since Tesla continues to take orders for the previous version.
Tesla was likely worried about the Osborne effect and this strategy of starting with this more expensive version of the Model Y, the Launch Series, is going to help sales of the much cheaper previous version.
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Rivian (RIVN) plans to launch a new Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) this year to enable hands-free driving. The new feature is expected to be similar to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD). In 2026, Rivian will up the ante with an “eyes-free” system.
Rivian plans hands-free driving in 2025, eyes-free in 2026
At the new Rivian Space opening in San Francisco on Thursday, CEO RJ Scaringe revealed a few exciting developments to look forward to.
According to the folks at RivianForums, Scaringe said during the event that the company plans to launch a hands-free ADAS feature in 2025. Next year, Rivian will follow it up with an “eyes-free” system.
The big question is, will current Rivian R1S and R1T owners gain access? It could depend on whether you drive a Gen 1 or Gen 2 model. All Rivian models built through 2024 are considered Gen 1, while models 2025 and newer are Gen 2.
Rivian introduced the second-generation R1S and R1T last summer. They were “completely reengineered” with hundreds of hardware improvements, fully redesigned software, and more.
The upgrades include its new in-house autonomy system, Rivian Autonomy Platform. It’s powered by 11 cameras, five radars, and predictive AI.
Rivian said the new platform is “10 times more powerful” than the old system. It also features 360-degree visibility with 8X the number of camera pixels than the previous models. Gen 2 models already include features like Blind Spot Monitoring and Highway Assist.
With the premium version, drivers gain access to Lane Change, while Rivian said Enhanced Highway Assist and other features were coming soon.
Although all Rivian R1S and R1T EVs include OTA updates, some features may require additional hardware or software not included on Gen 1 models.
Rivian hands-free and attention-free autonomous highway driving will be available on the upcoming R2 model. The smaller electric SUV is due out in the first half of 2026, starting at around $45,000.
Electrek’s Take
As a Tesla Model 3 driver, I can tell you that Full-Self Driving (FSD) is fun and can be helpful at times. I’ve used it on longer trips, like through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it makes driving or sitting in the car a little more enjoyable.
Although the system still requires you to pay attention, it enables the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with “minimal driver intervention.”
The new Actually Smart Summon feature is one of my favorites. Through the Tesla app, you can summon your vehicle to come to you in a parking lot. The vehicle will then move around other cars, people, and objects to find you.
Other functions, like Navigate on Autopilot, will take over while the vehicle is on the highway, changing lanes (with turn signals) and braking or accelerating as needed.
For Rivian owners, it would be like an upgraded system from Highway and Lane Change Assist. The “eyes-free” system coming next year will likely have a few regulatory hurdles to pass before it rolls out, so it should be interesting to see what that will consist of. Check back for more info soon. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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The United Arab Emirates is building the world’s largest solar and battery storage project that will dispatch clean energy 24/7.
Emirati Renewable energy company Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) are developing the trailblazing solar and battery storage project. Once it’s online, will become the largest combined solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) in the world.
Located in Abu Dhabi, the project will feature a 5.2 GW solar PV plant coupled with a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS.
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, minister of industry and advanced technology and chairman of Masdar, said:
For decades, the biggest barrier facing renewable energy has been intermittency – to be able to source uninterrupted clean power day and night.
In collaboration with EWEC and our partners, we will develop a renewable energy facility capable of providing clean energy round the clock.
For the first time ever, this will transform renewable energy into a world-leading 1 GW of reliable baseload energy every day on an unprecedented scale – a first step that could become a giant leap for the world.
Masdar announced China’s JA Solar and Jinko Solar, two of the world’s largest solar panel suppliers, and Chinese battery and BESS giant CATL as preferred suppliers. JA Solar and Jinko Solar will supply 2.6 GW of solar panels each. India’s Larsen & Toubro and POWERCHINA have been selected as preferred engineering, procurement, and construction contractors.
Masdar says the project will create 10,000 jobs and doesn’t yet indicate a projected completion date.
Read more: China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers
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