Äike T review: Testing the first electric scooter that can charge your laptop

Published

2 years ago

August 30, 2023

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To be fair, the Äike T electric scooter is an interesting and innovative ride by itself. But the fact that it’s the world’s first USB-C enabled electric scooter is icing on the cake.

But what makes the Äike T electric scooter stand out so much from the hundreds of other e-scooters on the market?

Pretty much every electric scooter in the world is built in China. I say pretty much, because there’s one model that isn’t, and you’re looking at it.

Meet the Äike T, a European-designed and built electric scooter that packs a number of surprises.

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Right off the bat, I’ll tell you that most of the cool features surrounding this scooter relate to its design, not its performance.

The performance is good, don’t get me wrong. But there’s nothing majorly innovative on the performance side. In the US it gets a 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit, which is nice but a far cry from the faster electric scooters we’ve tested.

The 1,000W motor is certainly peppy, but again, it’s similarly powerful to many other electric scooters out there.

The battery’s 583 Wh capacity is commendable, but 25 miles (40 km) of range is once again fairly average for the nicer electric scooters already available in the US.

What makes the Äike T scooter so different?

So what makes this scooter special then? If the raw performance figures put it in the middle of the pack, then it’s all the other features and design considerations that make it stand out.

The first of which is that impressive battery. Not only is it removable, which is a nice bonus for anyone that doesn’t want to carry a 42 lb (19 kg) scooter around to find a plug. But the battery is also rechargeable via a USB-C charger, just like the kind you likely already use to charge your laptop and other devices.

It can accept up to 100W of charging via USB-C, though there’s another charge port if you want to get the higher power dedicated charger for even faster charging.

That USB-C feature means even if you’ve forgotten your charger, you can still beg, borrow, or steal a commonly available USB-C laptop charger somewhere. If you’re in class, you’ve probably got a few friends around that have one within reach. Both the battery and the scooter have a USB-C port, so you don’t have to pull the battery out to charge it.

The battery can also serve as a portable power station, meaning if your laptop or phone is low on juice then it can charge up your devices straight from the scooter’s battery. That’s probably not something most people will use everyday, but it’s a cool feature to have in a pinch. Think about it: Many of us have a big e-bike or e-scooter battery laying around that is only good for one thing: powering that ride. If you can get a second use out of it for backup power, then why not?!

There’s even more impressive tech under the hood. The scooter includes GPS anti-theft protection, and there’s even keyless smart-lock that uses your phone to activate the scooter – no key or PIN code needed.

Next, consider the physical design features. The side-supported wheels don’t just look cool, they also make it easier to change a tire. You’re unlikely to need to do that often though, since those 10″ tires are tubeless pneumatics that are less likely to get flats.

Braking is accomplished with a combination of a mechanical drum brake (i.e. no maintenance) and regenerative electric braking (i.e. also no maintenance). The entire scooter is IPX5 rated for water resistance, though it’s safer to avoid riding in rain anyway. But if you do get caught in a sprinkle or have to ride through puddles, you can be confident that the scooter can take it.

The entire construction and assembly is designed to be much more rugged than cheap imported scooters, and having European-based manufacturing gives the company the highest level of quality control to ensure those high standards.

Even things that many would consider superfluous, such as the kickstand, are nicely thought out. The double kickstand is minimalistic yet creates an extremely stable parking platform to prevent the scooter from falling over, which is good, because you probably don’t want to be knocking over and scratching up an expensive scooter.

Though even on that front, the Äike T isn’t really that expensive, at least not compared to the rest of the market. It’s priced at around €1,150 in Europe (approximately US $1,250), and in the US its available as part of a subscription program for around US $75 per month.

Suspension – what about it?

If there’s any single major downside to the Äike T electric scooter, it’s the suspension. Or rather the lack of it.

There’s no suspension in the scooter and so you’re going to feel bumps like sidewalk cracks and cobblestones more than on a full-suspension scooter.

Personally, this didn’t really bother me because was riding on mostly good streets, bike lanes, and sidewalks. I didn’t have many pot holes to watch out for and the ones I did, well, I knew where they were and I just didn’t hit them. The large 10″ tires also help smooth out smaller imperfections like the cracks between concrete slabs.

So for many people like me, it’s not a deal breaker. But if you have a lot of rough roads or bumpy trails where you plan to ride, you should know about the lack of suspension going in.

There is an upside here, though, and that’s increased ruggedness. Since there’s no suspension, there’s also no suspension to wear out or break. That might be a poor tradeoff for some, but others may appreciate knowing that the scooter is just one solid piece that’s designed to last.

In conclusion

Like I said, the scooter itself works well. I can’t commend it too much on performance because other than being a really stable platform to ride, it’s not like it’s that much different than other high end scooters in areas like speed, power, and range. It’s sufficiently fast and has a long enough range for most city riders.

The real gem here is everything else! The slick looking design, the GPS anti-theft, removable USB-C compatible battery, the nicely designed app for customizing the scooter, the ultra-low maintenance design, the automotive style tires with large diameter wheels. Even the broad, easily visible lighting is a great feature to see.

While it certainly costs more than a budget scooter, it’s also a high end, European-made electric scooter that will last a lot longer. So you have to pay a bit more than many Americans are used to for cheap Asian scooters, but you get a lot more too.

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Environment

The UK wants to unlock a ‘golden age of nuclear’ but faces key challenges in reviving historic lead

Published

13 hours ago

December 6, 2025

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The UK wants to unlock a 'golden age of nuclear' but faces key challenges in reviving historic lead

The Sizewell A and B nuclear power stations, operated by Electricite de France SA (EDF), in Sizewell, UK, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The U.K. was the birthplace of commercial nuclear energy, but now generates just a fraction of its power from it — big investments are underway to change that.

The country once had more nuclear power stations than the U.S., USSR and France — combined. It was a global producer until 1970 but hasn’t completed a new reactor since Sizewell B in 1995.

Today, the country takes the crown not for being a leader in atomic energy, but for being the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear projects.

Nuclear energy accounted for just 14% of the U.K.’s power supply in 2023, according to the most recent data from the International Energy Agency, trailing its European peers and well behind frontrunner France at 65%.

There is ambition to change that and have a quarter of the U.K.’s power come from nuclear by 2050. Nuclear is considered an attractive bet gas it’s a low-carbon, constant energy source that can act as a baseload to complement intermittent sources like renewables.

“There’s a very clear momentum that has been observed,” Doreen Abeysundra, founder of consultancy Fresco Cleantech, told CNBC. It’s in part due to geopolitical tensions, which pushed energy security and independence onto public agendas.

However, the U.K.’s Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce called for urgent reforms after identifying “systemic failures” in the country’s nuclear framework. It found that fragmented regulation, flawed legislation and weak incentives led the U.K. to fall behind as a nuclear powerhouse. The government committed to implementing the taskforce’s guidance and is expected to present a plan to do so within three months.

Going big – or small

The U.K. is spreading its bets across tried-and-tested large nuclear projects and smaller, next-generation reactors known as small module reactors (SMRs).

British company Rolls-Royce has been selected as the country’s preferred partner for SMRs, which are effectively containerized nuclear reactors designed to be manufactured in a factory. Many include passive cooling techniques, which supporters argue makes them safer and cheaper.

Nuclear has long come under fire by environmentalists due to radioactive waste and disasters like Chernobyl. Indeed, the U.K.’s first commercial plant Windscale became its worst nuclear accident in history when it melted down in 1957.

On October 10, 1957, Windscale became the site of the worst nuclear accident in British history, and the worst in the world until Three Mile Island 22 years later. A facility had been built there to produce plutonium, but when the US successfully designed a nuclear bomb that used tritium, the facility was used to produce it for the UK. However, this required running the reactor at a higher temperature than its design could sustain, and it eventually caught fire. Operators at first worried that e

Photo: George Freston | Hulton Archive | Getty Images

Most SMRs use light water reactor technology – think of the planned large-scale nuclear plant Sizewell C, just “shrunk down,” said Abeysundra – which is tried and tested.

Other designs, known as “advanced” reactors, are more experimental. For example, those that change the cooling solution or solvent, which is typically used in the process of separating and purifying nuclear materials.

The U.K.’s first SMR will be at Wylfa, in Wales, though no timeline has been given for its completion. The site will house three SMRs and grow over time.

In September, the country signed a deal with the U.S. to enable stronger commercial ties on nuclear power and streamline licensing for firms that want to build on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

However, “the first thing is, there is not, at the moment, a single SMR actively producing electricity under four revenues. They will all come at best in the 30s,” Ludovico Cappelli, portfolio manager of Listed Infrastructure at Van Lanschot Kempen, told CNBC.

While SMRs are a “game changer” thanks to their ability to power individual factories or small towns, their days of commercial operation are too far away, he said. From an investment standpoint, “that is still a bit scary,” he added.

To secure the large baseloads needed to offset the intermittency of renewables, “we’re still looking at big power stations,” added Paul Jackson, Invesco’s EMEA global market strategist.

Nuclear share of total electricity (2023)

IEA

SMRs “probably” do have a role — “they can clearly be more nimble” — but it will take time to roll them out, Jackson said, casting doubt on the U.K.’s ability to be a leader in nuclear, as France and China are already miles ahead.

The U.K. government body Great British Energy-Nuclear is set to identify sites for an additional large-scale plant, having already acquired one in Gloucestershire, in the west of England, as well as the site in Wales.

“We are reversing a legacy of no new nuclear power being delivered to unlock a golden age of nuclear, securing thousands of good, skilled jobs and billions in investment,” a spokesperson for the U.K. government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told CNBC.

“Sizewell C will deliver clean electricity for the equivalent of six million of today’s households for at least six decades, and the UK’s first small modular reactors at Wylfa will power the equivalent of three million homes, bringing energy security,” they added.

Innovation in funding

The U.K. has a strong legacy to build on. It pioneered fresh funding mechanisms to make large-scale nuclear projects investible so that they are less reliant on direct government funding, such as a Contract for Differences, which was used for Hinkley Point C.

The mechanism guarantees a fixed price for the electricity generated over a long period of time in order to de-risk investments in an industry that’s known for running over time and budget. Hinkley Point C was initially expected to cost £18 billion (over $24 billion) but the bill has slowly crept up.

“That fixes one part of the equation, the price risk,” Cappelli said of nuclear investments, but the second risk is construction delays.

The Regulated Asset Base (RAB), first used for nuclear at Sizewell C, attempts to reconcile this. Investors get paid from the day they cut a check for a nuclear project, rather than the day it starts operating. Sizewell C is expected to cost £38 billion to build.

Private market investors are increasingly interested in next-generation nuclear as a way to offset soaring energy demands from AI, resulting in a host of young companies trying to build out facilities. Perhaps the most famous is Oklo, a U.S. firm that was taken public by a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

Rendering of a proposed Oklo commercial advanced fission power plant in the U.S.

Courtesy: Oklo Inc.

The U.K.’s advanced modular reactor hopeful Newcleo, which uses lead for cooling, moved its headquarters from London to Paris in 2024 — a strategic move to deepen its European footprint. At the time, it told World Nuclear News that it still plans to have a commercial reactor up and running in the U.K. by 2033, but the firm has since scaled back its British efforts.

Meanwhile, Tokamak Energy and First Light Fusion call the U.K. home. They both focus on nuclear fusion, the process of generating power by combining atoms, though this technology is yet to get out of the lab. All of today’s nuclear power comes from fission, where atoms are spit. The U.K. announced £2.5 billion for a world-first fusion prototype in June.

The next generation of engineers

The U.K. faces challenges in access to relevant talent, which is crucial for scaling projects effectively. The country is heralded for its world-class universities and technical know-how, “but that is very much book knowledge,” said Van Lanschot Kempen’s Cappelli.

“What we need is real on-the-ground expertise, and that we are probably lacking for the simple reason that we haven’t been doing it for a very long time,” he said.

For Abeysundra, there’s one area where the U.K. stands out: its mindset. “There is so much knowledge, innovation, and that can-do attitude, which I don’t see as much in other nations,” she said, pointing to the U.K.’s trailblazing role in the Industrial Revolution and establishment of offshore wind energy.

X-Energy’s Kam Ghaffarian on Nuclear Power, AI, and the Space Tech Race

The U.K. government positioned nuclear energy as a key element of the future clean energy workforce in its Clean Energy Jobs Plan released in October, while its national roadmap for nuclear skills, set out in 2024, focuses on apprenticeships, PhDs and upskilling mid-career workers. Industry-led initiatives such as the Energy Skills Passport also support the likes of oil and gas workers to gain green skills.

Securing the supply chain

Perhaps the toughest issue, however, is the supply chain.

Uranium, the fuel used to make a nuclear reaction, is dominated by just four countries, including Russia. Global demand for uranium could rise by nearly a third by 2030 and more than double by 2040, according to the World Nuclear Association, adding further reliance on a select few countries and pressure on developers.

The U.K. government has allocated funding to build up the supply chain and has committed to preventing the import of nuclear fuel from Russia by 2028. Fuel for Sizewell C will come from European or “Western suppliers,” Cappelli noted.

However, for him, it poses the question: How secure is nuclear energy really? “We have to build nuclear power plants, but we need to build the value chain,” Cappelli added.

Workers, expertise and funding are required for nuclear energy, but the supply chain is also key, he said. Otherwise, there will be “the same issues that we had with gas,” a nod to the U.K.’s reliance on just one supplier. Instead of gas, it will be with uranium.

Environment

Tesla announces 2025 holiday update with a few cool features

Published

20 hours ago

December 6, 2025

admin

Tesla announces 2025 holiday update with a few cool features

Tesla has officially announced its 2025 Holiday Update, and this year, the automaker is not using the usually bigger update for any groundbreaking stuff, but there are a few interesting new smaller features.

You will find the release notes in this article.

It’s that time of year again. Every December, Tesla bundles a bunch of features it has been working on into a “Holiday Update” to give owners something to play with over the break.

While previous years have focused on adding major apps like Apple Podcasts or Steam integration, the holiday updates have become gradually weaker over the last few years, and they now concentrate mainly on playful features with smaller tweaks and add-ons.

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Tesla announced the rollout in a post on X today:

Environment

Kia is still offering over $10,000 off its entire EV lineup

Published

23 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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Kia is still offering over ,000 off its entire EV lineup

Kia is extending one of its biggest promotions yet, knocking over $10,000 off every EV in its lineup.

Kia knocks $10,000 off EV models

Who said electric vehicles would get more expensive after the $7,500 federal tax credit ended? Kia must not have gotten the memo.

Last month, Kia launched a new promotion, offering a $10,000 customer cash discount for all EVs, including the EV6, EV9, and Niro EV. The discount knocks nearly 25% off MSRP on Kia’s cheapest model, the Niro EV. On the entry-level EV6, it’s 23% off MSRP, while $10,000 off the EV9 is about an 18% discount.

The discounts ended on December 1, but Kia has extended them for at least another month. During its Season of New Tradition sales event, Kia is now offering even more savings.

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The 2025 Kia EV6 and Niro EV are now eligible for up to $11,000 in customer cash, including a $10,000 cash back offer and a $1,000 retail bonus cash discount.

If you’re looking for something a little bigger, the 2026 EV9, Kia’s three-row electric SUV, is available with up to $10,500 in bonus cash.

If you choose to finance, Kia is offering 0% APR for up to 72 months, plus $3,500 APR Bonus Cash on the EV6 and Niro EV. The larger EV9 is available with 0% APR for up to 60 months with a $3,000 APR Bonus Cash offer.

Kia-another-EV-US — The 2026 Kia EV9 (Source: Kia)

The 2025 Kia Niro EV and EV6 are available to lease, starting at $209 and $309 per month for 24 months. The 2026 EV9 is listed with monthly leases starting at $419.

The new sales event comes after Hyundai extended its EV promotions, keeping the IONIQ 5 as one of the most affordable EV leases in the US, starting at just $189 per month.

Kia’s Seasons of New Traditions sales event runs until January 2, 2026. Some deals may vary by region. You can see offers near you by using the links at the bottom.

Interested in test-driving one for yourself? We can help see what’s available in your area. Check out our links below to find Kia and Hyundai EVs near you.