Fucare Taurus review: A superfast fat tire cross-country electric bike
The Fucare Taurus fat tire electric bike brings the same fun-loving, off-road riding you’ve seen with plenty of other adventure-style electric bikes. But this time it gives you full speed 28 mph (45 km/h) operation on throttle only!
Technically, that’s not street legal in many areas since it doesn’t fit the class 3 e-bike designation, which allows operation up to 28 mph without a throttle.
The good news is that this isn’t really an e-bike designed for street use. While you could certainly commute around on it, the Fucare Taurus e-bike is really meant for off-road riding and light trail duty.
It’s not a full-suspension bike, but it does feature front suspension as well as fat enough tires to make decently rough terrain manageable. It will never feel as smooth as a true full-suspension e-bike, but it also comes in at several hundred dollars below the cost of most full-suspension fat tire e-bikes.
Check out my testing in the video below, then keep scrolling for the rest of my review.
Fucare Taurus Video Review
Fucare Taurus Tech Specs
- Motor: 750W rear geared hub motor (1,200W peak power, 85 Nm torque)
- Top speed: Claimed 32 mph (51 km/h)
- Range: Claimed 60-140 miles (96-225 km)
- Batteries: 48V 25Ah 1,200 Wh
- Weight: 92 pounds (41 kg)
- Max capacity: 400 pounds (181 kg)
- Wheels: 26-inch x 4.0-inch urban tires
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Large color LCD, LED headlight and taillight, included plastic fenders, 8-speed gearing, front suspension, kickstand
- Price: $1,599 (at current sale price)
Off-road ready!
It’s been a little while since the last time I was on a Fucare e-bike, but the brand has proven itself as highly capable in the heavy-but-respectable category of Asian imported e-bikes. None of these bikes are going to win on maneuverability, ease of transport, or probably even customer service. But damn, if they aren’t fun to ride!
And the Fucare Taurus ratchets up the fun. Compared to the Fucare Libra, the last Fucare model I was on, the Fucare Taurus is less moped-ish and more off-road ready.
That means we’ve got big 4-inch fat tires in the full 26-inch diameter size. I’m normally a fan of 20-inch diameter fat tires since they usually prove to be a bit more nimble, but when you’re really heading off-road, there’s no substitute for large-diameter tires. The downside is they are heavier, bulkier, and slower to accelerate or turn. But the upside is the ability to roll over larger obstacles with less bouncing around on the bike.
The frame is an interesting truss-style frame that Fucare seems to be a fan of, having used similar styles on their other bikes. I’m not sure there’s any real benefit here, but it looks cool and gives the bike a unique appearance next to all the other cookie-cutter electric bikes out there!
There’s an interesting little feature in the lighting where the taillight is integrated into the rear seat stay. The odd thing, though, is that it’s placed on the right side. I assumed it would be on the left since if you do ever ride on the road, you’re more likely to be on the right side of the lane and, thus, showing cars the left rear side of your bike (in countries with roads laid out the correct way).
But the real claim to fame here is the performance, namely a big motor and an even bigger battery. The motor puts out 1,200 peak watts, and the battery is a massive 48V and 25Ah unit. That’s 1,200 Wh of capacity.
The company claims between 60 to 140 miles (96 to 225 km) of range, but that’s ridiculous – you’ll never get 140 miles. The 60-mile estimate is closer to reality for anyone who wants to use higher than level 1 pedal assist, though going throttle-only will also net you less than 60 miles.
However, a 48V and 25Ah battery is still one of the largest packs on the market, so you’re definitely going to get more range out of the Fucare Taurus than you would from most fat tire e-bikes.
And with the throttle operation up to 28 mph (45 km/h), you’re going to have a blast off-road. To be honest, I rarely got it going that fast on trails simply because it’s a big, heavy bike, and that’s a lot of mass to be moving that fast. I generally found that even 20 mph (32 km/h) felt perfectly fast on narrow trails and even wide-open dirt roads, especially when you hit the occasional washed-out section of road with ruts and bumps.
At the MSRP of $2,499, I would never recommend this bike. But the good news is that it’s on sale for $1,599, at which price I would absolutely recommend it! For that price, you’re getting tons of power and a massive battery, not to mention hydraulic disc brakes, fenders, LED lighting and an 8-speed transmission.
Sure, it’s freakishly heavy and too bulky to carry effectively, not that you’d ever want to carry it very far. And yea, it’s a bit sluggish in the turns from those massive tires. But it’s so much fun off-road with its impressive speed and power that I can look past those shortcomings thanks to the pretty darn good sale price.
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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