No matter how you slice it, there just aren’t enough drivers to move all the freight (and autonomous just isn’t ready). In the US, the industry is chasing higher payloads to bridge the gap, but in Australia, they’re taking a different approach: massive, multi-trailer hybrid road trains.
This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bike launches from Tern, Trek, Momentum, and Ariel Rider, reviews of the Infinite Machine Olto and Segway Xaber, and more.
Tesla fans have spent years begging the company to build an e-bike. Tesla just launched a bike — and it has no motor, no pedals, and it’s for toddlers.
The new “Balance Bike for Kids” sells for $225 on Tesla’s online shop, and it’s aimed at children aged 2 to 5.
The Kia EV2 is now available with a larger battery providing up to 281 miles of driving range, plus a few new trim options.
Tesla shareholders have flooded the company’s Q2 2026 earnings Q&A portal with questions, and the most-upvoted ones tell a bleak story: retail investors are now demanding that Elon Musk explain why the company keeps missing its own short-term goals.
The tone has shifted from asking about Tesla’s grand vision to asking why almost none of it is showing up on schedule — on robotaxi, “Full Self-Driving,” and Optimus.
CATL has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dutch energy company Alfen to deploy 5 GWh of its Tener Sodium energy storage systems across Europe, one of the largest sodium-ion commitments the region has seen.
The batteries are rated for 15,000 cycles and a 25-to-30-year service life — the pitch that sodium-ion’s longevity, not its energy density, is what wins grid storage.
The Range Rover Sport is going electric. With its official debut just around the corner, Range Rover offered a sneak peek at its second EV.
XPeng used the global launch of its new L03 in Munich to announce that the electric SUV coupe is the first vehicle from any Asia-Pacific automaker to ship with Google Maps’ Auto SDK built in.
The integration replaces XPeng’s overseas navigation stack with Google Maps data and, more importantly, feeds map data into its NGP and XPILOT ASSIST driver-assistance systems outside China.
Miami-based startup Chip Motors has unveiled Chip, an electric “life utility vehicle” that starts at $15,000 and tops out at 25 mph.
The boxy, open-air four-seater is a low-speed vehicle aimed at short daily trips, and it lands in one of the fastest-growing corners of the EV market.
The EX60 is a true “game changer” for the Volvo brand, with the first customer deliveries now underway.