Ryvid, the Southern California-based manufacturer of the popular Ryvid Anthem electric motorcycle, has just launched its second model based on the same platform. The new Ryvid Outset, priced at just $5,995, is set to become the most affordable highway-capable electric motorcycle in the US.

At the same time, the company announced a major price drop, lowering the Ryvid Anthem to just US $6,495 after moving into a new scaled-up production facility in San Bernadino, California.

The Anthem, which began making deliveries late last year, has largely seen use as a commuter-role motorcycle. But the new Outset is designed to offer riders more of a dual-purpose bike, expanding their commuter into a weekend off-roader as well.

As the company explained, “The scrambler-style Outset is a striking option for customers wanting an electric motorcycle for commuting and multi-road adventure. What’s more, because Outset shares a number of key components with Anthem, it opens a unique opportunity for riders to convert one into the other to suit their needs.”

Just like the Anthem, the Outset uses a folded metal frame instead of a tubular frame, which weighs in at an ultralight 12 lb (5 kg).

The Outset also includes a similar 72V system as the Anthem, and features the same 4.3 kWh removable battery. Range is variable depending on speed and terrain, but Eco mode is said to net 70 miles (120 km) per charge. It’s a small battery, but then again it’s a small bike. This isn’t your touring bike, it’s your commuter with a side of local adventure.

But being small also has its advantages. The battery pack has an onboard charger and integrated wheels, allowing owners to drop it out of the bike and wheel it inside or up to their apartment for charging remotely. For owners with street-level charging opportunities or private garages, the battery can also be charged on the bike.

The Outset’s motor is rated at 10 hp continuous and 20 hp peak (7 and 14 kW, respectively). The motor puts out 53 ft-lb of torque (72 Nm), and provides a top speed of over 75 mph (120 km/h). That electric motor also offers two key advantages of similar class combustion engine bikes: regenerative braking and reverse gear. “Why a reverse gear?” asked the reader who has never tried to park a motorcycle on even a slight incline and then wiggle it back out.

By design, the Outset shares a significant amount of DNA with the Anthem. Other electric motorcycle makers like Zero and LiveWire also use the same platform to build multiple models, helping to reduce the cost to riders.

But the Outset still differentiates itself with more than just aesthetic changes. As the company explained, the Outset “has a 33-inch seat height but its compliant suspension and narrow cushion means it will comfortably accommodate a range of riders. Further differentiating it from Anthem, Outset gets its own headlight design, mirrors, wider handlebar, seat unit and suspension. The more upright riding position also necessitated repositioning the footpegs forward and adding a longer kickstand. By removing the Anthem’s adjustable seat mechanism and employing less body panels among a raft of changes, Ryvid has been able to offer Outset at $500 less than its flagship Anthem.”

That’s right, while the Ryvid Anthem was priced at US $8,995 until recently, the company has just dropped the price to just US $6,495. As the company’s Founder and CEO Dong Tran explained, that cost reduction is thanks to several factors. “From Ryvid’s inception, our primary goal has been to provide the most accessible light electric vehicle to a broad audience. In order to disrupt the light electric mobility sector, it was essential to not only innovate our products but also our value proposition,” said Tran. “Creating a new generation of two-wheel electric adopters meant competing effectively on the specification-versus-price ratio against both existing EVs and traditional ICE vehicles. Achieving competitive pricing would be challenging until we could execute several key post-launch initiatives.”

A new San Bernadino production facility was recently brought online to expand the company’s manufacturing capabilities. The company has since been able to increase its production rate and thus negotiate better costs from suppliers. Now, with multiple models built on the same platform, Ryvid has been able to simplify its supply chain further with as many shared components as possible.

“Our team has focused on reaching these objectives over the past two years,” Tran continued. “Their relentless efforts have reached a milestone with the Ryvid Anthem. Available now, it will sell for $6,495, setting a new benchmark as one of the world’s most affordable electric motorcycles, based on specification.”

For Anthem owners who recently purchased the bike for the higher price ahead of Ryvid’s steep price drop, the company is said to be offering financial incentives as well as the option of a steep discount on a battery-less Outset, as the owners would be able to run both bikes off of their single battery.

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Eli Electric, the manufacturer of the popular Eli ZERO electric microcar, announced this morning the opening of reservations in the US.

Microcars, often referred to as quadricycles in Europe and Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs) or Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) in the US, are a niche category designed largely for urban travel. Many new automakers in the category have failed to gain traction, often selling mere dozens of units.

But the Eli ZERO has so far proven popular in the markets it has already launched in across Europe and Asia, with hundreds of models already on the streets (did I mention the ‘niche’ thing?).

Now the pint-sized EV maker is bringing the Eli ZERO to the US, opening up $200 refundable deposits to reserve the $11,900 vehicle. Deliveries are expected to begin in Q3 2024, so it looks like reservation holders won’t have to wait very long.

The model heading stateside is an upgraded version designed to meet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s regulations for LSVs, allowing it to be street-legal at the federal level. That permits owners to operate it like a traditional vehicle, but only on roads posted up to 35 mph (56 km/h). In other words, most roads in most cities.

Eli has now boosted its production capacity to 4,000 vehicles per year and will use a dealership model to sell and distribute its ZERO vehicles in the US.

As the company’s founder and CEO Marcus Li explained:

“Our goal is to transform urban trips, empowering riders to reconnect with their communities through compact and agile EVs that allow for a better utilization of urban space, reduced congestion, ease of parking and ultimately an improved quality of life in cities. Introducing the Eli ZERO to the U.S. market, we’re not only riding the wave of an emerging mobility revolution, but also redefining personal vehicles in an innovative way that benefits both traffic and the environment.”

The two-seater vehicle features a rather large battery, at least by LSV standards. The 8 kWh LiFePO₄ battery for the European model is rated for up to 60 miles (100 km) of range, but the company announced that the US model will receive an even higher range of 90 miles (145 km), presumably meaning the vehicle will feature a larger battery.

The 3.2 kW on-board charger can recharge the vehicle in under three hours on 240VAC, or under 5 hours on 120VAC.

The top speed is limited to 25 mph (40 km/h) to comply with federal regulations for the vehicle class.

In addition to two fairly traditional car seats, there’s a 160L (5.6 cubic feet) trunk for storage in the rear. That’s not exactly a huge trunk, but it’s not a huge vehicle, either.

The length of the ZERO is just 88 inches, which is actually shorter than the width of a GMC HUMMER EV. Not only could it park nose-in within the same spot a HUMMER parallel parks in, but you could fit nearly four Eli ZEROs in that same parallel parking spot. Or to translate that into something that actually matters to most people, you could park a ZERO in that corner “not a spot” at the local grocery store, daycare, yoga studio, or wherever else driving an SUV would be overkill.

While the Eli ZERO is not technically a car, it still features many car-level features such as heat and A/C, keyless entry and start, power steering, anti-lock brakes, electronic parking brake, rearview camera, radar sensors for parking, tilting sunroof, and an optional Sony infotainment center with CarPlay and Android Auto.

That means that it feels and drives more like a traditional car, at least until you hit the 25 mph speed limiter.

In addition to the current list of features, the company says that ahead of the official launch later this year, it will announce several innovative new features that “will be a first in the LSV industry.”

Electrek’s Take

In my opinion, the proliferation of LSVs in the US can not come soon enough! While there are a few options, they’re still quite limited in number and variety.

These handy vehicles are exactly what this country needs: the antidote for an epidemic of oversized SUVs and ego-extenders. Not only are they more convenient to drive and park in cities than full-size vehicles, but if the old adage about big vehicles being used for “compensation” is true, then there’s no better wingman than rolling up in a tiny car like this.

I actually had a chance to take one of the first rides ever in the Eli Zero before it began sales back in late 2021 while visiting Italy. I was surprised to see just how roomy it felt inside despite the small footprint of the vehicle. I took a more recent test drive the next year along with the company’s founder Marcus Li, who explained to me that it’s the transparent door design that helps create that spacious illusion, removing the cramped feeling that many micro-cars suffer from.

The funny thing here is that I can already tell you what the detractors are going to say: that it’s an overpriced, glorified golf cart. And I can already tell you how hilariously wrong they are. First of all, it’s cheaper than average golf cart these days (if you don’t believe me, do a quick internet search for golf cart dealers in the US and look at the shocking prices). And secondly, this is way nicer than a golf cart, offering features like air conditioning, parking sensors, and keyless entry/starting.

Sure, it’s not going to meet the needs of a family of four taking their kids to a soccer game in the next town over, but it’s not meant to. It’s meant for folks who just need a one or two-seater and live in a city. I’d already have my name on the list if I was in the US more often (it wouldn’t be my first or even my second micro-EV I’ve had in the US). I mean, why not? I’d have all summer to think of a way to justify it to my wife!

BMW has begun production of a battery-assembly facility at its San Luis Potosí, Mexico, plant in anticipation of production of its next-generation Neue Klasse EVs.

In addition to the battery facility, BMW said in a press release that it is also expanding the body shop and making other upgrades to the site, with a total investment of 800 million euros (about $860 million at current exchange rates). The automaker also aims to generate 20% of the plant’s power from solar panels, and increase use of treated wastewater.

BMW announced that it would build Neue Klasse EVs in Mexico, as well as two European production sites, in February 2023. The battery side will supply cylindrical cells with 20% greater energy density than current cells, helping to boost charging speed and range by 30%, BMW claims. The automaker believes this tech could put it ahead of Tesla.

The groundbreaking for the expanded Mexican site was delayed, according to The Yucatan Times. BMW is however sticking to its original timeline for the end products, with Neue Klasse (German for “new class”) models set to begin rolling off Mexican assembly lines in 2027. That will be preceded by European production.

The first Neue Klasse model, and SUV previewed by Vision Neue Klasse X concept, is scheduled to start production in Hungary in 2025. A sedan based on the minimalist Vision Neue Klasse concept will follow the SUV into production in Germany in 2026. The SUV will also be the first electric model assembled at the Mexico factory, which opened in 2019 and currently builds combustion BMW 3-Series and 2-Series models.

Named after an iconic family of BMW models from the 1960s, the Neue Klasse will be affordable and distinct, but without the polarizing design and packaging of the previous BMW i3, development boss Frank Weber said in a 2023 interview.

Earlier this year, Apple canceled its decade-long Project Titan electric car initiative, but a new report from DigiTimes says that Apple’s electric vehicle ambitions might not be over. According to the story, Apple is “assessing the possibility of teaming up with a certain US EV startup, and Rivian is a very likely candidate.”

The report says that there is “speculation among supply chains” that Apple is investigating teaming up with an EV startup. DigiTimes suggests that Apple could take its 10 years of EV and autonomous driving research and team up with another company instead of making its own car.

While it’s “uncertain what form such a collaboration could take,” this report suggests that Rivian is the leading candidate, based on supply chain sources.

There are no other details provided in the DigiTimes report. It’s unclear what a partnership between Apple and Rivian would look like – or whether Rivian would even be interested in such an arrangement. Still, at least based on DigiTimes supply chain sources, it’s something Apple is “studying.”

9to5Mac’s Take

As much as I’d love to see a partnership between Apple and Rivian, I’m choosing not to get my hopes up about this one. The report is scarce on details, and sounds as if it’s based purely on speculation among Apple’s suppliers. I’d wait for something more concrete before getting too excited.

Perhaps most importantly, Apple could provide Rivian with some crucial cash as the company enters the challenging process of ramping up production of its new R2, R3, and R3X cars.

Do you think Apple should team up with Rivian? What kind of collaboration could Apple have in mind? Let us know down in the comments.

WattEV has just opened the first electric truck charging depot in the US to use the new Megawatt Charge System, capable of delivering up to 1.2 megawatts of power, currently the highest-speed charger available in the US, along with solar and battery backup on-site and a unique partially grid-islanded setup.

WattEV says that its charge depot in Bakersfield, CA, includes the first MCS charger in North America, and the fastest as well. Tesla has a number of its own 750kW chargers deployed “behind-the-fence” in Pepsi and Tesla facilities, but this 1.2MW charger beats those in speed and is also publicly available.

MCS is a new charge standard being worked on by charging standards organization CharIN. The standard is close to being finished, though currently there aren’t really available MCS-capable trucks, or even UL-certified charging units.

As a result, WattEV’s installation is somewhat of an experiment. The site has 50 total chargers, split between 32 grid-tied 360kW CCS chargers on one side, and 3 1.2MW MCS and 15 240kW CCS chargers on the other side, attached to backup batteries and solar and fully grid-islanded.

That latter part is particularly interesting – WattEV got grants from the California Energy Commission to create this grid-islanded setup, wherein power for the chargers is fully provided by 5MW of on-site solar (which WattEV wants to expand to 25MW eventually) and 3MWh of battery backup.

WattEV could connect the setup to the grid, but between its grant from CEC, the lack of UL-certified MCS chargers, and delays that would have been caused in the permitting and interconnection process, it decided that grid-islanding half of the site would be the right decision for the time being.

The inclusion of an MCS charger promises the ability to fill a truck in the same time as a traditional truck rest stop. While trucks don’t currently have 1.2MW charging capability, WattEV wanted to be ready for when they do.

Notably, something many operators bring up is that they’re waiting for chargers before they start building or buying trucks. Here, however, we have an infrastructure provider out in the lead – building infrastructure before trucks are being built or purchased. In a world where operators have gotten used to using infrastructure as an excuse, WattEV seems uninterested in allowing them to continue to use that excuse.

Like WattEV’s other chargers, this one will be publicly available either via membership or scanning a credit card/QR code at the site. It’s near an industrial park in Bakersfield with several distribution centers and near the 99 freeway, which services the California central valley. WattEV also offers a “truck-as-a-service” model, wherein the company offers electric trucking at a set price with lower startup costs.

The charger could be of use for those distribution centers, bringing goods in from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and also for traffic in the valley, as there are many local farming facilities and produce delivery services (for example, OK Produce in Fresno, which has committed to full zero emission operations).

Ahead of its call with investors this afternoon, Lucid Motors has posted its Q1 2024 financial results. The numbers aren’t mind-blowing, but the American automaker is making slow improvements in EV deliveries and revenue as it gears up to launch its second model later this year.

Today’s full Q1 2024 financial report follows a peek at delivery numbers Lucid Motors ($LCID) made public in April. The American EV automaker reported record deliveries of its Air sedan to date, sending 1,967 vehicles to customers in the first three months of the year.

That metric bested its previous delivery record of 1,932 units in Q4 2022 and is up 13% compared to Q4 2023 (1,734 deliveries). That being said, Air production is significantly down following a dawdling demand for its lone model, which recently saw some 2024 model year updates and lower pricing.

Lucid produced a mere 1,727 BEVs in Q1 2024, down from 2,391 units in Q4 2023 (-27%). Still, Lucid Motors remains quite liquid following a fresh raise of private funds and has expressed confidence that it can remain on track to hit its production guidance for the entire year.

Lucid reports nearly $173 million in revenue in Q1 2024

You can check out the full Q1 2024 financial breakdown from Lucid Motors ahead of this afternoon’s call with investors, but here are some notable figures. Q1 revenue was $172.7 million year-over-year, up from $149.4 million in Q1 2023.

Operational losses were $729.9 million, down from $772.2 million a year ago, and net losses were $680.9 million, down YOY from $779.5 million. With the $1 billion investment from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), Lucid relayed that at the end of Q1 2024, it remains quite liquid with approximately $5.03 billion. Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson elaborated:

I believe there are two factors that set Lucid apart – our superior, in-house technology and the partnership with the PIF. Our sales momentum is building, our focus upon cost remains relentless, and we believe Gravity is on track to become the best SUV in the world.

Gravity is expected to begin deliveries before the end of the year and could contribute to Lucid’s production numbers. The automaker said it remains on track to produce approximately 9,000 BEVs in 2024. For comparison, Lucid Motors built 8,428 EVs in 2023.

Gravity will be followed by a third model, currently codenamed “Mid-size,” which will be available in at least two variations and has the potential to be a true competitor to companies like Tesla and Rivian.

Gagan Dhingra, Lucid’s interim chief financial officer and principal accounting officer, also spoke about the automaker’s progress

We continue to make significant progress on our cost optimization programs. We’re focused on significant growth as we enter the next transformational phase of Lucid’s end markets while simultaneously driving cost discipline.

You can tune into the live webcast with investors discussing Lucid’s Q1 2024 numbers here.

Nearly every EV brand in North America is adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector and gaining access to the automaker’s Supercharger network. But despite that network’s fairly good reputation for reliability, the NACS connector alone may not guarantee an overall improvement in charger reliability, says one expert.

Joerg Heuer is the CEO of EcoG, a company that provides operating systems for EV chargers. In a recent interview with Charged EVs, Heuer emphasized that interoperability will be the key to reliability as more EVs charge with NACS connectors or adapters.

“Right now, we’re looking at a landscape with about 100 charging station manufacturers and a growing number of EV manufacturers,” Heuer said. “Achieving interoperability means testing over 500 combinations of cars and chargers.”

Helping a bit is that NACS, which is being formally standardized as SAE J3400, is similar to the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) hardware already used by most EV brands. There’s about “90% to 95%” commonality between CCS and NACS, according to Heuer, with nearly everything except the plug itself being similar enough to easily facilitate interoperability. That’s not the case with the CHAdeMO standard, which was harder to reconcile with CCS, according to Heuer.

Tesla pushed other automakers to use its connector starting in 2022, but most didn’t bite until Ford announced plans to adopt NACS in May of last year. Most automakers selling plug-in vehicles in North America followed after that. Adapters for some brands have started to show up, and users have thus far noticed that charge rates are a wash. Measures like Rivian’s route-planning grades may help prioritize the ones that work best and most reliably, though.

The switch has left the auto industry wondering if Tesla Supercharger reliability will extend to other brands’ EVs, but to think it’s simply a matter of switching the connector or favoring Tesla’s network is naive. Some of it will depend on feet-on-the-ground support—now potentially less present for Tesla with the layoff of its charging team—but as with much about charging, it’s complicated. 

Kyle from the Out of Spec YouTube channel recently had the opportunity to go on-site to the French Riviera. There, he had some quality time behind the wheel of the beautiful new Porsche Macan Electric. But as a true electric car nerd, Kyle was just as fascinated by this cool piece of portable EV charging tech from Porsche. 

The Porsche Turbo Charging portable DC fast chargers (DCFC) have served as a charging solution for the automaker since 2019. Porsche has seven of these charging trailers deployed across Europe. It has been an excellent solution to many different charging scenarios like powering prototype testing, marketing and test drive events and track days.

While we have seen similar technologies since, the specs on Porsches’ charge system remain quite impressive. Most other systems are much smaller in scope. The trailer featured weighs a whopping 70,000 lbs, has a 2.1 MWh battery capacity and can support a 3.2 MW load. There are ten plugs on the unit that can dispense 320 kW each, with the battery packs supporting ~400 amp peak discharging. 

In the example here, the trailer is plugged into the grid to replenish the battery pack, but the trailer’s “Island Mode” allows it to work completely off battery power. When directly connected to power at this location, a series of five heavy-duty cords are run from the power source to the trailers with a specialty-designed plug and a converter to get a 5-pin, 3-phase red plug with a neutral and a ground. 

Each trailer’s massive battery pack can be replenished from the grid in about four hours. When the pack’s capacity is full while connected to power, the AC to DC converter can serve as a passthrough to charge the car directly, bypassing the battery pack. 

When the trailer is in its island mode, it can also balance the charge levels across all of the battery packs. This is a very inefficient process, however, since there is no DC-to-DC connection between them. As a result, this requires two conversions from DC to AC and then back from AC to DC. So they avoid this when possible. 

There are lots of other interesting technical details, so if you are interested in battery and EV charging technologies, be sure to check out the full video.