Hello, dear readers and riders! Welcome to the latest installment of our EV news roundup. This week, we’ll look at Rivian’s big plans for e-Bikes, an e-Motorcycle fleet that just reached a 50-million-kilometer milestone, and H-D’s disappointing news. As always, please send any EV stories you’d like us to cover to stephanie@thevintagent.com. Let’s roll.

Rivian Will Start Developing e-Bikes

It’s a natural combo, no? EBikes and a Rivian truck, so why not make their own? [Rivian]

Electric automaker Rivian just announced that e-Bikes are in the pipeline. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe announced solid plans during a company meeting on February 3rd. The company also has hired numerous designers from marquee cycling brands, including Specialized. Given that Rivian specializes in off-road-ready vehicles, it would be no surprise that the new e-Bikes will be mountain or all-terrain bicycles.

Rwanda Electric Motors Will Celebrate 50-Million-Kilometer Mark

We reported on Rwanda Electric Motors last week: now it seems they are moving ahead quickly! [REM]

African e-Motorcycle company Rwanda Electric Motors will soon celebrate a significant milestone. The startup’s e-Motorbike fleet is closing in on being driven 50 million kilometers. To give you a better understanding of just how astonishing this is, that distance is equivalent to traveling to the moon and back 200+ times.

Harley-Davidson Delays LiveWire S2 Del Mar

Where is my Del Mar? Delays and delays…not that it’s easy to bring any new vehicle to market, but the pressure is on for results in the new LiveWire spin-off. [LiveWire]

Earlier this week, H-D announced it would delay the LiveWire S2 Del Mar until the second half of this year. More concerning, the most recent investor package states that the Del Mar has a 100-mile “targeted city range” and a 430lb “target” weight. If H-D was coming close to shipping the new bikes, these crucial parameters should be final instead of targets. In their latest report, it was noted that in 2021, LiveWire expected to sell 957 motorcycles for 2022, but only sold 597.  Sales revenue was short of the 2021 forecasts: $47Million actual sales versus $56Million projected.  It should be noted that the projected sales figures included Del Mar models, which have not yet come to market.  2022 sales of the LiveWire ONE were better than expected, with 597 sales, versus 500 that were projected.  CEO Jochen Weitz expressed disappointment that the Livewire spin-off is underperforming, but noted the LiveWire ONE sales increase, and was still confident that when finally released, the S2 Del Mar will also perform well in the market.

Solar-Powered Superyacht

A statement yacht for green oligarchs. While their daily life burns the equivalent carbon of a small town, spending $Millions on a ‘green’ yacht will surely counterbalance the massive energy footprint of their lives, no? Maybe they’ll even pay some taxes too. [Jozeph Forakis]

International designer Jozeph Forakis recently unveiled his futuristic solar-powered superyacht. Called the Pegasus, the 88M vessel is designed to be “virtually invisible” from both a sustainable and visual perspective. Outfitted with reflective solar wings, the Pegasus will be the world’s first 3D-printed superyacht. The hydrogen and solar-electric yacht will produce zero emissions and offer an infinite range. The Pegasus is assembled using robotic 3D printing to build the mesh wireframe, resulting in a lightweight seacraft that can be constructed using less material, waste, space, and energy than conventional methods.

Ola Will Deliver Its First Electric Car in 2024

The new Ola car is a vague design, but the factory has the capability of amazingly rapid development. Don’t be surprised if a real car debuts this year. [Ola]

Electric scooter manufacturer Ola recently announced that it will deliver its first car in the second half of 2024. Last year, the company said it would aim to price its first car under $50,000. Manufacturing components in-house would lower costs.

Meet Nissan’s Wild New EV Concept

From the front, the new Nissan concept looks remarkably like a DeTomaso Mangusta. [Nissan]

Automaker Nissan’s new Max-Out concept is an electric convertible showstopper. The futuristic two-seater EV is slathered in LED lights and sports an electric powertrain. The company stated that the Max-Out is “designed to provide a liberating sense of openness while offering an enhanced, dynamic driving experience.”  

California is Giving EV Batteries a Second Life on the Grid

The more miles, the more batteries available: one smart plan for re-using old car batteries for the grid. It also works for individual homes! [B2U Storage Solutions]

Los Angeles-based startup B2U Storage Solutions is giving hundreds of used EV batteries a second life on California’s power grid. The company states that this will significantly reduce the cost of storing carbon-free energy. B2U has 25MW hours of storage capacity thanks to 1,300 used electric batteries tied to a solar energy facility.

e-Bike Subsidies More Cost-Effective than Electric Cars

A new report found that e-Bike subsidies are more cost-effective than electric car subsidies at lowering carbon dioxide emissions. A $100 subsidy raises e-Bike demand by 2.6%, compared to a $1,000 subsidy for electric cars. 

 

Stephanie Weaver is the EV Editor at The Vintagent, and a Philadelphia-based freelance writer. When she’s not locked to her laptop, she can be found riding horses and motorcycles.
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