The Current News- February 15, 2023

Hello, dear readers and riders! Welcome to the latest installment of our EV news roundup. This week, we’ll be covering India’s rising demand for two-wheelers, one woman’s epic journey down the West Coast of Africa on a CAKE Kalk AP, and why e-Scooters are dirtier than toilet seats. As always, please send your tips to stephanie@thevintagent.com. Let’s roll.

Woman Travels 8,077 Miles Across Africa on a CAKE e-Motorbike

Sinje Gottwald, a B2B account manager for CAKE (who’m we’ve featured previously in The Motorcycle Portraits series) recently completed an 8,077-mile journey down the West Coast of Africa on a CAKE Kalk AP in just 124 days. Her e-Motorcycle tops out at 56mph and offers a range of up to three hours thanks to its 2.6kWh battery. Gottwald’s ride was intended to support anti-poaching patrols in Africa. For her epic trip, Gottwald brought two chargers, two batteries, and a myriad of other spare parts…and no company or other support.  She documented her journey on her Instagram page: check out her amazing adventure! 

India’s Electric Two-Wheeler Market Grew By 300% in 2022

A recent article published by the Economic Times reported that India’s electric two-wheeler segment grew by more than 300% last year. Ola Electric was the leader of the pack, with an 18% share.

We’re Loving the MIUNIK Salt Minimalistic e-Bike

ID DESIGN recently unveiled a minimalistic modular e-Bike dubbed the MIUNIK Salt. The bike features a universal adapter on the rear seat that is compatible with various other modules that boost the MIUNIK’s versatility. The e-Bike has a range of about 44 miles on a single charge. The range can be doubled by adding a modular second battery to the bike.

Amazon’s Driverless Robotaxi Hits the Open Road

Amazon-owned mobility company Zoox recently drove passengers around for the first time in its cubed-shaped autonomous robot taxi. The driverless shuttle vehicle can detect road hurdles and easily change lanes by itself. The startup plans to test its EV in San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Seattle.  Driving beside a driverless car is a creepy experience, but Zoox has not had the kind of accidents of Teslas in ‘self driving’ mode…

New Startup Creates Briefcase-Sized Flow Cells

Startup nanoFLOWcell is out to revolutionize flow cells technology. Currently, flow cells are garage-sized constructions that are used for stationary energy storage. The company’s new technology has enabled it to create flow cells that are the size of briefcases while boosting the energy density of the electrolytes by 10-fold. This makes flow cell technology mobile and more efficient.

Consumers Crave EVs

A recent study found that consumer preference has globally shifted to electric vehicles. The study, developed by Zebra Technologies Corporation, states that 53% of consumers worldwide want to buy a hybrid electric vehicle. The study also found that 75% of automotive industry decision-makers are feeling pressure to meet the growing demands for eco-friendly, sustainable products.

Sitapur Siblings Make e-Bike that Reduces Electronic Waste

 Brothers Anshul and Abhishek Verma recently developed an electric bike that reduces electronic waste. The siblings created an e-Bike that uses lead acid batteries that are reusable by replacing the electrodes. The bike has a 52-mile range and tops out at 27mph.

Public Electric Scooters Are Disgusting

A recent study found that public electric scooters have 58,000x the bacteria of a toilet seat. Bring hand sanitizer!  Also this week, Bird Scooters announced it was leaving San Francisco, as they found the regulations were simply too onerous to make a profitable business there: out of all the cities Bird share scooters are present, San Francisco proved the most difficult to deal with in the entire world, according to their recent press release.