3 days ago
If you were looking for clues that nan post-pandemic ebike marketplace reshuffle remains successful afloat plaything successful nan U.S., look nary further than nan latest move by Yamaha.
In a missive to its dealers, nan elephantine Japanese conglomerate announced it will pull-out of nan ebike business successful nan U.S. by nan extremity of nan year, according to Electrek.
“As you know, nan operation of a post-Covid oversupply wrong nan full bicycle industry, coupled pinch a important softening of nan market, has resulted successful a peculiarly challenging business situation wherever it is highly difficult to execute a sustainable business model,” Yamaha says successful nan letter.
Given these marketplace conditions, nan institution says it decided to retreat from nan U.S. ebike business and to cease wholesaling units astatine nan extremity of 2024.
Yamaha introduced nan world’s first electrical power-assist bicycle centrifugal successful 1993. But it wasn’t until 2018 that it entered nan U.S. ebike market pinch a number of all-road, mountain, and fitness/lifestyle ebikes. That year, it offered 4 marque caller models successful nan U.S.: Urban Rush, Cross Connect, Cross Core and YDX Torc.
In bid to waste down its U.S. inventory, Yamaha told its dealers that it’s extending its “Fan Promotion” program, wherever customers tin person up to 60% disconnected their acquisition of a caller Yamaha ebike. The programme will beryllium extended until June 30, 2025 and nan institution will proceed to supply parts, work and customer support pinch its 5-year warranty successful nan U.S.
According to Electrek, Yamaha’s ebikes featured higher-end components, elaborate frames and in-house motors, which tended to put them wrong a premium value scope successful nan U.S. market.
But arsenic Yamaha itself explained, it appears that nan main motive for its determination is nan proviso overhang which followed a Covid-pandemic roar successful ebike demand.
In different motion of nan market’s reshuffle, Juiced Bikes, a pioneer successful nan U.S. direct-to-consumer e-bike market, was past period sold astatine auction for $1.2 million.
Tesla reveals value scope for Optimus Gen2, its ‘robot without wheels’
“The early should look for illustration nan future”, CEO Elon Musk said astatine nan Tesla "We Robot" typical arena held successful Burbank, California, earlier this week. Sure enough, Tesla’s much-anticipated autonomous robotaxi, nan Cybercab, and its large-van counterpart, nan Cybervan, seemed consecutive retired of celebrated sci-fi movies. But arsenic nan sanction of nan arena hinted at, a imagination of nan early would not beryllium complete without robots: Several of nan Optimus Gen 2, Tesla’s latest type of humanoid-like robot, were recovered serving drinks, holding conversations pinch guests, and moreover dancing astatine nan event.Tesla has precocious sounded nan Optimus arsenic a imaginable replacement for mill workers successful China and elsewhere. Musk antecedently said he expects nan Optimus to commencement moving astatine Tesla factories successful 2025 and to beryllium disposable to different firms successful 2026.
Yet, astatine nan event, nan Tesla leader revealed his expanded imagination of a family robot that tin do “everything you want: Babysit your kid, locomotion your dog, mow your lawn, get nan groceries, conscionable beryllium your friend, service drinks”.He besides gave a person estimate of nan robot’s value tag: Once produced "at scale," Optimus should costs location betwixt $20,000 and $30,000. Musk had antecedently said nan robot’s value would beryllium astir half that of a car.
Staying existent to his sci-fi vision, nan Tesla CEO referred to Optimus arsenic a transverse betwixt R2D2 and C-3PO, nan celebrated droids from nan Star Wars movie series.
Ever since nan first procreation of nan Optimus was revealed successful 2022, Tesla has emphasized nan continuity betwixt its cars and nan robot. “Everything that we’ve developed for our cars -- nan artillery power’s electronics, nan precocious motor’s gearboxes, nan software, nan AI conclusion machine -- it each really applies to a humanoid robot,” Musk said astatine nan event. “A robot pinch arms and legs, alternatively of a robot pinch wheels.”
Tesla would not beryllium nan first to connection a home robot connected nan market. Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics has already commercialized a location service-type robot called Spot pinch a hefty value tag of $74,500. BMW and Open AI are backing robots made by Figure, a California-based company. Meanwhile, Nvidia is processing Project GR00T to besides present humanoid robots.Earlier this year, Goldman Sachs forecast that nan yearly world marketplace for humanoid robots could scope $38 cardinal by 2035, pinch robot shipments of 1.4 cardinal units some for business and user applications. It besides said that robots could go much affordable arsenic their manufacturing costs has been decreasing much than expected -- starring to faster commercialization.
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GM launches PowerBank, a artillery that could rival Tesla’s PowerWall
Competition to supply nan champion power savings to EV owners is heating up betwixt car makers.General Motor’s portion GM Energy has conscionable released PowerBank, a stationary power retention artillery battalion that gives electrical vehicles (EV) owners nan expertise to shop and transportation power from nan electrical grid, and allows integration pinch location star powerfulness equipment.The PowerBank, which comes successful 10.6kWh and 17.7kWh artillery capacity variants, tin powerfulness up a location erstwhile location is an outage aliases thief offset higher energy rates during highest demand, GM said. In addition, customers tin besides usage PowerBank to shop and usage star energy, supplement nan charging of EVs and supply powerfulness to a location without an EV being present.GM says that combining 2 of its 17.7kWh PowerBanks tin supply capable power to powerfulness nan mean American location for up to 20 hours.The PowerBank tin beryllium bought arsenic portion of 2 bundles: nan GM Energy Storage bundle astatine $10,999, aliases nan GM Energy Home System bundle astatine $12,700. The second includes a bi-directional EV charger that tin supply up to 19.2kWh of power. By comparison, Tesla’s power retention system, PowerWall 3, tin shop 13.5kWh of power and has a value tag of $9,300.According to GM Vice President Wade Sheffer, 1 cardinal advantage of nan PowerBank it its “modularity,” which allows for easy integration pinch existing technology.GM announced successful August that it would supply vehicle-to-home (V2H) exertion connected each its exemplary twelvemonth 2026 models. It will now besides connection vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which tin supply further power and financial savings.
Energy savings coming from nan integration of electrical vehicles, solar-powered homes, and power grids are progressively astatine nan halfway of EV manufacturers' offerings.
Nissan, BMW, Ford, and Honda person grouped together to connection nan ChargeScape V2G software, which connects EVs to utilities and nan powerfulness grid. EV owners tin person financial incentives to region charging during highest request aliases waste power backmost to nan grid.While Tesla has truthful acold backed disconnected from embracing V2G technology, CEO Elon Musk has hinted that V2G tech could beryllium introduced for Tesla vehicles successful 2025.
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Juiced Bikes offers 20% disconnected connected each e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy
A “20% disconnected sitewide” banner connected apical of a company’s website should usually beryllium origin for glee among customers. Except if you’re a instrumentality of that company’s products and its executives stay silent amid mounting signs that said institution mightiness beryllium connected nan brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening pinch Juiced Bikes, nan San Diego-based shaper of e-bikes.According to galore customer reports, Juiced Bikes has wholly stopped responding to customer inquiries for immoderate time, while its website is retired of banal connected each products. There are besides galore testimonies of layoffs astatine nan company.Even much worrying signs are besides piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing arsenic listed for waste connected an auction website utilized by companies that spell retired of business.In addition, a tribunal lawsuit has been revenge successful New York against genitor institution Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike laminitis Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a authorities proceedings tribunal ineligible investigation platform.Founded successful 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was 1 of nan early pioneers of nan direct-to-consumer e-bike brands successful nan U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom done nan years. Last year, Digital Trends named nan Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 arsenic nan champion moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich | characteristic set, and performance.The institution has truthful acold stayed silent amid each nan reports. But should its bankruptcy beryllium confirmed, it could legitimately beryllium attributed to nan post-pandemic whiplash knowledgeable by nan e-bike manufacture complete nan past fewer years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a immense spike successful request for e-bikes conscionable arsenic proviso chains became heavy constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike accumulation to lucifer nan precocious demand. But erstwhile user request dropped aft nan pandemic, e-bike makers were near pinch ample banal surpluses.The bully news is that nan downturn shape mightiness soon beryllium complete conscionable arsenic nan manufacture is experiencing a activity of mergers and acquisitions, according to a study by Houlihan Lokey.This whitethorn mean that moreover if Juiced Bikes is so going under, nan marque and its products mightiness find a purchaser and show up again connected streets and trails.
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