Wheel-E Podcast: Powerful Bafangs, cops on Sur-Rons, Qronge, more

This is a podcast roundup about electric bikes and other small electric vehicles, not home energy upgrades, so there's little here that connects to planning efficiency work on your house. Still, a few items might interest anyone who owns or is considering an e-bike as part of a broader shift to electric transportation and reduced energy use at home.

Highlights include new electric bike motors from Bafang said to multiply a rider's own pedaling power up to eight times, a new folding e-bike lighter than Brompton's lightest model, and new bikes teased by companies Flit and SONDORS. The discussion also covers a lithium-ion battery charging cabinet, marketed as a safer place to charge e-bike batteries, which matters if you store and charge batteries in your home or garage. There's also a look at New Jersey's e-bike laws and their real-world effects, plus a review of the Qronge X1 Spark L, a lower-cost alternative to the Sur-Ron Light Bee electric motorcycle. A separate story notes that London police have started riding the same type of high-powered Sur-Ron bikes used illegally by some riders they pursue.

None of this involves rebates, weatherization, or home energy systems. If you're weighing an e-bike purchase, the safer-charging cabinet and new motor technology are worth knowing about, but there's no dollar amount, deadline, or program tied to home upgrades in this roundup.