seattle electric bikes Rad Power Bikes has announced four new e-bike models, all of which have one very important difference, and that’s that the batteries are less likely to burst into flames.
The company says its new Safe Shield battery, which comes standard on all four new bikes, has received UL-2271 (an industry standard ranking for battery safety) certification. That means the batteries in these models of Rad Power bikes won’t be as susceptible to battery fires, which have plagued low-end e-bikes and scooters and resulted in nearly 20 injuries and deaths in the United States.
Rad Power is recalling 30,000 RadWagon 4 electric bikes in 2022 due to tire misalignment, an issue the company has apologized for and said it has been resolved. One Rad Power bike reportedly caught fire, but other than that, the company hasn’t contributed to the wave of cheap e-bike battery fires. We’re a big fan of Rad Power’s bikes here at WIRED, so the improved battery safety is welcome news, especially since there’s a greater emphasis on the whole “not blowing up” thing.
Rad Power’s new bikes come in many forms. Radster commuter bikes are available in on-road and off-road versions for different terrains. Both start at $1,999. The company also announced the RadExpand 5 Plus, a $1,899 folding bike, and the next-generation cargo-friendly RadWagon 5, which starts at $2,199.
Here are some other consumer tech news from the week.
Ask Wendy anything
Reddit is trying to make itself more marketer-friendly. This week, the company announced a new set of tools called Reddit Pro that will be available to businesses for free.
Reddit Pro offers brands multiple ways to engage with users of the platform, helping advertisers better reach every possible eyeball. Reddit, for example, will offer “artificial intelligence-driven insights,” which the company says will sift through the site’s 17 billion posts to find relevant threads and topics that the company can then use to “join or start a conversation.” ” (i.e. deploying marketing strategies they cringe at). This means that when you write a comment about Wendy’s on a brat Reddit subreddit, it will be easier for the brand’s social media team to find it and spout some snazzy brand jokes in the replies.
It’s the latest step in Reddit’s slow and contentious pursuit of monetization (and possibly enshittification). Reddit filed in February to take the company public, which would allow it to sell stock to shareholders. The company has never proven profitable but is eager to make its platform more attractive to advertisers who can spend money on its forums. That’s likely why Reddit has taken steps like charging exorbitant fees for tools developers use to access platform data, effectively killing third-party apps. The move, which provides brands and advertisers with an easier portal into various parts of the site, is another attempt to realize these ambitions.
avoid this
A new Dodge Charge was on site. Yes, it’s a Charger, the powerful, weirdly fuel-inefficient muscle car that’s been roaring down the road for the better part of the last century. For 2021, Dodge announced that it will ditch its gas-powered chargers in favor of electric chargers. This week, the first phase of that rollout officially begins.
Dubbed “the world’s first and only electric muscle car” which is somewhat controversial, the Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV is an absolutely potent road rage machine, and it certainly is The closest thing to a Transformers car you can drive. It has a whopping 670 horsepower and is rated to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. The car also comes with a host of features designed to make the adrenaline of high-octane driving more accessible. There are dedicated performance modes for Rush, Track, Drift and Donut modes, among others. Another setting, called PowerShot, increases horsepower by 40 hp in 15 seconds. It’s like injecting nitrous oxide into your car, but keeping it street legal.
Nikon red eye phenomenon
Camera maker Nikon announced this week that it has acquired movie camera company Red. Red’s professional digital cameras are renowned in the film photography world for pushing the boundaries of camera sensors and optics. They’re traditionally expensive, powerful devices designed to produce movie-quality content for professionals. If you watch any big-budget show or movie on network TV or streaming, you’ve definitely seen what was filmed on Red.
Nikon’s move demonstrates the company’s video ambitions. Nikon makes very good cameras for photography, but has struggled to compete with the likes of Canon when it comes to video. Acquiring a quality camera company will definitely give the brand an edge.
Hey Google, how are you?
There’s always a lot going on at Google. As one of the largest technology companies in the world, the company often attracts a lot of scrutiny and criticism, much of which is justified. But Google has been on a roll lately, and its problems stem from a rush to launch artificial intelligence products, recent rounds of layoffs and internal discrimination against employees. All of this has plunged the company into a very tumultuous period, which begs the ultimate question: Is Google okay?
Wired this week gadget lab On the podcast, we talk about the buzz online about Google’s Gemini AI “woke,” and all the internal turmoil stirring up the Silicon Valley giant.