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Full Size Folding Electric Bike in a Tesla Model S

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Sleek, sexy, powerful, silent, exhilarating, and manufactured in the USA! Kind of sounds like a Tesla Model S, doesn’t it?  Well, close. If a Tesla can ever reincarnate, we think it would surely come back in the form of a revolutionary Prodeco Technologies folding electric bike.

If you’re not familiar with electric bikes, also known as e-bikes, they’re essentially bicycles with an integrated electric motor that can assist with propulsion. The small electric motor is attached to either the front or rear wheel and supplements the rider’s pedaling power, making it especially helpful during steep hill climbs or when you’re just feeling lazy.


Prodeco Tech Storm

Prodeco Technologies is one of the world’s largest and most innovative manufacturers within the growing e-bike industry, and has a reputation for craftsmanship, superb design and progressive technology. That’s why we were so excited when we heard about the opportunity to review one of their latest line of folding electric bikes during one of our Supercharged road trips.

Initial impression

We tested their Storm series; an attractive looking bike that compliments the sleek lines of the Tesla Model S very well. We’ve heard that electric bikes tend to be on the heavier side due to the weight of the Lithium-ion batteries (no surprises there), but was shockingly surprised by how “normal” it felt in terms of weight, especially considering that it’s a full-sized electric bike.

Right away you can tell that the bike has got some serious stopping power, with mountain bike caliber Avid disc brakes attached to both the front and rears. Prodeco clearly took no shortcuts when it came to retrofitting the e-bike with the best available components. 

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Features

  • Lightweight, aircraft-grade all Aluminum Frame
  • ½ Twist Throttle
  • Avid  BB5 Disc Brakes and Avid 180mm HS1 Rotors
  • Adjustable Suspension
  • SRAM X7 Twist 8 Speed Shifter
  • SRAM X5 8 Speed Mid Derailleur
  • 38.4V 9Ah LiFePO4 24 Cell Battery
  • Front FSG 36V 300W Motor (500 W peak)
  • 18 mph speed
  • 25-35 miles per charge
  • Folds in half – folded dimensions: 48″ x 36″ x 28″
  • One of the lightest e-bikes out there at only 49 lbs
  • Foldable Pedals
  • Adjustable Kickstand

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Lithium-Ion Battery Power

 

Tesla Folding Electric Bike - Prodeco TechLi-ion Battery (LiFePO4): Like the Tesla, the electric motor and battery are the key, and likely the most expensive, components of the Prodeco Tech electric bicycle. We were told that every Prodeco bike comes with an advanced LiFePO4 battery that uses a Lithium-ion-derived chemistry with a much longer life cycle and higher energy density over other Li-ion technologies.  It’s able to maintain a constant discharge voltage which means you’ll have access to full power until the battery is discharged.  To us, this translates purely to prolonged fun!  More on that later.

Tesla Folding Electric Bike - Prodeco Tech

LiFePO4 Technology with battery charge indicator bar.

It’s pretty evident that Prodeco spared no expense or quality when it came to engineering their line of electric bicycles. When we dug into the history of the 7 year old bike company a bit more, we learned that Prodeco Technologies struck a partnership deal with one of the world’s top Li-ion battery producers. The strategic partnership allowed Prodeco to incorporate the high-end LiFePO4 battery, a technology that’s rarely used due to its higher cost, on all of their bikes; giving them a much larger competitive advantage over other e-bike manufacturers.  It was a win-win for Prodeco – premium Li-ion battery technology and at a price point that’s often on par, if not cheaper, than e-bikes of much lesser quality.

Electric HUB Motor: Ok, where?  Had it not been for the rear-mounted battery pack, a dead giveaway that this was something more than just a regular bike, we would have never been able to tell that the Storm 300 was actually an electric bike. Prodeco went with an ultra lightweight and energy efficient performance motor that’s mounted directly onto the wheel hub. The 300 watt motor (500 watt peak) weighs in at only 5.5 lbs, but what’s even cooler is that the motor is attached via a weatherproof quick-disconnect connector, making motor swaps a cinch. We know what you’re thinking; and yes, you can upgrade to a more powerful version of the electric motor!

Tesla Folding Electric Bike - Prodeco Tech Motor


Folding Electric Bike in a Tesla Model S

WARNING: This is not a magic trick.  What you’re about to see is real. Please try this at home. We fit this full-sized electric bike into the Tesla Model S and still had enough room for 5 adult passengers. Don’t believe us? See for yourself.

Prodeco Tech’s Storm e-bike literally folds in half and stows perfectly into the trunk of the Model S. We didn’t even have to flip the rear seats down!

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Tesla-Folding-Electric-Bike-Prodeco-18 Tesla-Folding-Electric-Bike-Prodeco-20 Tesla-Folding-Electric-Bike-Prodeco-23 Tesla-Folding-Electric-Bike-Prodeco-24 Tesla-Folding-Electric-Bike-Prodeco-26

Side note: The Model S was extra shiny that day given that it came off a fresh coat of CQuart Finest.  We’re doing a comparison between Opti-Coat Pro vs CQuartz Finest in an upcoming story.

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Made in the USA

All Prodeco Technologies electric bicycles are designed, assembled and quality controlled at their 60,000 sq ft facility in South Florida. Each bike is proudly built by hand and takes upwards of 7 hours to complete. Prodeco also offers a lifetime warranty on their aircraft-grade aluminum frames and a 2 yr warranty on the LiFePO4 battery which not many manufacturers can match.


 

Riding the Prodeco Tech Electric Bike

We packed up the Storm 300 into our Model S and headed out on a test ride in the hills of Malibu Creek state park.

Prodeco Storm 300 Test Ride

Prodeco Storm test ride at Malibu Creek state park. Toddler seat attachment shown.

Riding an electric bike for the first time is as monumental and life changing as the first time you drove a Tesla Model S. You’re not quite sure what to expect until you hear the subtle whirl and feel the instantaneous torque of the electric motor propel you forward. It’s exhilarating, it’s ridiculously fun and it’s addictive. The impression it leaves on you makes you want to come back for more, because you just feel great doing it.

Turning the key which is situated below the rear-mounted battery activates the electric bike.  A set of LEDs, located near the 1/2 twist throttle on the right handle bar, lights up and lets you know that you’re about to have some fun.  And we’re off!

The Prodeco bikes are solid and they do a great job absorbing a variety of terrains using their adjustable suspensions. The Storm is primarily a street and light trail bike, however Prodeco offers a huge selection of bikes that can suit even the most discriminating rider. Their Phantom X2 has received countless rave reviews and by far one of their most popular bikes. It’s pretty much the same bike as the Storm, but with upgraded components and a motor that’s 67% more powerful.

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Pedaling on the Prodeco Tech Storm is smooth and gear changes happen with lightening quick precision thanks to the SRAM X7 Twist 8 Speed Shifter. Let it be known that pedaling is still required when it comes to riding an electric bicycle. E-bikes are not scooters. The electric motor act as a supplemental source of energy to pedaling, and becomes especially handy during uphill climbs or when you just want to go faster.  The 300 watt motor, which delivers 500 watts at peak, is capable of propelling the bike to just shy of 20 mph. Did we already mention that it’s insanely fun to ride?


 

Conclusion

Prodeco Technologies is the Tesla of electric bikes. Through perfect execution and a no-compromises approach, they’ve managed to revolutionize the electric bike industry and become one of the leaders within the premium segment. It’s no wonder that the ProdecoTech brand has become the bike of choice for Tesla owners and enthusiasts.

The Storm 300 is electric, it’s sleek, stunning to look at, portable, and overall the perfect companion for the Tesla Model S – electric x 2!

MSRP: $1,399.00

 

Prodeco-Tech-Logo

Tesla Folding Electric Bike - Prodeco Tech

 

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Elon Musk

How to use Grok Bot to block spam calls and texts

Musk told users to ask Grok Bot to scrub their phone numbers from spam lists.

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Elon Musk has a new use case for Grok Bot, and it is the spam call. On Thursday he replied to an X user named Arash with a short instruction: “Ask your @Grok @Bot to remove your phone number from spam call & text lists!” Arash had said he got tired of the calls, had an AI bot find his number on listing sites and file removal requests, and packaged the process as a free skill for others.

The skill is called Spam-Call Scrubber, which is described to find a phone number on people search sites and data brokers, submits the opt outs, completes the confirmation emails those sites send back, and rechecks on a schedule the user picks. Using it requires the Grok Bot app. The pitch is time saved, since most broker opt outs sit behind separate forms on separate sites.



Musk said Grok Bot now gives each bot its own email address, and that it can detect scam emails. On Thursday he also said SpaceX would make users whole if the bot botches a purchase or leaks a card, then told users to shop away from Amazon after the retailer blocked the agent, as Teslarati reported. The terms of service we reviewed at the time put responsibility for what an agent does on the user.

For Tesla owners, Grok Bot is not just a phone app. Tesla brought Grok Bot into its vehicles on September 22, and we argued earlier this week that the Cybercab’s real advantage may be the errands it runs during a ride. Every Cybercab and the rest of the Model Y Robotaxi fleet has it enabled. The more routine tasks like this one become, the more a rider has reason to hand over something personal in the back seat.

The new Spam-Call Scrubber skill can be downloaded for free and works on sites that honor removal requests, while noting that listings can reappear, and illegal robocallers do not check any registry. Whether Spam-Call Scrubber cuts anyone’s call volume is something the first wave of users will find out, and Musk’s endorsement guarantees that wave is coming.

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Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi’s real advantage won’t be the ride service

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Concept art of a Tesla Cybercab in Las Vegas Strip as rendered via Grok

For a century, the car has asked the same thing of its owner, which is basically to pay attention. Even the best ride-hailing app like Uber or Lyft only moved the problem into someone else’s hands. You stopped driving, but you still sat in a stranger’s car, while half listening, and wondering whether to take a phone call in the car without being rude. The Cybercab has no wheel, no pedals and no driver. With Grok @bot now live inside it, it becomes something else entirely, and I think that matters more than the fleet count that everyone is tracking.

Grok @bot is an agent, not a voice assistant. A rider signs in once, and from then on can say what they need and watch it happen. Order dinner from a favorite restaurant. Fill the grocery cart. Move money, answer email, adjust a calendar, push a work project forward. Tesla engineer Yun-Ta Tsai confirmed it is enabled across every Cybercab and the rest of the Model Y fleet, and Tesla’s own pitch is that Full Self-Driving handles the commute while Grok handles the errands.

Think about what that does to a thirty minute ride. Uber sells you a trip, while Waymo sells you the same trip in a more private setting. Tesla is selling the thirty minutes themselves, returned to you with an assistant attached. Errands that used to eat a Saturday get done between pickup and drop off. The ride stops being dead time between two places and becomes a place of its own.

Tesla integrates Grok Bot into its vehicles for the ultimate personal assistant

Best of all, your Bots follow you into any Cybercab, and presumably your own Tesla, then logs you out automatically when you step out. Anyone can bolt a chatbot onto a screen, but much harder to own the vehicle, the autonomy stack and the assistant at once. It also quietly ties SpaceX’s Super Intelligence business to Tesla’s fleet, after Tesla converted its xAI stake into SpaceX equity. The relationship between those two companies is getting harder to describe as separate.

This is also where the hard questions start, because an agent that can spend your money in a vehicle other people also ride in needs some answers. How does it handle a voice it shouldn’t trust? What gets recorded, who can see it, and for how long? What happens when a rider leaves halfway through a task?

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If Tesla gets those answers right, the scoreboard changes. We have been counting Cybercabs and wait times. The more telling number may be what riders accomplish per trip. That is data almost no one else will ever have, and it is the real reason to watch Grok @bot.

What do you think? Leave me a comment.

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Tesla’s mirrorless Cybercab will give riders a visibility upgrade

Tesla engineer confirms Cybercab update letting riders pull up rear and repeater cameras on demand.

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Tesla Cybercab camera visibility for passengers (Credit: Dan Burkland via X)
Tesla Cybercab camera visibility for passengers (Credit: Dan Burkland via X)

Tesla is working on a Cybercab update that would let passengers pull up the vehicle’s rear and side cameras on demand, and the request came straight from a rider.

The exchange played out on X late Friday. Cybercab rider Dan Burkland shared photos of the two-seater’s cabin screen after an evening ride, praised the UI team’s work, and left one request: let riders open the rear and repeater cameras whenever they want, “especially for peace of mind.” Tesla UI software engineer Evan (@CarCoder) answered with two words: “In development.”

The idea fits a pattern Teslarati has tracked since public rides began. Days after paid Cybercab service opened in Austin, Tesla sent riders a survey that asked them to rate the touchscreen, the app and the cabin, and to pick the features they wanted most. We reported on that survey in September, and a camera view is the kind of small software change Tesla can push quickly if riders keep asking.

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It also speaks to something unique about the vehicle. With no steering wheel, no pedals and no driver, passengers have no mirror to check and no way to see behind them. The hardware is clearly built for camera awareness, from the repeater cameras to the rear camera. Letting a passenger look through those same cameras would give a nervous first time rider a way to confirm what is around the car.

The timing matters because the fleet is growing fast. Tesla’s Robotaxi account said on Saturday that more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, an eightfold increase in 30 days, and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy named Dallas as the next city. More cars and more cities mean more people riding in a driverless vehicle for the first time, which is exactly when small trust features carry weight.

For now, the feature is confirmed only as in development. If Tesla follows its usual pattern with Cybercab software, riders could see it appear in a point release without any announcement, and Teslarati will watch for it.

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