BIKE/BOARD

Rad Power Bikes Introduces Its Safest, Most Advanced E-Bikes with New Battery

April 8, 2024

Rad Power Bikes has four new e-bikes, ranging in cost from $1,899 to $2,199.
All four bikes feature Rad’s new Safe Shield battery for safer charging and use.
Safe Shield batteries use a special heat-absorbing resin to protect against overheating.

Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes just announced four new bikes and a new battery with what they call Safe Shield technology.

There’s a lot of discussion about battery safety. Lithium-ion batteries, if short-circuited or damaged, can suffer what is known as “thermal overrun,” which leads to a fire that can be very hard to extinguish. New York City has had a string of battery fires, which they have dubbed “e-bike” fires. Almost all of these fires have actually involved cheap scooters, but FDNY may not understand the difference. And any fire involving an electric vehicle of any kind makes the news.

About Rad’s Safe Shield Battery

Rad Power Bikes has put some serious effort and great R&D into their new Safe Shield battery tech, with important certifications and thermal-resistant technology. The new battery packs are UL 2271-certified, meaning the enclosure must be resistant to impact, crushing, heat, flame, water and UV light. The wiring has to be designed to prevent excessive strain or inadvertent shorting, and there must be protective circuits with redundant features that continue to function even with loss of power.

The batteries have to be able to withstand overcharging, over-discharging, short circuits, imbalanced charging,v and operation at a maximum specified temperature. They must also be able to withstand environmental tests and rapid thermal cycling (cold to hot and hot to cold).

Safe Shield batteries have a unique, heat-absorbing resin to protect the cells from corrosion and also to protect against overheating, as this can lead to thermal overrun and then possibly to a fire. The batteries are designed with the resin covering each individual cell, so if a cell overheats, it won’t easily affect neighboring cells. The battery is also designed to be resistant to punctures.

They’ve even partnered with Redwood Materials to let riders recycle their batteries at the end of the battery’s life.

Rad Power Bike’s Four New E-Bikes With Safe Shield

Rad’s four newest e-bikes will ship with the new Safe Shield batteries — two brand-new bikes, the Radster Trail and Radster Road, and updates to two others, the RadWagon 5 and RadExpand 5 Plus.

The four new e-bike models are rated at IPX6 water resistant and UL 2849-certified. IPX6 resistance means that the bikes can get wet in the rain and have the internal systems still be okay. Meanwhile, the UL 2849 certification is specific to e-bikes and covers the electrical system, including the motor, battery, battery management system, all wiring, and the charging port(s). It’s another fire safety certification that also ensures that it’s protected against electrical shock.

Radster Trail

The new Radster Trail is what they call a “mid-fat bike,” with 27.5” x 3.0” tires, a 750W rear hub motor, and a spoke-bending 100Nm of torque! It also comes with a torque sensor.

This trend of torque sensors makes me happy! It’s a much more natural power delivery that also saves battery to offer more range. It’s a Class 3 off-road-capable electric bike with an SR Suntour suspension fork with 80 mm of travel and Kenda Havok tires.

Radster Trail: Priced at US $1,999 and CA $2,699, is available for pre-order and expected to start shipping to customers March 27 (US), May 15 (CA).

Radster Road

The new Radster Road is a commuter bike with 29” x 2.2” street tires to glide across pavement, even the bumpy stuff. It also has the 750W, 100Nm rear hub motor to get you going quickly and it has a torque sensor.

Similar to the Radster Trail electric bike, this one has an SR Suntour hydraulic suspension fork with 80 mm of travel and is a Class 3 e-bike.

Radster Road: Priced at US $1,999 and CA $2,699, is available for pre-order and expected to start shipping to customers April 10 (US), May 15 (CA).

RadWagon 5

The RadWagon 5 is Rad’s fifth generation cargo bike. It can haul up to 375 lbs. of rider(s) plus cargo and features a Class 3 750W, 90Nm rear hub motor with a torque sensor to get you going with your grocery haul or with a kid on the back.

It has 20” x 3.3” Kenda tires to keep the center of gravity low, as well as a suspension fork with 45 mm of travel. It’s available in Black and Metallic Blue, and it is also getting updated accessories with a redesigned deckpad and running boards.

RadWagon 5: Priced at US $2,199 and CA $2,949, is available for pre-order and expected to start shipping to customers April 17 (US), May 15 (CA).

RadExpand 5

The RadExpand 5 is a pretty versatile folding bike. It features CST 20” x 4.0” tires, which will certainly make it feel like a beast. I’m a bit skeptical of folding fat bikes, because they never fold very small. But everyone is different and has differing storage needs.

It has a 750W motor with 64Nm of torque, a torque sensor, and can carry up to 315 lbs. of rider plus cargo. It ships as a Class 2 e-bike, but is user-switchable between Class 1 and Class 2.

RadExpand 5 Plus: Priced at US $1,899 and CA $2,499, is available for pre-order and expected to start shipping to customers April 10 (US), May 15 (CA).