The Lectric XP Trike, which was unveiled with quite a fanfare last month, has now launched for pre-orders at a surprisingly affordable price. The electric trike claims to be the first folding, fully-assembled electric trike in the industry, and it looks set to shake things up for all types of riders.

Lectric XP Trike launches for pre-order

The Lectric XP Trike, which is priced at just $1,499, is built on a similar base as the company’s best-selling Lectric XP series of e-bikes.

It offers a powerful motor, folding design and an approachable price. But in this case, the XP Trike gains a third wheel, a differential rear axle, hydraulic disc brakes and a super-accessible design.

As the company described the new three-wheeler:

“The XP Trike accommodates a wide range of abilities and preferences with our lowest standover height ever of just 13.8 inches. As the industry’s first fully foldable and fully assembled electric tricycle, The XP Trike includes the award-winning features our XP series e-bikes demonstrate, plus a bigger battery, hydraulic brakes, and a third wheel. A sturdy rear hub motor setup with a differential axle provides a whopping 65NM of torque – accommodating even the heftiest of payloads without a problem.”

And they weren’t kidding about hefty loads, as the trike comes with a 415 lb (188 kg) payload rating for rider and cargo. That includes up to 330 lb (150 kg) riders, as well as a max rating of 75 lb (34 kg) on the rear rack and 35 lb (16 kg) on the front basket.

The bike even includes the front and rear baskets as part of a free cargo bundle, though it’s listed as “while supplies last”. The cargo package seems to be part of a launch promotion, so if you’re on the fence but really like the free front and rear cargo baskets, then you may want to consider pulling the trigger on this one before that option is gone.

The XP Trike itself weighs 69.5 lb with the 48V 14Ah battery, though unlocking and removing the battery can probably get the trike down to around 60 lb even. That battery is probably larger than most riders will even need, offering around 60 miles (96 km) of range on pedal assist, and probably at least 40 miles (65 km) on throttle-only riding considering the lower top speed of the trike.

The top speed of 14 mph (22.5 km) is obtainable under throttle or pedal assist, though only in the highest speed setting (level 5).

Lower speed levels can keep the trike from getting away from new riders while they get re-accustomed to being back on a bike (or trike).

The single-speed drivetrain means there is no shifter to deal with, though it also precludes having a lower gear to shift into on hills. But with two-wheel drive from a 500W motor that peaks at an actual 1,092W and puts out 65 Nm of torque, hills won’t be a problem.

And I’m not just saying that — I recently visited the company in Phoenix to test out the first XP Trike on a massive hill up the side of a small mountain. It was tough to walk up the road, which wasn’t even a public road but rather sort of an access road to an antenna at the top of the mountain (I’m not sure public roads are allowed to be this steep). Even so, the XP Trike pulled me up just fine. I was blown away by how much torque it had, even when we added a pile of steel weights into the rear basket to drag up the hill with me. In fact, the road was so steep that I was thankful Lectric outfitted the trike with hydraulic disc brakes so I could make a confident descent. It’s also great to see the the XP Trike has a parking brake, in case you ever need to park on a hill.

Despite that impressive power, keeping the pedal assist in lower speed levels made the power gentle and manageable on startups so that it didn’t feel overwhelming.

I’ll have a complete first ride experience coming soon. But if you don’t mind spoilers, know that I’ll definitely be recommending this trike to those who are looking for an accessible three-wheeler that won’t break the bank. At just $1,499, this is a seriously good deal.

Electric trikes as a new battleground?

Electric tricycles have become a growing category in the e-bike world and even a hot new battleground after Lectric eBikes followed Rad Power Bikes’ launch of the RadTrike with their own Lectric XP Trike announcement.

Other companies are also getting into the trike game, though these are definitely the two major players at the moment.

Having ridden both, I can say that the RadTrike felt a bit more stable with an extra wide rear end, though both were more than comfortable in turns and I had to go out of my way to try to get them up on two wheels. With Rad offering what is likely a more elegant ground up design and Lectric coming in with arguably more features (including that key fully-assembled delivery), both e-trikes have strong selling propositions.

I’m definitely excited about the future of electric trikes. Companies like these are pushing the industry forward, and that’s good for everyone.