A vintage-inspired e-bike

use of the electric and gas engines for the most ef cient travel. FUTURE EFFORTS: Land Rover cannot comment on future product plans. STARTING PRICE; $83,000 for Sport P400e HSE Silver Edition; $97,000 for P400e HSE; landroverusa.com

Volvo

MOST EFFICIENT HYBRID: S60 Recharge RANGE ON BATTERY CHARGE: 22 miles OTHER SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES: Features three drive modes that offer zero tailpipe emission commuting, maximum fuel ef ciency, and high performance. FUTURE EFFORTS: Volvo will invest $84 million into in-house electric-motor production. The company will triple the manufacturing capacity for electric vehicles at its Belgium plant, and its goal for 2025 is to have a global eet of vehicles in which 50% are fully electric cars and the rest are hybrids. STARTING PRICE: $47,650; volvocars.com

CHARGING AHEAD

Vintage Electric’s latest throttle electric bike carries on the brand’s tradition of marrying classic lines with contemporary power.

Audi

MOST EFFICIENT HYBRID: 2021 Audi A7 55 TFSI e

RANGE ON BATTERY CHARGE: 24 miles OTHER SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES: The A7 is equipped with Predictive Ef ciency Assist, which analyzes the topography in the navigation system to maximize ef ciency. The vehicle also defaults to using EV mode unless the driver speci es otherwise. FUTURE EFFORTS: Audi will soon expand its all-electric portfolio with the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT, as well as with Q4 e-tron SUV models.

STARTING PRICE: $74,900; audiusa.com

When Andrew Davidge pushed in all of his chips and committed to starting an electric bike company during the second half of 2012, the venture that would become Vintage Electric was not without its risks. The company’s designs, which reflected the classic lines and styling of American motorcycles from the turn of the 20th century, guaranteed at least some interest from vintage car and motorcycle enthusiasts, but there was no guarantee that an electric bike—let alone one with a vintage aesthetic—was going to move the needle for the average consumer. “It seems like a no-brainer today, but back then it wasn’t a sure thing,” Davidge recalls.

Today, especially as people are adjusting their lifestyles and their priorities thanks to the global pandemic, electric bikes have never been more popular. “People are looking to explore their own backyards in a safe way, and the bikes we build are perfect for that,” he says. “It’s the ultimate socially distanced way to get around.”

The Bay Area company’s latest model, the Tracker Classic (starting at $5,240), harkens to Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles from the 1920s. While it o ers the same capabilities as Vintage Electric’s flagship models, delivering a maximum speed of 20 mph with an optional race mode that can elevate the bike’s performance to 36 mph, albeit limiting that added speed to use only on private property—the Tracker Classic is distinctive for its retro-styled cruiser handlebars that promote an upright riding position and deliver controls at the rider’s fingertips.

“Performance is really important to us—we like fast cars, fast motorcycles, and fast bikes—but we took a step back with the Tracker Classic,” Davidge says. “We asked, ‘How is someone really using the vehicle that we’re building?’ Yes, it does have the performance that we’re known for, but comfort was put first. It’s about being a fun, comfortable bike that’s easy to use.”

Fully charged, the Tracker Classic’s 720-watt hour battery o ers a range of 25 to 50 miles (depending on how aggressively the bike is ridden). With a bandwidth that broad, you could spend hours cruising the bike paths around the Rose Bowl Stadium, Brookside Golf Course, and Upper Arroyo Park and still have plenty of juice left to venture through Old Pasadena and around Caltech’s campus.

If you prefer to cruise under the radar, however, Caltech’s campus may not be the place for you. After all, in a setting like that, an e-bike of this caliber is sure to garner plenty of attention. vintageelectricbikes.com —S.T.

ASK THE EXPERT

GREG KIRAKOSIAN

KIRAKOSIAN LAW APC

PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER IN LOS ANGELES

Your cases range from celebrity scandals to high profile civil rights cases. Who are your average clients?

Everybody deserves good legal representation. Obviously, our cases involving celebrities get more media attention. Representing celebrities or getting ustice in horrific police shootings and misconduct cases are extremely rewarding. However, our average client is your everyday person who was hurt in a car accident or other types of accidents, or is seeking justice for being mistreated or wrongfully terminated by their employer. People should never think that their case is unimportant or that attorneys only take “big” cases. A good lawyer will make every case a good case.

When should someone contact an attorney?

If you’ve been injured or think there may be a problem, my best advice is to contact an attorney as soon as possible. Like us, most attorneys provide free consultations and will talk to you right away. Some cases are easy to identify and most people know they need an attorney to help them, like car accidents or other personal injuries. However, most people don’t know their rights in the workplace or with respect to police officers. Here are some red ags in the workplace that should prompt you to immediately contact an attorney: (1) Discrimination: If your race, gender, religion, disability, or sexual orientation is being improperly considered by your employer; (2) Sexual Harassment: If anyone is making sexual advances or any improper, unnecessary, or unwelcome sexual comments; (3) Breaktime: if you are not being paid for or not allowed to take reasonable meal breaks and rest breaks during the workday; and (4) Retaliation: if are you being punished in any way for complaining about wrongful or improper conduct in the workplace. When in doubt, contact an attorney.

How do you value someone’s case?

It is extremely difficult to put a dollar value on someone’s claim or injury. So, we consider the same factors a judge would instruct a jury to consider when we are evaluating a case. First, we calculate the economic damages; i.e. past and future medical expenses, lost income, property damage, etc. These numbers tend to be fairly clear cut and well documented. The harder question is the non-economic damages; i.e. pain and suffering. Some people believe the benchmark is three times your economic damages. This is an absurd notion. We often recover 10 to 15 times the economic damages. For example, we recently recovered $175,000 for a client in a car accident case who incurred only $13,000 in medical expenses. We are able to recover large dollar amounts because of how we define pain and suffering all the worry, fright, anxiety, loss of sleep, loss of enjoyment of life, and any other way an injury has impacted your life.

How long do civil cases usually take?

Every client asks this question, and the answer is always the same: it depends. Obviously, clear cut cases settle quicker than highly disputed cases. However, injured people looking for attorneys should be cautious of a firm that may only be thinking about settlement. Focusing on a quick settlement is a surefire way to devalue your case and limit your recovery, because most defense attorneys can smell the need for a quick buck. The better strategy is to move quickly, forcefully, and prepare for trial from the outset. That approach can not only add value to your case, but knowing you are prepared for trial can force a more favorable settlement.

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