Skip to main content

5-Hour Energy creator to distribute 10,000 stationary bikes to power homes in India

You may not know the name Manoj Bhargava, but you’ve probably seen his creation enough times for it to become a household name. Bottles of 5-hour Energy sit stacked at virtually every convenience store counter and supermarket checkout aisle in the country, and now Bhargava wants to pay forward his immense career success by bringing a game-changing renewable energy solution to his home country, India.

While Bhargava’s monetary success has been debated by finance experts and media representatives, popular estimates say his entrepreneurial portfolio has earned him somewhere around $4 billion in personal wealth. Bhargava’s commitment to developing sustainable, affordable solutions to global issues on a huge scale have led him to research desalination systems to create potable water reserves and even a unique graphene cord that would harness geothermal energy.

Recommended Videos

Bhargava hasn’t given up on these projects, and his graphene cord has environmentalists and sustainability experts atwitter with either excitement or dissent, depending on who you ask. But it’s his Free Electric movement that Bhargava believes is going to revolutionize electricity for the billions of people around the world who live day to day without reliable access to power.

 

The Free Electric project is powered by a stationary bike –or rather, 10,000 stationary bikes– which Bhargava will distribute throughout cities and villages in India. Each bike is equipped with a battery that holds the electric charge created by the pedaling action that turns a turbine generator. Bhargava plans to test a round of 50 bikes in small villages in Uttarakhand, in Northern India before rolling out the full 10,000 throughout the rest of India in the first quarter of 106.

Bhargava has promised that Free Electric bikes will be an affordable investment for Indian families, and will make them available in a variety of formats so that people can work together to bring power to their villages. Bhargava believes manufacturing costs can be kept low, so bikes can be sold for about $100, at his estimation. The bikes will be made in India, and will be simple enough that any mechanic or repairman will be able to tend to wear and tear.

One hour of pedaling is expected to power the electricity needs of a standard Indian home for a whole day, including lights and basic appliances. Bhargava envisions communities and villages pooling their resources to purchase one bike with multiple, exchangeable batteries, so that individual homes can be powered by the effort of a single communal Free Electric bike.

Critics of projects like Free Electric have suggested that people living in poverty around the world don’t want off-the-grid energy solutions, they want grid-based power in the same way so much of the developed world experiences it. Bhargava himself admitted to National Geographic that impoverished communities want the same things as those in developed nations, but he hopes that Free Electric will help people sustain themselves and their families with a responsible, renewable electricity solution in the meantime.

Chloe Olewitz
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chloe is a writer from New York with a passion for technology, travel, and playing devil's advocate. You can find out more…
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more
Zoox recalls robotaxis after Las Vegas crash, citing software fix
zoox recall crash 1739252352 robotaxi side profile in dark mode

Amazon's self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, has issued a voluntary safety recall after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a minor collision in Las Vegas. The incident, which occurred in April 2025, led the company to investigate and identify a software issue affecting how the robotaxi anticipates another vehicle’s path.
The recall, affecting 270 Zoox-built vehicles, was formally filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Zoox said the issue has already been addressed through a software update that was remotely deployed to its fleet.
Zoox’s robotaxis, which operate without driving controls like a steering wheel or pedals, are part of Amazon’s entry into the autonomous driving space. According to Zoox’s safety recall report, the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making an unprotected left turn, leading to a low-speed collision with a regular passenger car. While damage was minor, the event raised flags about the system’s behavior in complex urban scenarios.
Establishing safety and reliability remain key factors in the deployment of the relatively new autonomous ride-hailing technology. Alphabet-owned Waymo continues to lead the sector in both safety and operational scale, with services active in multiple cities including Phoenix and San Francisco. But GM’s Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI were forced to abandon operations over the past few years.
Tesla is also expected to enter the robotaxi race with the launch of its own service in June 2025, leveraging its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While FSD has faced heavy regulatory scrutiny through last year, safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, says it issued the recall voluntarily as part of its commitment to safety. “It’s essential that we remain transparent about our processes and the collective decisions we make,” the company said in a statement.

Read more