FAQ

Electric bikes add power to your pedal power enabling you to do more with a bicycle and have more fun!

Ride faster when compared to a conventional bike. You may be surprised how quickly you can get around even compared to a car. With an eBike you can avoid traffic using bike routes, maintain a higher average speed than a conventional bike, and then park (for free) extremely close to where you are going.

Enjoy riding uphill and into headwinds because the electric assist helps you along.

Don’t sweat it; ride with higher assist to get to work quickly and with no sweat. Then ride home with less assist to get a workout if you want.

Safety. Safely get through intersections by being able to accelerate quickly from a stop.

Save the joints. eBikes can make bike riding fun again by making putting less pressure on knees, hips, and other joints.

Enjoy the ride together. You may have a riding partner that rides at a different speed than you. An eBike can even out the pace for both of you.

Leave the car at home. The convenience, the ease and the speed of an electric bike make it an alternative to an automobile more often than a regular bike. A study by Portland State University shows that eBike owners ride more frequently and farther than when they relied on their traditional bike.

Have more fun! Riding a bicycle is already fun and when you add electric assist it becomes even more fun. Notice how many people come back from an eBike test ride with a huge smile on their face!

-       Commuting to work

-       Taking the kids to school with kids seats or trailer

-       Running everyday errands; groceries, post office, shopping, etc.

-       Exploring new parts of the city, countryside, forest, or beach

-       Bicycle touring

-       Mountain biking

-       Business deliveries: restaurants, postal services (FedEx, UPS, DHL, and others use them)

-       eBike share programs and rentals.

Most electric bikes in the U.S. will provide you with assist up to 20 mph, putting them in California Class 2 category. California class 3 bikes will provide power up to 28 mph, but only while your pedaling.

They certainly can, but the intent of an electric bicycle is to be very similar to a conventional bicycle and that includes the speed that it can travel. If eBikes provided higher power assisted speeds then they would be regulated like a scooter/motorcycle which requires registration, licensure, insurance, etc. In addition, this would limit where eBikes can be ridden.

Bicycles and electric bicycles are great vehicles because they do not require registration, licensure, insurance, and there are so many places they can be ridden.

Most electric bikes have a range of 20-40 miles and that depends on the riding conditions (hills, headwinds, etc.), how much pedal power you are providing, and how much weight you are moving (yourself + cargo). You can get eBikes with more range (up to 100 miles) but they are generally more expensive and weigh more because of the larger battery pack. Quick tip: charging your battery at work will help to increase your daily range.

Generally electric bikes in the U.S. will range from 250 watts to 750 watts. 750 watts is the maximum power to still be a considered a Class 2 bicycle and that equates to 1 horsepower.

Most electric bike batteries will fully charge from empty in 3 to 6 hours depending on the battery size.

In general it will cost $0.03 to $0.10 to charge an electric bike battery pack. This will depend on what your local electricity supplier charges. With this in mind, most employers will not mind if you charge your battery at work.

Some electric bikes have this feature but this requires a substantial amount of your pedal power, so be ready for one heck of a workout! Some of these same eBikes have regenerative braking that will charge the battery as you are braking, similar to the way electric cars do, but this technology is expensive and not effective for the average rider.

It depends on your riding preference. Some people like throttle because it allows them to cruise along with or without pedaling. Pedal assist adds assist as soon as you start pedaling and people who are used to riding conventional bikes tend to prefer this system. Many eBikes in the U.S. have both throttle and pedal assist so you may not have to choose between the systems. If you have to choose between them, make sure you spend a significant amount of time riding both systems to determine what works best for you.

Electric bikes range in price from $500 to $10,000+ but the average retail price range for quality electric bikes is $1,200 to $3,500.

Generally electric bikes range from 45 pounds to 60 pounds. Of course there are the exceptions on both sides of that range.