Comments on: Best Buy to sell electric 2-wheelers

By: mpgmotors

mpgmotors — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:54:56 +0000

Unfortunately, e-bikes are not legal in all states. They are not legal in Pennsylvania even though they make terrific sense for the number of small towns and slower roads that we have here.

I talk about it on my blog here:

http://mpgmotors.com/blog/2007/12/18/electric-bikes-illegal-in-pennsylvania-at-this-time/

If you are a PA resident, please contact your rep to help get this changed.

By: illnoise

illnoise — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:30:40 +0000

It’s a weird market. I agree that electric bicycles make more sense than a hybrid scooter or electric scooter. I think the problems are battery weight (the truly useful e-bikes weigh too much to pedal realistically) and the cost (which is reasonable, but comparable to a scooter, which just seems more substantial.

E-bikes have lots of things going for them, and I think their pros outweigh their cons more than electric scooters pros outweigh their cons. Thanks for your comment, you’ve inspired me to write a longer treatise.

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about Best Buy getting into the ebike biz, and I’m torn. More on that later, too.

By: chip_cook

chip_cook — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:58:45 +0000

I keep seeing articles on electric scooters, and I am frankly amazed how little attention has been placed on electric bicycles or ebikes, which one could argue is an electric motorbike. Especially relevant to costs – as these first generation electric bikes that I read about are expensive compared to the ebike I own.

While the concept of rigging a combustible motor on a bicycle (think Whizzer) is nothing new, we now have several companies selling bicycles with electric motors that are “pedal assist,” and in some cases fully capable of powering the average bicycle without the rider pedaling, and for a decent range and speed.

I think the best solution is buying an aftermarket kit that can fit on an existing bicycle. Think of all the bicycles people own, sitting in their garage but are never ridden? I bought my kit from ampedbikes.com for three hundred bucks, and was able to install it on my five year old mountain bike from Target in 20 minutes.

I had to source a battery set-up, which was an extra $100 bucks. But I can now ride (without pedaling) 18+ mph on the road, and faster if I pedal. Depending on the type of battery you select, you can get a range of up to ten miles or more before a recharge is needed.

The Business Journal article states that Best Buy will sell a Brammo made bike that can go 50 MPH and travel 45 miles before a recharge is needed. People who would be inclined to purchase a product like this would not need to go as fast or as far. They would more than likely live in cities and commute under 10 miles to work or wherever.