Lock Hughes

"go time electric bikes"? Looks like they offer a lovely range of options... One caveat? "Power    750 watts street legal mode..."? Maybe in the USA? In Canada, *street legal" power-assist is 500 watts (continuous. No mention... yet... re PEAK/temp powers. ) Watt is still plenty (as adults of good average fitness average between 50 and 150 watts for an hour of vigorous exercise). Also, they fail to mention TORQUE. AKA rate of "acceleration".  Electrics can output about FULL torque at about ZERO RPMs. And ya can discount anything that doesn't offer REGEN... regenerative braking. And then you have your aerodynamics... For example, folks in the Netherlands, with no hills to speak of, have some terrific winds to battle. (In 2012, they estimated already ONE MILLION of their European "EPACs" - electric pedal-assisted cycles - on their (vastly superior) biking infrastructure. Roads and paths.) Then you have the Swiss... think bikes eg from Stromer?

"New Type-Approval for Speed E-Bikes Now Effective":
http://www.bike-eu.com/laws-regulations/nieuws/2016/1/new-type-approval-for-speed-e-bikes-now-effective-10125384

"2 categories in type-approval

In the new type-approval, there are 2 categories that can accommodate electric bikes. L1e-A is for “powered cycles” with a maximum speed of 25 km/h and maximum 1 kW of power. L1e-B is for “mopeds” with maximum 45 km/h and 4 kW. So-called speed pedelecs up to 45 km/h come under this category."  

With electrics, it's really ALL about the battery (chemistry). Just terming batts as "lithium"? You have lithium-ion, plus LOTS of flavours... chemistries and formats:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_battery

Note too... Above Wiki FAILS to mention "lithium battery cycle life".

And re "aerodynamics"? I went to recumbent. Need to add more storage ("weight")? I went tricycle. And the sense I have from media reports? The urban world is going to folders. And "fat" tires. (Better in snows and on sand, but also handy for handling streetcar tracks, etc.

Hehe... Is there such a thing as "too much" information?

`Round here (Toronto), last time checked, one can finance the purchase of one new electric bike (with a thing "good credit rating") where monthly loan payments = about HALF of a monthly transit pass. (And no more "last bus"... always a seat... no more "last mile"... Get to work not needing a shower and a change of clothes. And a snack. And a nap.) But using any old (steel frame) bike can also buy a conversion kit of a motor, battery and bits for just some hundreds of dollars? And yah may still pedal for warmth and exercise as usual, and also to extend the ranges per charge, but also to shave off peak loads at startups, up hills, etc. Such that the battery cells aren't as taxed and last longer before final recycling/replacement. "Best" these days, to drive overall cost to operate to be about the same energy used as the calories in foods. And these days, in a Lithium world, anybuddy tries to sell you lead batteries? RUN AWAY.

Hi. First post here. Disabled old sailor glad to be aboard.

I actually stumbled across electric traction decades ago, to power a small ferry boat across Toronto harbour. (The stink of diseasal engine exhaust made my daughters ill.)

So I bought my first "ebike" to reacquaint myself with batteries and "electric things". (First Institute of Higher Drinking was a University to be an Electrical Engineer... though ended up wasting my time as an accountant. Hehe)

This was a tiny two-wheeled stand up kick scooter (with extra "kick" via a motor plus 2x 12V 10Ah SLA batteries in series... about a nominal 400 watts). This was in the years before Canada (and Canadian provinces... think "States"...) first legalized our "power-assisted bicycle".

American cousins get to play with one whole horse (748 watts). Canada is more pony-powered at 500 watts. Euro folks... gets "worse"/less powerful at 250 watts.

Anyway... Just logged aboard here as wish to point ya to another forum that's all about electric vehicles, and those mostly the battery-electric bicycle. Mostly US folks, but also Canada, Europe, etc, etc. All over, but in the English language primarily:
Endless Sphere

Cheers... and Fair Winds and Following Seas
Lock