Pedrao

It wouldn't make sense for them to rise like that in an increasingly competitive market and lead batteries already having been ditched for lithium ion. What's the 20 percent based on, even if it is a rough guess?

I disagree with most of that, and I've hired a Dacia Logan ... twice ;-) On the other hand, you have a point with the iPhone that I think some others are making - it's more expensive in relative terms than a Nokia 3310 when it was 'the' phone 15 years ago - because the iPhone can do so much more and people find all of that is worth paying for and maybe e-bikes are headed the same way for now. I'm not complaining that electric bikes are a rip off. I tried a couple, loved them, but am still reluctant to buy when I see the price (though some people on the forum have shown me there are some pedelecs out there much cheaper than I thought. If I was living in one place and could do the sums in terms of savings vs other transport, I guess it would start to make sense. I'll buy one sooner or later though and I hope they really take off. They're probably going to have to become a bit more 'foolproof' though if a few rain showers are enough to seriously damage them...

Yep, it was locked. I was worried someone might even try to steal the battery (though it was inside a tiered panier). I guess that doesn't happen since it would be hard to sell on. The bike you mention is definitely cheap - I didn't think there was anything in that range on the market. I don't necessarily need to go for the absolute cheapest. Just hard to understand how you'd get twice the bike going from a grand to two or three grand in terms of battery life and reliability.

Thanks a lot Flecc. Why are prices for batteries rising if pedelec manufacture is being scaled up? Maybe early adopters are looking for performance first and foremost? It seems to be the opposite trend vs electric cars. In terms of motors, beyond looking at the wattage, which is usually listed at 250w, what is there listed in the description of pedelec adverts that helps a buyer discern whether it's a more torquey motor or one that's more speed-oriented? Is there some kind of figure or something that describes this? I'm definitely looking at a second hand one - I'm tall so a mountain bike style would be best. I'd like to take it on some long rides and make it my 'car' as much as possible, with paniers etc. I've seen a two-year old Volt Pulse or some such with 1200 miles on it, on sale at two thirds of its new price, which seems about right from a cursory look at used bikes online. Anyway, I hope the market will head in the direction of a solid new bike with a robust battery for about 600 pounds so that more people become interested (for the planet's sake!). The price of new bikes still looks so much like a used car with a fraction of the components though I know running costs are near zilch. My two big fears are buying one and the battery inexplicably failing and having it stolen. When I hired one I parked up and went into a shop for 15 mins and was sweating most of the time at the 1300 pounds I'd lose if it was nicked! Kind of detracted from the otherwise great fun I had with it.

Hi, I'm excited about electric bikes after hiring one and doing a very enjoyable 25 miles on the first ride. I've also been following the emergence of electric cars over the last five years and the big expectation with them seems to be that they are going to eventually fall significantly in price, go further on a charge and take less time to charge. Though range is probably already more than enough on available pedelecs, could someone say what trends they have seen over the last few years in terms of price? Are pedelecs falling in price or are they expected to get much cheaper? I'm still put off by the price and the cost of battery replacement. What's the difference between different motors? If they're all 250w then does that mean they all basically provide the same amount of assistance on hills etc? Is motor failure an issue with pedelecs and do they ever need replacement or do they far outlive the battery? Also, has anyone worn out their first battery and bought a second? Did the first one last as long as expected? Are batteries easily damaged by fully discharging? (Minor question - if I stop at friend's house and ask to charge my bike, how can I calculate how many kilowatt hours it uses every hour? Or e.g. does a 400 watt hour battery use 400 watt hours (0.4 kwh or about 10 pence) to fully charge? A lot of questions! Thanks for any help. Peter