Mike leroy
Active Member
On my last run to my local store for groceries, I spoke with a former eBike owner. He is very fit. The eBike only helped for short, 2 mile trips, not commutes over 5 miles. He felt A 10kW Honda PCX 150cc scooter is most appropriate for suburban hills in the 10% to 15% grade range, over longer distances. The Honda PCX is highway worthy and sells under $4000.
Whatever eBike I buy has to be competitive with the PCX150. I am willing to bias my decision highly against gas. I just hate the idea of burning gas. It is like smoking tobacco. The only eBike that I consider competitive is the 2kW Grace One.15, due out in Sept 2015.
The One.15 weighs 31kg (2kW) = 15.5 Watts per kilo. The PCX weighs 126kg (10kW) = 12.6 W/kg.
My bias is clearly in favor of bicycles. So, we are off to a great start, the One.15 is about 20% more powerful, without adding human pedalling power. I like this comparison from the get-go!
The lower end, Honda Ruckus sells for $2800 and gets 114mpg! The Honda PCX is three times more powerful than the Ruckus and 33% heavier. I will focus on the PCX150, because it has a higher power-to-weight ratio.
What is wrong with this picture? A decent Euro bike costs about $4000. The conclusion most people reach is the ebikes are unbelievably overpriced.
Sooner or later a big Japanese company will start importing quality, Chinese eBikes at a reasonable, competitive cost, ala Sondors eabike model. Once the Honda, Yahama, whoever, sticks their label on an Asian bike, they will start selling in much higher volumes.
Tbis is a WIP. These comparions require a significant amount of research, so I can only fill in the details in a piecemeal fashion.
Whatever eBike I buy has to be competitive with the PCX150. I am willing to bias my decision highly against gas. I just hate the idea of burning gas. It is like smoking tobacco. The only eBike that I consider competitive is the 2kW Grace One.15, due out in Sept 2015.
The One.15 weighs 31kg (2kW) = 15.5 Watts per kilo. The PCX weighs 126kg (10kW) = 12.6 W/kg.
My bias is clearly in favor of bicycles. So, we are off to a great start, the One.15 is about 20% more powerful, without adding human pedalling power. I like this comparison from the get-go!
The lower end, Honda Ruckus sells for $2800 and gets 114mpg! The Honda PCX is three times more powerful than the Ruckus and 33% heavier. I will focus on the PCX150, because it has a higher power-to-weight ratio.
What is wrong with this picture? A decent Euro bike costs about $4000. The conclusion most people reach is the ebikes are unbelievably overpriced.
Sooner or later a big Japanese company will start importing quality, Chinese eBikes at a reasonable, competitive cost, ala Sondors eabike model. Once the Honda, Yahama, whoever, sticks their label on an Asian bike, they will start selling in much higher volumes.
Tbis is a WIP. These comparions require a significant amount of research, so I can only fill in the details in a piecemeal fashion.
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