The reason many e-bikes 'depreciate' so fast, has nothing to do with the batteries, but more to do with the fact that the vast majority of them are way over-priced at between $2600 and $12,000 for what you actually get. In fact, most that are priced over $3000, when you compare what's really on them, are not any better in quality of components, than a solid one priced at $1800. The bigger players like Pedego, Easy Motion, Stromer, Haibike, and so on, are demanding a hefty premium for their 'brand' and marketing. Not to target Pedego, but you can find virtually their exact same e-bikes at Asian factories that sell direct. The costs in USD are about $550 to $700 for e-bikes that Pedego sells for $2600 to $3400. Those factories build and sell in qty, but they do allow samples in smaller quantities. They are not set up to sell to the consumer, but just using it as a reference point to what it actually costs to build these. Sure you add some for shipping, which by sea is dirt cheap especially in any meaningful quantity, and then cost of customs and unloading. Maybe that adds about $60 to $100 per ebike at most. The market is an excellent 'weighing' mechanism, in that it is telling you that you paid way too much, if you can't sell it for anything close to its original sell price when new, if it's been used for a few months or even a year. Cars are the same way, and often worse in the first years, but people derive far more utilitarian value from a car, and usually can keep it for at least 10 years. Obsoleted by new technology advances, and they also extremely high prices. They get or take what the market can bear, but keep in mind that only goes so far, and thats why you have more than 30% of car purchases today coming from subprime buyers, with an absurd 7 year loan term. They are upside down almost the day they drive it off the lot. But then thats why too, the industry has such horrid boom and bust cycles. If you think of the utilitarian value of the ebike, and how often you will use it in your part of the US, in a 2 season area, where winter stinks, and late fall or early spring stink too in terms of temps, then you are probably not psychologically going to be willing to spend as much, as someone who can use it year round in places like FLA or AZ, or CA. Most seasoned IBD's who have been in the bike business for years, smell this stuff from a mile away and that's why they won't touch e-bikes with a 10 foot pole. Besides being a huge capital outlay, for fewer bikes, the margins aren't any better with e-bikes than with regular bikes. They can see the rapid technological obsolescence too, so the risk from season to season is quite high of clearing inventory. I have to laugh at these jokers who have 10,000 and 12,000 SF e-bike sales facilities who think they will remain a going concern. They will HAVE to discount the heck out of their ebikes, to make enough inventory turns to cover their nut for the size facility, limited buyers, and the infantile nature of this market. Asia and Europe view ebikes far differently, and require bikes for many of their needs, where here its just a recreational pursuit, when you have cars to get you around.
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