Absolutely real - in eco mode, my Vello Bike+ can easily come home with more charge than it had when I left. Of course, nothing comes for free: it takes a bit more effort to pedal on the flat, and it reduces the speed going downhill if you backpedal (up to 25kph - after that, both motor and charging cut out). In eco mode the motor assists when starting, and when going up a hill (it has a sensor so it knows). The assistance is not great, and hardly noticeable on anything steeper than 10%, but it helps to even out the ride. Good gears would be cheaper and just as effective, I think. In ebike or turbo mode it behaves more like a conventional e-bike, very smooth assistance, wonderful against a bit of wind or on a shallow gradient, but still not fantastic for going up steeper hills, though it does help more. In ebike mode I reckon I get about 20-40km range, depending on hills. The hills really eat up power, and there's not much of it. I have a 2km slope of about 15-20% going up from my house and it is not unusual for that to eat 30% of the battery, sometimes more on a hot day. If it weren't for the appalling app, this would be great.
