The pace of innovation is mind-blowing!

[Ravi Kempaiah]

The business model is selling a dream, and VCs know it, and they don't mind, on the off chance that a company takes off. And that's the whole Indiegogo model. Your listed prices seem great but reasonable, but that's very far from $1000 for a $5000 ebike.

Reminds me of this quote.
The reason why there are so many Chinese re-branded E-bikes in the US market is that the cost of doing things right is prohibitive and people always shop for the lowest-priced item. At least in the <$2K category.

Still, the barrier to entry to the E-bike market is WAY lower than the car industry. To be able to build a great electric car on a small scale, one needs at least $4-5 billion.
But, RadPower can grow from $320K Indigogo to a fairly sustainable business at $30M+, then it proves thing that, if you are shrewd enough, do aggressive marketing, it is possible to put 50K bikes on the market.
Again, the barrier to entry is low but the next 3-4 years will see tremendous growth and reorganization in this space.

 

[Asher]

In the VC/tech entrepreneur scene, they say it's hard to change a company's 'DNA'. Insofar as that's true, I don't see Rad doing anything that advances industry product design, because it's not something they've done until now. They spend lots of money on marketing, have good customer service, but there's nothing cutting edge about it. Their focus has been outreach not advance.

I think you're conflating funding with innovation, when funding is just about who can potentially make money. VCs pay for profits, not advancing product design. The talk about innovation is often just a feel good mantra to make some loudmouthed VCs and startups feel like they're doing more than they are.

Here are three VC backed companies offering mail order medical treatment. The former two charge a huge premium for a regular prescription, and the last offers mediocre possibly dangerous treatment at a lower price. The play is marketing, not innovation, for all three.

Ro (company) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Hims & Hers Health - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Smile direct club

 

[Mulezen]

I don’t know the price but the first ‘earthly’ application of this tech is to be cycle tires. Given the high mileage and relative high cost of eBikes these would seem to be in our future

Cycling — The SMART Tire Company

www.smarttirecompany.com

Your next bicycle could have titanium alloy tires like NASA's rovers

The Smart Tire Company has developed tires made from NiTinol, a nickel/titanium alloy. Bicycle tires are expected next year, and future applications include cars and trucks.

www.autoblog.com

 

[kmccune]

Wow, that is good value.

I'm guessing you need a motorcycle license to ride one of these.

Sounds like it is plenty powerful,I am guessing these could(literally) fly under the radar for awhile, one of my Old Friends was sharing a "hack for the "49cc scooters, it surprised Me how much difference this simple thing did.

 

[Kayakguy]

To decrease prices volume has to go up. To increase the volume infrastructure has to be improved and people should be encouraged to ride.

For the space of a single lane road, a two lane bicycle "highway" can be built. I say highway because the longer ones should let people ride legally at least 20mph. These paths should be open to other power limited, light electric vehicles.

Many people would switch to bicycles, ebikes or similar micro mobility vehicles if we had such interconnected paths(which are separated from the traffic) of at least 10-15 miles each.

Dedicated bike lanes should cost much less than regular roads and highways, because they don't have to be built to carry tons of weight at high speeds. Huge trucks are the most damaging to our highways, and are the reason why the Interstate is so costly to build and maintain.

 

[kmccune]

Dedicated bike lanes should cost much less than regular roads and highways, because they don't have to be built to carry tons of weight at high speeds. Huge trucks are the most damaging to our highways, and are the reason why the Interstate is so costly to build and maintain.

True. on the other hand, those huge 385-425/22.5s have a way of finding the edge of the road. The spec would probably have to be the same.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I don’t know the price but the first ‘earthly’ application of this tech is to be cycle tires. Given the high mileage and relative high cost of eBikes these would seem to be in our future

Cycling — The SMART Tire Company

www.smarttirecompany.com

Your next bicycle could have titanium alloy tires like NASA's rovers

The Smart Tire Company has developed tires made from NiTinol, a nickel/titanium alloy. Bicycle tires are expected next year, and future applications include cars and trucks.

www.autoblog.com

In the summer of 2009, I interned with the folks who invented those Shape Memory Alloy-based tires you linked to. Back then they were still searching for a huge problem where they could it to good use.
Glad to see that it has materialized now. A small video snipper from NASA Glenn research center.