Why Are Electric Bicycles Expensive

eBike

March 22, 2019

Hey guys, Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. Want to talk to you today about E-bikes and more specifically, why are E-bikes more expensive than a normal bike, or also why are E-bikes a little bit expensive in general? Let's get into it. E-bikes obviously have a motor, and that motor contains a battery, and then it has a controller, and a display. One easy thing already to distinguish why they are more expensive is they come with a motor, and they come with a battery. That really, in the simplest form, is why they're more expensive. Now, why are they, let's say, significantly more expensive than a normal bike? A couple of reasons, E-bikes, in the way that we know them, really haven't been around that long.

Now, the idea and the technology has been around for a while, but they haven't really become popular until about the last 10 years. But more specifically, I would say, in the last like two, three, four, five years. This is kind of newer technology. Anytime something is newer hits the market, it's going to be more expensive. Now, my thought and my assumption are over time, prices of E-bikes will come down just like cell phones, computers, et cetera. But, we're kind of in this whole new market exploration. That's one reason why E-bikes are more expensive. It's a newer non-commodity item that makes them more expensive, just like when smartphones came out, and things like that.

The other thing is really in the battery. E-bikes require a very large battery to power them. Lithium-ion technology is also a newer technology. In cars, you obviously have lead acid batteries. Comparatively a lead acid battery is a little bit more expensive than a lithium-ion battery. Now, over time, I would assume that lithium-ion batteries will come down. When you look at an E-bike, it's a significantly, pretty decent sized battery. E-bikes, a very large percentage of the cost increase over a normal bike is in the battery. As you choose a larger motor that requires a larger battery, the cost of the bike is going to go up.

If you're looking to minimize your cost when getting into the E-bikes, a smaller battery is going to significantly bring the cost of the bike down. Now, on the flip side, that means that your bike isn't going to be able to last as long in terms of on a ride. Smaller batteries may only be able to take you 10 miles full electricity, bigger batteries may be able to take you 40, 50, 60 miles. You're really going to feel it in the cost of the overall bike as the battery gets larger.

Now there's the motor, and the motor, same thing. Obviously, normal bicycles don't have motors. You're adding a cost by adding the motor. Then there are different motor sizes, and there are different types of motors. Typically speaking, the rear hub drive motors are a little less expensive than what's called a mid-drive motor, different technology, different ways of functioning, things of that nature. If you're looking to keep costs down, rear hub drive motors are going to be less than the mid-drive motors. But again, the motor is what makes the bike so expensive. Over time, as the technology improves and manufacturing gets simpler, I would assume the costs of E-bikes come down. But again, as it's a newer thing just hitting the market, that's what makes E-bikes so expensive.

Couple of tips. If you're going to buy an E-bike and you want to bring costs down, smaller battery, smaller motor, two definite tips. Or you can also do a bigger motor, but a smaller battery, it just might not give you enough juice to power the motor the way you want to. But you can save on cost. I wouldn't recommend it, but you can save on cost. My other suggestion is the battery is really important to powering your E-bike. Although it's going to make the bike more expensive, you want to make sure you have the right size battery for your E-bike so it works the way you want it to.

Check out our E-bikes. Look up here in the top nav of our website. Go ahead and find your way over to our E-bikes. You can take a look. We've got different motor sizes, different battery sizes. If you have any other questions, please reach out to us. Shoot us an email, the team@sixthreezero.com or call us (310) 982-2877, and enter your height and weight in our body fit tool. It's going to tell you what bikes on our site fit you. If you get a thumbs down, reach out. We can find a bike or customize something to fit your body because at sixthreezero we want to find a bike that is right for you.