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Comment by zelon88 | Hacker News Reader

This is significant because a traditional ICE powered bike in the same class like the Yamaha TW200 costs about $4,500 brand new. This electric bike seems to have very similar performance characteristics for only about $1,000 more. That truly is competitive with ICE in just about every category.

Still, a bike like the TW200 has 30 years of parts and knowledge on the market that the electric bike doesn't. But this is exactly what needs to happen for those parts and knowledge to get built.

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Just about every category except for distance. The ICE motor can go closer to 120 highway miles before a refuel, as opposed to 37. That's enough to actually get you to the next gas station, and then once your there you just have to fill up and be on your way. With the electric bike if you can even make it between chargers, you'll have to sit and wait for it to recharge every 40 miles...

I agree with you. But so far, most companies seem to prioritize competitive range instead of competitive pricing. I own a TW200 and most of the trails I ride on in MA and NH are under 10 miles long anyway. They claim the ES1 can go 37 miles at highway speed. Anyone with a TW200 will tell you... Small bikes aren't comfy for the highway. It's not fun to hold the throttle wide open and still get passed by cars going 20mph faster than you. It's scary. So people buying the ES1 aren't going to be using it for that.

The important part, to me, is the weight. Both the TW200 and the ES1 are 276 lbs. That means it's still small and light enough to reasonably lift into the bed of a pickup truck or support on a receiver mounted rack.

You can also attach fuel cans to a bike, and the extra weight is more than justified by the additional range. The same would not be true of battery packs.

The performance figures posted are for the extended battery model which is $6,980 ... and there are some really good performing bikes in that price range. And for not much more you could get a used Zero FX.

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