$4500 is ten or more of my homebrew 750 watt electric mountain bike originally built in 2004. I just repowered with LiFePO4 after 10 years in storage and the new batteries really pull. It has a front hub motor with a throttle control limited to 20 mph. My commute is 10 miles, 6 on a dedicated bike path. Life is good.
Those are high performance mountain bikes with carbon fiber frames, top of the line components, carbon wheels. This is an aluminum city commuter and 4.5k is at the high end of that class of ebike.
the problem with $5-$15k bikes is you can't actually use them in the USA as they'll be stolen. You can commute if you have the place to keep it secure. You can not stop for some shopping on the way home though as you'll lose your bike.
The last bike I had stolen was one I paid $100 for.
If I commuted via bicycle in an area with frequent larceny, I’d simply take it inside to my cubicle, which is surprisingly easy. Currently I live in a low larceny area so I simply leave it outside of the office, unlocked.
My $200 rusty ebike has been parked outside for 18 months in central London without problems. I take the battery in. The homeless junkie would have to get an angle grinder to cut two D locks, figure out how to buy the battery which costs $300 and is only available from decathlon, somehow try to make a profit out of the whole operation which I don't think I could myself and so on.
It's actually cost me about another $500 in maintenance getting the various bits that pack up replaced but it's a good theft deterrent.
I guess it varies by location but we have homeless druggies and bike thieves here too. I think old rusty stuff not being very attractive to thieves is fairly universal.
You might have different problems but you don't have the American problem with bike theft. Homeless here steal bikes regardless of their price and condition.
Right, the thieves will shoulder surf or pick a lock to get into the "secure" office building storage area. Happens all the time and the police won't bother to investigate.
What kind of capacity from your LFP battery? Is it diy built?
I did one in the spring 16S with 25Ah cells and it's been amazing since. Only problem is it's a bit too big to fit anywhere I'd like it to. I have to mount it on a rear rack
I am using 3x 12v 185wh batteries in series. Realistically I can count on around 500wh. They are only 3 lbs each and fit neatly within the frame of the mtb. I don't like having them up on the rear rack, they tend to make the tail of the bike wag a bit compared to low and centered.
I have a big commute and in the (Canadian) winter my old 750Wh was sometimes not up to the task. So I went wildly over the top and built a huge cap battery. I never need to worry now
Sure if you can't DIY. It's a 20 year old Fuji chromoly-frame mountain bike with Shimano components. My biggest expense was new batteries, followed by heavy duty e-bike brake pads. What did you pay to build yours?
