So Best Buy are stocking electric bicycles now - A2B Metro

[Lapwing]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=pcmcat177200050009

Walked into my local store yesterday and there were a bunch of Currie driven bikes plus one with a hubmotor on 24" wheels that looked rather well executed. Wide tires, front and rear suspension. abot 70 pounds I would guess all up. 500W and 36V. $2000+ though.

One of these acually. http://www.ultramotor.com/US

 

[Puppyjump]

Nice Bike. I'd like to know what the battery AH rating is and if it's the LiFePO4 chemistry. I would not want any other Lithium formulation since I believe only LiFePO4 is safe. Also, I'd hope the hub motor is the gearless type. The nicest thing IMO about an e-bike is total silence. Hub motors with internal gears or that horrible Currie side mounted chain drive motor they used to make sounds like you're going down the street while operating a power drill.

 

[biohazardman]

They are $2700+ in my area. Although they do have suspension a Lifepo4 battery and look cool many of us, have bikes that will easily outperform them at a bit over half the cost. They also weigh in at 70lbs that’s a bit much for what they are. Still they would be a good starting platform and could be modified to do so much more, if one is willing to put out that much cash.

 

[Toshi]

Nice Bike. I'd like to know what the battery AH rating is and if it's the LiFePO4 chemistry. I would not want any other Lithium formulation since I believe only LiFePO4 is safe. Also, I'd hope the hub motor is the gearless type. The nicest thing IMO about an e-bike is total silence. Hub motors with internal gears or that horrible Currie side mounted chain drive motor they used to make sounds like you're going down the street while operating a power drill.

36V 11Ah LiFePO4 iirc. gearless hub motor on the A2B, although the older Europa model from Ultra Motor had a geared Heinzmann. i test rode the A2B a few months back. linked is my whole review, and below is an excerpt:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=46748589034

the A2B was much more entertaining [than the Europa]. again, it seems very well put together, with the slick battery-in-downtube setup, a built-in torque arm, and provisions for an extra battery. my thoughts:

- it felt like a downhill bike with 20" wheels, very fun. although its cockpit was similarly high it had a totally different feel, and i was slaloming things, jumping off curbs, and trying futilely to bunnyhop it. (its rear hub motor weighs down the rear sufficiently that i couldn't loft it.)
- in a side to side race with my bike it completely smoked mine off the line, with much better torque from the 20" hub motor compared to mine in a 26" wheel. whereas it peters out at 20 mph however mine starts to come into its own around 18 mph and pulls until 24-26 mph. so it was like a squat bulldog charging off the line compared to my long-legged beast.
- the suspension felt pretty decent. rear end was undersprung and i bottomed it a few times but that's easily addressable.
- all in all a grin-inducing machine. i approve.

on the OP's topic, best buy will also soon sell Brammo Enertia electric motorcycles in a few of their west coast stores…

 

[Auhydride]

I liked the rear suspension design

 

[Lock]

By: Kate RockwoodThu Oct 1, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Best Buy's Kal Patel, 45, and Rick Rommel, 49, are expanding the idea of consumer electronics by exploring home energy and green personal transportation. First up is the $12,000 Brammo Enertia electric bike, which the company will debut nationally by year's end.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/139/fast-talk-easy-riders.html
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