> What can we do to get a people's e-bike that has 30 miles of range, requires no maintenance, travels 15-20 mph, and retails around $500?
These fast eBikes give a false sense of security to the rider because they look like bicycles. You can get hurt quite bad in an accident at 20mph, and I don't see any riders wanting to wear sturdier protection like motorcycle helmets.
If you lower the speed requirement to 10-15mph you can get a cheap asian eBike for around that much money (well, could, a couple of years ago, now everything is more expensive).
Human powered bikes at 20mph give you an accurate sense of the power behind your velocity because you are personally delivering that power. That also isn't the average human cruising speed, that is speed achieved by experienced riders. Riders with enough experience to control the bike in all kinds of wonky scenarios.
But an e-bike can make high speeds feel like a casual stroll, and get someone to that speed when they do not have the experience to control it. I love fast bikes, but I also am acutely (perhaps overly) aware of the safety implications of them, as I have taken a tumble off a bike at high speed. Broken bones, road rash, hospital stays, PT, and years of chronic pain as a result. I still love me fast e-bike, and still ride it (carefully), but I am under no illusion that it isn't fast.
I agree with the overall point that e-bikes can hit higher speeds more easily. But those speeds on normal bikes aren't the sole domain of experienced riders. Going down a two or three percent grade at 20 or 25 mph is something that a normal bike rider experiences all the time and needs to learn to be comfortable with.
I can do 20mph for an hour, but need to recover for an hour after that.
20mph is also where the dangerous speed starts for us cyclist because motor traffic isn't used to cyclists going that far and every crossing without lights will become a bit of a gamble for the cyclist.
These fast eBikes give a false sense of security to the rider because they look like bicycles. You can get hurt quite bad in an accident at 20mph, and I don't see any riders wanting to wear sturdier protection like motorcycle helmets.
If you lower the speed requirement to 10-15mph you can get a cheap asian eBike for around that much money (well, could, a couple of years ago, now everything is more expensive).