E-bikes are getting popular as many people are now interested in them. Outdoor enthusiasts accept it as they love to explore nature without getting tired. Due to its lower effort than conventional bikes, senior people can also take a chance to explore the trails in spite of their limited mobility.
After knowing all the benefits of e-bikes, you’ll be surprised with their price when you decide to get one. They’re expensive!
And in this article, we intend to answer the question, why electric bike so expensive?
Well, there are plenty of factors that increase the price of an e-bike. The cost of the battery and the motor plays a prominent role in the high price of e-bikes. A spare electric bike battery alone can cost you around $300 to $1000, even more! Let alone the rest of the premium body and joints that have to endure the heavy shock you put on it.
Let’s go through the factors that contribute to their expenses.
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Quick Overview Of Electric Bike
Electric bikes or e-bikes are similar to regular bicycles except it comes with a battery and motor to assist you in pedaling. The only thing that separates the e-bike and the traditional bike is the motor of the e-bike.
When you look for an electric bike for comfortable riding, you’ll find plenty of options. For different types of people, e-bike comes with different class options, such as class-1(pedelec), class-2(No pedal/ Throttle assist), class-3(Speed pedelec).
You can choose any of them based on your preference as each one of them comes with individual specifications. Moreover, you’ll find different types of e-bikes for different types of tracks. The types of E-bike you’ll find are Cruiser, Commuter, and mountain.
Some Prices For High-End Ebikes On The Market
Prices of e-bike vary from brand to brand and model to model. The higher quality and specification, a bike ensures the higher the price is. Below I’m going to list some of the e-bike’s prices that are highly popular among its users.
| Full Name | Brand | Type | Price |
| Benno Boost E 10D Speed | Benno | class-3 e-bike | $4,999.99 |
| Charge City | Charge | Class 2 e-bike with throttle | $1,699.00 |
| Stromer ST3 | Stromer | class-3 e-bike | $7,499.00 |
| Aventon Level Commuter E-bike | Aventon Level | Commuter e-bike | $1,799.00 |
| Gazelle C8 HMB | Gazelle | Commuter e-bike | $3,499.00 |
| Izip Simi Step-Thru | Izip | Cruiser e-bike | $1,750.00 |
| Tern HSD S8i | Tern | Commuter e-bike | $4,099.00 |
| Urban Arrow Shorty | Urban Arrow | Front-loading e-cargo bike | $5,499.00 |
| Argon 18 Subito e-Road | Argon | Class-3 e-bike | $4,800.00 |
Why Electric Bike So Expensive?
Usually, E-bikes are pretty expensive than a standard bicycle. Most people get surprised with their prices and ask why electric bike so expensive while the regular ones cost a fraction of them. Well, there are many factors responsible for the high price of an electric bike. The main reason for their exorbitant price is the expensive components they used.
However, if you set your eyes on an e-bike and wonder about its price, then read the following section to know the facts. Below I’ll explain why this two-wheeler price is so high.
What Causes Electric Bikes to be Expensive?
The Battery
The battery of the e-bike is the main thing that accelerates the price of an e-bike. The average price of an e-bike battery is $500 and the better one will cost around $1000 or more.
Generally, an electric bike uses many types of batteries, two of them being popular: lithium and lead-acid. Lead-acid batteries are the older version battery that is usually used in the car and now also used in the e-bike. They are heavier than lithium-ion and less durable.
On the other hand, lithium-ion is a similar type of battery that we see in our cell phones, tablets, etc. They are lightweight and more durable. Based on the type of batteries used on your e-bike the price may vary.
The Motor
The purpose of the electric motor in an e-bike is to assist its rider. It helps the user during cycling by utilizing the energy from the batteries. And, it’s one of the main factors that increase the price of an ebike.
The price of the motor is completely missing in the traditional bike as the rider entirely powers it. In some cases, the motor of the e-bike needs to be specially crafted & fitted. Consequently, it increases the labor cost and the parts and accessories cost as well.
No Economies Of Scale
The popularity of e-bike is increasing gradually, and the sales are also increasing steadily. However, the e-bike market is still considered a niche market. Therefore, the manufacturers of e-bike can’t produce parts and accessories in bulk or large batches which can minimize the production cost.
Hence, they can’t benefit from economies of scale, they can’t reduce the cost of the selling price. On the other hand, the manufacturer of regular bikes produces large quantities of parts and accessories as they are confident about high quantity selling.
And, that allows the ordinary bike manufacturer to purchase parts and accessories at low cost and sell them at low cost. This is where the e-bike manufacturer has limitations and can’t benefit from economies of scale.
E-bike Requires Top Quality Components
The speed of an e-bike is higher than a traditional bike so the parts and components need to be strong and top quality. For example, if you’re riding your e-bike over 20-mph, your e-bike brake needs to be strong enough to control the speed and assist you in a quick stop.
That’s the reason the manufacturer of e-bike has to use top-quality parts and accessories. Using high-quality parts and accessories will raise the e-bike price as the manufacturer has to purchase them at a high cost.
E-bikes Are Pretty Heavy
E-bikes are on average 20 pounds heavier than a traditional bike due to the added weight of battery and motor. The higher the weight the cost of shipping the parts and accessories will be greater. It means the weight is also an important factor in increasing the price of e-bikes.
E-bikes Are Still In The Early Stage
The popularity of e-bike is increasing in the last couple of years. But before that, they didn’t have as high a demand as they do now. Due to the lack of demand, very few manufacturers are producing e-bike.
As there aren’t enough competitors to challenge them, the manufacturers who are producing e-bike have a monopoly in the market. So they take advantage of less competition and demand high prices.
Does It Really Worth Buy An Expensive Electric Bike?
Earlier in this article, I showed you why an e-bike is so expensive. Now that you know the reason it’s time to decide whether investing in an e-bike is worth its value or not. Below, I’ll show you some advantages of e-bike so that you can figure out whether investing in an e-bike is worth it or not.
Faster, Easier, And Effortless
E-bikes are faster than conventional bikes because of their powerful motor. It allows you to quickly move into different places even in the high traffic area. Due to its paddle assistance, riding an e-bike becomes so effortless for you. You can ride in a hilly area without putting any pressure on your body.
Cost-Effective Solution
Another reason for e-bike’s high popularity among people is the affordability of e-bike. It only requires a one-time investment and then saves you tons of money. You don’t need any fuel or gas to run an e-bike, it’s powered by electricity, the green source of energy.
Health Benefits
Riding an e-bike is a low-impact exercise that comes with several health benefits. Experts say riding an e-bike with moderate speed for 2.5 hours in a week helps you to achieve several health benefits. Such as:
- It helps the users to do moderate exercise.
- Boost your cardiovascular health.
- Improve your heart health.
- Strengthen your legs and core muscles.
- Helps in weight loss programs by increasing metabolism.
- Develop your immune system.
Final Words
Now you should have a clear idea of why electric bike so expensive. Earlier in this article, We’ve discussed the most common factors that are mainly responsible for the high price of e-bike. To recap things in simple words, e-bikes are still a newer industry with a smaller audience.
The parts and components such as batteries, motors, frames used in an e-bike are costly. However, there’s no way to deny that due to a lack of competitors, some manufacturers are playing a monopoly in the market. Besides that, there are some legit factors that increase the price of e-bike.
