Recently, I purchased a folding electric bicycle and put a rear seat on the rear rack along with foot pegs for my wife to use. The bike has small wheels and a seat post that goes up over 18 inches and the stem adjusts way up as well, so I have got it to fit me quite well. The frame is aluminum, but very heavy. The bike has a 750-watt/100-watt peak geared motor in the rear hub which provides good torque and a top speed without pedaling of about 28mph on the flat. It came with a 48v 15ah lithium-ion battery. Hills and headwinds slow it down.
It has fairly impressive 40-mile range. You can use it in pedal assist mode which gives extra power you pedal the bike, or you can just use the motorcycle style throttle on the right handlebar grip. I had a problem with it a few days after it arrived but the seller used FedEx to end me a replacement motor controller that arrived two days later.
It cost $700 through Amazon including shipping and required a bit of assembly.
I also purchased a kit with motor, controller, brake levers, and the other accessories needed. It has a 1000-watt motor and a 48v 15ah battery. I put it on an old Costco mountain bike. The motor is not geared so it has a little less torque but because of the more powerful motor climbs hills very well and has about the same 40 mile range. The folding bike is heavier but easier to get in and out of our airplane.
You need to charge the bikes overnight with the included 3-amp chargers if you run the batteries down most of the way. They both have volt meters on the displays to keep track of how much charge you have left while you are out and about.
Both of us are in our mid 60s so we appreciate the extra speed and convenience that the electric motors provide. I think electric cars are mostly a waste of money, but electric bikes are relatively inexpensive and worthwhile for what we use them for. Unfortunately, those sold locally typically have a third to half the power of the two we now own, and much smaller batteries, and cost almost as much.
