Electric vehicles are all the rage right now, but what if you could get an electric bike that can go 300 miles on a single charge? Would you buy that over an EV? It sounds ridiculous, but that’s exactly what the Colorado-based e-bike brand Optibike just released.
The Optibike R22 Everest Edition is a rugged, durable, downhill-ready electric bike capable of 300 miles thanks to packing an absolutely massive battery. What’s the catch? Well, it’ll cost you around $19,000 to get one. And for those wondering, yes, that’s more range than some Tesla models.
The company claims it has enough battery to climb Mount Everest on a single charge, but there isn’t a road to climb Mount Everest. Still, that’s the bike’s name, but at least you know it’ll be able to handle going back down the mountain, thanks to the rest of the high-end specs.
Optibike is one of the first e-bike companies in the U.S., and each bike is designed and built in Colorado. The latest R22 Everest kicks things up a notch, though. As you can see from the photos, there’s a ludicrously large 3,260 Wh battery flanking both the left and right sides of the frame. It combines two packs to deliver all that mileage and power, and both Lithium-ion cells are removable from the carbon fiber frame.
For those wondering, the battery size is 3.26 kWh, which is more than 5x the size of most e-bikes on the market today. It’s pretty impressive.
This bike offers a dual crown front suspension fork, 200 mm (8 inches) of rear suspension travel, speeds upwards of 36 MPH, and 190 Nm of Torque thanks to Optibike’s proprietary 1,700 watt PowerStorm mid-drive motor.
It’s worth mentioning that you’ll only get “up to 300 miles” per charge under certain conditions. The company explains that number is achievable for a 165 lbs rider pedaling and using the throttle-style motor assist at speeds no higher than 15 MPH. With e-bikes, the faster you go with the motors, the more battery it drains.
For the price, you’re also getting a large LCD display, throttle control, hydraulic disc brakes, optional headlights and tail lights, and the bike will be custom-built by hand for each buyer in Colorado. So, if you can’t quite afford a Tesla, get the Optibike R22 Everest and the company’s neat little bike trailer accessory.
via Electrek
