Best Buy to Carry A2B

The original Metro (not being sold at Best Buy) is actually more of a moped than a bicycle. It has a twist throttle, smallish wheels like a scooter (which enhances acceleration from a stop), along with front and rear suspension--pedaling optional:

• Maximum road speed under power – 20 mph
• Up to 20 miles* unassisted range (extendable to 40 miles**)
• Battery chemistry: lithium ion
• Nominal voltage: 36 volts
• Continuous power output: 500W
• Real-time state-of-charge indicator
• Frame: TIG welded 6061 aluminum
• Suspension (front): Ultra Motor shock-absorbing front fork (80mm travel)
• Suspension (rear): Ultra Motor shock-absorbing swing arm (30mm travel)
• Tires: 20 x 3.0 Kenda Kraze
• Gears: Shimano Alivio Derailleur with 7-speed twist shift
• Brakes (front and rear): Avid BB5 disc brakes
• Saddle: oversized Ultra Motor comfort saddle
• Weight of A2B Metro with battery: 72lbs

Model 13102 has an unspecified wheel diameter, but appears to be smaller than 26 inches on this photo-shopped image. There is no mention of this model on the A2B website. Front suspension only. Specifications are sketchy but this model may use a throttle instead of a torque sensor to call for power from the motor.

• Front suspension and disc brakes
• Help the bike come to a complete stop safely.
• 400W electric motor
• Helps you power up steep hills.
• 36V lithium-ion battery
• For great performance. Power-on-demand conserves battery power.
• Reaches speeds up to 20 mph
• With a range up to 20 miles (depends on rider weight).
• Minimal assembly required
• Note: The purchaser and rider of this scooter or bike are responsible for knowing and obeying all local, state and federal regulations regarding the riding and use of this bike or scooter.

This is model 13107 (click here for larger view), which appears to be a black version of the model 13108, which is painted blue. On the A2B website it is called the Hybrid. They all have standard 26 inch diameter wheels and you have to pedal to get the motor to help out.

• From our expanded online assortment; not available in all Best Buy stores
• TIG-welded 6061 hydroform-structured aluminum frame
• Provides durability, strength and style.
• Avid BB5 disc brakes
• Provide precise control for coming to a safe stop. Also features a 7-speed derailleur with twist shift.
• Brushless 400-watt direct-drive motor
• For reliably powering up steep hills and variable terrain with on-demand acceleration and responsive torque.
• Sanyo advanced 36V lithium-ion battery
• To efficiently power the bike. Smart charger charges in up to 4 hours to keep you on the go. Charge status indicator near the throttle keeps you aware of charge status.
• Reaches speeds up to 20 mph
• With a range up to 20 miles (depends on rider weight).
• 26" x 2" tires
• Provide comfort and stability while you ride.
• Full front suspension
• Helps reduce impact from road obstacles for a smooth ride.
• Comfort seat
• For ergonomic support during long bike rides.
• Minimal assembly required
• Note: The purchaser and rider of this scooter or bike are responsible for knowing and obeying all local, state and federal regulations regarding the riding and use of this bike or scooter.

The Metro is rated at 500 watts while the others appear to be rated at 400 watts. My guess (by looking at the similar price tags) is that all models use the same motor, controller, and battery, which is good from a maintenance and supply perspective.

Laws vary radically from country to country and from state to state so an electric bike maker has standardization problems.

Best Buy was wise to choose a product made in the USA that uses the same basic electric components because customer support is critical for retail sales, however, they are about to embark on a steep learning curve. Many bikes will be returned because they don't meet the near infinite variety of customer expectations. A 300 pound guy who thinks he is getting a scooter will not be pleased to find his range is only five miles. As with all retailers, a stock of used bikes will begin to pile up and people are going to want some kind of warranty to buy them.

If they don't plan to provide bike servicing this experiment will fail. What will you do when your bike quits working? There are no electric bike repair shops. Are they going to teach the Geek Squad electric bicycle repair, and what will the hourly rate be?

There is also a liability issue to deal with. Electric bikes move and will have electromechanical failures, throttles can get stuck, people will get hurt and they will sue.

I called a store in Portland to see what I could find out. Nobody seems to know what is going on and there does not appear to be any kind of protection plan like you can buy for a computer. These bikes are not cheap. This is an investment you need to protect.

The best marketing strategy for now might be for manufacturers like Ultra Motors to do their own local retailing and repair, eventually transitioning to franchises later on, but I've been wrong before. Time will tell.

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Pacing the A2B

Spotted another guy riding an A2B on the bike trail the other day so I thought I'd follow him to see how he used it. He was listening to an MP3 player and didn't have any rear view mirrors.

I clocked him at 20 mph the whole time except when he slowed down in traffic. He used his pedals once, briefly, as he climbed a short, fairly steep hill.

A few days later I spotted him again going in the opposite direction. Now I know where he lives and where he works, brawhahaha!

The A2B is clearly an electric moped, not a hybrid electric bicycle. It accelerates easily to 20 mph without any pedal assist. I had no problem staying up with him but I had to pedal fairly hard to catch up.

From an engineering perspective, safety is all about impact. Impact is a synonym of force. Force is defined as the product of mass and acceleration.

Mass is how much you and your bicycle weigh combined. The weight of a conventional bicycle is not significant. The weight of the rider is a much bigger factor. Getting hit by a 300 pound dude is three times worse than getting smacked by a 100 pound woman.

Acceleration is a function of how fast you are going and how fast you slow down. Hitting a brick wall at 20 mph will create a much bigger deceleration (word often used to mean going from a high speed to a low one) than hitting one at three mph.

Total force imparted to the brick wall or a pedestrian depends on weight and speed. Getting hit by a feather going at 20 mph will not create much force.

Based on its max speed of 20 mph and 75 pound weight, the A2B is no more dangerous than a bicycle or electric bicycle. Any regular bike can exceed 20 mph if the rider is fit and motivated.

The pedals are required to qualify as an electric bicycle, but at some point you have to wonder if having pedals matters. Safety has nothing to do with pedals, although you do need a place to rest your feet.

The definition of a legal electric bicycle varies a great deal from place to place. Following are the most common parameters used:

1) Maximum power drawn by motor
2) Maximum level speed (without pedaling)
3) Maximum weight
4) Maximum of two wheels
5) Pedals connected to drive system

In some parts of Europe the restrictions have reached comical proportions. The maximum power is about the same as a large light bulb and the motor shuts off at 15 mph or anytime you stop pedaling!

IMHO, this is an example of over-regulation and it is not going to do much to reduce carbon emissions via promotion of electrification of personal transport.

Weight can't be regulated. You can't make it illegal for 300 pound people to ride bikes and tandem bikes often weigh more than that with both riders. You can't expect a cop to weigh a bike. Anyone can add a hundred pounds of battery to a bike to increase its range. There is no reason for anyone to build an electric bike the size of a Harley Davidson if it can't exceed 20 mph. The speed limitation will limit weight.

Power drawn by the motor does not matter if the machine will not go faster than 20 mph. You may need a lot more power going up a hill. And, you can't expect cops to measure a bike's power rating.

And what if I choose not to turn the power on? How can you cite a rider of an electric bike if the thing isn't even powered up? The motor, battery, and controller become cargo.

It is easy to count wheels and measure speeds (that's what radar guns are for).

Weight is a factor when you are talking about motorcycles and scooters that also exceed 20 mph. Because of the low cost, lead acid is the preferred battery in China, where electric scooters are typically redefined as electric bicycles if they have pedals on them. You can't just paint a picture of pedals on one, you have to actually connect them to the rear wheel with a chain. However, riders never have to use them. Getting hit with an electric "bicycle" in China is like getting hit with a conventional scooter because they go as fast as they can whenever they can.

Real electric bikes typically weigh in around 75 pounds. This is roughly about 50 pounds more than a cheap bicycle because of the motor, controller, and battery. A large lead battery can make a big difference but here in the states lead batteries are rapidly becoming less common.

I've seen some home-built electric bikes that used huge motors on the front and rear wheels powered by a hundred pounds of lead acid battery. They probably weighed close to 200 pounds without the rider and were capable of doing 40 mph without pedaling. They would have been much better off just buying an electric scooter. If these bikes were limited to 20 mph they would not have wasted their time and money. Getting caught doing 40 mph should get these bikes impounded as illegal, IMHO. They will ruin it for everyone if they become too common.
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National Bike to Work Day--May 21

Ray Brown, co-founder of the NEBN (Northwest Electric Bicycle Network) is participating in the Snohomish County bike to work challenge. However, he wanted to make sure the sponsors would be cool with his homebuilt hybrid electric bicycle.

They gave him their blessing and left it to his discretion as to how he wanted to log his miles. He's decided to log half of them based on a rough guess that without electric assist he would probably ride half as far as he typically does on his commute to work.

Following is a quote from the email exchange:

For the record, it is actually not the 'pedal assist' type but rather the 'throttle control' type with a separate drive system. I would expect this question to come up as well if not already so will share some thoughts. I didn't like the pedal assist, after trying a couple of them at Electrical Vehicles NW. (I instead bought one of his EZee bikes with throttle control as my first ebike) It just wasn't making sense to force me to pedal all the time and tie up the same drive system. Throttle control means I can do interval training, or if I feel poorly or get a cramp or something I can take a rest for a bit and still not be late to work (really important). I believe it's also more reliable in case the electric system fails on a pedal assist. As I would expect from most e-bikers, I ride for both exercise and environment, so pedal relatively hard most of the time.

In the future sponsors might consider creating a separate category for hybrid electric bicycles. This had to be done for drag racing because electric cars were kicking everyone's butt.

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