With its 4,000 watt motor and top assisted speed of 50mph, the Stealth Bomber far exceeds the legal limits imposed on electric bicycles, but bypasses the need to be registered as a moped by being classified as an off-road vehicle.
The high-rate lithium cells are guaranteed for 1200 charges – enough juice to power the bike over 60,000 miles.
Charge time is 2 hours via a 240v household outlet.
Regenerative braking prolong the life of the brake pads and allows greater range by converting braking energy into electrical energy fed back into the battery pack.
The law in Britain places a limit of 15.5 mph maximum assisted speed and 250 watts maximum power output on electric that allows them to be treated as conventional, non-electric cycle – that is, no requirement for a licence, helmet or cycle insurance.
Stealth by name, stealth by nature
The Stealth Bomber looks every inch a mountain bike, a very high-spec downhill model granted, but little about its appearance suggests its blistering – and silent – power. A button on the handlebars can limit the bike to 16mph, a feature that has led to the bike being described by one dealer as a potential commuter.
Germany and Switzerland have established a separate class of electric bike. These bikes can travel at speeds of 30mph and face less stringent requirements than mopeds.
This type of ‘super electric bicycle’ offers a cleaner, quieter and practical alternative to a traditional moped, but a proposal to extend this class of vehicle across the European Union was recently rejected by the EU government.
Bicycles currently represent the most efficient and practical application for electric motor technology; battery-powered cars and motorcycles are heavy and troublesome to charge without widespread charging points, but e-bikes are light enough to be carried into a house to be re-charged. The electrically-assisted bicycle (or the pedal-assisted electric moped) is the ultimate hybrid; if the battery runs flat, the rider can switch to leg power in an instant.
The main barrier to widespread uptake of exotic machines such as the Stealth Bomber is unlikely to be the law – at almost £10,000, it costs more than a good quality bicycle, scooter and enduro motorcycle combined.
Electric bicycle/moped/motorcycle hybrids
Mopeds are rarely thought of as anything other than a stepping stone towards car ownership for teenagers or a death-defyingly speedy way of delivering pizza, but an appetite for good-looking electric vehicles that look good and won’t break the bank is breathing life into the low-powered, two-wheeler market.
Juicer 48
The Juicer 48 pictured right is a custom-built electric bike and a moped in the classic sense – a low-powered motor and pedals to help get the machine moving at low speeds.
The bike has been built very deliberately with styling as a priority – its appearance borrows heavily from American motorcycles of the 1920s.
The bike can manage 13 miles at 20mph, but can reach an unrestricted top speed of 46mph.
Many electric mopeds or e-bikes are lighter and offer a better range, but unfortunately mopeds are subject to different classifications and a bewildering array of regulation depending on where you are in the world.
For example, any power-assisted bicycle capable of more than 15mph must undergo the onerous process of being registered as a motorcycle. By contrast, a good-quality road bicycle – without an electric motor – can cruise easily at 25mph, but is not subject to the same regulation.
A spokesperson for the ETA, which insures conventional and electric bicycles, said: “The promotion of electric vehicles is back to front; the government appears blind to the wider benefits of electric bicycles and mopeds that do not need the investment in technology and infrastructure required by electric cars.”
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