Did you know electric bikes have different classes? Class 2 electric bikes have a top speed of 20mph and can reach that speed with pedal assist or with a throttle. This is the most common electric bike class, and for good reason; these e-bikes are versatile, allowing you to get more exercise or relax on the throttle at will. You can also ride Class 2 e-bikes in the most places, as many trails (and even some entire cities) ban the use of other more powerful PEVs.
Keep in mind, the top speed of 20mph only applies to the electrical system; if you're feeling motivated (and want some exercise) you can pedal power your Class 2 cycle as fast as your heart desires!
The RadWagon 4 is Rad Power Bikes best option if you're looking for an e-bike to replace your car. It has a long-tail cargo frame that can be outfitted to haul just about anything, even two small human passengers! The RadWagon 4 is, obviously, the fourth generation of this model, and by this point it's a pretty polished product. It's cheaper than most competing cargo bikes, which means it's also equipped with more basic components than most competing cargo bikes. That's right, no responsive mid-drive motor here; the RadWagon 4 is rocking a 750-watt rear hub motor, with pedal assist activated by a simple cadence sensor. That means the pedaling experience won't be as responsive and will take some time to activate the motor, so you'll definitely be leaning on the half-grip twist throttle to get moving from a dead stop... especially if you're carrying a full load of cargo!
Although the components are basic they are feature complete. Bright integrated lights and full coverage fenders allow for safe and clean operation in the city, and the bike is highly adjustable thanks to a long seatpost tube and a tool-free adjustable stem. The frame is a sort of mid-step or "mixte", with two lower bars that allow for easier mounts and dismounts, but still provide good frame strength; that's important for a cargo bike! That's also why there is no front or rear suspension. When you're hauling lots of weight suspension doesn't perform as well, and usually it's more important to have the extra frame strength.
Unlike many cargo e-bikes the RadWagon 4 is equipped with a unique tire size of 22" in diameter by 3" wide. This gives them a bit more rolling efficiency than the typical 20x4 tires, which I'm a fan of. Unfortunately, this also makes them difficult tires to replace, because they're custom made by Rad Power Bikes; you're not going to find inner tubes of that size at your local bike shop.
The sixth generation of Rad's do-anything adventure bike is better than ever with high and low step frame options, as well as upgrades to the frame, battery, and braking system. The RadRover is a monster e-bike with 26x4 inch fat tires, good on any terrain - even sand and snow - and equipped with reflective sidewall stripes and puncture protection. This is a Class 2 electric bike which means a top speed of 20mph, reachable using either the throttle or cadence-based pedal assist, powered by a 750-watt hear hub motor and a 672 watt-hour battery. Although the "Plus" line usually denotes Rad's more expensive offerings, the price of the RadRover 6 Plus has been reduced to only $1,399! It also doesn't appear that Rad Power Bikes offers a non-Plus version of the RadRover 6. This e-bike is impressively comfortable to ride, especially with the suspension fork that allows for off-road adventuring, but that comfort comes at a cost with a curb weight of around 75 pounds. It has an average carrying capacity of 275 pounds, although it doesn't include a rear rack but you could easily and cheaply add one on. It does include fenders and integrated lights. The pedaling drivetrain is an upgraded Shimano Altus 7-speed with a rear cassette range of 11-34 teeth, which means a more pleasant pedaling experience and better hill climbing capacity.
Rad Power Bikes may not have created the first compact utility e-bike, but one could argue that they've perfected it with their RadRunner series. A short wheelbase, 20" wheels, a heavy-duty rear rack, and upright seating position combine for an electric bike that can do just about anything while providing impressive comfort. Rather than having a bolt-on rear rack, it's actually part of the frame, essentially a long-tail cargo frame, but shorter. This allows carrying much more cargo - even a human passenger - with an overall weight limit of 350 pounds. It's easy to mount and dismount too, thanks to the low standover height of the step-thru frame. The 750-watt rear hub motor is plenty powerful even under heavy loads, and you can reach speeds of 20mph on either the throttle or cadence-based pedal assist.
One of the standout features of the RadRunner series is accessorizing; Rad Power Bikes has dozens upon dozens of official accessories that you can add at checkout. Of course, this can quickly drive the price to the point you won't feel like you're buying a value-priced bike anymore... but if it empowers you to replace your car with a decked-out RadRunner, it just might be worth it.
The Blaupunkt Henri is rocking a magnesium alloy frame & wheels, which is durable, lightweight, and vibration damping. It folds down small which is great for storage, with a magnetic latch mechanism to keep it locked in the folded position, making it fairly easy to maneuver and roll around while folded. The 350-watt motor is no speed demon but still capable of 20mph speeds using either pedal assist or the half-grip twist throttle. It's priced a bit on the high side... but it does seem to be built very well and should hold up well over time, and it certainly looks beautiful!
The second iteration of Aventon's Sinch has changed so much that I hesitate to even consider it the same model. It's step-through now, it's got a rack and fenders, more advanced lighting, a telescoping stem, a torque sensor... but what the heck, it's the Sinch.2! It is still a fat-tired folding bike on 20x4" fat tires, and even more of a blast to ride thanks to that torque sensor. The basic suspension fork allows for comfortable riding in the city and on light trails, but it doesn't have a ton of travel so don't get too crazy. Another benefit of the new frame is that it's a lot easier to remove the battery; on the previous Sinch you had to fold the bike first before exposing the battery, which was inconvenient.
Really the only downside for the Sinch.2 is the brakes; they're good quality disc brakes, but they're mechanical as opposed to hydraulic. That means they take more grip force to activate, and they'll need occasional maintenance to tighten up the cables. For a bike that weights roughly 70 pounds and can carry up to 300 pounds of rider and cargo, hydraulic brakes would be a real plus.
I was already impressed with how cheap the original Lectric was at $879, and that was way back in 2019 dollars. Now you can get an XP Lite for only $749 in 2023 bucks! Lectric even includes fenders, a rear rack, and a set of pannier bags at that price. Plus a comfortable saddle, integrated lights, and all on their award-winning folding platform. So what do you lose if you get this instead of the standard XP? Well, the Lite is more compact and lightweight, which translates to "not as comfortable to ride" for most people. The motor is not as powerful, only capable of 20mph and you get a bit less range due to the smaller battery. The Lite is also rocking a single-speed drivetrain, which is efficient and requires less maintenance, but is a lot less fun when faced with a steep incline.
Most direct-to-consumer e-bikes have bad warranties, especially if they're affordably priced. Not so with the Cruiser Model 1 from Denago, who warranties their frames for life, and goes the extra mile to UL certify both their batteries and complete e-bike systems. This Class 2 is capable of 20mph speeds using either the twist throttle or cadence-sensing pedal assist, and includes fenders for easy riding in bad weather. There are mount points for a rack but you'll have to pay extra or install one yourself if you want to haul some cargo.
If you want a trike that's ready for some heavy duty hauling then the 4|2 Rickshaw is definitely worth checking out. Load it up with up to 500 pounds of cargo or passengers; the passenger seat is even rocking two seatbelts for safe transportation! Oh Wow Cycles uses advanced rear wheel differentials on all their trikes, which means that the rear wheels can turn at different speeds, allowing the Rickshaw to corner pretty darn well... for a trike, anyways. Fat tires and a suspension fork provide comfort and you'll feel good riding anywhere a trike has business riding. Like all trikes the hub motor is in the front wheel which can feel a bit weird at first, but you get used to it, and when the Rickshaw is fully loaded down you shouldn't notice any wheel slip when accelerating.
Rawr, it's the Lynx! Usually when you ride a small folding e-bike you have to make some sacrifices such as not being able to haul cargo, but there's no such trade-off for the Lynx, which is rocking not only a rear rack but also a sturdy front basket! It's also surprisingly adjustable thanks to the extra long seatpost, which is doing double duty holding up butts and also housing the battery pack. 20" wheels give a mechanical advantage to the motor for more ZIP, but they also don't roll over bumps as nicely as a big wheel would, and since there's no suspension you should avoid rough riding surfaces.
Dual batteries on a small folding e-bike? Qualisports says "sure, why not!" Having the dual battery option is nice if you want to maximize your range, but you might not want to ride that far since this is a small bike with no suspension... but even then it's nice to not have to charge up as often. Plus, the battery-hiding seatpost is extra thick which means you can raise it extra high; this combined with the telescoping stem make the Dolphin Plus surprisingly comfortable for what it is. The 500 watt motor feels pleasantly zippy due to the smaller diameter wheels, with a tried-and-true Shimano drivetrain for pedaling.
Value packed is the name of the game for the E-TORQUE, a feature-complete budget-friendly commuter from EUNORAU. "Feature Complete" means it's got everything you need to use it for it's intended purpose of city commuting: Lights, signals, fenders, sturdy rear rack, and basic suspension are all included at no extra cost. You may have guessed from the name that the E-TORQUE is indeed equipped with a satisfyingly responsive torque sensor, which provides a better riding experience than the cadence sensors which are common at this budget price range. Plus EUNORAU has an excellent warranty and hundreds of dealers around the world!
The FAT-AWD stands out from other dual-motor electric bikes as a versatile workhorse that is easily modified to suit just about any use case. On paper it's much less powerful than most dual-motor machines, but (as usual) paper doesn't tell the full story; with both motors engaged this e-bike is still quite peppy and provides satisfying acceleration! It's solid frame gives it a lot of stability and high payload capacity, but also means it lacks comfort, especially on long rides. Truth be told you'd probably have to invest in some comfort and convenience upgrades, but with it's impressively low price point you'd still be coming out ahead compared to how expensive most dual-motor setups are. Plus, EUNORAU has a great warranty and large dealer network, so hopefully you can get in to test ride one before buying!