PERHAPS one of the greatest drawbacks of electric bikes, along with range, is price. Take the Brammo Empulse R, (now rebranded as the Victory Empulse TT), which cost £15,350 when last on sale in the UK, for 54hp and 66lbft.
So it's potentially interesting that two new electric bikes have just been launched in Europe starting from €7,695 (£5,629), including a €300 discount for ordering by November 15.
Called the BCN City and BCN Sport, from Spanish firm Volta, both use the same engine, producing 33hp and 49.4lbft. Claimed top speed is 74mph, range 43 miles and charge time two hours. Claimed dry weight is 135kg.
Crucially, because the charging unit is integrated into the bikes, both can be recharged from a normal wall socket.
The Sport model costs a little more at €8,495 (£6,217) including a €500 discount, but has three riding modes instead of two, promising better acceleration.
Volta is currently taking orders via a Spanish website but the firm plans to build a dealer network across Europe.
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