Schwinn electric bicycle questions and answers

August update: the bikes appear (from Schwinn's website) to be available now, but are only 250 watt not 400 watt(?). Answers from Schwinn are in italics below.

I've emailed Schwinn asking these questions about their three models of electric bikes.

1. From the Schwinn FAQ:
   ... We expect the electric bikes to be here in early summer, at which time they will be available through independent Schwinn bike dealers all over the US.
   Do you mean summer of 2007? (i.e. are they not available yet?)
   
   [Apparently they weren't, but as of August, from their website, it looks like they are.]
   
   
2. We live in a hilly area - what is the recommend max. grade, for the electric Schwinns?
   (for the UrbanMover electric bikes it's up to 12%10-14%, for the Giant Suede electric bike IIRC it's up to 15%)
   
   We don't have a specific grade recommendation...
   
   
3. If you take the bike up steeper-than-recommended hills, what are the consequences - do you merely get temporarily reduced power...?
   ...but requiring the battery to power extra work like climbing a steep grade will shorten the distance it can travel on that charge.
   
   Can this damage the motor?
   I'm sorry, but I don't yet have a definitive answer for that question.
   
   
4. Does the battery sit on top of the rack behind the seat?
   What are its dimensions (of battery plus whatever it's contained in, if anything)?
   The battery is integrated with the rear rack, but is relatively small and easily removable through a simple plug-in system.
   (update: from this Engadget post, looks like the battery fits under the rack)

Electric transportation roundup

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• Bike Commute Tips Blog
  
• Specs for the Ezee Quando folding electric bike (sold by Electric Bikes NW)
  
• A UK electric bicycles forum, with a bike reviews section.
  
• Study: cyclists who jump red lights may be safer than those who stick to the law.
  
• From the UrbanMover FAQ:
  a report from Leeds University ...reveals that in a survey of electric bike owners, a third of respondents used their bikes typically at least once a day and 81% used their electric bikes at least once a week. Therefore an electric bike typically gets used at least twice as often as a conventional bicycle.
• At Daily Kos, a 'showroom' of current and near-future 3 and 4 wheeled electric vehicles, with photos.
  
• Sunday May 6 NYTimes A Two-Wheeled Option (With a Battery) for Commuters - article on electric bikes
  (tinyurl.com/3eyqd3)
  
• New owner in Chicago reports on his $300 Mongoose Cruiser electric bicycle from Target.
  
• Informative and interesting Peak Moment interview with happy Suede E owner (and commuter) Sally Lovell, who also has a bike trailer, and is a fount of knowledge on safe and successful biking. She tried several kinds of bikes before settling on the Suede:
  ...being able to test ride a bike on hills made all the difference to me. I first looked at E-bike, E-Go scooters. Then at Electric Bikes Northwest I looked at the Meridian, the Giants, and...another used one... The only one I actually took out onto the hills was the Giant Suede E, because it was what I wanted for price, weight, gear ratios and commuter durability.
• This $1500 electric Schwinn has a 400180-250-watt motor (in front wheel) and a lithium-polymer battery. ("One charge will last approximately 60 miles")
  Schwinn also makes $1700 and $2000 electric bikes. It'd be nice to be able to try out one of the Schwinns...
  
• Electric bicycle substrate: Torontoist's Insane in the Bike Lane, about its all-too-frequently appalling condition
  
• Suitable Transport - electric bicycling, on a Schwinn, in a suit, along the coast of Australia from Melbourne to Sydney.
  
• Unsuitable transport - the The World Naked Bike Ride to protest oil dependency.
  
• Electric bicycles in Nevada County, that I'm aware of*:
  • Giant Lite step-through (NiMH)
  
  
  • Giant Suede E step-through (NiMH)
  
  
  • UrbanMover Sprite (NiMH)
  
  
  • Iacocca E-bike (SLA)
  
  
  • EZip on a Mongoose(SLA?)