There are mainly two reasons electric vehicles in general are so inexpensive. One reason is because they need less maintenance: no petrol, no oil, no carburettor or filter problems & because most electric vehicles are automatic gearboxes - no gearbox & clutch repairs. The other darker reason is manufacturers using cheaper & inferior materials & technology.
Low cost electric motorbikes from developing economies (southeast Asia & South Africa in this case) take this to the extreme when using weak electric motors & batteries for their vehicles. For example; at one of the popular newly established electric motorcycle factories in South Africa their strongest motor is 1500 W, if you're carrying 110 kg (i. e. 40 kg & yourself) on a 30° incline - it will struggle. The physics mathematics says it will go no more than 10 km an hour. You need a 3000 W electric motor power or more in South Africa. Furthermore, sales representatives of some electric motorcycle brands in South Africa don't even know what regenerative braking is. It's not a requirement seeing as their motorcycles don't have it but if you're in the motoring field, as your line of work - you should, at least, know more than me. No regenerative braking is bad if your battery range is weak (60 km or less). Talking of range, the type of material used in the battery plays a role in such. My experience of lead acid batteries is just not that great because you don't even have to reach a certain amount of charging cycles for the battery to weaken. The weather alone seems to weaken lead acid batteries. Lithium-ion seems ok but if we're talking about charging cycles & all-round battery superiority, sodium-ion seems to be the best.
Delivery motorbikes need a minimum 100 km range which I simply don't trust cheaper lead acid batteries for. As an urban commuter, in my experience, you'll need a 70 km battery range on average. In time, the battery will decrease range as the charging cycles pile up & so choosing a higher kilometre range vehicle & better battery (i. e. a battery with more charging cycles like a sodium-ion battery) will be better in future.
Roam Air motorcycles & Spiro of Kenya usually have 3000 W (3 kW) or a 5000 W (5 kW) electric motor while really expensive bikes from developed countries have 15 kW motor power & can cost as much as a car. Getting a 1,6 kW power electric motorbike will really show you flames on inclines, so save yourself the hassle.
So between using cheaper battery materials & weaker electric motors is why some electric motorbikes are so inexpensive & virtually not worth buying aside from just odd fun or racing. Ideally speaking, for an everyday use electric motorbike - you'll need one with at least 3 kW power or more, 80 km range & a sodium-ion battery. This is a bike that will last you years.
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