Welcome To Revolve
Revolve is a company that was created to sell electric vehicles. All vehicles are powered by batteries. Prior to launching these products, management of Revolve devoted extensive time assuring quality. To accomplish this mission, we have visited our suppliers of batteries and bicycles to ascertain that quality is uppermost in their minds. We have ordered production models from potential manufacturers and subjected the bikes and vehicles to rigorous tests before accepting these manufacturers as suppliers. Every product comes with a warranty with regard to certain parts. Parts such as brakes and wheels which are subjected to normal wear and tear are not covered by warranties.
In 2001, the U. S. Congress passed Public Law 107-319 which exempts electric bicycles under 750 watts/20 mph from the definition of a motor vehicles. “For purposes of motor vehicle safety standards…”, which means that the manufacturers of these bicycles don’t have to meet federal equipment requirements, and are instead governed by the manufacturing requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Act. There is no mention of exemption from other federal, state, and local traffic laws or exemption from the definition of a motor vehicle for other purposes.
Various states have passed their own laws. California law states that no driver’s license, license plate, nor insurance is required. You must be 16 years or older and wear a standard bicycle helmet. Electric bikes are subject to all the rules of the road, and additional laws governing the operation and safety of electric bicycles may be extended by state or local governments. It’s legally a bicycle, so you can use it wherever and however you can use a bike. Washington law is similar.
Federal law trumps all States’ laws. That is true with bicycle law, too. States cannot constitutionally pass legislation that reduces or eliminates Federal laws; they can only pass legislation that enacts additional (tighter) restrictions on its people. This means that no State can enact legislation that allows wattages or speeds greater than the Federal Government’s limit of 750 Watts and a top electric-powered speed of 20MPH. States can only legislate LOWER wattages and top-speeds (which, to our knowledge have not been done by any state). An e-bike can go over 20 MPH, but not by means of the motor. No matter what state you bike in, bicycle speeds on public roads above 20MPH cannot legally be motor-assisted. As a practical matter, police don’t notice bikes going too fast.
If you live in a state that lacks basic electric bike legislation, consider this. Although riding your electric bike may be illegal, so is jay-walking. Generally speaking, 1) police don’t know the exact rules, 2) police expect electric bike and scooter riders to wear a bicycle helmet, 3) most electric bikes look to the casual observer like ordinary bikes, and 4) if you get ticketed, just go to court and plead your case; judges usually let you off with a warning. And start working your state legislature to enact an electric bicycle law similar to California’s.
*Please note, the above information has not been verified by Ebikes by Revolve. Please be sure to independently verify any information in accordance with your individual state and local laws.
Yes. While some communities only define ZEV’s as car replacements, others are looking for alternative ways to reduce sources of mobile pollution. Electric bikes have qualified for electric vehicle credits in some communities. Check with your local environmental management group for clarification. Every time you take a short trip on your electric bicycle rather than a car, you delete a cold start that would have added a significant amount of pollution.
How e-bikes work is by assisting your pedaling. Electric bikes are everyday bicycles with an added battery-powered electric motor. Although capable of pushing you along without your help, electric bikes perform noticeably better when you pedal. The average “couch potato” who normally rides at 10 mph can ride at 15-20 mph using the same effort. He can also expect a range of 10 miles, with a recharge time of several hours. Do you remember that easy pedaling after you get your bike up to speed? That’s the cruising feeling you get all the time with an electric bike.
Power, when activated by a throttle on the handlebar (power-on-demand) or in response to your pedaling (ped-elec), gives you an immediate, nearly silent push. When you release the throttle (or stop pedaling), the motor coasts or “freewheels” – like when you stop pedaling a regular bike. Standard bicycle hand brakes and gearing round out the controls.
No insurance is required to ride an e-bike. However, if you want to insure it against theft, check your current homeowner’s insurance policy. An electric bicycle may be covered. To determine coverage, check with your insurance company or agent.
Although all electric (or “electric-assist”) bikes are designed to work with your pedaling, power-on-demand allows you to break the rule. Most systems offer a variable speed control, although some are simply on/off. A “ped-elec” won’t deliver motor power unless it senses you are pedaling. And it’s “power output to pedal pressure” ratio is often adjustable. Most people find 350-watt motors adequate for their needs, although folks with steep hills may want more power. Some bikes offer through-the-gearing power assist – i.e. the force of the motor goes through the bike’s gearing system – which provides better hill-climbing and top-end speed than direct drive systems with motors of the same wattage rating.
First off, distinguish between the bicycle and the drive system. If you’re having problems with a bike part, your local bike shop can help. Or you can find lots of useful fix-it information at Sheldon Brown’s website: www.sheldonbrown.com , get Bicycling Magazine’s manual at: www.bicycling.com , or get an interactive repair CD from: www.bfr-it.com (1-866-237-2453 toll free).
If the problem is electrical, you can call or contact us. Most electrical parts are subject to our warranty which means full replacement.
The most important factors are listed here with the (generally speaking) most important at the top:
1. battery capacity (measured in volt-amp-hours)
2. terrain (number and incline of hills)
3. e-bike speed
4. wind conditions (going 10 mph against a 10 mph headwind feels like 20 mph to the bike)
5. pulling a trailer (which is like pulling another bicycle)
6. correct tire inflation (under-inflated tires slow you down)
7. weight of rider and baggage
8. motor/controller/drive system efficiency
As you can see, battery size ranks at the top. System efficiency ranks at the bottom because most systems are 85% to 95% efficient. The speed you go makes a big difference in how far you go. All else being equal, range is a function of either 1) battery capacity (amp-hours X volts) or 2) speed. There is a direct relationship between battery capacity (amp-hrs) and both weight and physical size (total volume). Commonly used sealed lead-acid batteries weigh three times as much a Nickel Metal batteries of the same rating and four time a Lithium Polymer battery. All else being equal, speed is a function of motor (watt rating) and controller. Most electric bike motors are capable of higher performance characteristics than the controller allows. As for power, consider that Lance Armstrong’s average speed over a 2-hour ride is 20.5 mph. Lance expended about 1/2 horsepower, or 373 watts, continuously. Most e-bike motors operate continuously in the range of 300 – 600 watts. Most e-bikes, therefore, will make a “Lance Armstrong” of difference in getting you down the road and up the hill!
Regenerative braking doesn’t yield much “juice” back into the battery. Even the hi-tech regen on electric automobiles gains less than 10% of the original charge. Therefore, given a choice of either regen or freewheeling, you will generally get more range with freewheeling – unless you have a hilly route.
Due to the nature of batteries, you can double the battery life expectancy by discharging only 50% of capacity instead of 75%; you get 6 times the battery life at 30% capacity usage per cycle. Think of battery lifetime as having $1000 in the bank and withdrawing a dollar with each 30% discharge cycle — and withdrawing $10 every time you deeply (85%) discharge the battery.
- Get a battery pack that goes at least twice the range you usually expect to ride.
- Range is proportional to battery size; twice the battery size = twice the range.
- For every two miles you go, plan on about one hour of charging and about one cent of electricity.
- When speed increases, range decreases even faster; 1/3 faster = 1/2 the range.
- A 400-watt motor takes an average rider up all but the steepest hills (but weak controllers can limit performance).
Two 12-volt, 12 amp-hour batteries will take an average rider 10 miles at 15 mph or up a hill that’s 800 feet tall.