How, Exactly, Is This New E-Bike So Much Faster Than Any Other?

Judging by what I encounter in New York City’s bike lanes, urban e-bikes have seemingly reached terminal velocity.

That observation has less to do with legal limits (which they honestly surpassed long ago), and more with what you can realistically control amidst city traffic.

Morelle

However, on-road velocity is not the only measure of “speed” and maybe not even the most important one for daily commuters. 

Which is where a California start-up called Morelle comes in, with a bold new quickness claim that blows others out of the water: the ability to fully charge in 15 minutes or less.

Better battery

For context, most e-bikes fully charge in three to six hours, with a few coming closer to two hours — all of which pales in comparison to Morelle’s sleek and boastful bike, which should roll out early next year.

How exactly are they planning to charge it up in such a short time? By shifting toward a different battery chemistry that’s already caught on with some EVs and consumer electronics. 

Without getting too technical, Morelle’s 350-Wh downtube battery trades the standard graphite anode for a silicon anode with 10 times the energy capacity, the brand says, translating to a huge boost in battery energy density and charging speed.

Why isn’t silicon more common? It historically has a nasty habit of swelling and shrinking while in use, which negatively impacts surrounding materials and its own lifespan. 

However, recent tech breakthroughs are addressing these issues, leading Morelle to says its batteries will be good for 1,000 superfast charging cycles, if not more. 

Morelle

While your typical e-bike battery charges at a rate of 100 to 300 watts (aka Level M1), Morelle claims its battery can charge at 1,000- to 1,200-watt (M2) and over 1,500-watt (M3) levels.

One lingering question is whether you’ll be able to hit those levels at home; Morelle’s plans to add e-bike charging hardware to existing Level 2 automotive charging locations cast some doubt on such a prospect, at least right now. 

Sweet ride

While it appears the Morelle e-Bike might merely be a showcase for charging technology that could revolutionize humanoid robots (among other things), the bike itself could still be a banger.

After all, Morelle’s head of development is none other than Gary Fisher, the Mountain Bike Hall of Famer whose eponymous brand pioneered some of the very first mountain bikes (nicknamed “klunkers”) in Marin, California decades ago. 

Morelle

In addition to its streamlined good looks, the bike’s early/targeted specs are promising. 

Morelle is aiming for a weight around 30 pounds, while a high-torque mid-motor provides up to 28 mph of pedal assistance.

The former figure sits pretty much at the nexus of light and ultra-light, while the latter number is the maximum speed of the fastest e-bike segment, Class 3.

Morelle

The battery’s range, meanwhile, should land somewhere near a pretty respectable two hours.

Of course if it does die on you, assuming there’s a charging station nearby, it should be back to life before your fish tacos even come out of the truck.

Availability and pricing

You can reserve a Morelle e-Bike now for $50, which will be applied to the purchase price of $3,000. Deliveries are expected to begin early next year.

Morelle

Morelle e-Bike

• $3,000 at Morelle

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