{"id":15865,"date":"2022-02-20T08:20:48","date_gmt":"2022-02-20T13:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=15865"},"modified":"2022-02-20T08:20:48","modified_gmt":"2022-02-20T13:20:48","slug":"double-your-e-bikes-range-priority-introduces-new-add-on-battery-bumping-electric-bikes-capacity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=15865","title":{"rendered":"Double your e-bike’s range? Priority introduces new add-on battery, bumping electric bike’s capacity"},"content":{"rendered":"

I ride electric bikes all the time<\/em>. It\u2019s kind of my thing. It\u2019s a blast because I get an awesome ride experience without the pain and discomfort that normally comes from a long and arduous pedal bike ride.<\/p>\n

But nothing harshes a good e-biking vibe quite like a low battery. So Priority decided to nip that problem in the bud by introducing a range extender battery for its popular Current e-bike, doubling the capacity and thus doubling the e-bike\u2019s range.<\/p>\n

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The Priority Current<\/a> is a hybrid-style commuter\/leisure electric bicycle. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a 28 mph (45 km\/h) e-bike that features a mid-drive motor and internally geared hub, with a Gates Carbon Drive belt connecting the two to complete the drivetrain.<\/p>\n

In other words, it\u2019s pretty awesome already.<\/p>\n

And it gets great range out of its 500 Wh frame-integrated battery. I know because I own one, and I usually average about 40 miles (64 km) of range per charge, though the company says you can get up to 50 miles (80 km) if you\u2019re using lower power. The Priority Current is my go-to city fitness\/transportation bike. It\u2019s the one I grab when I want a good pedal ride (it doesn\u2019t have a throttle, but instead relies on pedal assist) and I know I won\u2019t be hitting any off-road trails that day.<\/p>\n

I liked the bike so much after reviewing it last year<\/a> that I bought it off of the company so I wouldn\u2019t have to send it back. To be fair, they gave me a deal on it (Hey, some schmuck had already put a bunch of miles on it and the bike was now \u201cused\u201d).<\/p>\n

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But sometimes I want to go for a longer ride, especially on a weekend when I have the time to really put in some miles.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve actually toyed with the idea of buying a second battery to carry in my backpack on a long ride, and then swapping it in a couple hours later when I\u2019m halfway through the ride. It\u2019s not fun carrying a heavy e-bike battery on your back, though there are backpacks<\/a> designed for just that with special compartments to carry a spare e-bike battery. But batteries ride best where they\u2019re intended to be: mounted on the bike itself.<\/p>\n

And then this news landed on my desk: Priority introduced a new range extender battery<\/a>. And it basically solves that problem for me.<\/p>\n

As the company explains:<\/p>\n

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\u201cDouble the range of your Current e-Bike to make it the ultimate car replacement, long distance commuter, or all-day cruiser.\u00a0 Shipping with a custom rear rack, the Current Battery Extender integrates into the existing Current system with simple household tools, offering up to 100 miles of\u00a0uninterrupted\u00a0pedaling.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Essentially, it\u2019s a second 500 Wh battery that comes with its own rack and it simply bolts onto the rear of the bike. It doubles your original 500 Wh capacity, and it also gives you a rack. <\/p>\n

The Current\u2019s tail light and brake light is already built into the rear fender, meaning a rack won\u2019t obscure it.<\/p>\n

I had been toying with the idea of getting a rear rack for the bike as well to make it a bit more utilitarian for my city errand running, and so it feels like this news is kind of tailer made for me (or people like me, which is the less egotistical way to consider it).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a cheap option, priced at $799<\/a>. But if you\u2019re the kind of person that already drops over $3k<\/a> on a high-end mid-drive e-bike with belt drive AND you\u2019re the kind of person that wants to push close to triple digit miles on a single ride, this is probably in your wheelhouse.<\/p>\n

Electrek\u2019s<\/em> Take<\/h2>\n

The price feels a bit high, but that\u2019s kind of the current state of things in the e-bike industry these days. Prices have been on the rise<\/a> for everything due to supply chain constraints and skyrocketing demand landing a one-two punch on the industry.<\/p>\n

But in terms of functionality, I love this thing. The ability to simply bolt-on a second battery to double your range in a couple of minutes is pretty awesome. I\u2019ve built my own<\/a> range extender batteries for electric scooters before (I kind of wrote the book<\/a> on DIY battery building), and so this is definitely an interesting product to me.<\/p>\n

To be clear, most people probably won\u2019t need a range extender battery. In fact, I\u2019ve gotten by fine for over a year with 40 miles of range from the stock battery. But I\u2019ve often pined for even more range, and this tickles that particular itch.<\/p>\n

And all of this begs the question, \u201cWhat about universal range extender batteries for e-bikes?\u201d In this case, Priority\u2019s range extender only fits Priority\u2019s own e-bike, the Current. Theoretically this could be done to lots of e-bikes, but the idea begins to fall apart in practice due to the lack of standardization in the e-bike industry. Every company has their own battery (or one of a dozen-ish common designs) with their own connector (or again, one of maybe a dozen connectors). <\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to see more standardization in the e-bike industry. But until then, range extenders like these will probably be brand-specific for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

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FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.<\/em> More.<\/a><\/p>\n

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