An electric bike is a battery operated bicycle with an internal motorized motor used primarily to assist pedaling. Many types of electric e-bikes are currently available on the market, but generally they fall into two broad groups: bikes which directly assist the rider’s pedaling power with the use of their own motor, and those that incorporate a pedal-by-pedle throttle, adding more bike-like functionality to the electric bike. Some electric bicycles have both the throttle and pedal assist function.
The throttle on an electric bike is usually activated by pressing down on a switch mounted on the handlebars, similar to a regular bicycle’s brake pedal. Electric bike riders typically prefer this style because it allows them more control over the amount of pedaling that is required to achieve the desired speed. On a comparable level to a regular bicycle’s brakes, however, the motor on an electric bike can be activated by a rider manually pressing down on the pedal.
The pedals on an electric bike provide a great deal of assistance for the rider, allowing you to get up steep hills much more quickly than you could if you were riding a regular bicycle. The amount of power produced by the motor is typically proportionate to the amount of energy expended, or current, by the user. The battery, like the battery on your regular bicycle, stores the energy used for propulsion until the battery becomes fully charged. As a result, when the current from the battery is not enough to power the motor, the ebike will not function.