I think the bikes are awesome, if it was'nt for the 8 - 10 k US dollar price tag, I'd have one 
,J
,J
Its a motor bike, and quite a powerful one at that. [edit: read, power to weight ratio]
There will have to be rules about the distinction to 'cycling' very soon.
That said, I saw a GreenSpeed the other day with a rear electric hub motor and a very large battery - looked very smick.
You're only allowed a maximum power of 200 watts for an electric bike before it loses its bicycle status.
Anything over 200 watts has to be licensed as a motorbike, with all the associated requirements and regulations complied with.
200 watts will push you along at just under 30km/hr on a flat path with no wind.
Any headwind or slight uphill slope knocks that back to about 22km/hr or slower for stronger winds or steeper hills.
There are various people trying to get the maximum power allowed up to 360 watts.
If you're happy with that sort of performance then you would be better off to buy a honda postie bike. 110cc and cruise at 70km/hr no problem. They use almost no fuel and are the most reliable bike engine that honda make. The motor is almost indestructible because they just don't have the power to damage themselves.
Then if you wanted some excitement you could look flysurfer up and run into his bicycle and bend his front wheel.
Apparently that's the done thing these days.
currently in W.A. power assisted bikes are limited to 200w max, (hadnt heard about the limit being raised) and around 25km/h top speed.
I presume the 25km/h is on roads- not shared footpaths
Legal to use on shared footpaths and bike paths and roads.
bike helmet required, lighting as per regular bikes, must be 16 years of age or older.
stephen.
I have been riding electric bikes for years I use it for just about everything for my personal transport .it suits me as i live close to my work but there is lots of congestion on the roads and an ave spped of 25 -30 km per hour is as fast or faster than the ave speed i can achieve in a car .i don't have to slug on through shopping centres llooking for a park and pull up at the front of anywhere i want to go . i fill up my 4 wd once per month ,yes its a lazy bike but i don't have a pedal car .I use it for transport and assist it so I am getting more excercise than if I was driving . Over the years i have espoused its virtues but it usually falls on deaf ears .most Aussies i recokon would drive to the dunny if they could .I am so sick of this 200 watt vs 300 watt whatever bollocks .A bike at the top of a steep hill has power potential well ove 300 watts .probably more like 1000 watts at least and speed potential of up to 100 km/h .I have been in touch with the boffins at the RTA over the years to find out what there issue actually is .if it's speed then why not legislate that a bike is not allowed to do more than 30 kph .the thing is a fit rider on a racing bike can do at least 40 km/h .I reckon this is probably safer to have bikes closer to traffic speed 9having said that ave traffic speeds in cities in peak hour are now lucky to be 25 km/h .meanwhile while there is talk of power limits the whole issue is confusing no one gives electric bikes a look in and we continue to be cursed with worsening traffic .50% of trips in a car are less than 5 km a high percentage of those trip have one occupant .ideally done on a bike or e bike .While petrol is relatively cheap the car will rule even if drivers a grovelling along at speeds that are pathetic.If 30 km /h is too slow a friend of mine has a 1000 watt electric bike kit .with batteries it cost $600 .It can do 60 km/h and has a range of about 15 km .A fill up cost 20 cents
I have similar 1000W in the hub motor with 48 V 20 AH LiFePo4 battery 
I have looked into the stealth bikes, from memory they are actually Australian and not intended to be ridden on the road. They are mountainbikes with heaps of suspension travel and massive brakes.
the bomber is around AU$8000 and they make a cheaper one called the fighter at around AU$6000
they also make one that has no pedals and is basically an electric motorbike called the hurricane.
the bomber and hurricane have 4500watt brushless DC hub motors and Lithium batteries. they claim a range of 55 KM with a max speed of 80Kph on the hurricane, i dont know if thats 55 kms at 80kph or what the ratio is. The hurricane also has regenerative braking for added battery range.
I personally would rather ride a hurricane with lights and indicators on the road going the same speed as the cars ( but be restricted to 80K or less zones ) than ride a poxy scooter struggling to do 50 in an 80 zone which allot of silly teenagers do here.
stealthelectricbikes.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fstealthelectricbikes.com%2Fwp-admin%2F&reauth=1
stealthelectricbikes.com.au/fighter.html
stealthelectricbikes.com.au/bomber.html
I WANT ONE hahaha 
If I lost my license, I would buy one of these in a heart beat... Play the ignorance card and tell everyone it is 45 watts !!
The claimed distance ranges sound great too.
Does anyone have any links to kits?
I looked a elation bikes a while back, but they seem to have gone out of business.
I want to fit one to the Mrs bike cos she rides SOO SLOOOW... it's like cycling with Ms Dazzy.
I have similar 1000W in the hub motor with 48 V 20 AH LiFePo4 battery
1000 W motor on pushbike shouldn't be used to reach max speed but to go uphill.
So maybe solution is rise the allowed power on pushbike from 200W to 1000w but with speed limiter setup say at 30 km/h for electric booster.
I can't see how 200W could climb my roads if 1000W is straggling unless you employ whole set of gears and ride 5 km uphill.
I did the leccy bike thing (briefly) about a year ago.
I bought an elation kit as it seemed the smartest set-up (driving thru front cluster - and therfore using gears).
A workmate had the 1st model and had no probs for years. 2nd model well received.
Unfortunately to keep costs down the 3rd model, which I waited months for, was plagued by Chinese manufacture problems and 'unauthorised modifications' to the Aussie designer's plans.
Elation kit turned out to be a total lemon and cost me +3 months of breakdowns/returns/arguments/breakdowns/returns/arguments with the owner/designer.
He was a bit of a w@nker and not totally truthful IMO.
In the end the local supplier (top bloke) gave me a full refund - despite the w@nker designer leaving his supplier up the creek.
A few months later elation closed it's doors. I doubt the owner is covering it's alleged 12 mth warranties etc. 
Lesson learnt from that was K.I.S.S.
In the end I used half of my $1000 refund to buy a decent quality superceded MTB at a great price, The new beast has road biased tyres, and I have been waaaayyy happier and no reliability problems. Does a great commuting job and recently took on some serious trails (with standard road tyres) and it was great too.
IMO:
Front hub systems are overpriced generally.
Hub systems are ok and good for what they are - not for me though.
I would go a rear hub as I didn't like the 'drive' coming from the front in the wet or sand etc.
My system was a 300w. This was not legal, although I reckon 300w is a good level of power/torque/speed/mileage that most numbskulls could safely control.
1000w systems (or anything higher than the legal 200w) are asking for trouble. No good for mileage. Also potential for accidents, fines and legal ramifications if a pedestrian etc gets cleaned up..
K.I.S.S.
BTW - I initially wrote glowing reports on SB about elation.. then things went not so well.. 
By the time it had all worked itself out, months had gone by, the SB thread had died and been locked off due to inactivity. I couldn't correct previous happy reports on the elations system. I knew the designer was unable to get his products out of China and into punter's hands too - so I hope no-one got stung by elation.
Happy as using good ol' pedal power on my middle of the range MTB these days.
Electric or 100% pedal - anything is better than grid lock in a smelly car.
My 1000W kit wasn't expensive $215 ( battery not included)
And a bit of warning ! When you do search for battery on eBay for electric bike or other power tools don't but one that doesn't exist yet !
5000mAh looks like scam at real capacity will be mostly half of that
(which I also find hard not to do)
KTM's electric dirt bike.http://www.ktm.com/us/freeride/freeride-e.html
www.ktm.com/at/freeride/freeride-e.html
(at is Austria, and us is USA.
I drafted one on my road bike home from Perth one evening.
Funny though he didn't get away from me at all even up the hill in fact I could have overtook him on one hill.
I say get a pushie cycle everywhere and soon you get fit and can ride as quick as a legal electric bike.
... if you're male, say good bye to your nuts.
Audi at the 2012 W?rthersee Tour
One of the highlights on the Audi stand is the bicycle technology concept known as the Audi e-bike W?rthersee - a sport bike that does not fit into any of the usual categories. It is neither a pedelec nor a conventional bike, but is best described as a high-end pedelec made by Audi for sport, fun and tricks. The Audi e-bike W?rthersee combines the Audi brand's principal competences - design, ultra, connect and e-tron - and explores the limits of what is technically feasible in terms of design, lightweight construction, networking and electric mobility.
This show bike is futuristic at the very first glance - a bike for tomorrow and beyond. All its components, even the pedals, have been shaped by Audi's designers, for instance the 26-inch wheels made from CFRP that weigh only 600 grams (1.32 lb) each and have innovative large-area blade-pattern spokes.
The Audi e-bike W?rthersee's ultra-light carbon-fiber frame weighs only 1,600 grams (3.53 lb). It makes use of bionic principles derived from nature. Material reinforcements are needed only at the points where loads actually occur. The swinging arm for the rear wheel is also made of CFRP. All in all, the Audi e-bike W?rthersee represents the full extent of the brand's expertise in ultra-lightweight design.
The rear wheel is driven by a chain. The electric motor is a permanent magnet synchronous machine; it is located at the lowest point on the frame and drives the bottom bracket shaft directly. Maximum torque at the rear wheel is in the region of 250 Nm (184.39 lb-ft). Peak output from the electric motor is 2.3 kW - a new top value on the e-bike scene. The complete bicycle weighs only 21 kg (46.30 lb), equivalent to a power-weight ratio of 9 kg (19.84 lb) per kilowatt, or 7 kg (15.43 lb) per horsepower - another record-breaking value.
The lithium-ion battery is housed in the frame; it weighs about 5 kg (11.02 lb) and operates at a voltage of 48 V. Its capacity is 530 Wh and it can be fully recharged from a 230 V supply in two and a half hours. As an alternative it can be easily detached from the bike and replaced by a recharged battery.
The rider of the Audi e-bike W?rthersee can choose between five programs; these either support use of the pedals or permit electric-only travel.
In the 'Pure' mode the rider only propels the bike by means of the pedals. In the 'Pedelec' mode the rider is assisted by the electric motor; a top speed of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) can be reached and the action radius is between 50 and 70 kilometers (31 and 44 miles). In the 'eGrip' program the Audi e-bike W?rthersee can be ridden with the electric motor providing all the necessary power; in this case at speeds up to 50 km/h (31 mph). The rider controls the power output from the electric motor at a twistgrip and can configure it at the on-board computer.
In 'Wheelie' mode the power flow is electronically controlled in order to assist the rider when the front wheel is in the air. Alternative operating modes are available, and can be selected by smartphone or directly at the e-bike: either 'Power Wheelie' with an adjustable wheelie angle for less skilled riders, or 'Balanced Wheelie' for those with more experience. In the latter mode the rider's balance is maintained electronically: as his or her weight is displaced forward or back, this is counteracted by either braking or accelerating the electric motor.
In this way the rider can influence the speed when riding on the rear wheel only by shifting his or her weight. Leaning forward speeds up the bike, leaning back slows it down. If the rider wants to use the pedals and maintain a constant power input, the training mode can be chosen. The electric motor then makes good the extra power needed when riding into the wind or up a hill, so that the rider's performance can be kept constant for training purposes.
The Audi e-bike W?rthersee has a varied specification. The nine-speed hydraulically actuated gear shift has a very rapid sequential action, similar to the R tronic transmission in an Audi R8. The two disk brakes are also applied hydraulically. Seat height can be continuously adjusted at a handlebar control, even while the bike is being ridden. The front fork uses the more complex 'upside-down' principle; it is air-sprung, with 130 mm (5.12 in) of travel. LEDs are used for powerful lighting: the front light is integrated into the handlebar, the rear light into the seat.
The on-board computer is located in the frame top tube and operated using a touchscreen. Among the functions it provides are riding mode selection, recording trick sequences and adjustment of various e-bike functions such as electric pedaling assistance and lighting. The display shows road speed, distance covered, state of battery charge, energy consumption and slope angle at any given moment.
The rider's smartphone communicates by WLAN with the bike's computer. The antenna is integrated into the front brake line. To ride the bike, the immobilizer is deactivated at the smartphone; the bike is then ready for use. In addition, by way of the interface between the bike's computer and the smartphone, video images recorded while riding or even complete trick sequences can be transmitted to the Internet or the trainer. Every trick performed successfully qualifies for success points. As the number of points increases, the rider is rewarded and at the same time the challenge level rises. The total Internet ranking can be compared with friends or other riders. The rider can locate them by way of Facebook entries that can be shown on the Audi e-bike W?rthersee's display.
