I have been riding a bike for more than 10 years now but never in those 10 years was I ever stopped at every intersection by people asking about my bike. However, this past weekend things were a little different for me. That’s because I was riding the sporty looking E Bike T80 Sport – one of the three Electric Scooters launched earlier this month.
Editor’s Note: We were contacted by TAZ Trading that they want PakWheels to review the E Bike. We were given the bike for only a day, so we could not calculate the kilometers per charge thoroughly as the scooter requires at least 8 hours of charging to reach the full capacity of the batteries.
INTRODUCTION
The E Bike T-80 Sport is company’s top of the line model with a sporty shape powered by an 800 watt electric motor coupled with five 12volts batteries and an automatic transmission. The bike retails for Rs. 95,900 and comes with two years motor and one-year battery warranty.
LOOKS
In terms of looks, the E Bike is a beautiful bike considering all you get to see on the roads are Honda 70cc, its Chinese clones and a couple of other motorcycles, which look exactly the same from 10 feet distance. However, this little machine looks different. It has a sleek design with lots of curves. The overall shape is very much inspired by some kind of sports bike which is a good thing in my opinion. The headlamps have integrated front indicators in them and look like they are from Kawasaki Ninja or Yamaha R6 but on a smaller scale. The taillamp and the rear indicators are integrated with the rear fairing and do not protrude like those on the conventional motorbikes. The T80 Sport comes with aluminum 12 inches wheels with tubeless tires with a disk brake at the front wheel.
The speedometer is also very good looking but very impractical. To start with, the T80 Sport does not have an odometer (currently only T70 offers an odometer), so you cannot tell how much the bike has been ridden. I had to resort to the GPS in my phone to get the idea of how many kilometers I have travelled, which was very inconvenient and in future if you plan to buy a used E Bike from someone, you cannot tell how many kilometers the bike has been used. Also, the battery indicator does not work the way it should. In my case it always showed me 100% charge even when the bike was ridden for 40 kilometers according to my GPS.
COMFORT & RIDE
In terms of comfort, the bike did not disappoint us. The seat is comfortable for two full sized adults weighing over 170 pounds each and it gets a little cramped when you put three adults of the same size (Yes. We tried that just for the sake of this review). The ride quality is very good on properly paved roads but as soon as you get on a road with inadequate carpeting or patches, the ride quality deteriorates and you feel vibration in your hands; all thanks to the small wheel size which provides less air cushioning. On unpaved metal roads, the ride quality is surprisingly good and the bike takes the potholes and bumps easily due to its soft suspension.
As with any electric vehicle, the bike makes minimal noise when running and it is barely audible in traffic. There is no self-starter or kick-starter in this bike, obviously because it is an electric bike. You just have to switch on the ignition and it comes to life silently. There is no sound when you switch on the ignition so you have to rely on the battery indicator to see whether it is ON or OFF.
PERFORMANCE
In an electric bike, how fast it goes is not as important as how far it goes. In my experience, I could not test it fully how far it goes due to the scarcity of time but I did test how fast it goes. The bike goes up to a maximum speed of 50kmph as opposed to the claimed top speed of 60kmph. The speed comes down to a 45kmph as the batteries discharge. The bike can haul two full sized adults without any problem and the weight does not affect the speed on straight roads but it makes an effort when you take it on ramps or flyovers. Acceleration on the E Bike was smooth and quick due to the electric motor and automatic transmission. The acceleration was quicker than that on the 70cc motorcycle. Just switch on the ignition, twist the handgrip and you are good to go.
ECONOMY
We could not test the economy of the E Bike thoroughly as we only had the bike for 24 hours and it takes more than 8 hours for the batteries to be fully charged. The company claims this particular model runs for 80 kilometers per charge, which I think is a bit optimistic considering the performance reduced after only riding the bike for 40 kilometers due to less current remaining in the batteries. I think 60-65 kilometers per charge is a good estimate of the economy of this bike. It is also to be noted that I rode the bike for long distances and electric vehicles consume more power when driven constantly at their full speeds. If you ride this bike in traffic, it will give you a better economy, as opposed to the conventional motorcycles.
VERDICT
To sum it up, the initiative of introducing something new in the monopolistic auto industry of Pakistan should be commendable as it is a bold move for a small player like TAZ Trading compared to Atlas Honda and other motorcycle manufacturers and importers, but I think the product itself has a long way to go if they plan to replace the 70cc motorcycles with electric motorcycles. Sure, the product is very economical but it is not very practical for long hauls. If you want to go to a place which is 5 to 8 kilometers far from your place, this bike is good but if you want to go to a place which is 20 kilometers far, then you will get frustrated with the constant low speeds. Also, the amount of time it takes to fully charge the bike is too much as compared to refueling a conventional motorcycle. You have to leave the E Bike connected to the power outlet overnight for it to get fully-charged and if you are like me, who lives in an apartment, then charging the E Bike becomes a challenge as apartments do not have personal garages and finding a power outlet for that long is next to impossible.
However, if you have a garage at your house, you live near your office or university and want an easy-to-ride eco-friendly mode of transportation, then this bike is for you.
The bike may or may not be good but that was one poor review i’ve ever read. Just covering the shape physical looks etc and excusing for shortage of time for all vital and critical performance factors is very non-professional. It would have been better if the review was written even without riding the bike
Dear Jahangir,
I regret that you feel that way. We had been getting queries about the factors that we have covered along with queries for other critical factors that we have missed such as its economy. Unfortunately, the circumstances did not allow us to test the bike thoroughly and evaluate those factors, so we did what we could do best with the time we had. You have to understand that electric bikes take a considerable amount of time to be charged.
We had to make a choice between posting what we have posted or wait for a month and a half for their next batch to arrive to review the bike thoroughly. We selected the former to answer more than half of the queries we got in our email.
We will post an in-depth review that would answer the remaining queries by mid-December. Till then please consider this a First Drive and bear with us.
Thank you for your valuable input. It helps us to improve ourselves so that we could bring better content to you. Please keep sharing your feedback in the future as well.
Sincerely,
Fahad Ullah
PakWheels.com
one wonder by just looking at the bikes, there is so much Chinese influence. e-bikes are made and sold in china at dirt cheap prices. they also cater to bulk orders. if people are to be believed, it is said that if you have a tactical agreement with the Chinese firms, they will supply the bikes and you can have your own brand marketing these bike as one of your own products. but these are just rumors that flows without any meanings. by the way, our nation is already reeling under severe power shortage and even if people buy these bikes, where will we have power to charge these things. Wouldn’t something like a solar charger at a nominal cost make these products viable?
Can you comment on safety / security? I heard you cant register the bike so if its stolen its gone for good? can you use a good quality lock to lock it up or something?
I really appreciate your response Fahad. I was one of the people who were actually waiting for some authenticated review of this bike so that we could decide going for it or not. I had seen one of Pakwheels bloggers requesting the E-bike company on their FB page to contact him as Pakwheels wants to review the bike. Pakwheels has gathered enough goodwill during its life that any positive or negative comment/review about any car/bike is surely going to affect its sales in local market. Therefore Pakwheels should sustain its image and review things keeping in mind the local priorities and buying habits. Thanks and regards
The bike has a chassis number so if you want to register it, you technically can. But I do not think there is a provision to register electric bikes in Pakistan since engine displacement (cc) is a criteria to register vehicles in Pakistan and this bike does not have an engine.
You can use a good quality lock to lock the front or rear wheel. Also you can install a hidden cutout as a security switch (chor switch) so that the bike would not start. It has such cutout underneath the seat and remote control ignition lock too.
jazzman – I dont know about the rumors but what most people don’t realize is that petrol is a bigger problem than electricity (petroleum is imported but electricity can be locally generated. even on your own roof). Agreed that loadsheddings will make reliable charging difficult since it takes so long to charge. However, as a long time follower of this field I can say that combined with cheap solar and improving charging technologies these vehicles will rule Pakistani roads. Just give them enough time. Even today with solar panels costing PKR 80 per watt you can set up the charging infrastructure for a bike like this for PKR 50-60k and get about 20 years of almost free charging. That’s PKR 250 per month over the system’s lifetime. If that’s not cost effective and reliable I don’t know what is.
Great first review Fahad. I read it twice 🙂 I’d be a lot happier when you do the second review and post those numbers I asked for. Will be day dreaming until then.
Appreciate your concern Jahangir. Will be doing a critical review keeping those things in mind after we get the bike for more than a day, most likely in the mid of December as the company is waiting for its shipment to arrive.
Thank you. Keep tight until we do that. 🙂
Dear Fahad, that’s a good review, at least for someone like me who wanted to get some basic idea about such a bike. Just quick query, Fahad would you recommend (yeah yeah we all know that you were given the bike only for a day) but still would you say this is a good buy for someone like me who uses a bike not that often…ummm say a weekend ride? Another question, once fully charged how long it takes for the batteries get discharged even if the bike is not used, any info on that?
thanks Fahad for the detailed reply.
For a weekend ride, I would definitely recommend this as there are no hassles of regular maintenance involved. About your other question, I have no idea about how long would it take to discharge on their own.
Thank you Fahad, stay blessed.
its stupid to suggest it is economically friendly since electricity is from oil and nuclear mostly , secondly it will be more expensive and more un environmentally friendly since efficiency of plants is lower than engine and that needs to be multiplied by efficiency of electric motor
Dear Ovais
Thanks for the query. Thats one of the best query we have yet received.
1. Economy: Electricity is generated using Furnace oil and not gasoline (petrol), the final price of which is approx. half that of gasoline. This is partially due to the fact that the taxes and margins on petrol are more than 30% of the price. Hence, the running cost is lower for Electric vehicles compared to combustion engine vehicles.
2. Efficiency: Moreover approx. 1/3 of electricity is produced using petrol, rest is produced through hydro ,gas etc. Moreover the efficiency level of the plants is not much lower than that in other countries which is compensated by the subsidies the government provides on electricity.
I hope this explains why the product is more efficient and economical.
E Bike Pakistan
So, who’s going to buy it first?
Fahad, I would say that It’s a well drafted review ! I too agree with what you have written in the review.
I saw some suzuki dealerships displaying similarbikes some time ago. they were better looking but disappered shortly afterwards. DOn’t know if they are still available!!??
it to much costly
You are all invited to our Display on the 20th and 21st of December 2014 at Ocean Mall, Karachi
Here is the facebook link.
AOA
Kay app sub ko nahi lagta kay Electric bike main risk zadah say petrol say.?Environment ka theka siraf hum he utha ain bike sub ko maaf hay ? kay electric bike itni costly hay baki countries main bhi ? pakistan main aa ker he her cheez kuo itni mehge ho jati hay ? kay humara haq nahi hay kay hum technology kay sath chalain aur oss kay mutabik product use karain ? Mare dosto is mulk main Hybrid Bike kub aay ge ????????
” Hybrid ” ka naam soun ker app logo ko imported hybrid car yaad aanay lagi hain ?? pori world hybrid bikes and cars per aa gai hay.even kay india main bhi aay howay 9 saal ho gay hain,her achi company Honda, Suzuki , BMW . Pagnoni ect apni hybrid bike launch kertay hain her saal india main……..pakistan main kuo mout parhti hay onny ??? india main hybrid bikes ki price dekho aur pakistan main iss electric bike ki price dekho ………………aur souchain aur fasla karain kay humay yeh bike lehni chahiya ???????????
agar kese bhai ko pakistan main hybrid bike ka pata hay kay yeh import ho ker aati hain tu plz mujhay zaroor inform karay…thanks 0321 4500096
Where is the due review ?
I intend to buy this but you first review has just made me hit the breaks ……
too bad
@ullahfahad:disqus , im new here…
you seem like the Chief here… so im gonna have to ask you…
Can you write an Article Regarding the arrival , potential and scope of EVs (electric Vehicles) ? Not the bikes … just the cars , especially the small ones … like the two seaters smart fortwo or Renault Twizy.
I noticed china makes a HELL lot of small form factor EVs and they are well priced(ranging from $1500 to $4000 , all of which trump the cheapest car in Pak , which is Suzuki Mehran which costs in excess of $6000 here)
It’ll be an added bonus if you could include , at the article’s conclusion, some kind of Appeal to the Concerned Authorities to help facilitate bringing two seater and four seater EVs in the country…
Thanks.
@ullahfahad:disqus , i hope u take note of my request…
And one more thing, commercial electricity production turbines have efficiency of 50-60% percent whereas that of vehicle engines and home electricity generators have 25-30%.
This makes complete sense. Obviously what someone might be looking for to read a review is the amount of electricity that was needed in the real-world to charge, and the real kilometers they could actually pull from a full charge, and the time needed for the charge. These are pretty mundane questions to answer before one even thinks of reviewing an electric bike.
And real-world availability of spare parts, battery at motor at least? None of this is found in this review.