Hi-Power Cycles, an electric bike company based in Los Angeles, has announced the launch of HPC Defence, a new “defence division.” One of the division’s initial products, an 80 mph (130 km/h) military electric bike, was presented.
In theory, the fastest an electric bicycle can travel in the US is 28 mph (45 km/h). However, that is the civilian upper bound. If you are approved to purchase HPC Defense’s new Revolution W electric bike, you will be able to go faster than that numerous times.
The Revolution W is claimed to be the “fastest factory military-grade electric bike in the world” and to be made in the United States. It also has a lot of power.
A 10,500-watt motor can send the bike flying at speeds of up to 80 mph (130 km/h). And if you’re wondering if the bike pedals well at such high speeds, you may be surprised at the answer.
“Thanks to the German-made Schlumpf High-Speed Drive, you can achieve pedal speeds over 50 mph,” explained the company. “With a click of your heel, you can enable the 2.5x overdrive feature and maximize your efficiency at high speeds.”
The Revolution W claims a throttle-only range of up to 100 miles (160 km), though that’s almost certainly measured at a lower average speed.
And just like you’d expect of any overlanding-style electric bike, the Revolution W has extremely long-range travel suspension. According to the company, the bike features 9″ of rear suspension travel and 8″ of travel in the front.
There’s no word on what the electric bike costs, though considering that it appears to be wearing a $1,800 to $2,000 fork, depending on the loadout, it’s likely the kind of lofty figure you’d expect to see on a DoD budget line item.