Velotric T1 e-bike turns into a pumpkin without mobile connection!
Recently, I’ve started researching lightweight e-bikes with power assist. I am thinking of using an e-bike for my rather long 25-mile commute combining it with public transportation. Low weight is paramount, as I need to lift the bike and mount it on a rack of a bus or take it inside.
My e-bike shopping list
- Aventon Soltera.2
- Velotric T1
- Velotric T1 ST Plus
- Ride1Up Roadster V3
The e-bikes listed above are either Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes, meaning that they will provide electric assist at speeds up to 20 MPH, also Class 2 bikes have a throttle that allows to ride on electric power only, without pedaling. Some of these bikes can be unlocked to Class 3 (power assist up to 28 MPH).
The Velotric T1 may seem as an outlier in this group, being more advanced and expensive. I put the T1 in my list for two reasons:
- It was available in my local bike store.
- Aventon compared the Soltera.2 to the T1 in their blog, and had audacity to claim the Soltera.2 was a better one!
In fact, the T1 is a better e-bike in almost every category: the looks, the weight, and the tech.
But there are three reasons why you may not want to buy the T1:
- Integrated battery. It can be removed with tools in case you need to replace it, but is not meant to be hot-swappable, so when you need to charge it, you need to bring the whole bike to an electrical socket. Granted, it is 20% lighter than the Soltera.2, which is the heaviest in the group, but with the Soltera.2 you can unlock and pop out the battery in a matter of seconds.
- The second reason to avoid the T1 is that Velotric does not list an extra or a replacement battery for the T1 on their website. How can you replace it, if you cannot buy it?
- The final and the biggest nail in the T1’s coffin is the requirement for a mobile phone connection. Yes, you read this right.
Velotric T1
The Velotric T1 can be “started” using either a smartphone app, or a fingerprint scanner.
The T1 requires either the fingerprint scanner or the Velotric app to unlock and engage the motor boost. Currently, there is no option to bypass these built-in features and use the T1 with the motor boost without unlocking it through the available options.
If you prefer not to use the fingerprint scanner or the app, you can still use the bike as a regular bicycle without the electric boost.
— Velotric support.
Whichever authentication method you prefer, you need a smartphone in a close proximity to the bike, which will either authenticate you with an app, or will send your fingerprint to a cloud authentication service through the smartphone.
What happens if you want to ride outside of an area with reliable mobile communication, or if your smartphone dies?
Our app requires a mobile data or internet connection to function effectively.
The fingerprint scanner also requires a mobile connection. It pairs via Bluetooth, and the fingerprint data is securely transmitted to a specialized cloud service for authentication purposes.The app and fingerprint authentication features will not be operational without a mobile or cellular connection.
— Velotric support.
Without cellular connection, your fancy T1 e-bike turns into a pumpkin, that is, into a standard analog bike.
There are many areas around where I live, where cellular communication is either unreliable or completely absent. Even if I lived in a big city, I don’t want to be required to carry my smartphone with me every time I want to ride the bike.
The nastiest thing about this is that the T1 will still ride as a regular bicycle without the electric boost, meaning that a thief can just pedal away, and with the bike’s weight being only about 5 lbs more than a regular bike, it won’t be hard! Yes, the bike will alert the linked smartphone that it is being whisked away, but will it stop the thief or help recover the bike?
There are shopping carts that lock themselves if they are carried too far from a store. This electric bicycle costs about two thousand dollars, give or take, so I would expect it do do the same. Locking the wheel hub when electricity is not flowing should be rather simple, but I guess the safety regulations prohibit doing this. Indeed, I would not want the wheels on the bike I am riding to lock up when the battery dies, but then the whole idea of unlocking the bike to an authorized user falls apart in my view.
The requirement to have a working smartphone and cellular connection is a deal-breaker for me. I am striking the T1 off my e-bike shopping list.
The T1 ST Plus on the other hand does not have this limitation. It still has an internal battery, which is as complicated to remove as the T1’s battery, but at least the bike does not require you to use a smartphone.
My updated shopping list
- Aventon Soltera.2
- V̶e̶l̶o̶t̶r̶i̶c̶ ̶T̶1̶
- V̴e̴l̴o̴t̴r̴i̴c̴ ̴T̴1̴ ̴S̴T̴ ̴P̴l̴u̴s̴
- Ride1Up Roadster V3
Stay tuned to follow my search for a lightweight and reasonably-priced e-bike with Pedal Assist System! ■
