There are a few things that quickly drive up ebike prices. 1) Battery size. Look at JuicedBikes' CrossCurrent S vs CrossCurrent X. While the X does have a sl

There are a few things that quickly drive up ebike prices. 1) Battery size. Look at JuicedBikes' CrossCurrent S vs CrossCurrent X. While the X does have a slightly different motor, the big difference is the battery going from 614Wh to 998Wh. That 384Wh improvement is $600. Yea, part of that is probably the 750 vs 650 watt motor, but given what battery packs often cost, I'd say most of it is the batteries. We're talking around 63% more range, but it costs you. 2) Components. Low-end (but still reasonable) ebikes tend to use Shimano Altus/Acera components which are what you'd find in a $500 Trek/Specialized/Fuji. Higher-end bikes often upgrade to Alivio/Sora/Deore components. Likewise, hydraulic brakes might be an upgraded component. 3) Mid-Drive vs hub motors. Cheaper ebikes often use hub motors in the rear wheel. They're often a bit easier to do and cheaper than mid-drive models. Mid-drive motors can be nice because the motor can take advantage of the gearing as you shift and seem to be a bit more efficient (better range for the battery size). For example, a RadCity goes for $1,500 while the Yamaha CrossCore is $2,400. The Yamaha has Sora components rather than Altus, hydraulic brakes, a mid-drive motor, better range, better pedal sensing (the RadCity doesn't have a torque sensor), considerably lighter weight (43.5lbs vs 63lbs which is a huge difference). The non-electric part alone might be $300 of the difference. Ultimately, what's the difference between a Honda Civic and an Acura ILX? The Acura is a third more expensive. I don't want it to seem like I'm disparaging the RadCity. There are certainly cheap/crappy ebikes out there and I don't think Rad Power is making cheap/crappy bikes. There are definitely ebikes out there that come with really small batteries and a poor motors and some really low-end parts. Those aren't really worth looking at. However, I think the RadCity is a good example of the best bike at $1,500 and I think the Yamaha is a good example of a great, affordable mid-drive bike. You get better range, significantly lower weight, better pedal sensing, better breaks, better derailleur, better shifters, 3-year vs 1-year warranty, top torque of 70 newton meters vs 40nm from the motor, etc. I think there are certainly upgrades that both cost money and can be worth the money. However, I think there are cheaper bikes that certainly have some good points.