A 30 mph ebike under $2k is absolutely doable. That's the top speed of mine, built with a Craigslist hardtail MTB and a $200 hub motor kit, powered by an elect

A 30 mph ebike under $2k is absolutely doable. That's the top speed of mine, built with a Craigslist hardtail MTB and a $200 hub motor kit, powered by an electric lawn mower battery I found in an ewaste bin (14s, 7.5ah Samsung 25R cells). This battery can propel me about 8-10 miles (depending on wind, hills, etc.) at full throttle without much pedaling. The problem is 60 miles range @ 30 mph needs a lot of battery. You can't really pedal fast enough to add a meaningful amount of leg power here, and even if you could, the extra wind resistance compared to tucking your legs in is a wash at best. There's certainly room for efficiency improvements on my bike, but either way, enough battery to do 60 miles at 30mph SHOULD cost at least $1200-1500. Now if you want to go 20 mph that's a different story.