TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Gary Fisher's e-bike startup brand Morelle Bikes will debut at the Sea Otter Classic next month, Fisher told BRAIN during the opening day of the Taipei Cycle show.
Fisher, with fellow co-owners Kevin Hays and Michael Sinkula, are in Taipei meeting with suppliers and nailing down the bike's final spec's. However, the commuter bike's top feature is still the same as when Fisher first announced the project at Taipei Cycle two years ago:
A 15-minute fast-charging battery.
Sinkula said Morelle will begin taking orders for the first 1,000 bikes. Delivery is expected in the first quarter of next year. The target price currently is set at $3,000 with a long-term plan including an e-bike subscription program.
Fisher, who left Trek Bicycle in 2022 and is head developer of Morelle, said "marrying" the battery to the motor delayed the project. "All the basics were there. We're not in a rush to put out a piece of garbage. You know, I don't want to call us a game-changer. Definitely a habit changer. You know, we have the habit of plugging our e-bikes in overnight. ..."
Hays, a battery scientist, was the director of product development at Ionblox, a battery technology company manufacturing batteries for aviation and other applications. Ionblox developed lithium-ion batteries it claims offer 50% higher energy density than traditional lithium-ion cells, five times more power, and the ability to charge faster. The cells are produced in a "pouch" format, rather than the more common cylinder cells.
