The JackRabbit electric micro bike is as divisive as it is diminutive, which is to say, “very.” But one thing just got a lot less micro on this pint-sized commuter. The company has just unveiled its RangeBuster battery, which has nearly 250% of the capacity of an original JackRabbit battery.
The JackRabbit tends to conjure up strong emotions in those who see it. There’s always one camp who shakes their heads and asks, “Why?” Then there’s the other camp who gleefully hops aboard the funny little electric two-wheeler, tossing a “Why not?!” over their shoulder as they ride off grinning ear to ear.
It’s a tiny thing, that’s for sure. But it counts a ridership base tens of thousands strong, and growing.
Even though the company calls it a micro e-bike, the 20 mph (32 km/h) JackRabbit is technically more of a seated electric scooter. But because it uses bicycle parts like 20″ wheels/tires, bike handlebars, and a bike saddle, it feels a lot more like a bicycle than a scooter when you pop a squat.
It’s when you plant your feet on the folding foot pegs that you’re reminded that there are no pedals or chains on this ride. That’s part of what makes it so lightweight, clocking in at just 24 pounds (11 kg) for the original JackRabbit OG or 32 pounds (14 kg) for the slightly larger dual battery JackRabbit XG that was released late last year.
Both bikes used a relatively tiny sub-160Wh battery, making them airline-friendly for taking in your carry-on luggage while traveling (which is something I did myself during a few trips last year with my JackRabbit).
But that small battery also means fairly limited range, to the tune of 10-ish miles (16 km) per charge. Since the JackRabbit is often used by students commuting around campus or city-dwellers traversing a few urban miles, that range is often suitable. But for those who want to stray out further or who just don’t want to have to recharge after each trip, a bigger battery would offer more range.
And that’s exactly what JackRabbit has just rolled out with the new RangeBuster. This 36V 10Ah battery holds almost 250% of the capacity of JackRabbit’s original 4.2 Ah batteries, resulting in a lot more range.
Swapping one of the new big boy batteries in place of the original battery on the JackRabbit OG would give riders around 24 miles (38 km) of range.
The JackRabbit XG has two battery slots, meaning that its stock range of 20 miles (32 km) with a pair of original batteries could be turned into 48 miles (77 km) with a pair of RangeBuster batteries. Keeping the original two batteries in your pockets (yes, they fit in a lot of men’s pants pockets) would mean close to 70 miles (110 km) of range in total.
The new RangeBuster batteries may carry a lot more capacity, but they’re still relatively small and lightweight. At just 4 lb (1.8 kg), they don’t add a lot of heft to a backpack when carried as a spare. And since they slide over the frame tube and fit into the same battery slot as the original batteries, riders likely won’t notice the extra size when they’re in use. But getting an extra couple dozen miles of range will surely be noticeable!
The RangeBuster battery is priced at $399 (compared to the $199 original batteries), while the JackRabbit OG and XG are priced at $999 and $1,749, respectively.
Electrek’s Take
Call it what you will, but I’m #teamjackrabbit all the way. Sure, it’s expensive for its specs, but it’s also pretty much the only way you’re going to get these speeds on bicycle-sized wheels at this weight. Any other option is either going to be a scooter with small scooter wheels, or heavy as hell. There are great e-bikes with the same price that go 50% faster and offer suspension, but they’re also nearly 3x the weight! So, like everything in life, there are tradeoffs.
But that’s also why these bikes have become a favorite of students, pilots, boaters, and anyone else looking for lightweight, easy wheels to ride around their destinations.
The biggest downside of the JackRabbit to me has always been its reduced range compared to “real” e-bikes. The workaround was to just get a spare battery and swap it in halfway through a trip, doubling your range from 10 to 20 miles, or tripling it if you want to juggle three tofu brick-sized batteries. But with the new RangeBuster battery, you can get nearly triple the range by just carrying a single extra battery. That’s a huge plus!
Sure, $399 is definitely pricey on a watt-hour basis, but that’s what you get in the e-bike industry. Many e-bike batteries only fit a single company’s bikes, and so you pay a premium for that battery. If you really want to cry, check out the dollar-per-watt-hour of a Ryobi or DeWalt battery. Ouch.
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