Do any of these bike companies EVER look at the state laws before they come out with these things? This will be illegal in most states because it has shift able gears after the motor drive... I'm not sure about all the other states but in NC you can not legally ride it on the roads.

More overpriced gadgetry. A Honda s150 stepthrough gets 80 mpg and will go 65, making it freeway legal.

As per Lee Bell's comment, I was thinking nearly the same thing.
I live in Europe and -- if I read the article correctly -- this bike will not be street legal for several reasons : top speed is over 25kph, motor is >250 watts and it has a thumb throttle that works independently of the rider's pedaling action. All fail the EU requirements in nearly every country for Electric Assist Bikes. I think the Swiss might let it pass. This machine, while I agree that it is quite lovely, and I'd love to have one -- is an electric scooter. You'll need vehicle registration, a driving licence, motor vehicle insurance, an approved motorcycle helmet... etc. Sorry. No sale. Not round here.

what about solar recharging through either panels or I heard of a paint that would turn solar energy into power to recharge the battery

I saw a simplified in hub transmission that would help this bike. I hope it works in the real world for all bicycles.

Motor > 200Watts can't be used in Australia without licence and registration and complying with relevant design rules. That is, this would be classed as a motor vehicle. Also at $2,500 it is an expensive commuter. For half that price I can get a little step through that uses almost no fuel and can be ridden without a motorbike licence (just normal car). If I had that money for a bike, it would be a road race bike for training / exercise not to commute to the train station. Is the world really so full of rich, lazy people with nothing better to do than coast around on electric push bikes?

Scion: Probably yes.

@Lee - never heard of any law regarding gearing. I know the California laws really well!! To not need a license and use bike lanes is must have usable pedals, no more than 750 watts (I think), and no more than 20MPH on motor alone.
@Ormond - I don't want my bike freeway legal. I want it bike-lane legal.
@duh3000 - The EU laws are idiotic (and UK even worse)! Why can't I choose between throttle and assist? I almost always pedal, but sometimes, especially early in the morning, I'll just use the motor for a stretch. But the EU leaders decided I shouldn't be allowed to do that. Also - 250watt max motor and max 15.5mph? That's just ridiculous and would certainly make me dump my ebike for a car again if they made that the law here. Even worse, it looks like some of the car companies now stepping into the ebike world are using these EU guidelines so their bikes will be legal everywhere and making them pointless in the US.
@ Scion - " Is the world really so full of rich, lazy people with nothing better to do than coast around on electric push bikes?" I'm really, really getting sick of ignorant comments like this. I sold my car (a wonderful '06 MINI Cooper S) almost 2 years ago and have been commuting over 30 miles per day - with lots of hills. I pedal quite a bit - even with a Pedego Interceptor with a 48v/500watt drive - in order to extend the battery range (wouldn't make it to work on just battery) - get exercise - and have faster acceleration and top speed. It takes more time and effort than driving a car. Even for other people who don't have as intense commutes, an bike is almost never going to replace a regular bike for a person but can replace a car for many errands. Therefore, even if the person is rich and lazy, it's still getting a car off the road!

You'd have to be a fool to trust Polaris with $2500 for an electric bicycle. Look up the company's history with overpriced electric vehicles. They sold the "Pure Polaris Electric Scooter" back in the last decade (http://home.comcast.net/~twday60/geezer/reviews/polaris_scooter.htm). When they decided to dump it, they dumped the product and any evidence they'd ever sold or supported this overpriced ($1500 list) two-wheeler. Polaris is an ancient technology company (look at their Harley clones) that would love to be 21st Century without the hassle of providing reasonable product support.

@Fritz Menzel You pretty much did my job for me! The bike assists you while you pedal. The bike cannot self propel without you pedaling first. Meaning, the throttle will not work, unless you have pedaled a full revolution. Additionally, if you are in motion but below 8 MPH the throttle will not re-engage and you will need to pedal a full rotation to re-engage. The motor will only assist you up to 19 MPH from there the bike no longer assist you and any speeds higher you will regain some power into the battery. You will not be able to go higher than 25 MPH on the bike due to the ARC Regen technology. Always wear a helmet and observe local and state laws. Check us out, find us on Facebook and ask us anything about the bikes!