An e-bike that charges off USB-C

Summary

Ampler made one of the first modern e-bikes I ever tested, and now it’s selling the first commercial electric bikes — the Nova and Nova Pro — I’m aware of that can be charged over a USB-C port integrated right into the frame. Hell, that same jack will even charge your gadgets in a pinch, but not in the US because this e-bike is for Europe only.Estonia-based Ampler is best known for making reliable direct-to-consumer e-bikes from its home in Tallinn using decent, mostly off-the-shelf parts that can be serviced at any local bike shop. Adding USB-C charging from a laptop charger you might already own makes a ton of sense as Europe standardizes on the port to eliminate redundancy and reduce waste. It also makes it easier to find a compatible bike charger if you leave yours at home.You can charge the relatively small 48V 336Wh integrated batteries (removable for service only) on the Nova series e-bikes from zero to full in as little as three hours from a USB-C PD 3.1 charger operating at up to 140W. That’s very respectable. Some e-bikes fitted with a battery this same size can take five hours or longer to refill from chargers with proprietary connectors, and others fitted with larger batteries and 300-plus-watt charging bricks can bring that down to around two hours. Fortunately, 240W USB-C chargers are now starting to ship, so USB-C is well in position to compete.Ampler has also tested its bikes to work with less capable Ikea and MacBook chargers that support the older USB-C PD 3.0 spec. If you don’t already have such a charger, Ampler will sell you its own 140W USB-C PD 3.1 charger for €80 (about $87). And while the USB-C port is bidirectional on the Nova series, it’s only capable of charging your USB-C gadgets at a modest 15W. Both the €2,990 (about $3,230) Nova and €3,490 (about $3,770) Nova Pro are available in step-through and step-over frames in three sizes to accommodate most riders, with EU standard 250W motors maxing out at a basic 25km/h. They’re essentially i...