Telling the difference between an electric bike and a normal bike has been an easy task since he debut of the first electric bike, but things are about to change as Electrolyte is about to revolutionize the look and feel of next generation electric bikes.

The main problems with electronic bikes, is the need for these gigantic frames that are packed with batteries, along with the huge hubs on the side of the wheels where the electric motor is kept. It can be daunting to look at when you see one of these things strolling down the roadside, it makes you wonder why the riders didn’t just get a motorbike instead.

With the new e-bikes from Electrolyte, those huge frames are gone, for the first time in history, an electric bike looks almost the same as a normal bike and that is great. To make this a possibility, Electrolyte found a way to put everything from the batteries right down to the motors into a single package.  This package is placed at the front left fork, and to make it even better, the left fork is quite small, which works great towards the sleekness of the bike.

The battery inside is capable of powering the e-bike for up to 62 miles at a speed of 15 miles per hour. Furthermore, that left fork also houses a 250-watt electric motor, which should give you an idea of how much innovation went into making all this a possibility. In addition, Electrolyte claimed this new approach allowed the company to shave up to 22 pounds off the new bikes compared to the previous models and those of the competition.

We bet you’re finding this very interesting, probably even thinking about picking up one tomorrow. Well, you can’t, because price begins at $5,000 for the lower end model, and up to $6,000 for the higher-end models. With that amount of money, you should be able to purchase a decent used car with good mileage, I kid you not.

[via Electrolyte]