Surprises me how long it takes for these prices to tickle down into normal consumer goods. But they will, the true revolution of electric assisted urban transport has only just begun. Really exciting to see all the wacky new transport modes that are created left and right, I wonder which ones will stick
It’s a combination of having relatively well-off consumers, who lack the time/knowledge to start messing with their expensive machines and lack of generic spare parts due to the likes of Bosch locking down their components, and creating specialised computers (similar to how modern cars work) so that only authorised repair shops can work on them.
[1] https://ampedcycling.com/e-bike-battery-prices-what-can-i-ex...
A better example would be Lunacycle, which sells components for DIYing e-bikes. A 704Wh battery from them costs $550. $781/kWhr. Bafang is another well-known component supplier and sells a 754 Wh battery pack for $600. $795/kWhr.
Those are both 52v packs which are the most 'exotic' on the market at the moment, so there is a bit of a price premium.
In all cases, we're talking retail pricing for complete battery packs, with integrated battery management systems and packaging.
The article is talking about wholesale prices paid by companies buying these cells by the million unit quantity.
It is already happening for normal e-bikes, where 3000+ used to be the starting range for a somewhat decent e-bike. This is currently about 2000+ but in a few years it will hopefully be possible to get a somewhat decent e-bike for 1000 - 1500.