When you pedal an Optibike, you are contributing to
the overall speed and hill climbing power of the bike- not to charging the
battery.  There are several reasons for this: First, we found that when it comes
to pedaling, instant gratification is key.  Meaning, if you pedal now- you will
go faster now.  This encourages pedaling- Optibike riders pedal just as much as
traditional bike riders so the exercise benefit is the same.  Of course, you do not have to pedal.  If you were to pedal to recharge the battery, the
gratification would be delayed- and you would pedal less.  Second, The Optibike
Helia has a 50 mile range extendable to 100 miles with the optional Touring
Battery (currently out of stock but due back in July.)  This is the longest
range offered in an electric bike, guaranteed.  So the question from a usability
standpoint is: Do you need to go further? Few of our customers run their battery dead on a regular basis.  Third, in order add “pedal charging”
there would have to be very complex mechanics and electronics added to the
Optibike that would weight more, cost more, and provide marginal benefit to the
rider (see reasons 1 and 2).  Additionally, this system would be less efficient
than the current system we have in place where your pedal efforts go directly to
the rear wheel.

I hope this answered your question, please leave comments below or email me at ask (at) optibike dot com .