New 1,500W full-suspension electric bike pushes envelope with all-wheel drive

There’s never been anything subtle about the electric bikes made by Nevada-based e-bike company E-Cells. The company’s newest model is true to form with over-the-top specs. Meet the E-Cells Super Monarch AWD 1500W Dual Crown Limited Edition.

While E-Cells has produced some slightly more modest power rides, its bread and butter has been a growing line of high-performance all-wheel-drive electric bikes.

Featuring dual suspension, dual motors, and dual batteries, these e-bikes aren’t for the meek or mild.

The E-Cells Super Monarch AWD 1500W Dual Crown Limited Edition is a great example of the company’s design ethos, upping the ante with improved front suspension in the form of a new dual crown fork. That upgrade outfits the bike with suspension more akin to what you’d find on a motorcycle than a bicycle. Not only does it provide a stiffer and more structurally sound front end, but the new fork increases the suspension travel by 50% to a massive 120mm of travel. The fork also offers increased adjustability, which is another nice perk when you’re constantly jumping it over rocks and logs.

The rugged fork matches many of the other more-than-bicycle-level components, like the four piston disc brakes on massive 203mm diameter disc rotors that measure 2.3mm thick.

The bike is certainly off-road optimized, especially with the 1,500W of continuous power that puts it a far cry north of the 750W road-legal limit. And considering that each of those motors is putting out well over 750W of peak power, the total peak output of the E-Cells Super Monarch AWD 1500W Dual Crown Limited Edition certainly surpasses the 1,500W moniker. Fortunately that power can be tamed electronically for when riders want to comply with on-road laws. But with an e-bike this powerful and this fully-suspended, the trails are where it will really shine.

Other new additions on the bike include a 48V motorcycle-level headlight, an upgraded controller, and a torque sensor for the most accurate and responsive pedal assist.

For those that will end up using the pedals as footrests though, a right-side half-twist throttle with leather bar ends will provide a punch to get up to speed quickly.

Supplying those power-hungry motors is a pair of 52V batteries offering a combined capacity of 1,638 Wh. That’s around 3x more battery than you’ll find on a typical e-bike.

They are designed to be capable of running either together or independently. That means if you need to head out with only one battery, it can still provide up to 2,200W of power by itself.

Working together though, those two batteries with Samsung 3500 mAh cells will give the most power and longest range possible.

The batteries share an integrated charge port in the frame that charges both packs from a single connector, making the charging process easier than most dual-battery e-bikes that require separate charging.

Back on the bike side of things, the E-Cells Super Monarch AWD 1500W Dual Crown Limited Edition features a Rockshox Monarch RL shock in the rear, Tektro Auriga 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes, KMC X10E chain with stretchproof treatment, 10-speed Shimano Deore transmission, and a pair of double wall aluminum rims wearing Vee Bulldozer 26?x 4.25? tires.

The bike isn’t light, weighing in at a solid 95 lb. (43 kg). But neither is a 4×4 rock crawler jeep, and this seems like the e-bike equivalent of extreme overlanding vehicles. Despite the large format of the bike though, riders have three frame sizes to choose from to find the best fit.

What may not fit as well is the price tag, unless you’re prepared to lay down some serious change. The bike is priced with an MSRP of $5,995, though is currently on sale for $5,095. That’s a serious outlay, but then again those dual high-power motors and dual batteries don’t come cheap, nor does the quality full suspension. You’ve practically got two full e-bikes worth of kit here!

I’ve actually had the pleasure of testing out some of E-Cells’ highest-performance AWD e-bikes in the past, and I can tell you that these things are the real deal. They’re as powerful as they are rugged, and I’ve never hit an obstacle I couldn’t either power over or through.

I’m excited to get a chance to test out the latest Super Monarch AWD 1500W Dual Crown Limited Edition soon. I’ll be sure to report back on it once I have a few miles behind me so I can provide a full review of the massive e-bike.

Until then, check out my last E-Cells review below to see how these bikes perform in the flesh.