15-minute charging time: e-bike with fast-charging technology announced

Patrick Bardelli

31.7.2025

Translation: machine translated

A start-up from California wants to drastically reduce the charging time of e-bikes. Morelle uses silicon instead of graphite and promises a maximum of 15 minutes for a full battery charge.

The Californian start-up Morelle with chief developer and MTB pioneer Gary Fisher has set itself the goal of making e-bikes and robots run for longer and making them lighter at the same time. Micromobility and robotics have similar performance requirements for storing energy, with fast charging obviously offering enormous advantages. Courier service fleets are cited as an example of this.

Advanced materials

Morelle's core technology is based on battery chemistry, in particular a silicon-based anode (as opposed to graphite in standard batteries). According to the company, silicon has ten times the capacity of graphite, but is often not as durable. «Our cells are characterised by their ability to simultaneously deliver high power, high energy and high charge rates without compromising cycle life», says co-founder and CEO Michael Sinkula.

The first e-bike from Morelle will have a 350 watt-hour battery that can be charged with 50 A, Sinkula added. Thanks to this technology, e-bikes will in future only need to be plugged in for minutes instead of hours as is the case today.

Dynamic charging ...

The company also states on its website that every non-Morelle e-bike worldwide charges with an output of 100 to 300 watts - Morelle calls this «Level M1». According to the Californians, they use chargers with «Level M2» (1000 to 1200 watts) and «Level M3» (over 1500 watts), setting new standards for fast charging e-bikes.

... and unanswered questions

However, not much more is known about the project than the battery technology. The 350 Wh battery is said to be integrated into the down tube and the total weight is around 14 kilograms, which is low for an e-bike. No details are yet known regarding components such as gears, brakes or wheels.

According to information from the news service Heise, Morelle plans to start deliveries in the first quarter of 2026 and initially only sell the e-bike in the USA at a starting price of 3,000 US dollars. The start-up is already accepting reservations from 50 US dollars on its website.

The bike will also be equipped with a mid-motor that offers support at speeds of up to 28 mph (45 km/h). In Europe, this would make the e-bike an S-pedelec subject to authorisation and therefore a topic for commuters, for example, or for the courier services mentioned at the beginning.

Patrick Bardelli

Senior Editor

Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.ch

From radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.

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