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Other disadvantages of a gasoline moped... maintenance... An electric bike's maintenance is almost all visual inspections and cleaning connectors. Most hub motors are maintenance free... The $800 moped will need spark plugs, air filters, a constant supply of fuel and 2 stroke oil and maybe even crank case oil (might depend if it has a transmission or not).
you can get a really nice pre built E-bike for about $2.5k. You can build one for $1k to 1.5k. Unless it uses an SLA the majority of the expense for an E-bike is the battery. You can easily drop $700 - $1200 for a battery and charger. The advantage over an SLA is definitely weight but also size. LiFePo batteries can be mounted on a standard bike seat post rack thereby eliminating the need for monstrous mounting solutions you would need for larger, heavier SLA batteries.
If you want a cheap Ebike with all off the shelf parts get a cheap walmart bike, hub motor kit and currie battery pack and rack. You should be able to get away with building one for around $500... Might not go as far but it would be upgradable and isn't an enormous investment.
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