I came across this tonight.
The technology sounds good, but I don't really
know what to make of it.

https://www.flykly.com/

There's also this, from the NY Times.
https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/1...ref=technology

Video looks cool and it is all inclusive. Everything sounds good except for the 30 mile range to me might be less depending on many variables. It probably will cost a good amount of money too. I would hope that the batteries are user replaceable too.

It looks like it could be good. Kind of like a second gen E Plus.

This doesn't sound so realistic.

Riding on a flat surface, or up a hill, will feel exactly the same,” Mr. Biderman said.The wheel doesn’t need to be charged or plugged in on a nightly basis, either. Instead, the wheel captures the energy from the brakes when a rider goes down hill and then stores that power in a high-capacity lithium battery. The motor also acts like a generator, creating power for later rides when the rider pedals in reverse.

No, its not realistic.

I have seen a lot of articles on the web, but it doesn't seem to add up: range, speed, cost, etc. Not having any technical specs, it is hard to say. Doing an e-wheel that will do 15mph for 10-15 miles for $1000 wouldn’t be too unrealistic.

Specialized turbo gives you a good idea of what is practical/realistic for a European Compliant bicycle. (36v, 343 watt/hours). Realistically 25mph for 10-20 miles (depending on how much you pedal and the terrain). Going over 20mph is expensive on an E-bike as the power required increases exponentially.

Part II:

You can get a 10AH 36v bottle battery kit from BMS battery that will do 15mph for about 19 miles. Weight ~5kg (11lbs). Cost: around $400 as I recall. So, if that is your design target, yeah you can design something with those parameters and put it all into a hub.

to go 30 miles on that type of kit would require very low levels of assistance and low speeds. That Telegraph article is way too optimistic. Yeah, if you go 30 miles (or whatever it takes to run the battery dry), you will need to charge it every night. If you use less than 50% of your range, you may not need to recharge. (obvious, eh)?

Pedal assist and braking regen are nothing new either. The braking regen isn't going to do too much to extend your range unlike what the article implies.

Here is a review from electricbikereport.com
https://electricbikereport.com/flykly...lectric-video/

According to the review:

• It is a 250 watt motor and 36 volt 12ah lithium battery.
• Pete estimates the price at $550-$700 based on investor offerings on Kickstarter.