The Jetson Haze Electric Bike at Costco is a Great Upgrade!

The Jetson Haze electric bike at Costco is a great bike that is a serious upgrade over the previous model Costco was offering, the Jetson Bolt Pro.

Do not let the size of the Haze fool you.  The bike looks small but the fun you will have with it is MASSIVE.

Who the Jetson Haze is Designed For

Because the bike is small you might think that this bike is designed for kids.  But, while kids can certainly enjoy the bike, it is actually designed for adults, weighing up to 265 pounds, who want a zippy e-bike that is easy to fold up and put in their car.

The Jetson Haze is not super fast and does not have an incredible range but it is fast enough and has enough battery life to get you to where you want to go.  Specifically, you can hit speeds of around 15 mph and will have a range of 15-20 miles.

The speed and range of the Haze makes it perfect for zipping around neighborhoods, short work commutes and fun rides down bike trails.

There are lots of ebikes that are larger, faster and have longer ranges than the Haze but they are also a pain to transport and cost about three times as much.

If you are looking for an affordable, entry level ebike that is a blast to ride around the neighborhood, then you need to give the Haze a serious look.

Important Battery Information

The Jetson Haze is fueled by a 46V, 7.5aH lithium ion battery which powers a 350 watt motor.  The battery is located in the middle of the bike and can be easily accessed by popping the hinge on the middle of the frame.

Once you open up the frame you can use the included key to unlock and remove the battery if desired.  I really LOVE that the battery is removable for three reasons:

• Easier Bike Storage
• Possible to Swap on the Go
• Theft Prevention

Let’s look at each of these benefits in more detail.

The Removable Battery Makes Bike Storage Easier

I own two Jetson Bolt Pro ebikes, which do NOT have a removeable battery, and I need to store them indoors.

Cold temperatures can damage the lithium ion batteries in these bikes so I keep them in a corner of my home office when my wife and I are not using them.  Storing the bikes indoors is a bit of a hassle because they take up space and our dogs try to sneak past us and out the door as we wheel the bikes out of the house.

Because the battery on the Haze is removable you can simply bring the battery into the house when it is cold outside and leave the bike in your garage.  This is one of those small differences that makes a big impact in ebike ownership.

The charging port for the battery is located on the battery itself so you can charge the battery when it is removed from the bike and sitting in your house.

You Can Swap Out Batteries on the Go

One problem with any type of electric vehicle is “range anxiety”.  People are flat out scared that they will run out of electricity in the middle of a trip and be stranded.

The reality is that most people will never need the full 15 mile range available on the Jetson so a fully charged battery will almost always be more than enough to meet your needs. But…..

….if you do suffer from Range Anxiety then you can buy a second battery for the Haze (sold separately) and carry it with you on long rides.  If your primary battery gets drained then it will take about 30 seconds to swap it out with your secondary battery and then you will have another 15 miles of range available.

Most people will absolutely never need to utilize a secondary battery but it is nice to know that this option is available.

Remove the Battery to Deter Theft

The last nice benefit about the battery being removable is that when you park the bike you can take out the battery to help deter theft.

You are going to fall in love with this little bike and, if you are anything like me, will be worried about some little nincompoop going for a joyride or even stealing the bike.

Removing the battery when the bike is not in use will not completely prevent theft but it will prevent unwanted joyrides and blatant theft will be deterred.

Other Key Features

There are plenty of fun features about the bike but the two biggest to focus on are:

• Ride Comfort
• Speed Control

Ride Comfort on the Haze

The Jetson Haze has 16 inch wheels.  The wheels are certainly not “full sized” but they are substantially larger than the comically small 14 inch wheels on the Jetson Bolt.

I believe that one of the reasons that the Haze is electronically limited to top speeds of around 15 mph is because the small tires make the bike a little unstable when they hit cracks and holes in the road.

The tires have beefy brakes so doing quick emergency stops is pretty easy.

The comfort of the ride is improved by the inclusion of a shock absorber on the rear of the bike.

My Jetson Bolt does not have a shock absorber so all of the bumps in the road get directed right at my butt.  I would LOVE to have a rear mounted shock absorber on my Jetson.

The Haze has the exact same seat as the Bolt which is a little on the hard side.  I eventually got used to the hardness of the seat but my wife switched hers out with a more comfortable, padded cruising seat from Schwinn.

Between the larger tires and the rear mounted shock absorber the ride comfort on the Haze is a definite upgrade over their previous bikes.

Speed Control on the Haze

I think speed control is one of the areas where the Haze really shines!

Most of the electric bikes that I have ridden use the motor to provide power in various levels of Pedal Assist.  That is, depending upon how you set the controls they provide more or less power as you pedal making it easier to go faster or to climb hills.  The limiting feature of this design is that the bikes only deliver power when you are pedaling!

In contrast, the Haze provides three levels of Pedal Assist PLUS it has a handle mounted throttle control.  You can use the throttle control to completely power the bike up to 15 mph without doing any pedaling at all if so desired.

Not only does the Haze offer a throttle based speed control but you can also lock in the desired speed with its built in Cruise Control!

Seriously, I have ridden electric bikes that cost 3-4X as much as the Jetson Haze and I like the speed control on the Jetson more.

By the way, I have been watching lots of YouTube videos and reading customer reviews and the general consensus is that while the Haze offers three levels of Pedal Assist the first two levels are pointless.  Just stick this baby at Level Three and you will have a fun ride.

Things You Might Not Like

While I absolutely love my Jetson there are some issues with it, and a couple others with this model, that some people may not like.  The main issues are:

• Size
• Portability
• Theft Prevention
• Incline Performance

Let’s dive in to see if any of these issues are a deal breaker for you.

The Haze is Small

While the Jetson Haze can handle riders up to 265 pounds, there is nothing large about the bike.

When we first got our Jetsons we loved them so much we invited friends over to try them out.  While everyone enjoyed the bikes we had one friend who immediately went out and bought a full sized electric bike because, while he loved the concept of an ebike, he didn’t feel safe on something so small.

Theft Prevention

Theft prevention is a double edged sword with the Haze.

As previously discussed, you can help deter theft by using the included key to remove the battery when the bike is not in use.

The Haze also comes with an anti-theft rear tire lock that can be engaged by removing a plastic cover and depressing the lock on the back tire.  The same key that locks the battery can also be used to unlock the bike tire.

The downside of the anti-theft rear tire lock is that ANYBODY can walk up, remove the plastic cover and engage the lock.  This means that you will always need to take the key with you because eventually some nincompoop will activate the tire lock just to give you a hard time.

Portability

The Haze can be folded in half from the middle and the handle bars can be folded down.  Once the bike is fully collapsed there is a set of cleverly placed magnets that hold the bike into the compact form.  The dual collapsing design makes it very easy to pick up the Haze and toss it in the back of your car or SUV.

The downside of this design is that, unlike on the Jetson Bolt, there is no easy grip handle to use to carry the bike.  This means that while the Haze is easy to put into a car trunk it will be a pain to carry up a flight of stairs.

Incline Performance

I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the terrain is pretty flat.  However, there are a few steep hills, especially around the Mississippi River levee, and my Jetson struggles to deal with them.

Jetson says that the bikes can be used at a 15% incline but that doesn’t really tell you very much.

What I have found is that anytime you need to go up a hill of any significance you cannot rely only upon the throttle and will need to pedal.

What is more frustrating is that because this is a small bike, with most of my weight centered towards the back tire, when I try pedaling up a steep hill the front tire comes off the ground and the bike wants to flip over.  I usually just get off the bike and walk it up the hill.

If you live in an extremely hilly area then the Haze might not be the best idea for you.

Costco Value

The Jetson Haze currently costs $599 in the Costco warehouse and can be bought online for $649 with delivery included.

Costco’s online price of $649 is a significant discount compared to the full retail price of $899 if you were to buy the Haze directly from Jetson.

The Haze costs a couple hundred dollars more than Jetson’s Bolt Pro but I don’t think Costco is still selling the Bolt.  Despite the price increase of the Haze over the Bolt this is still one of the best deals you are going to find on an electric bike.