Originally Posted by
tds101
Unfortunately, the battery is too large a capacity to take on an airplane. There's a very strict limit with this. The only thing I'd suggest, if visiting family or friends at the destination, is to order another battery and just travel with the bike itself. In my case that would be a bit expensive, as the spare/replacement battery is $450. These batteries definitely aren't cheap.
Now, I see that the stock freewheel on the Qualisports Dolphin is 14-28. I'm going to swap it out with an ebike compatible 11-28 freewheel. That will increase the top speed it's capable of maintaining while using pedal assist, or very little assist, as my body adjusts. No spinning out on level 5 (if I even decide to use such a battery draining level). Hopefully my bike will arrive before the weekend comes. It's shipped, but not in transit as of yet.
My friends have a Bike Friday with electric add-on. It comes with a battery pack that consists of a series of smaller batteries that connect together. But those smaller cells are allowed as carry-on, even a number of them are permitted together.
I have heard of folks removing the down tube battery from the Specialized e-bike and using the Range Extender which does meet carry-on criteria. Although, with a much more limited range with the smaller battery.