I like the idea of a solar-powered electric bike, but I don’t think anyone should buy the new Phosgo Go5 — not yet, anyway. This “world’s first AI solar e-bike” promises to ‘eliminate range anxiety,’ and is sold by a new brand out of China hoping to make a big splash by selling direct-to-consumer through a global crowdfunding campaign. So many red flags here.

The Phosgo Go5 series launches on July 27th starting at $1,999 for the most daring of early birds. According to a media kit the company sent me from a generic gmail.com address, Phosgo is a joint venture between Jiaxing Dazhe Solar Energy and Shenzhen Honglianda Technology. Dazhe provides the flexible solar technology pioneered by someone identified only as “Dr. Li,” while Honglianda delivers an established supply chain and e-commerce expertise.

Phosgo is selling two 8-speed, aluminum-frame models in the US and Europe built around Bafang mid-drive motors, the company tells me, although a motor from Ananda is clearly visible in some photos. The base Go5 has a “super early bird” price of $1,999 while the beefier Go5 Ultra starts at $2,799. The prices will supposedly double in the future but that’s a FOMO marketing tactic typical of these campaigns.

All the bikes are fitted with a total of four 50W circular solar panels inside the wheels, made of BC (back contact) cells. BC solar cells make sense here because they move all the electrical contacts to the inside of the panels giving them a uniformly sleek look without those visible grid lines. BC panels should also deal with partial shading caused by cars, buildings, trees, the bike frame, and the rider better than traditional panels.

The solar components account for about 8 pounds of these roughly 50-pound bikes. Here’s the issue: all 200W of those solar panels are facing the wrong way. To get the best charge you’d need to lay your bike on the ground, and even then only half would be exposed to the mid-day sun. Realistically, you’re only going to produce a few watts on average when riding or when parked on the kickstand.