Yamaha's PAS Brace electric bike gets smart... maybe too smart

Look, we'll be the first to hand over an adequate amount of kudos each time artificial intelligence is improved, but we won't lie -- we're kind of scared about giving our vehicles too many smarts. Yamaha Motors has just unveiled a comparatively affordable electric bike which looks to continuously monitor your driving behavior and react accordingly. The PAS Brace features the highly touted S.P.E.C.8 mechanism, which keeps a close eye on your speed, acceleration and gear position in order to conserve battery life when possible and provide just the right amount of oomph to get you over that one... last... hill. This one is set to land in Japan on the same day the Olympics begin for ¥125,800 ($1,171), and if you're not feelin' the black, red and white flavors will be available for your pedaling pleasure.

[Via CrunchGear]

[avester @ Aug 1st 2008 9:34AM]

A bike isn't too smart until it steers for you.

[216 @ Aug 1st 2008 9:46AM]

Why would you need an electric bike? I thought you just peddled where you needed to go? Unless it has an electric motor that rides for you....then it makes sense

[tinytom @ Aug 1st 2008 10:38AM]

Ahhh god, you're a retard.

[Galley @ Aug 1st 2008 10:42AM]

True, you can ride on level ground without much effort at all. It's the large hills that are a bitch.

[asurroca @ Aug 1st 2008 10:59AM]

Of course it doesn't, silly. That bike obviously uses the electricity to power an integrated 8-port USB hub with iPod docking station. Duh.

[Temple @ Aug 1st 2008 11:01AM]

You can peddle or use the electric motor if you have enough charge. Its designed for people that have trouble going up slopes, or just want an easier time. The bicycle is still a heavily used as a mode of transportation in Japan, usually in the form of riding your bike to the train station, where you can get on a mass-transit solution.

[Brian @ Aug 1st 2008 11:04AM]

Smartest...comment...ever!

[TJ @ Aug 2nd 2008 12:55AM]

not so smart considering he can't tell the difference between PEDAL and PEDDLE.
-_-;;

[Jeff @ Aug 1st 2008 11:47AM]

Every time one of these gets posted here, we get comments like this.

Why do you need a car? I thought you could just walk everywhere.

Obviously, a car makes it a lot easier to go long distances.

Understand? Same concept at work here.

Electric bikes are not a new thing in Japan. There are many of them out there.

[Dave King @ Aug 1st 2008 1:08PM]

I see seniors using them to climb hills in town, they zip right by me. When I'm in my 60s or 70s I think that would be a great idea.

- Peace

[Dorf @ Aug 1st 2008 9:59AM]

Yeah, it would be nice to get a little extra help up a hill, but how much weight does it add to the bike... If I'm working my tail off on flat roads just to get an extra burst up a hill it may not be worth it.

[Robert Abramson @ Aug 2nd 2008 2:49AM]

uhh, extra weight doesn't really make riding the bike harder on flat ground if you're maintaining a constant speed. And besides, you get more than the occasional boost. Most electric bikes get 15+ miles of range, much more if you pedal along.

[Jon Acheson @ Aug 1st 2008 10:02AM]

On the other hand, it still makes a better KITT than that Mustang...

[Mike @ Aug 1st 2008 10:12AM]

Michael, I've detected that your peddling is not up to par. Perhaps I can assist?

[OneLove @ Aug 1st 2008 11:11AM]

...no, now its Mike not Michael. :\

[hiroo @ Aug 1st 2008 10:06AM]

Japanese police has a rather strange regulation concerning bikes. If the motor's too strong, then it will be considered a bike, as opposed to a bicycle. If it's a bike, you need a driver's licence.

The line for "too strong" is that if more than half of the propulsion power at any given time comes from the motor, then it's no longer a bicycle. Therefore, Japanese electric assisted bicycles are VERY smart to begin with, constantly monitoring the pedaling power and adjusting the motor output to be slightly less than your leg.

So this probably is a minor adjustment in that algorithm...

[Mike @ Aug 1st 2008 10:10AM]

KANEDA!!!!!!



TETSUO!!!!!!!!




meh so sue me i get carried away when i hear electric bike :)

[FlyLikeAMouse @ Aug 1st 2008 10:12AM]

I, for one, welcome our new smartbike overlords

[Chris Macdonald @ Aug 1st 2008 10:28AM]

A certain Calvin and Hobbes comic comes to mind................

[Randall Lind @ Aug 1st 2008 10:36AM]

it needs GPS sick of getting lost in the hood. ROFL

[ds @ Aug 1st 2008 12:06PM]

You should probably stick to posting on TMZ.com. I think those readers would be more in tune with your brand of humor.

[ZeroCorpse @ Aug 1st 2008 12:58PM]

No, electric bike riders are not lazy or fat.

Some of us have bad knees or simply aren't as young as we used to be.
Some of us have lots of hills on our daily commute.
Some of us just want to get to our workplace without being all sweaty & smelly.
Some of us just enjoy riding for pleasure.
Some of us need a motorized vehicle that requires no insurance or gasoline.
Some of us want a motorized bike, but want to legally ride sidewalks/bike paths.
Some of want the ability to go 20 miles without being an athlete.
Some of us want an environmentally-friendly motorized vehicle.
Some of us need a motorized vehicle that we can park in an apartment.
Some of us just refuse to ride the bus.
Some of us need an extra vehicle that can be easily transported on vacations.

And so on...

I go up hills, long distances, and make it to work in about the same time as I do in a car. I pay for no gasoline. I pay for no insurance. I don't have to be on the road, stuck in traffic (or blocking it), and I arrive to work without being a sweaty mess, and the trip causes no pollution.

How much have you spent to get to work this summer? I haven't purchased gasoline since April.

(For the record, I do have a car. I just don't need to drive it all the time thanks to my e-bike.)

[jdog @ Aug 1st 2008 3:16PM]

Same thing goes for a Segway, but no one gets that either.

[Mocktard @ Aug 1st 2008 5:08PM]

You should probably run your car at operating temperature for a few minutes once a week.

[phanbouy @ Aug 1st 2008 1:17PM]

This would appear to be the cheapest electric bike we've seen covered here so far. No mention of that yet?

[nickroz @ Aug 1st 2008 1:34PM]

Now they just need to make it more phallic and remove the handlebars.

[Barry @ Aug 1st 2008 2:03PM]

Ahahaha $1100 electric bike. They have better ones all over the place in Beijing for US$70.

[phanbouy @ Aug 1st 2008 2:12PM]

well i can buy a tampon for a buck but that doesn't make it the same

[Lazarpandar @ Aug 1st 2008 8:31PM]

I don't understand how a tampon replaces a bike..

[Lina @ Aug 16th 2008 12:15AM]

I just got this same one through www.japantodoor.com, they help me buy it form Japanese site and send it over to me! I really do not think US make anything like this!!

[Ian Hopper @ Aug 26th 2008 6:51PM]

The closest thing to this that's sold here in the U.S is the BionX system. I am currently running a Stokemonkey system on my Surly Big Dummy and I love it's ability to haul ridiculous amount of stuff and people AND power me up the big hills. That being said, the biggest bottleneck for human electric hybrid vehicles is energy storage, hence the need for better battery technology as well as new tech (à la electromechanical batteries). I'd like to see a RIDE report from one of these bikes, as THAT is what's going to sell me on one. AFAIK, these are not yet available in the U.S.... maybe next year if these ones sell well in Japan? Maybe the guys at the electric bike network should consider this?