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Hybrid Sports Bicycle eyes-on (video)
The LA Auto Show isn't just loaded with flashy concept cars from auto industry heavyweights, it's also a breeding ground for innovation in the transportation industry as a whole. While cruising the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, a unique contraption caught our eye. Pictured above is the Hybrid Sports Bicycle (HSB), a triple threat that runs on gas, electricity and good old fashion human pedaling. The project is currently seeking investors, with its creator Tomas Bubilek targeting a retail price somewhere between $6,000 to $7,000. For those of you who might think that this is a high premium, we've definitely seen hybrid bikes that far exceed this toll. So, if you're in the business of being an early adopter, check out the video below to see what might be replacing that segway you bought a few years back.
Lexus shows off hybrid bicycle, won't sell you one
This Lexus bicycle has apparently been quietly making the rounds since the last year's Tokyo Motor Show, but the automaker has rolled it out again to coincide with the Great British Bike Ride, and it's taken the opportunity to dish some details on it. While it's still just a concept, it does exist in prototype form, and packs a 240-Watt electric motor that's powered by a 25.9-volt lithium battery pack, which promises to give you a little extra push when you're tired of pedaling. Being a Lexus, it also follows the "L-finesse" design language, and it relies on the same principles of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system found in the company's hybrid vehicles to recharge the battery through regenerative braking. Unfortunately, Lexus says it doesn't have any plans to put the bike into production -- but that may be for the best, we're pretty sure the future of transportation is one-wheeled anyway.
MIT's Copenhagen Wheel turns your bike into a hybrid, personal trainer
You really can't fault MIT's branding strategy here. Debuting at the biggest climate change conference since Kyoto, its Copenhagen Wheel is a mixture of established technologies with the ambition to make us all a little bit greener and a little bit more smartphone-dependent. On the one hand, it turns your bike into a hybrid -- with energy being collected from regenerative braking and distributed when you need a boost -- but on the other, it also allows you to track usage data with your iPhone, turning the trusty old bike into a nagging personal trainer. The Bluetooth connection can also be used for conveying real time traffic and air quality information, if you care about such things, and Copenhagen's mayor has expressed her interest in promoting these as an alternative commuting method. Production is set to begin next year, but all that gear won't come cheap, as prices for the single wheel are expected to match those of full-sized electric bikes. Video after the break.
Hybrid2 public bike concept promises to help power city buses
Hybrid bikes are one thing, but designer Chiyi Chen looks to have something far grander in mind for his Hybrid2 bike concept, which he says could one day help power fleets of city buses. To do that, the hybrid part of the bike (a regenerative braking system) wouldn't be used to help power the bike itself at all, but would instead store the energy in an ultracapacitor that'd then feed the energy back into the grid when its parked at a special bike stand, which would in turn be used to help charge the hybrid electric buses. Not one to overlook an ingenious little detail, Chen has also devised a special card RFID card that would not only be used to unlock the bike, but keep track of the energy that each rider generates -- build up enough credits and you can ride the bus for free. Intrigued? Head on past the break for a video overview from the man himself.[Via Inhabitat]
Optibike's OB1 hybrid electric mountain bike: yours for a cool $13,000
Sure, it won't stabilize itself, it doesn't sport a cute wicker basket, and it has a five figure price tag, but the 2009 Optibike OB1 is on sale now -- and if you're a typical Engadget reader, you're probably considering four or five of them for you and your family. Designed by award winning bike designer Jim Turner, this lithium-ion battery-powered hybrid features a GPS, fully integrated PDA (to keep track of the vehicle's performance), two hours of battery life, and -- for those of you who like to kick it old school -- pedals. You know, for pedaling. Be sure to order yours now -- only twenty-four OB1s will be manufactured this year.[Via Style Crave]
Sanyo's eneloop hybrid bike has basket, will travel
Looking for an electric bike that does the pedaling for you? You have plenty of choices, particularly if you're willing to drop over $2,000, but finding one that uses regenerative braking to extend the life of its meager on-board batteries isn't so easy. Panasonic's Vivi RX10S is about your only choice until February, when Sanyo's new eneloop-branded bike is set to start pulling weak (or just lazy) Japanese riders up up inclines before recharging itself on the way back down. On a hilly course a charge is said to last about 35 miles without braking, 46 by charging only when braking, and 62 miles in "auto" mode (charging on downhills, too). If you live in Japan it'll be yours for 136,290 yen, about $1,450 US -- but if you live around here we'd recommend not canceling your spinning class just yet, because while Sanyo pledges to ship this elsewhere in the world "at some point in the future," it could be awhile before this thing starts hitting the diamond lanes near you.[Via PhysOrg.com]
