e-Bikes
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Polaris is now in the e-motorbike business after buying Brammo
Polaris has acquired e-bike maker Brammo in a deal that leaves the future of the Brammo name and its Oregon-based factory in limbo. Brammo has been building the Empulse/R and Enertia e-bikes for several years, but the models haven't changed much since they first arrived -- and the company has been discounting them drastically of late. Polaris is one of Brammo's biggest investors, but decided to "recapitalize" it and "focus exclusively on the design, development and integration of electric vehicle powertrains." Polaris also said it would "begin manufacturing electric motorcycles in the second half of 2015 at its Spirit Lake, IA facility."
San Francisco gearing up for electric bike sharing program
Anyone who's ever attempted to ride a bike in San Francisco can attest to just how rough the city's numerous hills can be on the lower body. Thankfully, government dollars are set to go a ways toward making electric bicycles a tiny bit more prevalent amongst the local populace. The city by the bay's CarShare program will be getting funding to bring some 90 e-bikes to 25 locations in SF and nearby Berkeley, beginning with 45 bikes in the second half of this year. Forty-five more will be coming in 2013.
The Faraday electric bike shows us all how retro the future will be
This ain't no fixie with a minty fresh paint job, this is the Faraday. Built for the Oregon Manifest design competition, ideas factory Ideo teamed up with bike builders Rock Lobster Cycles to produce this retro-technotastic electric bike. Everything futuristic has been hidden inside the frame: those parallel top tubes hold a series of lithium-ion batteries which juice up the front-hub motor -- all controlled from the green box tucked beneath the seat cluster. Those two prongs up front serve as built-in headlights and the base of a modular racking system, letting you swap out various carrying mechanisms like a trunk or child seat with the pop of a bolt. Tragically, the bike is just a concept -- so unless the teams responsible cave into peer pressure and get it into production, you'll have to use old-fashioned leg power to get you over those steep hills. [Image courtesy of Mike Davis] %Gallery-136151%
