electric bicycle
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Ego-Kits declares victory over nature, gravity with its E-Powered Downhill Bike Kit
In a move that is sure to excite the outdoorsman (or outdoors-lady, as it were) in us all, German outfit Ego-Kits has unveiled the E-Powered Downhill Bike Kit so you don't have to go through all that pesky exercise getting to the top of the mountain to enjoy the thrill of bombing back down. The kit comes with a 1200-watt aluminum motor that mounts under the down tube of 70 percent of downhill bike models, a battery pack (contained within an included backpack), charger, controller module, crankset, chain, and twist grip throttle with a battery charge indicator. We don't know the price or when the system will officially go on sale, but we do know that when mounted on a mountain bike, it looks cooler than other, more pedestrian electric bikes we've seen previously. Jump after the break to see the Ego-Kit in action.
YikeBike foldable electric bike now available for the low, low price of $3,595 (video)
The first time we saw the YikeBike we couldn't help but think it was a little too stylistically shaped, a bit too svelte, and a lot too carbon fiber to actually exist in the real world as anything but a prototype. But now, over a year later, here we are looking at a little green "Add to cart" button on the company's website. Yes, the 6 mile range, 15mph top speed foldable cycles are starting to roll out of the warehouse with an estimated ship date of just one week. The best news? The price is $3,595, far from cheap but about $2,000 less than they were originally estimated to cost and a downright bargain for something that offers this unique blend of bizarreness and fun. How much fun? Get a refresher course in the video after the break.
M55 Beast Electric Bike is quite appropriately named
Say "electric bicycle" around here and visions of Sanyos with baskets go floating through our heads. The Beast from M55 is something rather different, rather more bodacious. It offers a 40mph top speed and a 75 mile range plus a construction featuring pieces hewn on CNC along with plenty of titanium and carbon fiber bits for good measure. The design is perhaps a bit too in your face for some, but for others is the perfect mix of 'tude and tech. It's been in design for some months now but recently made something of a debut at SEMA ahead of a forthcoming shipping date with pre-orders open now. Cost? If you have to ask... %Gallery-107923%
Signa's fuel cell-powered bicycle paints a rosy picture for drop-in power stations
Here's a novel concept -- rather than rolling up to a recharge station in the year 2020, plugging your Volt in and reading the latest issue of Esquire while life passes you by, why not swap out a dead fuel cell for a fully rejuvenated one? We can't say for sure the idea will catch on, but it's certainly one that would save Earth-lovin' motorists an awful lot of time. A little-known outfit by the name of Signa is to thank, as the company's new fuel cell-powered bicycle operates using this scheme; riders simply pop in a recyclable 1.5 pound cartridge (where sodium silicide and water mix to create hydrogen power), toss on a pair of Ray-Bans and cruise for 20 to 30 miles. Once that runs out, you can either break out the pedal power or pop in a new cell -- given the right infrastructure, this could one day be as simple as stopping to refuel. In reality, this new bike is just a way to show off the company's technical aptitude, but we're told that it is actually going on sale next summer for an undisclosed amount. Dollars to donuts Floyd Landis already has one on pre-order.
BlackTrail BT-01 is the $80,000 electric bicycle of your dreams (video)
When Germany's PG-Bikes sets out to build a cruiser, it doesn't mess around -- the contraption above may look like an electric bike, but when it goes on sale in the US this year, you may have to register it as a motorcycle. Constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, aerospace aluminum, titanium and magnesium, the BlackTrail BT-01 travels up to 65MPH with a 1.2 kilowatt motor embedded in its 44 pound frame, and can carry you across 120 miles on a single 2.5-hour charge of the leather-clad 17Ah Li-ion battery pack. Of course, those sorts of numbers don't come cheap -- the company's marketing it to the likes of West Coast Customs, The Sharper Image and a vehicle enthusiast named Jay Leno -- and each of the 667 limited pieces will cost $80,000, the better part of a Tesla Roadster and far beyond a Brammo. Still, if anyone has an offshore bank account they care to donate, we call dibs on 666 -- the number of the beast. Video after the break.
Fast Forward electric pedals could make your bike power itself
Every electric bike we've seen, and we've seen quite a few, relies on motors that are either attached to the wheels or somehow integrated in to the chain drive. Efficient, perhaps, but not exactly trivial to retrofit onto an existing cycle. Stephen Britt's Fast Forward pedals take a rather more ingenious and, honestly, simple approach: put the motors in the pedals. When your feet are resting on the pedals and their motors start a spinning the result is a bike that basically powers itself. We're a bit doubtful that this kind of tech could actually push a bike up a hill without some effort from the dude or dudette in the saddle, and we suspect that the motors having to lift your legs up and down doesn't help their efficiency, but it is an interesting solution that should work on nearly any bike. You can see it in motion at the source link and, while you're there, take a moment to give Mr. Britt your vote. If he wins he'll get £50,000 to make these a reality -- and to give your lazy butt a little assistance on the ride home.
Volkswagen rolls out foldable 'Bik.e' electric bicycle concept
Well, it looks like it's the season for automakers to show off electric bicycle concepts, with Volkswagen now following Lexus' lead with its own "Bik.e" concept. Unlike Lexus' hybrid concept, this one is a full-fledged electric bicycle (sans pedals), and it boasts a few innovations of its own, not the least of which is that it's able to fold up and fit where you'd normally store a spare tire. It's also apparently able to be charged using your car's DC current in a pinch in addition to a standard AC outlet at home, and it promises to deliver a range of 20 kilometers on a full charge, along with a top speed of 20 kilometers per hour. What's more, it seems like Volkswagen is actually looking at commercial possibilities for the Bik.e, although it's not making any firm commitments just yet. Head on past the break for a quick look at the bike in action, and some dancing.
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.
YikeBike foldable electric bicycle hands-on
The Honda U3-X might look all futuristic and highly portable, but it doesn't pack much speed -- probably for the sake of stability. The Segway? Far too bulky, plus it's so yesterday (sorry, Woz). This brings us to the YikeBike -- a bizarre-looking foldable electric bicycle that was announced back in September. Since then this mini whizzer's been given a slight bump to its top speed (now 25km/h or 15.5mph) and range (10km; 40-minute charge time), while weighing just 22 pounds thanks to its carbon fiber composite frame. Once you've folded the bike up, you can even wear it using the supplied shoulder strap to go on the bus or subway. During our hands-on, we started off with a bit of a wobble while adjusting to the backward handles, but five minutes later we learned to ignore the conventional cycling posture and leaned slightly further back, plus we got the right grip for the throttle (right) and brake (left). We also found the indicator, front light and horn buttons to be easily accessible by our thumbs. As you will see in the video after the break, we were traveling at fairly high speeds towards the end. The only problem that couldn't be fixed was our legs being a tad short for the pedals, but word has it that YikeBike's planning on releasing a smaller model in the near future. Living in Europe and carrying £2,995 / €3,495 / $4,659 with you? Feel free to pre-order now for a June delivery -- just in time for the summer breeze.%Gallery-89989%
Sanyo surrounds Tokyo with Eneloop charging stations and bikes to match
Renting a bike in most urban areas of the US is a difficult proposition. In Japan not only can you easily rent a bike, you can now rent an electric bike -- a solar powered electric bike to boot. Sanyo has dropped Eneloop stations on three locations around the Setagaya ward of Tokyo, each having 100 of the company's electric rides on offer for passers by to borrow (for a sadly undisclosed fee). When the bikes aren't being pedaled around town they'll sit in the station, being recharged by 46 square meters of solar panels that not only juice up batteries but also provide LED lighting for the station itself. While Sanyo does offer some solar stations for Eneloop owners, these look to be for renters only, meaning those who've bought their own will have to take themselves and their little baskets somewhere else. Update: Commenter camcavers managed to find this article that lists the price for a 12 hour rental (7am until 7pm) is 300 yen, or about $3.50, plus a 3500 yen deposit. That's a good deal for borrowing any bike, never mind one as expensive as these!
HMK 561 electric bike concept seats you on the battery, makes you significantly more attractive
Most electric bikes are fairly sordid affairs, little more than an ordinary bicycle with a motorized hub, a strap-on battery pack and regenerative braking capabilities (if you're lucky). Not this HMK 561 electric bicycle concept, which took home an iF Design Award for some seriously forward thinking. It's not just the stylish forward rake of this juiced cruiser that's innovative, it's the frame -- composed completely of a conductive carbon fiber weave that allows the bike's body to not just pass electricity to the motors, but actually store it like a giant capacitor. Factor in integrated lights and a pinch of that aforesaid regenerative braking at each axle, and you've just about got the bicycle of our dreams. Oh, and did we mention a prototype has already been built? Yeah. %Gallery-88012%
Kalkhoff's pedal-assist electric bicycles now available in North America -- cruisers unite!
Europeans have been cruising around on Kalkhoff e-bikes for millenniums now, but ye old Americans have been forced to either walk, pedal similar two-wheeled machines with our own energy, or fire up the HEMI-based Charger while throwing a finger up at Ma Earth. Thankfully, Portland's own Greenlight Bikes is doing what no one else would: importing these beauts for enjoyment here on US soil. What's most interesting is that the company's range of pedal-assist electric bicycles (or pedelecs, for those "in the know") don't look much different than the Schwinn Windwood Cruiser that your dad still uses to fetch the mail with, but believe it or not, an electric motor is included in order to "supplement the power a rider applies to the pedals, providing a smooth, predictable boost." Too bad that extra oomph won't be yours without spending between $2,499 and $3,399.
Grace E-motorbikes are ultralightweight, German, and very expensive
We've ridden our fair share of electric bikes and motorcycles, but we've yet to get our hands on one that's been hand assembled in Berlin/Biesenthal. Grace boasts a water-tight / ultra-light CNC-Aluminum frame, a 1300-watt motor, lithium-ion batteries, a 40 30 MPH speed, a range of up to 31 miles, and a one-hour recharge time. Looks good enough for a Kraftwerk video, although you'd better steer clear of the Autobahn with this thing. The bike starts shipping in January for €5,877 ($8,760-ish).Video after the break. [Thanks, Christopher]
Video: Electric folding YikeBike looks slightly ridiculous, totally practical
You know the opening sequence of The Jetsons where George's flying car folds right up into a briefcase, then he goes inside and kicks his feet up at the desk of the future? Well, we may not have flying cars -- or moving walkways that sweep us to our office chairs for that matter -- but soon we will have the YikeBike, an electric bicycle that tucks neatly into a bag little bigger than a briefcase. Its styling queues are decidedly futuristic penny-farthing, with the large front wheel, tiny rear, and little mustache handlebar, but that front wheel is driven by an electric motor giving a range of 9km and a top speed of 20km/h. No word on how long a full charge takes, but 80 percent requires only 20 minutes. It looks like fun (see for yourself after the break), and is due to start shipping by the middle of next year, but at a cost of €3,900 (over $5,500) it's going to be something of a tall sale for a short ride. %Gallery-71652% [Via WOW-POW]
Sanyo's new eneloop bike gets carbon fiber frame, traction control brain
Carbon fiber, with its light weight and high strength, is the material upon which the modern motorsports world is built. Traction control, which decreases difficulty, threatens to destroy it. However, in the world of the urban commute, traction control is a great thing and carbon is generally unheard of. Not for Sanyo, which will soon introduce the CY-SPK227 eneloop bike with a frame made of the stuff, featuring two wheel drive and traction control. The rear wheel is powered by the chain, the front by an electric motor, and should the rider pedal more enthusiastically than slippery conditions allow the bike will compensate by adding more juice to the front. Total weight is about 43lbs, many times that of the composite wonders Lance straddled in France, but about 7lbs lighter than the company's last entrant. It has regenerative braking, an LED headlight, magnesium suspension, a ¥627,900 price tag (about $6,600), and it releases in Japan in October -- you know, right about when the skies start to threaten snow. A good test for that traction control, then.[Via Fareastgizmos.com]
Schwinn Tailwind electric bike review
Schwinn's Tailwind electric bike -- which has been available for just a few months -- has been sitting in our apartment since post CES, waiting for the New York weather to shape up enough for us to give it a fair spin. Well, it's been beautiful recently, so the pedal-assist bike has been taken for several spins on our backyard BMX trail to see what kind of dust we could raise together. The bike is a retro, hulking, 58 pound package, with a Toshiba SCiB Quick Charge Plug n' Drive (SCiB) battery saddled onto the back for about 30 miles of assistance. It's an expensive (about $3,200) piece of eco-friendly transportation, to be sure. So the questions are thus: what do we think about Schwinn's latest foray into commuter cycles? Just who is this bike for? Will we ever get used to carrying it up and down our apartment stairs? Join us on the road after the break.
Industrial design student builds Capella, the portable, unobtainable electric bike
Where most students only go so far as to render their designs, Truong Minh Nhat -- working on his senior project at the Ho Chi Minh City School of Architecture -- made a functional prototype, sourcing the parts from local manufacturers. Dubbed Capella, the lightweight vehicle folds down to a neat "backpack sized" package (well, maybe a large backpack), travels over 30 miles an hour, has a range of about 7.5 miles (on a two hour charge), and in its final, mass produced form it should weigh about 22 pounds. If you're looking for a wilder ride than most electric bike designs offer, and you happen to be reading this in Ho Chi Minh City, keep your eyes peeled.[Via Core 77]Update: This bike has a top speed of 30 km (roughly 18.6 miles) an hour.
Schwinn debuts Toshiba-powered Tailwind electric bike
Schwinn has been pretty big on electric bicycles for some time now, but it seems to be particularly excited about its new Tailwind bike, which it says "sets a new standard for the electric bike industry." That boasting is apparently due in large part to the bike's use of Toshiba's newfangled Super Charge ion Battery (or SCiB), which has a promised 30-minute recharge time, or about an eighth of that of competing bikes. The rest of the bike's specs also look to be up to Schwinn's usual high standards, and include a Shimano Nexus 8-speed internal geared rear hub, a brushless motor with 180 watts of continuous power or 250 watts at peak power, a rear roller brake system, double wall alloy rims, and Continental Town Ride tires, to name but a few premium features. Just don't expect any of that to come cheap, as the bike is set to retail for $3,199 when it hits shops early next year.
Electric Motion Systems E+ electric bike: $3,495 for two wheels
Believe it or not, Electric Motion Systems' E+ actually isn't the priciest electric bicycle we've ever seen, but at $3,495 sans chauffeur, it's a far cry from being a bargain. Aside from boasting a relatively traditional frame, the unit gets powered by an EMS 1000-watt hub-mounted, brushless permanent magnet motor, which should provide 20 to 40 miles of fun on a single charge. Proving its intelligence, the E+ also supports regenerative braking, which enables the battery to get charged each time the rider slams the stoppers. You'll also find a handlebar-mounted LCD display which shows speed, distance traversed, battery level and whether or not cruise control is enabled. Yeah. Cruise control, son. Suddenly, $3,495 seems quite reasonable, no?[Via AutoblogGreen]
OHM Cycles rolls out new line of electric-assist hybrid bicycles
There's certainly no shortage of options out there for folks wanting a little assistance on their bike commute, but if you're still on the fence, you may want to consider one of OHM Cycles' new models, which includes the Urban XU450 and XU700 for less adventuresome folks, and the Sport XS700 and XS750 for those that like venture off-road occasionally. Each of those include "silent" BionX motors of various wattage, along with Molicel lithium-ion batteries that OHM says can be fully recharged in about three hours. You'll also get a "command console" that displays all your vitals, and an integrated security system (complete with an alarm) that promises to keep those lazy bike thieves out there at bay. No word on prices for any of them just yet, but the bikes are apparently making their way to dealers this month, so you should be able to get a quote soon enough.
