Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: copenhagen wheel, cycling, ebikes, electric assist, electric bikes, superpedestrian, urban cycling
13 pounds.
It doesn’t have a throttle that lets you just run it like a motorbike. It senses how you ride and gives you a boost when you need it.
Riders are given a boost as they pedal by measuring their effort, instead of using a throttle. This preserves the normal biking experience while enabling riders to bike faster, farther, and easier….All actuation of the wheel happens automatically via the pedals through sensing and control algorithms. When the rider pedals harder, such as when going uphill, the wheel pushes with increasing power. Using your smartphone with the Superpedestrian app, you can vary the level of powered assist.
via Copenhagen Wheel bike booster rolls out, available for pre-order : TreeHugger.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle industry, bicycle manufacturing, China, Chinese bicycle industry, electric bicycles, electric bikes
Manufacturers believe exports will grow quickly, especially to Europe and North America, which accounted for more than 70% of the nearly 1m bikes sent abroad in 2009. One in every eight bicycles sold in the Netherlands these days is electric. Better yet, Chinese manufacturers secured an average price of $377 per exported bike, compared with less than $100 three years ago and just $46 for a pedal bike.
via China's electric-bicycle boom: Pedals of fire | The Economist.
The electric bike: Inherits almost all of the disadvantages of a regular bike, and jettisons the health effect. Most of the danger of a motorcycle, without the health benefit of a bicycle.
Industrialized Cyclist Notepad 