First the Bug, now the Bik.e

After Peugeot's recent foray into the concept bike market, Volkswagen now has thrown its hat into the ring recently unveiling a concept electric folding bike. At the recent Auto China show, VW research and development chief Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg introduced the world to the VW bik.e in a move that extends the company's "focus on mobility" beyond just automobiles.

Reinventing the Wheel

Photo courtesy of Max Tomasinelli

As reported here at ecocity back in December at the COP15, MIT's 'SENSEABLE City Lab' launched the revolutionary 'Copenhagen Wheel', a simple, low-cost bicycle wheel that can convert any bicycle into an e-bike. Our friends over at Current.tv's Urban Mobility channel have recently created a great litle video about this ground breaking innovation, interviewing some of the designers involved.

next generation electric bikes

Winner of an International Forum of Design award, the HMK 561 prototype pushes the limits of bicycle design. German Designer Ralf Kittmann has re-defined the function of the bicycle frame by allowing the one-piece carbon-fibre frame to distribute power from the motor without wires.

Built-in to the design are also some other fantastic features such as regenerative brakes that convert the heat energy from braking into electricity and in-built lights powered by the motor. We are led to believe that the frame is covered with a variety of isolated fibres that run parallel to each other and act as capacitors storing electricity for the bike, although I have my doubts on that one. The most important aspect of this bike is its aesthetic appeal, it just screams sci-fi chic and from now on is to be referred as the Luke Skywalker.

Yikes! Here comes the YikeBike

This innovation in urban transportation is definitely pre-destined to end up in the scrapheap of outrageous designs that people regard as simply a step too far. I mean, whats wrong with the bicycle, or even the electrically assisted bicycle? Segway's aren't cool, YikeBike is definitely not cool.

Electric folding bikes

With more and more electric bikes starting to appear everywhere, its not just your friendly Chinese neighbour silently whizzing past you on a CIE bike, electric folding bikes are quickly gaining significant interest. While earlier this month we had a look at PUMA's $1,000 folding bicycle, this offers nothing to the sweat conscious, suit-clad commuters. Those who choose to take their folding bike on the train or bus with them can breath a sigh of relief with the advent of electric powered folding bikes. Here are some fine examples found at Treehugger and RideThisBike. Thankfully smug looks will be keep at bay as it appears that these bikes won't be whizzing past toiling cyclists anytime soon.

The Dutch Bike Version 2.0 beta

Wytze's graduation project for Cannondale from Eelke D. on Vimeo.

What a beautiful piece of design. Heres hoping it moves beyond the concept stage. Believe it or not this is a Student graduation project at the TU Delft for Cannondale

Design: Wytze van Mansum | vanmansum.nl

DIY Electric Bike

Most electric bikes use batteries with chemistries that have been tweaked for portable electronics (laptops, cellphones, etc). But what if you want something a bit more heavy-duty? Something built for power and durability... How about advanced nano-phosphate power tool batteries from DeWalt? That's exactly what Russ Finley did. Read on for more info and a video.


Homemade E-Bike
His DIY electric bike is based on a $170 mountain bike. As Russ points out in his piece on Grist, his e-bike is very similar to the one that was featured in the New York Times, except that his e-bike cost $1,600 and the NYT one costs $7,000, and his bike probably outperforms the more expensive one...

He writes:

1. I chose a full-suspension mountain bike frame because the roads and even the bike trails here are so bad. I wanted to isolate the batteries, controller and my butt from the shocks. I also jump off curbs a lot.
2. I wired pairs of 36-volt Dewalt power tool batteries in series to get 72 volts and then wired each of these pairs in parallel. I can carry two, four, or six battery packs, depending on how long the trip will be.
3. I replaced my 36-volt, ten-amp controller with a 72-volt, 35-amp version. It also has immediate start, which means the controller does not wait until the wheel is rolling before it puts power to the motor. This lets me get through intersections faster and safer (although I have to be careful or my front wheel lifts off the ground).
4. I used a rear wheel motor because front wheels here tend to get bent by potholes and fixing one can be expensive if you have a motor mounted in it.

Via TreeHugger

Schwinn's Electric Bikes

Do not attempt to adjust your monitor, this is really a picture of an electric bike. Schwinn’s new electric bikes are probably the slickest and most smoothly integrated set of power-assisted velocipedes we’ve yet seen. Schwinn teamed up with Protanium Inc. to develop a whole series of rides in different configurations (the Streamline pictured above), all of which employ lithium polymer batteries and in-hub motors, both well concealed.

They claim their Plug’n Drive system delivers approx. 40 miles of range and charges fully in four hours. They also claim their batteries deliver full power until completely drained (rather than slowly dwindling). Total bike weight ranges from 40-45 lbs., the electric system alone weighs around ten, the battery is stashed on the cargo rack behind the seat, and electric components live inside the frame tubes. To read more about Schwinn’s 2007 electric bike line and other trends in the electric cycling, check out Forbes Bagatelle-Black’s great review of the North American Bike Show at EV World.



No word on price yet for the Schwinn’s, but they could be looking at a corner on the market. The company has offered electric bikes and scooters in the past, but the vast majority of motor-assisted bikes on the market come out looking freakish (like this electric bike from Aprilia or this electric bike from eZee). Beautiful as they may be to the more deeply appreciating ecological citizen, electric bikes won’t go big time until they can blend in the with rest of the pack.

After many delays, Schwinn's new electric bikes are now available in certain bike stores. The range includes the Campus, the least expensive model at $1,900, the World GSE, which sells for $2,200, and the Continental priced at $2,500. These bikes look just like regular bikes -- the electric motors and batteries are integrated seamlessly into the design.



Schwinn claims that the four pound Protanium lithium polymer battery included with these bikes is the lightest and most durable on the market. One charge will last 40-60 miles. You detach the batteries to charge them, so there are no wires on the bike itself. The bikes use a 250 watts max electric hub motor in the front wheel, controlled by a throttle on the handlebar which can propel the bike up to 18 mph. The batteries have a lifespan of about 3 years.

A word of caution: the electric bike review magazine, A To B, warns that the Schwinns they tested had battery problems when going uphill.

Cykel: A Plug-in Electric Bike Sharing Concept

Photo courtesy of Brian Mcallister

Cykel is a plug-in electric bike sharing system designed for a wide range of users and topographies. The concept was inspired by the popular bike share programs found throughout Europe.

It functions on either pedal-power or fully as an electric bike, which opens up transportation to wide range of users. It's especially appealing for cities with more difficult topographies like San Francisco.


Photo courtesy of Brian Mcallister


Designed to be very low maintenance, it has solid over-mold tires to avoid flats. And the drive train is fully enclosed as to avoid any nasty wardrobe malfunctions. When docked, the bike will charge via its two locking points.

Ideally, these systems would be installed throughout the city to fill gaps in its current transit system.

Source: Brian Mcallister for the University of Washington Design Show 2009

Via: Treehugger

GreenWheel Gives any Bicycle an Electric Boost

Researchers at MIT recently revealed an elegant solution for anyone looking to get a little more power out of their bicycle. Developed by MIT’s Smart Cities programs, the GreenWheel is a self-contained electric wheel that can turn any pedal-powered bike into a fully-electric bicycle!

The GreenWheel is essentially a bicycle wheel that has an electric motor and batteries embedded within it. The full casing is quite small and is able to be retrofitted to any bike. Simply twist the handle mounted throttle and a bluetooth connection tells the electric motor to provide thrust. The wheel can be charged by plugging to the grid or by pedaling, and a full charge will give the motor a range of roughly 25 miles.

The GreenWheel was developed by Ryan Chin and Michael Chia-Lian Lin as part of MIT’s Smart Cities programs. The objective is to create a working prototype that can be installed and retroffited to any bike. The team is also thinking for the long term - they estimate that the batteries for the GreenWheel will last around 40,000 miles, or about 8 years worth of travelling.

+ MIT Smart Cities

Via MSNBC