Tag: electric bicycle

Categories
Connected Objects Cycling

It turns out the BEST e-bike conversion kit really is the best

patent-claimedA lot of standard e-bikes on the market operate at the 250W configuration, even in places where it’s legal to have a more powerful motor. And in those other places, more powerful configurations mean more speed, but without the torque to truly make it powerful enough to climb steep hills, for instance.

Inventor Matteo and his brother Luca Spaggiari were challenged to create a motor that could push the limit in terms of the hills it could climb and loads it could tow. Together, they created the BEST e-bike conversion kit. The name isn’t just for show: their design has been recognized by companies like Ford and Edison for being an extremely small yet generating the kind of torque it does. The secret lies within how its brushless motor sports a 10:1 ratio, allowing for a constant, high-level of torque across a wide range of speeds. This means that no matter if backers choose the BEST’s 250W, 500W, 749W, or 999W option, the type of power it generates will be the same.

 

Continue reading “It turns out the BEST e-bike conversion kit really is the best”
Categories
Cycling Personal Transportation

Slim down your electric ride with the Sondors THIN

The holy grail of lightweight and electric personal transportation is still a long way off. Fortunately, crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are incubators of tomorrow’s designs, with many having been fully supported and brought to market — which means all these products should be overrunning the street, right? Well, not entirely. For a lot of people, price and size are still huge barriers making a truly affordable, lightweight electric vehicle something to be integrated into daily lifestyles.

Claiming to have developed the most lightweight and affordable option on the market, the Sondors THIN Electric Bike is now on Indiegogo. Coming in at just 38 pounds, the Sondors THIN features a Panasonic Single-Cell Battery — the same technology used in Tesla’s Model S — to power a 350W motor for a top speed of 20mph and max distance of 50 miles.

Continue reading “Slim down your electric ride with the Sondors THIN”
Categories
Personal Transportation

Chop-E silent e-chopper is a mean green machine

The gurgling ignition of a chopper is an iconic sound signifying that low-slung relationship of cool with the road so many people dream of experiencing. In this day and age, though, it also signifies an impressively negative reliance on fossil fuels, a problem many find they can’t support no matter how cool roaring the road may be.

The Chop-E is a chopper-style electric bike that retains all the cool necessary for the ride without the smog that comes along with it. This custom creation is composed of quality, off-the-shelf parts that all come together to create something that demands attention. Its developers are now is looking to manufacture their first run. Chop-E boasts a top speed of 20mph and range of 40 miles on a single charge, claiming to get 329 miles overall from a single dollar. Early birds can grab their own for $4,499, while latecomers will have to spend $5,999. The $100,000 campaign is promising Chop-E in August 2015.

This product is another in a recent series of creations that include the Impossible and the LEAOS continuing to revamp of the electric bike’s image. From obtuse and awkward to sleek and powerful, electric bikes are truly coming into their own. City slickers will no doubt be on the lookout.