Tag: e-bike

GPS Tracking Bike

VanmoofElectric bikes offer some benefits beyond pedal assistance. The VANMOOF Electrified is an e-bike that also offers an integrated GPS anti-theft tracking system.

“”One of the features that had first turned me on to the VANMOOF Electrified was its GPS tracking ability,” said Adam Richmond, an Electrified early adopter, had three electric bicycles stolen from his home last month. “I used the app to track my bike, providing me with its exact location. Using this information, the West Palm Beach Police Department recovered my bike and returned it to me, unharmed, within hours of the theft.”

It is almost – just almost – enough to make you forgo the lock.

VANMOOF Official Website

The Right Fit

FitnessShirtThe Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS announced that it is developing a wearable sports monitoring system. The FitnessSHIRT contains new technology that pairs it with a pedelec bike powertrain and smartphone app that can seamlessly manage motor output based on the user’s physiological data.

What this means is that as the rider tires the motor can kick in and give a boost of power. The FitnessSHIRT utilizes conductive textile electrodes as well as an elastic band that is worn around the upper body, and together these can track metrics including pulse, breathing and even changes in heart rate.

Researchers from IIS recently demonstrated how the FitnessSHIRT will work in conjunction with the MENTORbike, a new type of training device considering of a pedelec, smartphone and an online user service site, live at the Medica 2013 Trade Fair in Düsseldorf last November.

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS Official Website

Roll Like the Danish

Copenhagen-WheelE-bikes are often good in concept but sometimes provide assistance when you don’t need it. The other problem is that e-bikes cost a lot, and weigh a lot. Designers at MIT might have a better solution. They’ve created the Copenhagen Wheel, which gives a power assist based on the effort. This in turn allows riders to go faster and further.

The wheel can monitor effort, so when a rider struggles or pushes harder the wheel in turn provides more power. Users can also adjust the level of assistance via a mobile smartphone app. The Copenhagen Wheel even utilizes regenerative braking to get juiced up as well.

The best part however is that no special bike is needed and the Copenhagen Wheel can be used with most bikes. Video after the jump

Electric Commuter Bike Could be Game Changer Says Designer Gabriel Wartofsky

What is holding back bicycle commuting in the United States? Washington-born designer Gabriel Wartofsky has suggested that it is the lack of options available. To this end he has been working on an electric assist bike that could help users get to the nearest transit hub or final destination sweat-free, grease-free, and without a hassle.

Video after the jump

Ford Unveils Radical Bike Concept With Formula One Tech

The big auto shows—Detroit, L.A., Tokyo, Geneva, etc.—are where car manufacturers show-off dreamy, almost-out-of-this world concepts; many will never make it into production, while some will morph into practical variants, but they showcase the direction a carmaker is taking and new technologies it is using.  These concepts tend to be of the four-wheel variety, however, Ford’s newly unveiled vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month isn’t what’s usually shown on the show floor.

Behold Ford’s beautiful E-Bike Concept. It has the recognizable two-wheel frame of a traditional bicycle, yet it has lines and accents that evoke a modern car. According to Ford, the E-Bike is an exercise in translating Ford’s “design language” to a bicycle and demonstrating “Ford’s electric mobility competence.” Ford recognizes major growth in the electric bicycle market and sees e-bikes as a major part of urban transport in the future.  Continue reading Ford Unveils Radical Bike Concept With Formula One Tech