The VeloMini fold-and-carry electric bike from ELV Motors, was released in early August.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company already has a significant lineup of electric bikes, scooters, and hybrid motorcycles. The VeloMini adds to the array a 32-pound electric bike that reaches a top speed of 12 miles per hour.

The lithium-ion battery gives the bike a range of about 10 miles on a single charge, and takes 2 to 3 hours to fully charge.

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VeloMini electrifies fold-and-carry bike

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There’s one feature that makes the RX-10S [JP, PDF], Panasonic’s newest model, stand out: it boasts an assisted travel range of a a whopping 97km (60 miles) in “eco-mode” – on a single charge.

Panasonic says that the bike’s motor gets juice every time you hit the brakes, for example when driving down a hill or decelerating (only half the amount if you use just one of the brakes on the left or right).

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Panasonic’s newest electric bike features 97km assisted travel range

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London, England (CNN) — Six thousand matching black, silver and blue bicycles hit the streets of London on Friday, August 5, 2010 as the city launched an ambitious public bike sharing scheme.

The initiative will allow commuters and tourists to take bikes from 400 docking stations, spaced at 300 yard intervals, for short journeys around central London.

For an access fee of £1 a day or £45 a year, cyclists can use the bikes for free for the first half hour, with a rising fee for longer periods. Users return for further free half hours as often as they like within a day.

The scheme will cost £140 million for the first five years, with £25 million recouped from Barclays Bank sponsorship.

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London launchs ambitious bike share scheme

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PR — Interbike is partnering with Light Electric Vehicle Association (LEVA) to provide new electric bicycle features at OutDoor Demo, September 20-21, 2010. The features include an eBike-only paved demo track and the Hill Climb Challenge, a spectator-friendly race that will compare the endurance of unassisted cyclists to the battery-operated power of the latest pedal-assist bike designs.

OutDoor Demo precedes the Interbike International Trade Expo happening September 22 – 24 at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas.

LEVA’s eBike demo track is positioned on a newly paved bike trail that runs through OutDoor Demo. The quarter-mile test track begins at the LEVA booth at the DownHill Shuttle stop/BMX track area, where attendees can test the power and ability of the latest eBikes.

The course for the LEVA Hill Climb Challenge takes racers up a nearly six percent grade, third-mile climb from the bottom of the Road Loop to the top. This race is an opportunity to test the electric power of pedal-assist bikes against the power of cyclists on regular bikes.

Attendees that want to compete in the LEVA Hill Climb Challenge should sign up at the LEVA booth adjacent to the eBike demo track on Monday or Tuesday before the event, starting Tuesday, September 21 at 2 pm.

Exhibitors interested in providing bikes for the Hill Climb Challenge, either an eBike or a non-power assisted bike, please email Sidney Kuropchak, executive director of LEVA for more information. Exhibitors providing bikes are encouraged to make a small donation to Bikes Belong Coalition to participate.

More information about Interbike 2010 events is available at the Interbike website.

About Interbike
Interbike (a business unit of Nielsen Expositions, the parent company of the Outdoor Retailer (OR), Action Sports Retailer (ASR), and Health+Fitness Business trade shows) is a full-service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. Producers of the OutDoor Demo and Interbike International Bicycle Expo, Interbike (interbike.com) is the leading bicycle industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Interbike gathers more than 1,100 cycling-related brands and close to 23,000 total attendees annually.

The Interbike 2010 trade-only events begin with OutDoor Demo (September 20-21, 2010 in Boulder City), followed by the Interbike Expo, September 22-24 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

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Electric Bike Association to Promote Hill Climb Challenge and Electric Bike Demo Track at Interbike

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Honda announced on July 19, 2010 that it would get into electric cars and plug-in hybrids today, effectively becoming the last major car company to go electric. But it also went further by announcing plans in other product lines. Some of the highlights:

–The company will introduce electric motorcycles into advanced and emerging nations. While Honda didn’t provide specific details or release years, it’s a significant announcement. To date, the electric motorcycle market has been largely controlled by start-ups like Mission Motors and Zero Motorcycles. (see zany test drive here.)

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Honda: Electric Cars, Motorcycles, Solar Panels and Plug-In Hybrids

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BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Commission brought forward an action plan on electric cars. Thought out partly as a support scheme for the European automotive industry and partly as an initiative to green transport, this first call did not contain any reference to alternative electric vehicles such as bicycles or scooters. Luckily that changed.

The Commission, when it expanded its mandate to a strategy on “clean and energy-efficient vehicles”, did not foresee the inclusion of two-wheelers in its document. However following the European Two-Wheeler Retailers Association (ETRA)’s active participation in the consultation process, the final submission, which contains an action plan for the roll-out of electric vehicles until 2030, includes two- and three-wheelers subject to type-approval in its scope of application.

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Electric Two-Wheelers Become Part of EU Green Transportation Strategy

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London, UK — Gocycle pairs up with hotel giant for free service in Waterloo

The hotel chain Travelodge is trialling a scheme that offers its customers electric bike hire. Travelodge recently opened its 400th hotel in Waterloo, London, and electric bike hire is offered free of charge to customers.

Electric bike brand Gocycle is partnering Travelodge for the trial, with bikes charged via a mains power point, offering on demand power and a low cost commute around the capital.

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Travelodge trials free electric bike hire

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The A2B bicycle has been on the market for a couple years and established a reputation for ruggedness. The big beefy tires, the oversized frame, the suspension, the unique shape, all speak of ruggedness. Additionally with a powerful 500 watt electric motor it has the potential for climbing serious hills. The combination would tend to make it suitable for off-road riding but the name, Metro, speaks of city use. The ruggedness can handle pothole filled roads as well as gravel paved hiking trails. This bike does not disappoint.

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Review of the A2B Metro electric bicycle

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Barcelona is to introduce electric motorcycle charging stations in September, 2010. The first eight will be installed in the district of 22 @ and will recharge up to 25 vehicles simultaneously.

Two companies, Mobec Point and Schneider Electric, have submitted a tender to place re-charging stations in the Montmelo racetrack, and to install electric motorbike charging in the Catalan capital from next September. The stations can charge up to 25 vehicles simultaneously, it is so “simple and safe,” according to a joint statement from the companies, that forecast 40,000 electric bikes will be in use by 2016.

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Barcelona to premiere electric motorcycle charging stations in September.

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Toshiba and Mitsubishi Motors have teamed up to work on battery systems for electric cars. Toshiba is hoping to see its lithium-ion battery technology deployed in upcoming plug-in cars from Mitsubishi, which plans to bring its electric i-MiEV model to the U.S. market in 2011.

In 2008, Toshiba signed the first supply agreement for its rapid-charge lithium-ion battery, the SCiB (Super Charge ion Battery), in a deal with Schwinn for electric bicycles. The company has now lined up customers for the SCiB in applications that include an electric motorcycle and a microgrid system.

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Toshiba Leaps From Laptops to Electric Cars

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