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.

Read the complete article at:
VeloMini electrifies fold-and-carry bike

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The VeloMini is a new folding bicycle that’s just entered the U.S. market. It is sturdily built, small, lightweight and easily folds into a very carryable compact unit. Additionally it’s electric motor makes it more practical for commuter use.

The VeloMini has been on the market for about a month and carries a price tag of $995. A dealer network is being built, check their website for more details.

Specs:
Weight: 31 lbs
Gears: 1 Speed
Folding: 18” high
Motor: 180 watt Brushless Hub Motor
Battery: 24v, 6AH Lithium-ion
Range: 8-12 Miles
Max Weight: 210 lbs
Top Speed: 12 mph
No License, Registration, Required
Charging: Under 3 hrs
Includes: Case, Carry Strap, Charger, Tool Kit, Manual

Read the complete review at:
Review of the VeloMini folding electric bicycle

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Volkswagen attended Auto China 2010 and unveiled their new ebike there, the bik.e.

It’s got a range of 12.5 miles ans a top speed of 12.5 mph, and folds down to the size of a spare tire.

No word on the cost or the charging time.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Seattle, Washington — South Seattle Community College, in partnership with the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association, is offering a number of non-credit electric vehicle classes, including a six-day Electric Vehicle Conversionworkshop. Taught by a group of experienced instructors who have converted over two dozen vehicles, the six-day workshop guides students through the complete process of converting a vehicle from a gasoline engine to electric power. By the end of the workshop, the group will have completed one running electric car conversion capable of highway speeds, with a 30-60 mile range on one charge.

Electric Vehicle Conversion Workshop
Instructor: Ed Stegall
An intensive six days hands-on learning class that teaches the basics in converting a gasoline engine to electric power.
8 am – 5 pm M T W Th F Sat March 22-27 $899

Additional non-credit Electric Vehicle classes:

Electric Vehicle Safety Systems
Instructor: Roger Wright
Learn how to keep your electric vehicle safe; how a DC system works, what parts go into it, and why you should have these parts.
9 – 11:30 am Sat February 27 $35
** Enrollment is still open for the February 27 class. **
6:30 – 9 pm T May 25 $35

Introduction to AC Drives for Electric Vehicles
Instructors: Dan Bentler and Frank Jump
Learn the advantages and disadvantages of DC and AC motors. Gain valuable insight and knowledge of how AC drives work and how to apply them to vehicles. Class will provide hands-on operating demonstrations of motors and variable-frequency drives and other motors using bench-top equipment VFDs.
9 am – 4 pm Sat April 24 $65
Electric Vehicle Component Technology for Conversion
Instructor: Cory Cross
Learn about what parts go into a conversion and how they connect to each other. Strong emphasis placed on learning to read schematics and understanding why the parts are connected that way.
6 – 9 pm Th May 13 $45

Electric Vehicles – Batteries
Instructor: Stephen Johnsen
Topics include: general overview of popular suitable batteries for EVs; comparison of costs and specs on various batteries available; calculating the kWhr rating of my pack; how to extend battery life; charging and recycling of batteries.
6:30 – 9 pm T May 18 $45

Electric Bicycles
Instructor: Ed Stegall
Go through the process of actually converting a normal bike to electric. Class also covers bike safety, bike laws and basic maintenance and tips for doing your own conversion on your own or with a kit.
Class fee of $99 includes two sessions.
6 – 9 pm Th June 3
9 am – 4 pm Sat June 5

Electric Vehicle classes fill quickly and interested students are encouraged to sign up early.

Register online at www.LearnAtSouth.org, or call (260) 764-5339 for more information.

South Seattle Community College
The college’s Continuing Education division offers 150 classes each quarter, ranging from computer skills to cooking to home repair. Designed to fit into busy schedules, these classes offer the lifelong learner variety and flexibility, with online and classroom instruction.

Seattle Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA)
The Seattle Electric Vehicle Association was founded in 1979, with a mission to educate, demonstrate, and proliferate electric vehicles. The interests of SEVA members represent a wide spectrum of Electric Vehicle interests range from fast dragsters to NEVs, from home conversions to Teslas. For more information, visit the website at
www.seattleeva.org.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Yanko Design has designed a new folding ebike, the BicX. It is electric, it is foldable and it has “what looks to be a very cool red booster button.”

The BicX e-bike concept, envisioned by designer Jeongche Yoon, is like other electric bike ideas that combine human pedaling and electric power assist. This particular design sports a typical lithium-ion polymer battery, but it can only be recharged by human activity such as pedaling or free-riding down hill. It also folds up, so it can be stores it in a closet or other tight space if so needed.

Read the complete article at:
BicX Electric Bike Concept Sports Fancy Red Booster Button

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) January 7, 2010 — At their December 26th launch party at Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, DK City unveiled the db0 3.0 electric folding bike to the attending public, including over 80 press representatives. Mr. Matthew “Mashow” Lien and his wife Daisy, spokescouple for the db0 3.0, joined DK City President Mr. Hans Huang to host the party. Mr. Lien is a globally recognized world music singer-songwriter and producer whose music focuses on environmental and cultural themes. T

he bikes were made available to the attendees, who could take a test drive and assess the bike’s performance. The db0 3.0 received unanimous praise from the audience, who were impressed by its sleek designer appearance, eco-friendly message, and “humanized power”. The event also highlighted DK City’s relationship with ROBRADY by showcasing a video that introduced its studio and team. In early 2009, DK City had sought out ROBRADY design after seeing their award-winning work on the eco-friendly electric Vectrix VX-1 Maxi Scooter and Super Bike, as well as their work with designing many products for Segway. The two companies partnered in August 2009 to design, develop and manufacture the db0 folding bike line.

The db0 3.0 has garnered international design recognition with the receipt of the gold Spark award in October of this year. Photos and additional videos of the launch party can be seen on ROBRADY’s Facebook page.

DK City Corporation was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Taichung, Taiwan with an additional facility in Shanghai, China. They employ 1500 people and have an annual sales volume of US $400 million. They are committed to innovating, designing and manufacturing technologically advanced and environmentally friendly products. Known for their sophisticated fitness equipment, massage chairs, and recreational electric scooters and golf carts, DK City has recently expanded into the pollution-free electrical bicycle and motorcycle market. This expansion is driven by their desire to protect and preserve the planet for future generations.

ROBRADY design is a multi-disciplined product design and development studio that offers its multinational client base–including General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Dell Computers, Parker Hannifin, AT&T, Merial and Volvo Penta–progressive industrial design, mechanical design and engineering, graphics /packaging / GUI / web and eCommerce design, market research, brand and retail development, complete rapid prototyping and production program management. ROBRADY design stresses comprehensive speed-to-market product solutions by collaborating to identify the greatest areas of opportunity and producing innovative designs to deliver profitable product solutions. ROBRADY delivers design, production and capital solutions to their clients in support of their research to reality philosophy.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The Dex is a folding electric bicycle, manufactuered by Empowered Ebikes.

The Dex has a light-weight aluminum alloy folding frame. Its step-thru design is a sturdy one. While it folds into a small package (34″L x 32″H x 17″ W) it is still strong enough to carry a 220-pound rider and 55 pounds of cargo on its rear cargo rack. Not only that, it can also carry an additional 25 pounds in the front basket.

Front suspension forks, and a suspension seat post with a wide cushy seat, help the Dex smooth out those nasty bumps in life. It also has a 36v headlight, so riders can see those bumps ahead of time!

The Dex uses a 36v LiMn battery, which is mounted on a lockable quick release slide. This makes it very easy to remove for indoor charging. The battery gives power to the 350 watt rear hub motor.

Another innovative feature on the Dex — as well as all Empowered Ebikes (see their website for all ebikes which Empowered manufactures) — is the switch on the handlebars that allows the rider to choose one of three operating modes.

Mode 1 = Throttle Mode.
The Dex operates with the throttle on the handlebar.

Mode 2 = Pedal Assist Mode.
The Dex operates by turning the pedals. The faster the rider turns the pedals, the more assist power is applied to the front wheel.

Mode 3 = Electric Assist Off.
The Dex operates like a normal bike in which the rider does all the pedaling

The Performance
When talking performance, speed and acceleration provided by the motor are key. The 350 watt (550 peak watts) brushless hub motor has the power to quickly get riders up to cruising speed.

When going that fast, good brakes are essential. The Dex has both front disc brakes and rear cantilever brakes.

The People
People who have a need for a dependable errand-running vehicle, and yet have limited storage space for a bike, will love the ease and power of the Dex.

The Nitty Gritty
Name of bike – Dex
Manufacturer – Empowered Ebikes
Type of bike – Folding Bicycle
Weight - 60 Lbs (27Kgs)
Battery type – 36v Li-MnO2 (LiMn) -This is the most common consumer grade battery, about 80% of the lithium battery market today uses these materials.
Battery life – 1000 recharge cycles, Suitable for moderate drain, long-life, repeated charging cycles. High energy density per both mass and volume. Can deliver high pulse currents. Wide temperature range. With discharge the internal impedance rises and the terminal voltage decreases. Maximum temperature limited to about 60 °C. High self-discharge at high temperatures
Charge time – 3 – 6 hours (depending on previous state of charge)
Motor type & size – Brushless Hub Motor – 350 Watt
Maximum speed – 20 Miles Per Hour ( Speed Regulated by law )
Available Sizes – All the same

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bozeman, Montana — Kreta Chandler of Bozeman rode two Pedego fold up electric bikes at Yellowstone National Park this winter.

She sent the news to green blogger Shea Gunther.

Kreta’s bike is a Pedego Comfort Cruiser (the same kind I’ve been riding) equipped with double stacked batteries, giving her a range of over 40 miles. In the winter time she switches to studded tires and carries stuff around in quick release Wald front backets and in the towable Dreamer Design Bike Trailer. I love her explaination of the sticker on the battery:

Read original article at:
Winter biking on an electric in Bozeman, Montana

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The AOPA website (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) reported a couple of weeks ago on the Wildfire, a folding ebike that will fit in a single engine airplane, thus solving the transportation problems of pilots who fly into regional airports in remote areas.

It’s a new folding, electric bicycle promises convenient ground transportation for pilots, all in a 54-pound package—and a tax credit to boot. The Wildfire 20-inch bike can be ridden like a conventional bicycle. Or flip the switch on the handlebar to the “assist” mode and the bike’s electric motor kicks in to help propel it while you pedal. Or for an even less-strenuous workout, flip to the “auto” setting and let the electric motor do all the work, propelling you along at a comfortably brisk speed.

For the complete article, go to Folding electric bike solves pilot ground transport issues.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

MANATEE COUNTY – Way back in November, 2009, Robrady Design won a “Gold Spark” award in the mobility category of that year’s competition for the company’s db0 electric folding bicycle design.

The Spark Awards are a global design competition started in 2001, focused on recognizing “designed change.”

The Manatee County-based company, which has designed for the likes of General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, Dell Computers, Parker Hannifin, AT&T, Merial and Volvo, has partnered with DK City of Taiwan on the folding bike product.

The db0 bike is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2010.

Read the complete article here: Manatee County company’s folding electric bicycle design wins award

Bookmark It

Hide Sites