There is a group of entrepreneurs in the UK that have taken to Kickstarter to fund their latest creation with the goal of making your commute easier. Building upon the popular A-bike design from a decade ago, this project is adding electricity to the mix to make that morning journey to work a little more enjoyable.
A-Bike Electric claims that it is the “smallest and lightest” e-bike in the world. It appears that Kickstarter backers agree that there is a need, this campaign has already raised 133% of its $60,000 goal with a few weeks remaining. It’s most likely the price point that has sparked such an interest: an early bird pledge of $695 (now sold out) delivers one of these bikes for over 30% off the final retail price. That cost pails in comparison to quality bicycle offerings that can cost 5-10 times as much.
The idea is simple, A-Bike Electric has a foldable design that weighs about 26 pounds. It’s 24V lithium rechargeable battery can provide about 15 miles of use and plugs into a USB port to power back up in 2.5 hours. A-Bike has a switch that toggles between manual power and electric assist. A series of telescoping and folding pieces can bring the bike down to roughly 8 x 15 x 27-inches. The campaign video proudly displays multiple users easily folding the bike up and taking it all over town.
There is a lot to be interested in with this campaign, its small design and rechargeable battery will likely be a hit in Europe. It may not be as well suited for larger cities in the United States but it has a chance to make its way over given the increase in urban bike-sharing programs. Currently a pledge of $915 will deliver an A-Bike Electric in October.
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Unsafe at any motorized speed. This two wheel vehicle appears inherently unsafe. It’s tiny tires can and will fall into street potholes, rail tracks or other small gaps tossing the rider from his bike. Broken bones and spinal damage await.
In my town, San Francisco, it wouldn’t last the day.
Maybe if this were a manual push scooter, peddled by a four foot tall kid on the sidewalk, you could get away with such small circumference ties. No motorized bike should ever use them. Thumbs down on this proposed design. I hope it is not funded.
Reblogged this on pundit from another planet.