Electric Bikes -N- Scooters Blog

Posts Tagged ‘electric bike’

I may have mentioned on this blog several times that just about the entire planet is moving towards the use of electric bicycles as part of their transportation infrastructure. For

Picture Courtesy of NYCE Wheels

instance, all across Asia, electric bicycles are now replacing regular bicycles as the preferred method of pedaling transportation and the trend has been tremendous. Actually, if estimates are correct approximately 120,000,000 electric bikes are now on the roads today.

Due to the fact that America has a much different infrastructure the many of these countries, because people drive long distances to get to work, electric bikes have not caught on quite as much as other electric vehicles such as electric cars and electric motorcycles. However, with the rise of gas prices in all sorts of environmental concerns, electric bicycles are being viewed by Americans in a much more serious matter than ever before.

Ed Benjamin, who is the founder of the Light Electric Vehicle Association, says, “electric bikes are very energy efficient and the idea that the best way to get around it sit in your automobile. However there are an awful lot of places where that just doesn’t work.”

There are basically two types of electric bikes that are on the road today, pedal assisted and full electric power. The difference between the two is quite simple, with full electric power all you have to do is twist the throttle if you so desire, while pedal assisted electric bicycles are the type wherein you need to pedal it in order for the electric motor to kick in and assist you.

While the thought of purchasing an electric bicycle may be very attractive to some people, there are a few considerations that must be taken. For example, you need to consider how far you’re willing to ride electric bicycle to where you need to go. If you’re living in a major city or metropolitan area elected bikes are a viable way of getting through traffic and around a lot of the problems that traffic causes. However, you are sacrificing facing the elements as well as the protection that an automobile to give you. However, as I stated before, electric bicycles are not a viable method of transportation when you have to drive almost an hour to work as most Americans do. They are usually more practical when you have to go just several mouse to work and because the electric motor is there to assist you, you probably won’t wind up showing up at work all sweaty and out of breath.

Also, another consideration is the price of these vehicles. You can pick up electric bicycle from a vendor such as Walmart, Best Buy, or quite a few online vendors that sell and ship electric bicycles, but in the $400-$1000 range these electric bicycles are not of the highest quality and you will sacrifice some performance and maintenance issues if you purchase one of these. Not only that, but the full power e–bikes are quite a bit more expensive than the pedal assisted and you will have to pay anywhere from 2000 $4000 to get one.

However, with the employment of Americans waning right now as well as gas prices that are beginning to rise every day, electric bicycles may be a future alternative to people who cannot afford to drive long-distance is anymore. However, having said that, it will only be a matter of time before we find out whether or not America will embrace electric bicycles as the transportation of choice.

We’d like to thank NYCE Wheels Electric Bikes for the opportunity of using their photograph.

In my opinion, it is always a cool thing when a celebrity gets involved in the electric bike or scooter industry. In this case, we are talking about electric motorcycles and the celebrity that is getting involved in them is Jackie Chan. Brammo, an electric cycle company based in Ashland, Oregon is planning on selling its electric motorcycles in Hong Kong and Singapore. Brammo has been making state-of-the-art in high-tech electric motorcycles for quite some time. Two of the more popular models are the Brammo Empulse and the Enertia.  Apparently, in the case of the Empulse, it was the winner of the 2010 Electric Motor Cycle of the Year Award.

In order for Brammo to make a major splash in its Asian markets, the company is teaming up with the famous actor, stuntman, martial artist, and quasi – comedian Jackie Chan to help promote these products. However, it is not like the company had To really court, Mr. Chan because he is already a big fan of electric vehicles.  If you live in Asia for any period of time, you will probably notice that most people are already writing plenty of electric scooters and electric bikes and the trend has been moving in the direction toward electrical vehicles more and more every day.  This is because, of course, gas prices are rising but also many of the governments in countries where the infrastructure is much more dense and the population is higher that these places must consider alternative energy vehicles in order to accomplish what they need to have done for their people.

So, Jackie Chan is writing an electric motorcycle and he plans on helping the Oregon-based company promote their vehicles across Asia. Once again, East meets West in a way that is mutually profitable and we hope, will help technology advance in the next several years.

If you want to see the news video about Jackie Chan promoting the great Brammo electric motorcycle, you can click on the picture above, or click on this link: Jackie Chan rides a Brammo!

One of the things that you will probably encounter as you get older is that you want to stay physically active, but you get tired and sore from jogging or riding a bike.  The last time I went jogging my knees got so sore, that I could hardly climb the set of stairs in my home.  So, as we get older, we don’t stop being active, we just need to find other ways and methods to still get that much needed exercise.

Besides swimming, what I like to do is ride an electric bicycle.   Now, if you don’t know much about how electric bicycles can benefit your health, then I will try to fill you in a little bit.

First of all, electric bicycles are different than electric scooters in that you can have the type of electric bike that you will still have to pedal.  On an electric scooter, you will have just a throttle on the handlebars, and all you will need to do is twist the throttle to go.

Electric bikes can also have that option, however most electric bicycles are what you would call “assist” electric bikes.  In other words, there is a sensor built into the electric bike that can tell when the torque is becoming more resistant ( just like when you are going up a hill or riding faster) and when that happens, the electric  motor starts up and “assists” you in your ride.   What does this mean for you?   It means that you will not have a tiring, strenuous ride that may hurt you, or at the very most, put you into the hospital.

Electric bicycles will enable you to still  get some exercise, but at a lower level of impact that will help you to stay in the game.  You will still have some resistance which can be somewhat adjusted to your needs while being able to get outside and get some exercise. You can get these assist electric bicycles almost anywhere on the internet, but you can find my list of recommendations at my electric bikes page by clicking on this link: Electric Bikes.

When you consider the slew of electric bike companies that are in the market today, you really have to appreciate the care and technological research that goes into building a unit.  Not too long ago, mainstream electric bicycle companies were a minority and there we few clear leaders.

One of the leaders in the new arena of e-bikes, was Currie Electric Bikes.   Predominantly, Currie had two distinct strains of bikes, the Izip and Ezip lines that were good, stable products in the market.  Today, Currie Technologies is clearly taking the lead in the production and sale of electric bikes and now, you can actually purchase these bikes directly from the company instead of going through a dealer.

Today, the Currie Electric Bike has evolved along with the company, and the Izip Express is a very good example of this.  This is a human assist e-bike (or an electric assist bike,  whichever way you would like  to look at it) that uses  the EVO Assist,  a high torque Currie electric bike motor.  Just to be clear, the electric motor assists you as you pedal, creating plenty of power as you do.  This feature allows you to bike with minimum effort.   This also includes climbing hills and tackling different types of slopes and headwinds as if it were very easy.    This is possible because the Evo Assist 2.0 is a 750 watt powerhouse that is fed electricity byway of a 36 Volt 8 Amp battery pack.

This powerful system will give you somewhere around 20 plus mile per hour speeds (32+ kilometers per hour) and a range of approximately 31 miles for a person that is under the recommended weight of 240 lbs. ( I wonder when they are going to make an electric bike for people over that weight!)

I think one of the cool things about the Currie Electric Bikes that are on the market today is that they have a device called a Cadence Sensor, which automatically detects human power and adjusts itself according to your needs.  So imagine you are starting to ride out of your driveway and your wife starts to chase you because you didn’t wash the dishes like she told you to.  No problem, just start pumping your legs and the EVO Assist on the bike will take you briskly to the bowling alley, adjusting to the amount of effort you put into the system.  (Not that this has ever happened to me.)  There is even a power boost built into the system to get you out of those real tight situations.

The Izip Express also carries other high quality features such as double wall alloy rims, stainless steel spokes, tires that are double shield puncture – protected, and a host of other high quality features too long to list here.

To find out more about the Izip Express and the entire line of high – quality Currie Electric Bikes, go to this link:

Currie Electric Bikes

Good morning shoppers, we still have about nine days of shopping left before Christmas and you can still get that special electric bicycle for someone that you love.  Don’t worry if you can’t get to a bicycle shop that sells ebikes, though because you now go to Walmart to get one of the more popular, economical models that is on the market today.

Yep, that’s right.  You can now get the E-Zip 2008 Trailz Hybrid Electric Bike for both men and women from Walmart at a very reasonable price.  It was bound to happen sooner or later, that major corporations, like walmart were going to start representing the more popular brands and actually, the Ezip   Currie Technologies, the company that created the Ezip as well as an entire line of electric bicycles, probably couldn’t be happier.  However, Currie didn’t just stop at selling to just the big guys like Walmart, rather than just sell wholesale to large businesses, Currie is now selling their entire line directly to consumers as well.

Now, before everyone gets their panties in a wad and starts sending me comments about how this is just a standard piece of equipment not worthy of being noticed by the elite, ebiker jet-set, let me stop you right there.  Is this the most elite ebike in the world?

Probably not.

Is the E-Zip 2008 Trailz Hybrid Electric Bike the top of the line, state of the art ebike that you can buy on the market today?

Probably not.

However, I can tell you that you are going to spend upwards of about $2000 for a Rolls Royce version of an electric bike much less the fact that you will be buying it from a company that is probably not located in your town, which means you are spending good money without actually seeing too much of what your are purchasing.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a good quality electric bicycle that has all of the standards and features that you will need for average use then the E-Zip 2008 Trailz Hybrid Electric Bike will work for you just fine.  Not only will it easily meet most people’s requirements but it won’t break the bank either.  Currently, the Ezip Trailz is running for a mere $349.00 and you really can’t beat the price.

Some of the more prominent features of the Ezip Trailz:

1. PAS/TAG technology: This means that you can use  the ebike with the motor only or with motor assisted power.  You can pedal while you are using the battery which can increase your range.
2. It has an easy comfort design which will make your ride far more comfortable than many bicycles on the market.
3. Rack-mounted SLA battery for easy swapping.  In other words, you can take the battery off and put a fresh charged up battery in with no fuss.
4. A 7-speed geared system.
5. Rear rack so that you can carry groceries,  dogs and other stuff. ( Just kidding about the dog part.) You can also add a second battery (sold separately) for added range.
6. The E-Zip Trailz utilizes an exclusive 24 vilt Currie Technologies controller.
7. The charger is a UL listed Currie charger with an LED display so you can see when your battery is charged.
8. The frame has a unisex high comnfort design made of high tensile steel.

Really, when you consider all of the features that you would derive from theE-Zip, you have to hand it to Currie Technologies.  I know many electric bike enthusiasts will probably decry my praise of this bike, but when you consider that you are getting 450 watts of power that can  carry you a range of about 15 to 22 miles on a single charge, this really is a great feat of technology considering the price.  The case can easily be made that for many ebikers and especially those of us that are getting their first electric bicycle, you really don’t want to shell out loads of money the first time around.

One other thing I want to mention, is the fact that this bike, despite its cheaper price, is a high quality electric bicycle.  It has a nice design, it is pretty easy to maintain and most of the reviews I have read in many of the forums, have been pretty positive.  Yes, there were some ebike “elitists” that get real freaked out by a standard model, but for most of us that is all we will ever need or can afford.

ELMO

Ok, now just strain your brain for a minute and think back a year or so ago.  The oil industry took every opportunity to complain about any reason that they could muster as to why they could not produce enough oil.  Remember?  If it wasn’t because of war in the Middle East it was because of bad storms or machinery breaking down.  Like Rosanne Rosanna Danna’s father used to say on Saturday Night Live, “It’s always something!” (Boy, now I’m really starting to show my age!)

Well, here we are again electric bike and electric scooter fans, right back in the middle of another oil crisis, however, this time oil is going to escalate because of a SURPLUS of oil.  Yep, you heard right.  We are going to have an escalation of oil prices because oil companies are cutting back on production and scaling down, thus, creating a gap in oil production which will lead to a shortage.

Put on your B.S. filters because it is gonna get deep.

Gene McGillian, an analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Conn said that, “It’s the continuing battle between (weak oil supply/demand) fundamentals and economic optimism and there’s a lot of uncertainty over which is going to be the strongest performer”

Oh, and if that brand of Ka-Ka asn’t enough for you, then you will have to factor our old spanish buddy, El Nino. That’s right, weather reports are saying we are going to have a warm winter and that because Americans are not going to be heating their houses enough this winter, then we will have excessive amounts of oil resulting enough of a cutback to cause shortages.

My way of thinking, is that the sun has an enormous amount of energy that can power solar cells which can be then transfered into electricity which will power our cars, ebikes and electric scooters.  We will always have an amazing surplus of that energy.  Don’t believe me?  Well, here is a Youtube clip of an old retired guy that powers his car that way everyday and he did it on his own!

Here is the Volts Wagon, Check it out!

Since I started this Blog several years ago I have noticed that electric bikes as well as electric scooters have gotten more advanced and more beautiful in their designs.  I recently read an article wherein and electric had a system that could carry a person almost 75 miles on a single charge. (The company that I am speaking of is the Giant Bike company.)  Although I have not had time to examine or verify this claim, I must say that it would not surprise me.  There seems to be no limit to the new advances and design work on electric bikes over the last several years.

One of the newer bikes that i would like to highlight today in my Blog is a light electric bike that is made in Germany and is considered to be a LEV or light electric vehicle and released on the market in Europe this year.  The name of this company is the ELMOTO company.

Apparently the ELMOTO H2  made a big splash at the European International Bike Trade Show (IFMA) last year in Cologne, Germany where it’s design, features and abilities were on display for all of the lucky individuals in attendance.

Built on an aluminum frame, the ELMOTO H2 can use 33 pounds of torque while being powered by a brushless motor (1.7kW).  This means that the ELMOTO H2 can get you speeds of up to about 33 miles per hour and utilizing a state of the art lithium battery pack system you can get a range of about 35 to 40 miles depending on the terrain.  The recharge on this units batteries can usually take up to 2 hours.

The bike has a beautiful look to it while supplying the rider with tough durability.  The tires are Schwalbe “Crazy Bob Tires” which means that ELMOTO is using a state of the art “flatless” tire system.  These types of high end items and accessories are what drives the price but giving the company the ability to justify it with the quality that the features carry.  With a Marzocchi front suspension system as well the ebike’s price taps in at about $5000.00 which, quite honestly will put off most any ebike hobbyist, but if you are an enthusiast withj deep pockets and a need for incredible performance, the ELMOTO H2 is the electric bicycle for you.

The ELMOTO H2 should be making its debut in the North American market in 2010.