From http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=523656&publicationSubCategoryId=78

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MANILA, Philippines – Ever since the issue of global warming began heating up thanks to the 2006 documentary“An Inconvenient Truth,” the bicycle is being championed as one solution to climate change.

But even with the threat of extreme weather – plus rising fuel prices – people are still hesitant to use foot power. Well, you don’t want to be sweaty and smelly when you get to the office, and you don’t want to be exhausted when you start your day.

Environment advocate Ramon Castillo’s simple solution? Just give the bike a new spin. Install an electric motor.

Castillo’s Antipolo-based company, Innovatronix, is the first Filipino firm to mass produce an electric bicycle, the Exceed. Only the electric motor comes from abroad; the rest is all-Filipino.

“The e-bike, I believe, is one of the most cost effective means of motorized transportation as far as environmental foot print is concerned,” says Castillo, an electrical engineering graduate from UP Diliman. “The environment is one area where, I think, I can contribute my share. Therefore, I decided to help.” With nations now combating global warming and climate change, the environment promises to be a greener pasture.

Electric bicycles are nothing new. Even the Exceed is not the first model produced by Innovatronix. Castillo first designed an electric bike in 2004, but it sold poorly mainly because it wasn’t aesthetic enough. It was a bike with an electric motor slapped onto the rear. Only the diehard environmentalists could love it.

Innovatronix engineer Marvin Tapia says the old design also gave this imaginary fear of having your finger or foot being accidentally snagged and severed by the chain connecting the motor to the rear wheel. “So we took customers’ feedback and suggestions and designed a new bike.”

With new specifications in mind, Tapia drafted a new design on the computer. It was trial and error for six months as he sourced and tested parts. By September this year, the Exceed was ready for the road.

“We had to find the balance between what the customer wants, the availability of parts, the manufacturing cost and the selling price,” says Tapia. The result is a bike that appeals to a wider market, including women and teens. Innovatronix sells 12 units a month, compared to four with the old e-bike model.

Tapia, who takes the Exceed to and from work, says motorists often ask about it. “Instead of just passing by, they drive beside me and ask where it comes from, how much and all that,” Tapia beams with pride. “People become more impressed when I tell them that it’s Filipino-made. Kids want to joyride in it.”

And unlike the old e-bike model, the Exceed is five kilometers faster at 30 kph – and foldable. You can load it in the car trunk and go out for a spin on a picnic. You can also bring it inside the house or office and not worry about it getting stolen.

With a maximum range of 28 kilometers on a single charge – that is, on a level road surface – Castillo envisions the Exceed as an alternative for short distance travel, such as in small provincial towns where the ear-splitting, bone-rattling, smoke belching tricycle is king.

Just crunch these numbers: charging the Exceed takes about three to five hours. A tricycle ride is at least P10 – or P40 if you pay for all four seats per one-way trip. Meralco, on the other hand, charges an average P9 per kilowatt hour – and Exceed’s battery is good 28 kilometers. If your battery runs out, you can always revert to foot power.

As technology improves, Castillo predicts lighter, faster and longer-ranging e-bikes. “In probably five years’ time, we will see e-bikes that can easily travel 50 kilometers per day at almost no fuel cost.”

He also sees a longer road with the Exceed. “It is also a good stepping stone for us to learn more about technologies needed to manufacture other electric vehicles.”

Innovatronix is currently designing the “e-cart”, a small four-wheel vehicle. Castillo’s target market is businesses with warehouses that need to move items from one end to the other. “Warehouses would greatly benefit from zero emission technology because they are enclosed.”

Castillo adds that the death and destruction wrought by Ondoy showed the urgency of climate change. Towns and cities need to have more bike lanes and bicycle parking lots to make bike use more appealing.

However, changing people’s mindsets is the biggest challenge. In an effort to change one-track minds, the Light Rail Transit Authority just days ago designated “green zones” on its trains. Bikers are allowed to bring their wheels onboard, but only foldable bikes are allowed to prevent them from taking too much space.

Once people see how cost effective the e-bike is in terms of transportation cost, Castillo says we will see many practical applications. For starters, they are ideal for going around villages and for businesses serving short routes.

“Eventually, alternative charging stations will even make the e-bike more eco friendly,” Castillo says. E-bikes may be charged using solar and wind power, eliminating the need for power plants running on fossil fuel someday.

For the electric bicycle, the future only looks bright and green.

Neat! – http://inventorspot.com/articles/yike_bike_electric_bicycle_33788

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Combine the modern-day unicycle with the vintage Penny Farthing bicycle and you get the Yike Bike–a fitting name given that it doesn’t look any more stable than either of the aforementioned contraptions. Unlike its two inspirations, this mini-Farthing isn’t powered by calve muscles, but electricity. To increase awkwardness a little more, the handlebars are located on the sides of the rider–because how many cyclists have wished that they could hold on the way that you death-grip a car door handle when crazy Uncle Rodney is behind the wheel.
Despite its odd rider configuration, the Yike Bike actually features a lot of notable tech. The carbon composite frame keeps weight down to a scant 21 lbs., and the bike folds up to a size of 43 liters to help commuters transport it from place to place. Other features include electric, anti-skid brakes; leather, super comfort seat; and LED safety lights.
The unfortunate price tag of 3,500 Euros (app. $5,235) really brings this product screaming to a halt. For that kind of money, you could certainly afford a more functional, albeit slightly less environmentally-chummy means of transportation (scooter, motorcycle, used car). The 10 kilometers per charge that the Yike Bike travels also limits it to the lightest commuters. And we won’t even mention how damn stupid one would look riding one on a crowded sidewalk–pink button-up or not.

From CNN – http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/15/electric.bicycles/index.html

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Keith Felch is admittedly a big guy, but more than a few super-fit cyclists in Southern California have been left wondering how that dude just went flying by.

Keith Felch calls his electric bike a “hill eraser” because he can ride it to work without breaking a sweat.

And then his wife, Mary, comes motoring past.

“They stare, like how can a girl go past me,” she says, laughing. It takes the other riders a few seconds but then they figure it out.

They have electric motors.

The Felches, who live in Aliso Viejo, California, used to drive everywhere, except when they used their bikes for recreation.

That changed when they got their new e-bikes, made by a company called Optibike. Now, they ride to go shopping and to go to breakfast — but mostly they ride to work.

Keith Felch says the couple has cut 50 percent of their car-use since they started electric biking.

And there are other benefits. Keith Felch dropped 30 pounds and his blood pressure fell 10 points in the first six months he owned the bike, he says.

The Felches don’t exactly classify themselves as “environmentalists,” although Mary said it is important to have a positive effect on the planet.

“I learned that the worst amount of smog that you put out [in an automobile] is in the first mile, so if we can make even some of those shorter trips on our bicycles, it makes a big difference,” she says.

Who wants one?

Brent Meyers, director of sales for Ultra Motor US, says electric bikes attract different types of buyers.

Many are looking to make a green imprint.

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Some are “active adults” who have ridden bicycles for years who — as they get older — are unable to do the same kind of riding they did when they were young.

Other buyers want to ride their bikes to work quickly — and avoid a sweaty entrance into the office.

Oddly — or perhaps not — Ultra Motor US sees its strongest sales when the price of oil skyrockets, says Meyers.

Two wheels, a motor and 100 million riders

Electric bikes are still somewhat of a novelty in the United States, but in China they’re everywhere.

In fact, Chinese electric bikes number more than 100 million — which is about four times the number of Chinese private cars, according to Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports. The bikes are popular in Europe as well.

Sales figures for the United States are hard to pinpoint.

In the United States, about 200,000 electric bicycles were sold last year, said Ed Benjamin of the Light Electric Vehicle Association — about twice the number sold in 2005.

But the industry has hit a bump in the road from the recession, as sales were down about 10 percent in 2009, he said.

E-bikes are mostly made by specialty companies, but the growing sales trend has been noticed by the big boys.

Trek, a worldwide leader in bike sales, has been making electric bikes for three years, but only introduced them in the United States in the past year.

Other well-known companies like Schwinn and Giant are increasing their presence in the e-bike field.

At Interbike, the biggest bicycle industry convention in the United States, there were more than 20 companies displaying e-bikes this year. Meyers said only a few years ago, it was about five.

Prices range from a few hundred dollars — the E-Zip Trailz Hybrid costs $398 at Wal-Mart — to more than $13,000 for OptiBike’s top-end model.

Prices increase as battery technology and components get better.

Steve Roseman of The Electric Bike Network in San Francisco, California, said most buyers he sees don’t balk at the price, which can be as much as a good road or mountain bike. They are mostly concerned with how far they can go on a battery charge and how fast.

What’s an ‘e-bike’?

By law, electric bikes must have no more than 1 horsepower and go no faster than 20 mph (on motor power alone).

Basically they are much like traditional bicycles with small motors that power the bike or assist a rider with pedaling. Many have gears like a regular bike.

“It’s just adding the throttle aspect, other than that it handles like a regular bicycle,” Keith Felch said. He says he uses the throttle all the time, choosing one of two modes — eco [half power] or fast [full power].

He says he once tried a regular bike for his 4 ½-mile ride to one of his music studios where he teaches jazz improvisation.

But the hills nearly got him.

He calls his electric bike a “hill eraser.”

It also makes the ride to his farthest studio — 22 miles away — seem much closer. He says he gets about 35 miles on his primary battery and has an additional one for long rides.

Shifting views

But as they tout the virtues of electric bikes, advocates also realize that there will have to be a shift in the way Americans view them before they become as popular as they are in Europe or China.

“There are two possible sides to the equation,” Roseman said. “One would be a change in the way people view transportation. There are still a lot of SUVs out there. … People still have a hard time thinking about riding a bicycle unless they are 10 years old, it seems. So there needs to be a little shift in mentality.”

“But having said that, I think there is a growing awareness about health and transportation and environmental issues so it could be that we are just reaching a juncture where things will change [for e-bikes].”

Meyers says people also have a preconceived notion about electric bikes.

Some view them as expensive or poor quality or uncomfortable. And Meyers admits, e-bikes are not for everybody.

As Roseman says, people who live in Spandex will probably always prefer a really good road bike and hard-core city cyclists may well stick to their fixed-gear bikes.

Meyers says Ultra, which sells its bike for $2,700, isn’t for those kinds of people.

“That’s not our customer,” he says. “Our customer is someone who wants some form of electric transportation, green transportation, that can get them from Point A to Point B comfortably.”

The Felches say taking a test drive will change a skeptic’s attitude.

“If you ride one, it will blow your mind,” Keith Felch says. “When you get on one it’s like being in a flying dream you’ve had. It’s like everything you’ve dreamed your bicycle should do in your wildest dreams — it’s doing it.”

Green city trying to use electric bikes! – http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13570420?source=most_emailed

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Cupertino city employees soon could be pedaling to meetings and other events if the city decides to expand a trial program using electric bicycles as alternative transportation.
The city recently purchased an EZip electrical bicycle for $750 from Los Gatos-based Mader Technologies, and city leaders said they hope the bike, which is a hybrid of a standard mountain bike and a low-speed electric motorcycle, will be an eco-friendly alternative that will save the city fuel money in the long run.
If city staff finds the bike practical, the city could purchase as many as four more bikes, said Erin Cooke, environmental affairs coordinator. The city also has applied for transportation funding grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Bikes typically cost between $500 and $3,000.
The city will start testing the new bike after it completes legal, safety and staff training requirements.
Cooke said the city recently completed a greenhouse gas emission inventory and found that approximately 16 percent to 18 percent of emissions come from the city’s vehicle fleet.
Rick Kitson, city and environmental affairs spokesperson, says the bicycle is ideal for a small city like Cupertino, which is 11 square miles.
Employees could use the bicycles to get to meetings across town, he said.
“A lot of our local trips are no more than three to five miles,” Cooke added.
The bike has a 450-watt motor and can reach speeds up
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to 15 miles per hour, and comes with a battery pack and control system on the handlebars, which powers the back wheel. The battery pack takes about six hours to fully charge, according to local bike dealer Thomas Mader.
The battery power for the bike lasts for about 10 to 15 miles before it needs a charge if there is a mix of human and electric power. The battery lasts about seven to 10 miles if there is no pedaling, according to Mader.
“We really like this over a more traditional electric vehicle because once those run out of power, there really is no other option for getting back,” Cooke said.

Korea is very bike friendly — http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/5377/go-bicycle-green-rfidusn-korea-2009

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Many companies have participated in the RFID/USN Korea 2009 to show their innovative technology related to RFID. Energy savings and a clean environment are two key issues that most industries are focusing on. One of the solutions is to use more bicycles instead of gasoline-powered cars.

Currently, the government is building more bicycle roads to encourage people to use bicycles and new policies will also improve the conditions. The RFID/USN Korea 2009 introduced a few public bicycle rental systems.

Victek Company’s ubiquitous public bike system offers a bike rental service to the public. The system consists of a kiosk, a bike holding fixture, and a bike with a rental device built in. After registration, a renter can use a credit card, mobile phone, or member id card to rent a bicycle. An electricity generator is installed on the front wheel of the bicycle and charges the built-in monitoring device. The monitor displays various information including distance traveled, traveling time, and amount of calories burned. Currently, 200 bicycles are running in the City of Daejeon, and expansion will follow after next month.

Initus is another company that offers a public bicycle rental system. The biggest problem of the current system is that each bicycle needs a holding fixture, and crowded places such as near subway stations and bus stops do not have enough holding fixtures available. Initus’ patented technology uses a cable to hold the bicycle, which does not require holding fixtures for each bicycle. Since the monitoring system is built in to the bicycle, the renters can use a cable to connect to the base station or to other bicycles when they return. It is easy to expand the base station without a high cost of construction and space.

Currently, there are no standards for bicycle rental systems in Korea. When the government sets new policies and standards, the companies will improve the system and make it more convenient for people to use. The future of the environmentally-friendly bicycle industry is bright.

By MEGAN K. SCOTT, Associated Press Writer
UNDATED – Bicycle technology doesn’t stand still.

Bike makers keep tinkering to give us a smoother, more convenient, more stylish ride: bikes long enough to carry another passenger and groceries. Bikes with batteries so you don’t have to break a sweat. Aerodynamic bikes with little wind resistance.

“In the bike world, there have always been a bunch of trends going on at once,” said Loren Mooney, editor-in-chief of Bicycling magazine. “It’s because a bike is such a multipurpose tool. It’s a toy. It’s a piece of exercise equipment. It’s a mode of transportation. And so really it’s very common to have many trends at once.”

Some bike trends on the horizon:

STYLISH UTILITY BIKE: The biggest trend is casual city riding, said Mooney, “where the person doesn’t look like a spandex-clad cyclist, but rather like a normal person. And his or her bike looks like a cool, often retro object of design and casual fun — maybe it even has a basket.”

Take the Globe Live, a lightweight utility bike that has “a lot of sophisticated technology” in a retro package, she said. Hence the $1,550 price tag. It has multiple speeds, a belt drive instead of a chain drive (which means no grease on your legs), and disc brakes. The retro features are the thin tubes, old European-style handlebars and the basket on the front.

“It’s definitely for someone who lives in an area where they take a lot of short trips; they want to haul some stuff, but someone who has excess cash,” said Mooney. “This is a style statement.”

FITNESS BIKES: An evolution from the hybrid bike — a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike, which was “too cumbersome for true fitness riding,” said Mooney. (Fitness bikes are sometimes referred to as flat-bar road bikes.)

Mooney said hybrids were too slow and too upright for riding on roads and recreational paths, and were not rugged enough for riding on dirt trails.

“It’s much faster than a mountain bike, so you still get a little bit of a speed thrill, but it’s not like driving a Ferrari,” she said.

A fitness bike is for someone who is getting into cycling to lose weight or get in shape but doesn’t want to be Lance Armstrong, she said. Maybe someone who wants to take her spinning class outside.

Popular models include the Jamis Allegro Series and the Specialized Sirrus.

PEDAL-ASSIST ELECTRIC BIKES: A bike with a boost. Pedal-assist bikes combine battery power with pedaling so you can ride farther and faster without getting as tired.

It’s an ideal bike for someone who rides for transportation, as opposed to fitness, and when the distance is far, the terrain difficult or the rider short on endurance.

Giant’s Twist Freedom DX, which costs about $2,000, has a maximum speed of 18 mph. It can travel up to 75 miles per charge and takes four hours to charge. You plug it into a regular wall outlet.

The harder you pedal the more the motor kicks in, as if sensing you are in a rush, said Andrew Juskaitis of manufacturer Giant Bicycle, Inc., in Newbury Park, Calif.

ECO DESIGN BIKES: Bike manufacturers are coming out with eco-friendly bikes. For example, Trek’s Belleville and Atwood models have grips on the handlebars, a saddle and a steel frame that all can be recycled. The bikes also come with front and rear lights that are generated by pedaling, not batteries, said Trek spokesman Sam Foos.

“It’s a more upright style with a wider saddle, so it’s more comfortable, to encourage people to use their bike more often,” he said.

FOLDING BIKES: These have been around for years but the technology is getting better. Traditional folding bikes, which have small wheels, were better for folding than riding, said David Montague, owner of Montague Bicycles in Cambridge, Mass. The company introduced SwissBike TX earlier this year, a full-size bike that folds in half.

“It really rides very nicely and you can throw it on a bus, or in the trunk of a cab,” said Montague. “When you get to your office, it fits underneath your desk. … The whole folding system takes about 10 seconds.”

XTRACYCLE: a kit that makes a bike 15 inches longer so you can carry a passenger, groceries, books. Some people use it to carry camping gear, said Nate Byerley, president of Xtracycle, in Oakland, Calif. He said he knows a home inspector who uses his Xtracycle to carry equipment including a 10-foot ladder.

“Competitive cycling has been traditionally dominated by men,” he said. “And what we’re finding is when you start offering a product that’s about day-to-day living and carrying groceries, you’re offering a product that speaks to moms and dads.”

Xtracycle also has complete bike models.

From http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/63611037.html – sneak peek at the future of bikes.

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AERODYMANIC ROAD BIKES (High-End): Bikes are already very light, but they can be made faster with aerodynamics, said Mooney. On these road bikes, the down tube and seat tube are shaped to reduce drag. Examples include Ridley Noah, which the company claims is the fastest bike on the planet, Cervelo S3 and Felt A2.

The speed comes at a price. A complete Ridley Noah starts at around $5,000. (The frame is $3,450.)

“This is for someone who has a lot of money to spend, someone who is very serious about cycling who maybe wants to race, and is looking for every advantage,” said Mooney.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.