eBike news and items of interest

[wheelbender6]

i liked the Ruckus styled model too. Most of their scoots look more conventional.
-Upon further reading on the ZEV site, I found that some of their lower cost models (like the S-6000 L) use a Silicate lead battery rather than the old lead sulfuric acid battery. The silicate version is said to have 11% more capacity than the sulfuric acid SLA. The Silicate version is also less prone to damage during recharge.

 

[biknut]

This ZEV bicycle is more interesting to me. 48v 34 mph $3990

 

[wheelbender6]

I'd like to have the ZEV e-bike frame and source the rest elsewhere. I get tired of carrying my batteries in an ammo can in the frame.
I saw a similar frame for sale on my local CList. It had room to carry the batteries in the down tube, Unfortunately is was all tensile steel. May have been a bare Iacocca e-bike frame.

 

[wheelbender6]

This article claims that e-bikes are responsible for the slow sales of e-scooters.
I tend to think e-scooters are responsible for the slow sales of e-scooters.
Form your own opinion.
http://motorscooterguide.net/Articles/electric/the-future-could-be-electric.html

 

[biknut]

This article claims that e-bikes are responsible for the slow sales of e-scooters.
I tend to think e-scooters are responsible for the slow sales of e-scooters.
Form your own opinion.
http://motorscooterguide.net/Articles/electric/the-future-could-be-electric.html

That's an interesting article. Obviously this guy is a scooter man so his attitude about eBikes is understandable. Actually I have pretty much the same complaints. Almost all factory eBikes are slow crappy crap.

 

[Pablo]

Frankly I’m upset with eBikes because they give scooters a bad image. Scooters already struggle for acceptance because of the stigma they’re for wussies, and then scooter styled eBikes come along and combine the styling of the least inspired Chinese scooters with a 16 mph top speed. They hold up traffic and flaunt the rules by ducking onto sidewalks to catch back up. The result is that motorists confuse the two and frustrations from coexisting with eBikes spill over towards scooterists. Admittedly, I’m also jealous of this rule flaunting and regulatory vacuum but that’s another article.

So when your competition is eating your lunch, you just start making up lies?

Pretty much.

Frankly this guy and his ilk must have gotten to Congress sometime back with the ridiculous wattage rules (which cause his main gripe), yet even on a completely biased (in his favor) playing field he is still whining? Wow.

 

[biknut]

Check out this new Russian military eBike.





http://www.autoevolution.com/news/r...20-km-range-from-modest-batteries-89847.html#

 

[Semaj]

I can dig it
But where is the rack for the Throwing Hatchets?

 

[wheelbender6]

I dig the modern, efficient e-bikes but this really caught my eye. The big leaf spring and the huge industrial electric motor just look great with the other steam punk bits. More pics and info (if you read Russian) at the link.
http://mobbit.info/item/2013/8/26/stimpank-tricikl-na-elektrotyage-18-foto

 

[biknut]

I dig the modern, efficient e-bikes but this really caught my eye. The big leaf spring and the huge industrial electric motor just look great with the other steam punk bits. More pics and info (if you read Russian) at the link.
http://mobbit.info/item/2013/8/26/stimpank-tricikl-na-elektrotyage-18-foto

Wow, that bike is very cool. The Russian's seem to have a lot going on with electric bikes.

 

[Semaj]

Time to put Google Translate to work

 

[wheelbender6]

moto-klasika had this translated for me on the Russian e-trike:
"Domestic enthusiast Igor Yarovenko from Bishkek created a unique vehicle: electric tricycle Steampunk. The author says that two years collecting his creation bit by bit. So, here is the hood oak barrel, the motor is covered with champagne buckets, seat-back has become a folder of anacondas. "The front wheels uralovskie (from Ural motorcycle?), with fastening on the wheelchair, the rear - from Chinese agricultural, with an asterisk on the Ant" - says Igor. In the role of the axes are the mounting cranes, as glass components - bowl and medical banks. Copper plates made decorative flask of whiskey, of the sleeves 12 gauge - glasses. Particularly noteworthy handbrake - it forged hand, nails that heartbreaking gnash on asphalt during braking. There is even a music box! Average speed steampunk tricycle - 20 km / h in the range on one charge - 30 km. Not the coolest figures, but the point is not in the numbers ..."

 

[biknut]

Life in Russia seems to be quire a bit different than our Western commie news propaganda would have us believe. If they're so backward, why are they so far ahead of us in the electric bicycle department?

 

[wheelbender6]

I'm not sure Russia is ahead of us in electric bicycles but Igor and many of his neighbors are certainly very skilled and resourceful. Oil and Gas still pace the Russian economy, according to the lame stream media.

 

[biknut]

ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION

This is big news. Polaris has bought out Brammo electric motorcycles. Polaris already owns Victory, and Indian motorcycles, and now the number one maker of electric motorcycles. Polaris says they're going to come out with a new electric motorcycle later in 2015. I think it's noteworthy that both Victory, and Indian are big competitors of Harley Davidson, so it's almost a sure bet Harley will double down on their own version of an electric motorcycle.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/17/polaris-acquires-brammo-e-motorcycles/

 

[wheelbender6]

When Harley introduced the Live Wire, I was very curious as to how Polaris/Victory/Indian would respond. I would say that buying an entire electric motorcycle manufacturing company is a strong response.
The Brammo Empulse is a cool looking bike already, so I really look forward to seeing what Polaris designers come up with.

 

[biknut]

Yeah, I agree wheelbender, a very strong response. Almost seems like something is afoot. Bultaco, Polaris, Harley. I think we're fixing to see something along the lines of a battery breakthrough. Just guessing.

 

[wheelbender6]

Yes. Who would have thought that a very traditional company like Bultaco would invest in electric propulsion and actually put an e-bike into production?
-Boutique companies like Caterham are expected to tinker with the latest propulsion technology and introduce it sooner.
-My gut feeling is that Harley and Polaris are aware that much tighter environmental regulations are coming, and they don't want to be caught flat footed.
-The legitimacy of electric powered motorcycles has certainly been strengthened in the past 12 months, regardless of the actual motives of Harley and Polaris.

 

[wheelbender6]

E-bikers with LiPo batteries often charge them outside, away from the house in a charging shed in case they ignite. One company now believes they have a new design that won't ignite. More info at the link.
http://www.gizmag.com/kevlar-lithium-ion-batteries/35822/

 

[Semaj]

Now that is interesting, I wonder what it's going to do to the price. Less fires Is definitely a good thing.