There's those who want electric bikes that'll hurtle you down the road at 40mph at the twist of the throttle, and there's those who believe pedaling to be enjoyable enough, but would like a less strenuous bicycling experience. If you find yourself a member of column B, listen up, because Gates, NuVinci, and Bosch have created an e-bike concept that'll satisfy your two-wheeled transportation needs. Gates supplied its Carbon electric belt drive, NuVinci brought its N360 infinitely variable planetary hub, and Bosch threw in a battery and control system to make a bicycle beauty. The power train is set up to give riders pedal-assist with four settings that go from Lance to lazy, depending on your mood. At an estimated cost of €2,600 - €3,200 ($3,680 - $4,530), you'll need a bank account comparable to the seven-time champion of Le Tour should an OEM pick up the design.
I saw a bloke in my area (Forest Hill, VIC Australia) riding something very much like this last month. Suspect he worked for Bosch as he wore a Bosch polo shirt. It looked quite powerful, he got some air over a small mound.
ReplyDeleteThought it might cost round $3000 AUD but it would be more like $5000 or more here, that is steep. I will wait a few years the will be churning something like this out of a Chinese factory in the millions.
How many miles would you drive it versus its cost? $4,500 will buy 1125 gallons at today's pump, and a 50 mpg hybrid will turn those into about 56,250 miles of travel.
ReplyDeleteYou choose