Urban Transport

Three years ago, Terry Hope was working as an engineer on a Canadian schooner. He wanted to take along an electric scooter, but was told by the captain that he couldn't bring aboard anything that couldn't fit in a suitcase. His response, naturally, was to set about designing an electric scooter that could fit inside a suitcase. Flash forward to 2011, and his home-built solar-electric Kinetic Photovoltaic Vehicle (KPV) is on the road. Read More

Of the various cycling goodies that were on display last week at the 2011 International Taipei Bicycle Show, one that stood out for its ingenuity was the Amxma Simple One folding bike. Made by Taiwan’s Long Antelope Enterprise Company, the Simple One is for the most part just like any other folding bicycle – what makes it special is the fact that when it’s folded up, it can be wheeled into your local grocery store and used as a shopping cart. Read More

Just as there are a variety of types of bicycle locks, so there are a variety of ways in which riders carry them. U-locks can be thrown into a backpack or pannier, clipped into a mounting bracket, or just left to dangle from the handlebars, while cable or chain locks are often jauntily looped around the rider’s torso, like a shoulder bag. The makers of the Hiplok, however, claim that their product has all of those approaches beat – it’s designed to be worn like a belt. Read More

While it might be better known for vehicles of the motorized variety, for over 60 years BMW has also been manufacturing a range of high-end bicycles. The company’s new 2011 range provides something for everyone – or at least everyone with a well stocked wallet – with a Cruise Bike, Touring Bike and a couple of mountain bikes. And for the first time BMW has extended its M Series branding to its two-wheeled vehicles, but despite the M standing for Motorsport it’s not for a motorbike, but rather the new 2011 BMW M Bike Carbon Racer bicycle. Read More

The Yikebike is a miniature, electric penny farthing made of carbon fiber and now it's on sale, it is quickly gathering a cult early-adopter following thanks to its weight of 10.8 kilograms, that it folds so small it can fit in a backpack, and that it will run at 25km/h (15 mph). Until now, it has ticked all the boxes except one - its limited range of just 10 kilometers. Now it has released an extender battery pack so you can add additional 10 kilometer increments to the range of your YikeBike. Each battery costs US$195 and weighs 1.95kg and there's a special backpack to carry multiple batteries so it becomes a very practical solution that offers the Yikebike unsurpassed bang-per-kilogram and versatility as a commuting appliance. Though it's hard to equate the US$3600 price tag with primary transport, the addition of a Yikebike to any automobile storage compartment significantly extends the capabilities of both vehicles. The facility to carry secondary transportation inside cars has been explored many times in recent years by Honda and Ford in particular … and it makes a lot of sense. Read More

When those of us who live in urban areas picture letter carriers – or posties, or mailmen/women – we usually think of them as people who deliver the mail by foot. The fact is, however, letter carriers in much of the world use small motorcycles to make their deliveries. If Australian inventor Simon Williams has his way, many of those motorcycles may soon be replaced by his electric three-wheeler. Not only is the Williams Deliver-E Trike quieter and cleaner than gas-powered bikes, but its two rear swing arms pivot independently, allowing the vehicle to lean into turns and stand upright when parked at the side of a sloping road. Read More

Last January, we said that the Robrady-designed db0 was one of the best folding electric bikes we'd seen. The Swiss entry into the market has turned its back on this traditional bicycle-with-motor design in favor of a folding pedal-electric assist scooter. Users are said to be able to fold or unfold the Voltitude bike in about one second, and with one hand, thanks to its unique EasyFold system. Swiss and EU legislation limits the electric assist to 15.5 mph (25 kph), although some frantic footwork could see it achieve faster speeds if required, and the onboard battery is good for between 12 and 25 miles (20 to 40 km) between charges. Read More

Engineers from the Bristol wing of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) have announced the development of the first bicycle using Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) technology. The manufacturing process involves "growing" the components from a fine nylon powder, similar in concept to 3D printing. Said to be as strong as steel, the end product is claimed to contain only a fraction of the source material used by traditional machining, and the process results in much less waste. It also has the potential to take manufacture to precisely where the component or product is needed, instead of being confined to factories often located a great distance away. Read More

Sometimes you come across a product that makes you sit back and go “FiiK”. In the past we have covered electric skateboards, off road skateboards, even all terrain boards but a combination of fun, tech, design and street cred has always been elusive. Two brothers on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia have managed to meld these elements together with their electric skateboards. The company is called FiiK “Future Is In Knowledge”, a nod to their ongoing design refinement which began over 10 years ago with a small two stroke motor strapped to a skateboard. The product has evolved to a skateboard with a magnetic motor, a digital wireless throttle control system, ABS braking system and a ton of urban chic. Read More