Joining Daimler's smart car, BMW, Audi, and Land Rover, Ford Motor has joined the E-Bike world with a two-wheeled concept vehicle the automaker debuted at the current Frankfort Auto Show. Recognizing the growing electric bicycle market (30 million sold worldwide last year), Ford is on board the "bike wagon" along with making electric 4-wheeled vehicles.
Ford's E-Bike idea is the latest news. The trapezoidal frame is targeted for both men and women and the lightweight lithium-ion battery of aluminum and carbon fiber weighs just 5.5 lbs and is concealed within the frame. With a range of 53 miles per charge, the design will offer effortless Economy, Comfort and Sport rides with data displayed at your fingertips noting speed (up to 15 mph), distance covered, etc.
Ford's E-Bike doesn't go into production any time soon, but shows what the US automaker is thinking about the future of transportation. I'd heard Bill Ford at TED Talks earlier this year discussing the solutions in the works for "smart cars" that talk with each other as a way to address global gridlock and then saw it in action at the company's Forward with Ford conference, which explored what's ahead from Fusion and Focus, as well as lightweight plastics, natural fibers and recycled materials already used in the interiors.
This E-Bike design also integrates "magneorestrictive" sensors, borrowed from Formula One cars, that activate and deactivate the motor within a fraction of a second, which Ford claims is the first time this technology will be implemented with a bike.
Source: AFP's RelaxNews via The Independent UK
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