Electric Bike News: Tilting E-Cargo Trike, UPS E-Trike, Velosurance, Shimano & Yamaha Mid Drives, & More! [VIDEOS]
Dec 13, 2013
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Butchers & Bicycles is a wild name for a bike/trike company but here is the reasoning behind it: “designed, developed and hand built with love and pride in Copenhagen’s meatpacking district”. This tilting electric cargo trike looks like it will make errand running or a delivery business a lot of fun; checkout the video!
Speaking of delivery businesses, UPS is using a pedal/electric trike in Germany to deliver packages in congested city areas; how cool is that! FedEx is using a pedal/electric trike for deliveries in Paris.
I like this headline: “Cargo bikes are the new minivan for cycling families“. And electric cargo bikes really make a great car/minivan alternative!
Shimano has launched their new STEPS mid drive electric bike kit and they recently released pictures of it! This system will only be available on complete bikes; no retro fit kits.
Yamaha showed off their new mid drive electric bike system at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Because e-trikes have been a new trend in the e-bike world, I recently did a full review of the TerraTrike Rambler with E-BikeKit electric bike system.
Velosurance is providing insurance for electric bikes. “Each policy is customized by the client and can include coverage protection on the e-bike for damage caused by theft, crash, collision, fire, attempted theft, vandalism or hitting another object. In addition, coverage of spare parts, cycle apparel, and rental reimbursement are included at no additional cost.”
If you are looking for a compact yet tough lock then you should check out the ABUS folding locks. Here is my review of the ABUS Granit Bordo X Plus and the ABUS Bordo Big.
Public Bikes is getting into e-bikes and they put together this inspiring video about peoples experience on a Public e-bike.
The EcoReco M3 electric kick scooter recently arrived for review and testing. These scooters share some similar attributes to e-bikes and they can be a good solution for the first/last mile of your commuter. Checkout the first part of the review with a bunch of detailed pictures and the specs of this e-scooter.
The Copenhagen Wheel, the one that started the all-in-one electric bike kit craze, is now officially available for pre-order.
Okay, now for something fun, how about keg delivery by e-cargo bike? Enjoy the vid from Peoples Cargo:
How about an electric trike inspired by a shopping cart? Checkout the LECOMOTION:
This is the LUPA1 prototype electric bike. 50 mph (80 km/h) and 62 miles (100 km) of stated range. € 9.750,00 Here is more info.
That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more e-bike news and reviews!
-Pete
P.S. Don’t forget to join the Electric Bike Report community for updates from the electric bike world, plus ebike riding and maintenance tips!
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Thank you for the news about fantastic technology. I want a cargo bike even though I may not have any use for one:-)
But I am mystified by the lack of belt drives on these great new bikes. Why is this? Harley Davidson has huge motorcycles with belt drives so why can’t we get belt drive on most of our bicycles?
Is it the fault of Gates for not keeping up with electric power? Is it the fault of Shimano for not building rugged enough hub transmissions? Is it the lack of competition to Gates and Shimano?
Hello Lynn. Glad you are so interested in Gates Carbon Drive. Here’s the lowdown on belt drive and eBikes: this is the largest growth segment for Gates Carbon Drive, with Smart, Grace, OHM Cycles and more brands specing the Gates drive. Here is a report from Eurobike that shows some of the innovative brands we showed off in our booth: https://blog.carbondrivesystems.com/?p=5417
Unfortunately for people who live in the US, most of the eBike action is taking place in Europe, and that’s where you will find many more brands using Gates Carbon Drive. That is also true of pedal bikes, where Europeans have been much faster to adopt Gates Carbon Drive. Regarding Gates’ interest in the eBike market, it is priority number one. Belt drives just make sense on eBikes. This is why Gates joined LEVA, the Light Electric Vehicle Association this year. See that news here: https://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11219497.htm
In addition, Gates has devoted countless hours to integrate with all the leading motor systems—Bosch, BionX, Hoganas, MPF, SRAM, GoSwiss Drive, etc. We are currently working with Shimano to ensure belt drive integration with their new system. You can see more Gates Carbon Drive/eBike news here: https://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/8/prweb11043826.htm
For now, North American consumers interested in belt drive eBikes can get the OHM Cycles XU450, as well as the belt drive cargo eBikes from NTS Works. Smart has launched its belted eBike in Europe, and may launch in North America this year. Thanks for your interest!
I had a Grace MX with NuVinci & Gates belt drive. The bike was off road for two months while they were arguing between themselves who’s fault it was as to the failure. Grace sent a new wheel that failed during testing so I asked or a refund as the bike was not fit for purpose. The belt did not fail, I believe it was the rear pulley thing but it was enough to put me off. Bikes have to be reliable otherwise one darn’t go out on one. Shame ’cause it was a nice bike.