Now that the e-bike market is maturing in the U.S., I think we’ll be seeing some sophisticated electric bikes released this year. Here are three intriguing e-bikes that have become available so far: (more…)

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Optimal Ride has been on a bit of a hiatus during the winter, but now it’s spring and our first feature is the GoCycle — an innovative folding electric bike from the U.K. See also this post on the Zero S electric motorcycle.

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Sales of electric bikes have spun into high gear this year — some merchants like Amazon are reporting a 6000% increase this summer from last year. This is good news, because, for short trips, the efficiency and convenience of electric bikes is hard to beat.

Here are some statistics that still amaze me: 40% of all trips are made within two miles of the home, and 50% of workers commute five miles or less to work.

I recently heard about an inexpensive electric bike conversion kit that appears to be of good quality. It’s offered by a family-run company called AmpedBikes.

The founder, Danny L. Ray, was unhappy with the quality of the kits he was getting from China, so he visited China and found a company that were willing to build a kit to his specifications, using the parts he chose. The result is a $360 kit that he sells from his website. By comparison, other conversion kits such as the Crystalyte, the Wilderness and the Bionx cost between $500 and $1800.

The AmpedBikes kits incorporate a brushless 36V 500W electric hub, and can be installed on almost any bike with 26″ wheels. Ray says the kits can be installed in about 20 minutes, and he an installation video on his website to show how it’s done.

You will have to provide your own batteries — here’s a FAQ page with some suggestions for finding them (scroll to the bottom).

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A company called Ultra Motor has released a new electric bike called the A2B. This bike looks great – I like the functional, minimalist style. The A2B is designed for urban or suburban commutes. According to Ultra Motors, the A2B offers unassisted power on demand for up to 20 miles at a cruising speed of 20mph. At that speed it’s still categorized as a bicycle as opposed to a scooter, moped or motorcycle. No special license is required. (more…)

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The Street Enlightened electric bike from IZip is a good example of a “stealth” electric bike –the batteries are concealed inside the bike’s frame (in the down tube), and the DC motor is integrated into the rear wheel. You don’t have to mention this fact to your fellow cyclists! The bike has a three hour charge time and an electric-assisted range of 23 to 30 miles (38 – 48 Km) with normal pedaling. The battery pack contains twenty 1.2V NiHM (Nickle Metal Hydride) cells, delivering 24V total.

The iZip Street available from Walmart.Com (select “Electric Bikes”) and Amazon.

See also our review of other IZIP bikes here.

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Today, electric scooters or electric mopeds are just as powerful as their gasoline-powered counterparts, with the added advantage of being virtually silent, clean machines that can plug into a standard electrical socket to recharge. Typically, a charge will give you enough juice to travel 20-60 miles, depending on the scooter and battery system. Most scooter comes with lead-acid or nickle-metal hybrid (NiMH) batteries, but they can usually be upgraded to the more expensive lithium-ion batteries, which are lighter and last longer. A scooter’s top speed is usually limited or “governed” to 25-28 mph in the U.S. in order to be classified as a “moped”. (more…)

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The Zapino scooter, made by ZAP, in a company better known for their electric cars, has been getting rave reviews. Many Zapino owners report that this scooter performs really well and is quite reliable (see here and here). It’s also relatively inexpensive, being sold for just under $3000. It has a powerful 3000-watt brushless DC hub motor, which, according to ZAP, makes it the most powerful scooter in its class. This motor is so powerful it can win drag races against gas scooters, with speed and acceleration that leaves the polluters in their own dust. It has a maximum speed of 30 mph, and can it’s range is “up to 30 miles per charge”. It will soon be possible to extend the range of the Zapino to 65 miles per charge, with an optional 60V 40AH lithium-ion battery. (more…)

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The Vectrix is a 100% electric scooter that is available for sale in the U.S. This bike goes 62 mph, has a claimed range of 68 miles, and it accelerates faster than most cars at the stoplight. The Vectrix is powered by a low-mounted, 3.7 kilowatt NiMH battery pack that re-charges to 80 or 90 percent of capacity in two hours. Three hours is usually enough for a full charge, four if you start from flat empty. (more…)

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I’ve been doing a lot of work in the MetaEfficient lab. I thought I would post an update on my experiments and research:

(more…)

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