eBikes Soaring in Popularity

October 20, 2008 | By Kevin | Filed in: Electric Vehicles.

eBikeOver this past summer it’s no secret that electric bikes (eBikes) have been soaring in popularity due to the high gas prices. Because of this phenomenon there are a couple of details worth mentioning in regard to electric bikes.

The first notable is the Ultra Motor A2B eBike that was rolled out last month that is an eight gear bicycle with electric assist. The Ultra Motor A2B comes with a 500 watt motor that’s good for about 20 miles of continuous range, which would be handy getting up a long hilly stretch.

The lithium ion battery is encased inside the aluminum frame making the total weight of the eBike around 73-pounds. The Ultra Motor A2B has a mountain bike type hand grip throttle and shifter and sells for around $2,500.

Now, the other news concerning electric bikes is that Toshiba and Schwinn are teaming up to offer a fast-charge eBike that can recharge is about 1/8th the time as other similar vehicles. Toshiba’s Super Charge ion Battery (SCiB) technology has been integrated into Schwinn’s Tailwind eBike.

What’s dandy (if I may say the word “dandy”) about this system is that it takes only 30-minutes for a full recharge. Add to this 2,000 recharge lifecycles and its longer lasting that most other electric bike batteries and it doesn’t have to charge overnight for one to use it.

With consumers becoming ever so more energy conscious now days, eBikes have proven to be a viable alternative for those who wish to keep their cars in the garage as long as possible, get some exercise and have the added security of a little electric boost as needed.


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