Out for a run in the East Village tonight I saw one of these for the first time in the wild - an e-bike hybrid electric bicycle. Two conventional lead-acid batteries power a 400-watt motor on the hub of the rear wheel, activated by a throttle that’s next to the brake handle. Like that green dream machine the Toyota Prius, this is a hybrid. When the going is easy, you pedal;
when the hill is too steep or your personal battery is just flat, the sophisticated onboard bio-computer turns on the motor.
Now your first reaction might be ‘oh no, don’t fat-ass Americans need all the exercise they can get?’ Or perhaps ‘isn’t this the anti-Prius? Adding a (mildly) polluting technology to the most environmentally friendly vehicle we have?’ Well, maybe. But very few people who cycle regularly today are going to switch to this. The e-bike is aimed at the many people who would like to use a bike instead of their car at least for short trips, but just aren’t young, fit, or well enough, if only in their own minds. If this persuades them to do so, then it will be a net positive for both their health and the environment.
The chances of adoption are much better than for the Segway: a fraction of the price, an easy-to-understand concept, no regulatory issues, and no ridicule. The e-bike is to the Segway as the Prius is to experimental cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
One last intriguing fact: the fouder of e-bike is Lee Iacocca. Lee I Am Chairman Of Chrysler Corporation Always. You’re never too old for a startup.
