Volkswagen 'E-Bike'
May 03, 2010
Announced at the recent Auto China 2010 show, and as seen this week on tech blogs like Gizmodo, car maker Volkswagen has debuted a bike. But this is no ordinary two-wheeler. The battery-powered bike is made to fit in the trunk of a car near where a spare tire would go. It can roll for about 12 miles on a single charge. The kicker? Look close, this bike has no pedals.
According to Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, VW’s research and development chief, the company’s “focus on mobility” extends beyond cars. This prototype bike, which is not yet available to buy, has a range of 12.5 miles and a top speed of 12.5 mph. It folds into a disc shape to fit in a car’s spare tire compartment.
Its name is “The Bik.e,” and, yes, that extra period after the “k” is on purpose. Says a Gizmodo blogger on the naming: It was “presumably named by a VW marketing intern who made the best typo of his life.”
—Stephen Regenold
“It has a range of 12.5 miles and a top speed of 12.5 mph.” The problem with electrics has been that driving at top speed reduces your range, often less than half the maximum. So maybe, I could go 2 or 3 miles at top speed before I had to turn back. I would rather bike.
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No pedals?
Good for those who enjoy the great outdoors but who don’t want to put in quite so much effort!