An e-bike that raised quite a stir at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014 in Las Vegas last month has just launched on crowdfunding website Indiegogo and aims to raise US$150,000 in 40 days.
The e-bike, created by Grant Delgatty, looks more like a child’s tricycle than bicycle. Named the Urb-E, the bike aims to bring the convenience of an electric bike to a much more portable market that could allow the user to bring it on buses and trains.
The Urb-E is made from machined recyclable aircraft-grade aluminium and weighs about 13kg.
In terms of battery power, it features a lithium ion 36V 10Ah with a pretty reasonable 32km range, with a charging time of about three hours.
To get the bike moving, it uses a simple grip twist throttle and can reach a top speed of 24km/h but don’t expect to be riding your new hog for too long at this speed.
Aside from being more dangerous, the battery is likely to only last nearly half as long if riding at half-speed.
The Urb-E also comes with a whole range of features, including colour sleeve inserts, charger, LED front and rear lights, universal smartphone holder, USB charging port, shock-absorbing comfort seat and a custom Urb-E app download.
How the device would look going around the streets of Dublin remains to be seen, but its portability could prove to be a godsend for commuters.
