I wanted to follow my previous post on energy monitor gadgets from CES by talking about another hi tech gadget that was a hit at CES 2010: the Sanyo Eneloop electric bike. This is no ordinary electric assist bike; it is specifically engineered to seamlessly integrate the assistance from the electric motor, so it feels like you are riding a regular bike. So, in order to go faster, all you do is pedal faster. Check out the video, if you haven’t already; it looks pretty smooth! In fact, the bike received the CES 2010 Best of Innovations award in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology category.
So, you may ask the question: Is it really going green to ride an electric bike? Well, that depends on where you are coming from. If you are an avid biker who already rides your 100% human-powered bicycle everywhere, then, no, this bike won’t help you to reduce your carbon footprint. However, if you use an electric bike when you would normally drive your car, then, yes, that definitely is a green move. On top of that, it is going to be way cheaper to charge this bike up on relatively cheap electricity, rather than buying gasoline to power your much heavier car. The Eneloop bike weighs 48 pounds, including the battery, versus a few thousand pounds for your car. You can go 35-46 miles on a full charge of the battery, which weighs just 3.3 pounds and charges in 3.5 hours. The bike even acts like a hybrid car by recharging the battery when you brake, as long as you are going over 5 mph.
So, who is this bike for? If you are someone who wants to use a bike for transportation, but the work that it takes to pedal the bike is a barrier for you, then this could be for you. Maybe the distance you need to travel is too far for your physical condition, or maybe you just don’t want to be all sweaty when you get in to work. Maybe you just think it looks cool (I do!) and want to show it off to your friends. I can think of lots of reasons that you might want this bike, and, if you’ve got $2,300 to plunk down on it, I’d say it’s worth checking it out. Note that the Sanyo website lists the price as $2,500, but the Sanyo marketing guy from CES says that you can get it for just $2,300 at Best Buy and other retailers. See more details about the bike in this video:
Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bike
One of the primary competitors to the Sanyo Eneloop bike is the Schwinn Tailwind electric assist bike, but the Sanyo has a few advantages over the Schwinn:
- Hybrid-style charging when you brake
- Smoother integration of electric assist
- Lighter battery (3.3 pounds vs. 6 pounds)
- Lower price tag ($2,300 vs. $2,500-$3,500)
The one area where the Schwinn has a clear advantage is in charge time, where the fast-charging Toshiba battery charges up in only 30 minutes. Otherwise, the Sanyo Eneloop bike looks like a smoother, more refined package.
Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries?
One last note: If you are like me, you might be asking yourself: Isn’t Eneloop a brand of rechargeable batteries? Actually, yes, it is, but Sanyo has bigger things in mind for the Eneloop brand. According to Sanyo, the “eneloop universe” is “a series of products that are based on the concept of reusing resources such as ‘energy’ by ‘looping’ it in a sustainable cycle.” So, there you go: the Eneloop electric bike is a cool, sustainable piece of technology, and, if you use it to replace your car, it could even save you money!
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It could also be useful for older people – it will enable them to go longer distances without straining themselves. And they could afford a price.