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GM Is Getting Into the Electric Bike Business (techcrunch.com)
General Motors is planning to bring two new electric bikes to the market in 2019; one will be folding and the other will be compact. TechCrunch reports: The bikes will be "smart" and "connected" and somehow inspired by GM's OnStar, the company's subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security and emergency services feature found in cars. Hannah Parish, director of General Motors Urban Mobility Solutions, wouldn't elaborate what that might look like. We'll have to wait until next year. The bikes are also equipped with safety features including rechargeable front and rear LED lights. And the electric propulsion on the bikes were designed by GM engineers who created a proprietary drive system. For now, GM is focused on naming the e-bikes. And it's turning to the public to help. The company launched a brand-naming campaign Friday as part of its broader e-bike announcement. The company launched a website where people can suggest names for the e-bikes and have the chance to win up to $10,000.
"GM's OnStar, the company's subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security and emergency services feature found in cars."
It's also a tracking system, so the "you are the product" deal works too.
In the cycling world, a popular metric that people measure is their power output, ie watts. The serious amateur athletes and professionals have use either a crank-based (strain guage) power measuring device, or a similar system mounted inside the hub of special wheels. it's measured as some small time average of Torque x d theta /dt.