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.

Comments

Hardcore innovators

[JaredOfEuropa]

safety features including rechargeable front and rear LED lights

Wow, what will they think of next? By the way, on an e-bike I'd expect integrated lights rather than rechargeable ones, powered by the propulsion battery.

The almost right bike

[WindBourne]

Skip the chain. Simply have the pedals turn an alternator to charge the battery, which runs the motor. Then use the motor for braking (i.e. regen).

Re:The almost right bike

[hey!]

What you are proposing is a series hybrid; this is useful in situation where driving the wheels with your engine requires a complex, heavy, and usually inefficient transmission.

Bicycle transmissions are extremely light weight and efficient -- efficiencies of over 95% are achievable in a properly maintained bike. So while series hybrid arrangement makes sense for a diesel electric locomotive, parallel hybrid makes sense for an ebike. It doesn't make sense to add stuff in series with a powertrain that is already as efficient as anything could be.

Bikes are almost unique in the mechanical world: they operate at extremely low powers and speeds. An elite cyclist over a long race stage might produce an average of 300 watts. To put that in perspective moderate walking takes about 60 watts. It doesn't take a very large motor or battery to close the gap between an average cyclist and an extremely fit cyclist. So the usual arrangement on the ebike world is to use pedal sensors to control a motor of 500-750 watts in parallel with your own power output.

Riding a series hybrid ebike would be riding an ergonomically awkward electric motorcycle. Riding a parallel hybrid ebike is very much like riding an ordinary bicycle would be, if you had superhuman legs and lungs.

Re:OnStar

[b0s0z0ku]

I don't want automatic accident reporting unless it has something like a 2 minute delay where I can tell it NOT to call anyone. If nothing is damaged other than your own vehicle, why risk a ticket, police contact, and fine by reporting a damn thing?