E-bikes evolving into consumer electronics? Here’s why.
Contrary to popular belief, E-bikes are not a recent ‘invention’. They have been a part of the automotive industry since the dawn of the 20th century. The very first e-bikes appeared in the 1890s, usually as bicycles that were retrofitted with a DC hub motor of the rear wheel and powered by lead-acid battery packs. Gradually, with the advancements in IC engine technology, DC electric motors were replaced by gas-powered IC engines. And since IC powered bikes allowed you to go faster and longer distances, they quickly became popular. These ‘e-bikes’ slowly evolved into what we know today as motorbikes.
E-bikes (now also known as pedelecs or pedal-assisted electric bikes) today offer a completely different use case. Pedelecs sit perfectly between a bicycle and a motorbike. They offer the perfect balance of power, range and urban usability. They allow you to travel longer distances over a bicycle and have a very low carbon footprint compared to IC engine powered vehicles.
Over their lifetime, an e-bike releases less than 0.9 tonnes of CO2 equivalent whereas an ICE powered car releases over 22 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Pedelecs are the only mobility vehicles that managed to take a significant part of the bicycle market share. They are now powered by much more energy-dense Li-ion battery packs and efficient motors. The true globalization of pedelecs was achieved by the infrastructure that supports the use of sustainable modes of personal mobility. Pedelecs are considered to be the best vehicles for urban commuting as they have proven to be the choice of commuters all throughout Europe and China and this trend is slowly catching up in North America as well as other parts of the world. However, pedelecs today face some challenges that include safety for the riders, security from bike thefts and connectivity.
This makes us wonder where the e-bike industry is headed. According to our forecasts, the e-bike industry is moving from a bicycling industry to that of consumer electronics. The challenges faced by the current generation of pedelecs will be solved by the advancements in IoT, AI and Machine learning. Pedelecs are on their way to becoming the most efficient mode of sustainable personal mobility for urban transport. The most important answer to the major problems we are currently facing and will face in the near future.
The use of consumer electronics like touchscreen displays, in-built GPS for navigation as well as tracking your bikes at all times and other tech features will get very common. Just like a mobile phone, a pedelec will become an extended part of the user’s lifestyle. The key trends we’ve observed so far: focus on enhanced user experience, connectivity, safety and security.
Calamus envisions this future and is the front-runner in this change. Calamus One, the world’s first Ultrabike is designed with the future in mind. The One focuses on safety, security, connectivity and user experience to solve the challenges faced by the currently available e-bikes. It is the only e-bike to offer integrated support for android apps, rider profiles and real-time diagnosis. It’s also the first pedelec equipped with sensors that scan your blind-spots, and handle-grips that give you haptic feedback to warn you about approaching vehicles. The One is so advanced that it creates a different category of pedelec — the Ultrabike.
One thing we can be sure of is that the future of transport is electric and it is sustainable. E-bikes are going to be one of the most important modes of transport in the near future!
To know more about how we are creating vehicles that inspire at Calamus, please visit our website!
Cheers!
