Smart e-bike goes on sale
The Smart e-bike has gone on sale. — Afp picLONDON, May 12 — Smart’s new e-bike has gone on sale in Europe for deliveries later this month. The electrically-assisted bike, which uses a battery as well as traditional pedal power for propulsion, is available to order for £2,495 (RM12,225) in the UK and €2,849 in Germany, with the first deliveries expected within weeks in the UK and underway in mainland Europe.
It’s the first attempt by Smart to capitalize on the design credentials of its iconic city cars with a new product and is a gamble that appears to be paying off, winning a Red Dot Design Award earlier this year.
Buyers will be able to select from four different types of power assistance, although the motor is only activated when the pedals are moving, meaning that simply sitting on the bike isn’t an option — some degree of pedal-power will always be necessary.
Other nifty design touches include regenerative braking and a mobile phone holster which can charge phones while the driver is on the move and will be especially handy for those with GPS-enabled handsets.
A control panel shows the battery charge status, journey details such as time and journey distance and the remaining juice left in the batteries, which are good for up to 100 km according to Smart.
Electric bikes are predicted to become big business in coming years as batteries become cheaper and smaller, opening up the world of cycling to those who may have traditionally avoided the effort, whether for fitness or geographical reasons.
According to CNBC, one in ten bikes sold in the Netherlands nowadays boasts an electric motor, an impressive figure given how flat the terrain is — in Germany, over 300,000 were sold last year, up by a third. — Afp-Relaxnews
