Ebikes: KBO E-cargobike, PWR E-balance Bike, Battery Update

Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN) have recently reported on how PeopleForBikes and Call2Recycle have established the industry’s first e-bike battery recycling program for U.S. retailers.

The idea is to ensure riders can return time expired or faulty e-bike batteries to retailers for safe storage and recycling. Apparently there are about 20 industry suppliers and manufacturers supporting and funding the safe collection and recycling of lithium-ion e-bike batteries to help reduce overall recycling costs. Retailers can begin enrolling in the program in February to become collection sites.

There’s useful practical info in the article too. In addition to a fire-resistant cabinet, HPS, part of PeopleForBikes’ e-bike subcommittee, recommends retailers have: a “charging station cart” of metal wire construction and on wheels so it can be rolled out of a shop quickly in case of emergency; at least one Class ABC fire extinguisher nearby; and a smoke alarm, preferably one wired to the security system that will notify the fire department. HPS said retailers and bike owners should never charge a battery pack unattended.

Automotive World carries the news that Mahle (automotive supplier and maker of the highly regarded X35 e-bike motor system) have teamed up with Allotrope to look at how an electric moped could be used as an urban delivery vehicle powered by an inexpensive small capacity lithium-carbon battery that could be recharged between stops in as little as 90 seconds.

The technology relies on a blend of traditional lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors that charge incredibly quickly (but also typically suffer from not being able to hold the charge for very long). Supercapacitors can be found on vehicles like electric buses where frequent stops allow the supercapacitors to charge up very regularly. If successful, it sounds like it could have applications for e-bikes too.

Maker of the slick looking city e-bike, Cowboy, have just made available Cowboy Care which they describe as an ‘on demand, unlimited and fully comprehensive maintenance subscription service.’

Available to Cowboy owners across 22 cities in Europe and the US, the company says it covers everything from ‘cleaning to parts replacement, all the way to flat tire repair’ with ‘certified technicians coming to the address of your choice’.

Cowboy Care covers 14 cities in Europe (Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, London, Gent, München, Bruxelles, Köln, Antwerpen, Rotterdam, Dusseldorf, Utrecht and Frankfurt) and will also be fully operational across 8 cities in the US (San Francisco, NYC -Manhattan and Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Seattle, San Diego and Portland).

Cowboy Care is priced at €20 / £20 / $20 a month, billed annually.

As The Conversation reports, ‘After months of debate and negotiation, Congress has passed a sweeping measure to upgrade many parts of the nation’s infrastructure. The bill provides US$1.2 trillion in funding’. A portion of this will go towards making streets safer for walkers and bikers – in fact some $11 billion is destined for measures designed to make highways and streets safer. That includes investments to improve features that protect pedestrians and cyclists, like updated sidewalks, bike lanes and street crossings.

And talking of infrastructure, check out this Streetsblog USA post that shows the almost magical effect of e-bikes and effective, safe bike lanes; ‘If it feels like there’s more bicycle traffic in New York City these days, it’s because there is. The city streets have seen an increase of 33 percent more bicycle trips in 2020, and during the past five years the number of bicycle commuters has risen five times faster than the other large cities in the U.S. The city, with 1,375 miles of bike lanes, is reaping the benefits of its cycling infrastructure.’

A particularly stunning example of new infrastructure elsewhere in New York state can be found in the form of the Dryden Rail Trail – located in the town of Dryden in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. It is a 14-mile, multi-use trail that—when complete—will link Dryden to Ithaca. As the attractive video below shows us, it’s now a step nearer completion with a new section connecting Ithaca and nearby communities.