For those who prefer not to ride on electric scooters, there’s always the alternative (apart from walking or public transport) which is the electric bike.
While electric bikes can be pedaled like a regular bike, they also come in two flavors – one where the pedaling is assisted by the electric motor, and one where it is completely motor driven. “But what if I want both features and regular pedaling?” you ask. Well it seems that you’re not alone as California EV designer Roy Prince has come up with an electric bike that will not only let you pedal as per normal, but also provide pedal assistance, and at the same time give you the option of having it completely motor driven, thus the eCortina v2 hybrid was born.
Prince used a standard, off-the-shelf Cortina Triton DS hardtail downhill mountain bike as the base model, and from there he transformed it into the hybrid that it is today over the course of three months. The eCortina uses high performance motors, batteries, and controllers from the Radio Controlled (RC) hobby business, which we’re sure RC enthusiasts will be familiar with.
The batteries are Lithium Polymer (LiPo) and are apparently sensitive to overcharging and over depletion, which means that Prince had to install a monitor that made sure that the batteries are neither overcharged nor over depleted.
Prince estimates that the bike should be able to travel about 24 km (15 miles) on one charge and with the addition of two more battery packs, he hopes to extend the range up to 37 km (23 miles). For those looking to get a bit of speed out of the bike, apparently just by using the motor alone, it should be able to hit a top speed of 72 kph (45 mph).
We’re not sure if Prince has plans to start commercializing his idea, although we’re certain that electric bike owners will react positively to having an additional option when it comes to powering their rides.
Filed in . Read more about Electric Vehicles.