Currie Technologies to Introduce Range of Hybrid-Electric Bikes and Electric Scooters
25 August 2006
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| 2007 IZIP Trekking Lithium-Ion Hybrid Electric Bicycle. |
Currie Technologies, a bicycle and scooter company founded by the former chairman and CEO of Hughes Aircraft and Delco Electronics, will introduce 10 new models of hybrid-electric bicycles (pedal power + battery power) and 3 new models of electric scooters at the Eurobike International Bicycle Trade Fair held in Friedrichshafen, Germany on August 31, 2006.
The company will unveil its complete product range in the US at Interbike in Las Vegas, Nevada, later in September.
We are very excited to be introducing these new hybrid electric bikes and scooters that will literally change the way people move. These are some of the most energy-efficient, economical powered vehicles available today.
They are also quite unique in that they don’t look like an electric bicycle that traditionally has unconventional shapes and bulky battery compartments. At first pass, you will not think they are electric powered.
—Larry Pizzi, President and CEO
Currie builds electric scooters and hybrid bicycles under the their own brand—IZIP—and various licensed brands including Schwinn and Mongoose. The bicycles and electric scooters utilize the company’s proprietary Electro-Drive propulsion systems and advanced lightweight battery technologies.
In 2006, Currie introduced its hybrid power scheme using its proprietary PTS (pedal torque sensor), plus other innovations such as lithium-ion power, easy plug-and-play rack mounted battery-equipped bikes, and more models of patented Direct Drive scooters with lowered maintenance and higher reliability.
Well, this should sure make it easier for those wishing to commute by bicycle to do so (yeah, the "hardcore" bikers would just use the money required for this type of bike to buy a high end bike of their choosing but not everyone who desires to commute by bike is so "hardcore" or capable in the beginning).
Now the BIGGER problem which is not addressed here: We need more bicycle lanes!!! I don't like bicyclists in the car lanes as it endangers them and slows me down (in my car) and the lack of bike lanes has caused me to keep my bike in storage. I would rather not risk getting hit by a car and it seems silly to drive to a trail so I can pull out my bike to go for a ride. Not enough people care to spend the tax payer money on bike lanes around here either.
Posted by: Patrick | 25 August 2006 at 08:26 AM
Patric, where do you live? I'm in Florida, and we have the same problem. Way to dangerous to ride the bike. Cars don't give right or way, and sidewalks have so many ups and downs making it difficult to ride.
Posted by: Richard | 25 August 2006 at 09:27 AM
We have a lot of bike trails in Colorado, but not nealy enough along the major routes one would take to the catch the bus or light rail. If more people start riding bikes, though, I suspect the cities will have pressure to improve the bike route situation.
A bike such as this would cerainly solve one of my problems, however -- 3 good sized hills between home and office. I would like to ride more, but am not so serious that I can fight the hills on a windy day.
Posted by: JM | 25 August 2006 at 09:41 AM
Washington state. In Seattle there are a decent number of bike lanes/trails but in other areas (such as Bellevue, a mecca for high-tech companies) lack bike trails/lanes. They have showers at my work place (for those who bike to work or use the gym during their lunch break...now I just need the lanes and I don't like to ride my bike on sidewalks. It is against the law, and annoys me when someone on a bicycle flies past someone walking with their young children on the sidewalk (darn kids are unpredictable and likely to step out in front of a biker).
Posted by: Patrick | 25 August 2006 at 10:01 AM
In NYC, there was a stated goal of 900 miles (1,800 total) of bike lanes. The pace has been very slow, and at current pace, it will take a century for the task to be completed. There were, and are still other problems too.
_
Here's a link to an article about this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/opinion/nyregionopinions/20CIvesselinovich.html?_r=1&ref=nyregionopinions&oref=slogin
Posted by: allen Z | 25 August 2006 at 10:24 AM
There are two issues in Illinois.
Here in Lake County, in the upper North East corner of the state, the bicycle lanes are recreationally only, and are not useful for practical transportation.
The bigger issue is that the state of Illinois makes an arbitrary decision to register and license a vehicle. They do not have a rules, that if followed guarantee registration and license. In addition, communities can place additional bans on certain types of electric vehicles.
Does anyone have experience in the state of Illinois registering and licensing any type of electric bicycle or electric scooter or electric car? What is the vehicle? What county and Secretary of State (SOS) office did you register and license it in?
Posted by: LM | 25 August 2006 at 02:40 PM
These bicycles are not fossilfuel-electric hybrids, they are electric-human powered bicycles. I consider it misleading to use the word "hybrid" to describe an electric only bicycle.
Posted by: LM | 25 August 2006 at 02:45 PM
Hybrid does not mean fossil fuel.
Posted by: Patrick | 25 August 2006 at 02:53 PM
All cars called "hybrid" are fossilfuel-electric.
Posted by: LM | 25 August 2006 at 03:02 PM
1. This is not a car (so why is it on green "car" congress?).
2. There are hydraulic - fossil fuel hybrids.
3. There are hydrogen - electric hybrids.
Posted by: Patrick | 25 August 2006 at 03:30 PM
Name other specific vehicles advertised as "hybrid" that are not fossilfuel-electric.
The Toyota Pruis and Ford Escape are two conventional fossilfuel-electric "hybrids", using the term in a non-misleading way.
No other commercially sold electric bicycle or electric scooter is called "hybrid".
It is misleading to call this electric bicycle "hybrid" by conventional usage.
Posted by: LM | 25 August 2006 at 04:07 PM
Other vehicle called "hybrid" but lacking fossil fuel-electric layout?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_rocket
Look at "how stuff works" website's definition of a hybrid:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm
"Many people have probably owned a hybrid vehicle at some point. For example, a mo-ped (a motorized pedal bike) is a type of hybrid because it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of its rider."
MSN autos take on what a hybrid is:
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4022561
"On a smaller scale, a moped is a hybrid—it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of the rider.
So, any vehicle that combines two or more sources of power is a hybrid vehicle (HV). "
So it seems the "mainstream" definition is only applicable to current production automobiles & trains at this point in time.
Posted by: Patrick | 25 August 2006 at 04:26 PM
"car" by definition here means "mobility", so it inculding anything from a rocket pocket tesla sport car to a electric hybrid bicycle, if stress further, you can include a spaceship and a buffalo powered trailer.
My place lacking bicycle lane too, the normal roads are simple too hostile to ride your bike on.
Posted by: rexis | 25 August 2006 at 05:23 PM
My bike's a left-leg right-leg hybrid. :)
I live in Santa Barbara and we have a good set of bike lanes around town. In fact car drivers are up in arms over the city's promotion of bikes. The latest controversy is 'traffic calming' technology that puts big bumps and barriers in various intersections and such, as well as roads losing lanes to give more space to bicycles.
The only problem is that SB is too expensive, nobody can afford to live here any more. So most working class people have to commute from 20-50 miles away, too far for biking, and there are no good mass transit alternatives for those commutes. The bike lanes end up being used by UCSB students and by granola crunching engineers heading out to the industrial parks near the college.
Posted by: Hal | 25 August 2006 at 05:37 PM
I think it a class issue: more people would commute on bicycle if they could show people that they have enough money to drive a BMW, but choose to bicycle. Poor people ride to work; people who have had their driver's license suspended ride to work. This bicycle gives status conscious people a venue into bicycle commuting while still showing that they could afford to drive if they wanted to. IMHO, many people who motorcycle could just as easily bicycle, except it is not as prestigious (or sexy).
Posted by: Rick | 25 August 2006 at 05:45 PM
A bicycle and buffalo powered trailer is a car, huh? Your name must be Clinton. "That depends on what the definition of cars is."
Posted by: nemo | 25 August 2006 at 06:16 PM
In the Washington state "Puget Sound" region (from Everett, through Seattle, down to Tacoma) the buses have bike racks and there are bike "lockers" at some park & rides and bike holders on the commuter trains. Everywhere around here is bike friendly except for the very affluent area around Microsoft (Redmond, Kirkland, & Bellevue).
Posted by: Patrick | 26 August 2006 at 08:51 AM
I live in Pasadena, CA. We do have bikelanes but they're shared with parking wich completely defeats their purpose as you have to swing out into the traffic lane to pass parked cars. If they could at least ban parking in the bike lane during rush hour it would help tremendously.
I'm originally from Sweden, back home there was almost no place I couldn't get to on dedicated bikelanes.
Posted by: peter G | 27 August 2006 at 08:38 PM
I live on a small island in the caribbean so it will work perfect for here for there are only 10 miles of road
Posted by: capthank | 03 April 2007 at 01:37 AM
If we should drive hybrid cars is there anyone who will help poor people trade their old gas hogs for the hybrid autos?
Posted by: C. Ballard | 22 May 2007 at 09:34 AM
I have built a four wheel. two seat (side by side) with power assist, bike for a handycapped boy.
My understanding of the law is: "it is considered a bike as it cannot sustain a spead of20 MPH for 20 minutes"
Anyone know better? Thanks
Posted by: Dale Sherwin | 18 October 2007 at 10:01 AM
I f you read the details in a pamphlet or web site of one of the hybrid electric bike manufacturers (say Schwinn, for example), you would learn that a "hybrid electric bike" engine does not start up by squeezing the trigger for the electric assist, but rather by starting to pedal. The pedal torque detector then tells the bike's engine how much power assist to apply. The harder you pedal, the more power is applied. The Schwinn model I read about--the one that looks just like a cruiser with the motor hidden in the front axle hub and the battery hidden under a back package rack--also lets you adjust the amount of power assist from 1-to-5 levels of strength.
Posted by: Bruce Rohrer | 05 September 2008 at 02:47 PM