Smart Electric Bike to launch in 2012

By Kelly Montgomery November 8, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

With bicycles becoming a more and more popular mode of daily transportation, both in Europe and here in the U.S., tiny-car company Smart has decided to take its eco-friendly design chops into the two-wheeler market with the Smart Electric Bike ($TBA). The company debuted a concept design for the bike at last year’s Paris Auto Show, but we’re now hearing that the bike will go into full-scale production starting in 2012.

The sleek Smart Electric Bike houses a 250-watt electric motor (powered by a 400-Wh lithium-ion battery) in its y-shaped frame, and offers an impressive 62 miles of enhanced travel on a single battery charge. If the rider runs out of juice, the battery can be recharged by pedaling. With four different power levels to help you get up a steep hill or speed past your non-electric bike buddies, the Smart bike can go up to 40 kilometers per hour, which translates to just about 25 mph.

Recommended Videos

Expected to launch in Europe and North America sometime in the first half of 2012, the Smart Electric Bike will also feature smartphone integration, a carbon belt drive, and assisted brakes. Smart CEO Dr. Annette Winkler says, “The smart ebike is a true smart – but on two wheels. It is an extremely well designed bicycle that is sure to draw admiring glances in the city – it’s also really practical and easy to ride. Anyone can zip through town on it with or without exerting themselves – depending on their fitness level and as their mood takes them.”

With sales of electric bicycles booming in recent years across Europe, Smart is hoping to get in on the action with its stylish and practical offering, and maybe even bring some of the craze to North America. Would you pay a little more for a bike that was power-assisted with zero emissions?

Topics

e-Bikes

Kelly Montgomery

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kelly Montgomery is a magazine journalism graduate from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications…

Smart Home

Grab an electric scooter for $198 in the Walmart Deals sale

Person riding GOTRAX electric scooter

While biking can be a lot of fun, it can get tiring, and locking your bike up outside while you're working or shopping isn't always an option. Electric scooters have taken the world by storm because they are more compact than bikes, you can take them with you when you reach wherever you go, and, let's be honest, you don't have to pedal. Luckily, there's a big sale going on at Walmart that sees a discount on the Gotrax Rival Adult Electric Scooter. The price has been knocked down to just $198 from the usual $298. That $100 in savings is pretty substantial and makes it a good option for those who might be on the fence in terms of price.

Why you should buy the Gotrax Rival Electric Scooter
The Gotrax Rival Electric Scooter has a relatively powerful 250W motor that will give you a max speed of 15.5, which might be a bit slower depending on your weight, but otherwise, it's a pretty solid pace, especially if you're on pedestrian roads. The battery has a little over five amp-hours, which roughly translates to up to 12.5 miles of range that you have to work with, although that also will be affected by the quality of the road you're on and you're weight. It has a max weight capacity of 220 pounds.

Smart Home

Philips launches its first smart lock with Wi-Fi that can be controlled from anywhere

The Philips Smart Deadbolt with Built-In Wi-Fi being installed on a door.

Philips has officially launched its first smart deadbolt with built-in Wi-Fi (aptly named the Philips Smart Deadbolt with Built-In Wi-Fi), giving users the ability to control their front door regardless of location. There's no need for a secondary bridge or other devices, as the lock itself connects directly to the Philips Home Access App via Wi-Fi, making setup a quick and easy process.

Further streamlining the setup process is the retrofit design of the smart lock. It should easily fit over most existing hardware, so you won't have to change out any deadbolts or worry about passing out new keys. That means the outside portion of your front door will largely look unchanged, though you'll still benefit from "smarts" such as voice command integration, auto-unlock function, door position sensing, and remote access via the mobile app.

Smart Home

Now’s a great time to buy a Peloton exercise bike

A man riding a Peloton bike.

If you want to stay fit without having to leave the comfort of your own home, one of the most popular ways to do so is through Peloton's exercise bikes. The equipment, combined with a Peloton All-Access Membership, makes working out more enjoyable and dynamic, but they don't come cheap. Fortunately, Amazon has slashed the price of the Peloton Bike to $1,145 from $1,445 for a $300 discount, and the Peloton Bike Plus to $2,095 from $2,495 for a $400 discount. They're still not what you'd call affordable, but they're worthy investments for your health, and you can use the savings towards your Peloton membership. You'll need to hurry with your purchase though, because we're not sure how much time is remaining on these offers.
Peloton Bike -- $1,145, was $1,445

The Peloton Bike is popular for many reasons, but it all begins with the Peloton All-Access Membership. It's a separate purchase at $44 per month, but with it, your entire household can view a massive library of content for various types of workouts on the Peloton Bike, which you can watch through its 21.5-inch HD touchscreen and two-channel audio with a pair of 10-watt speakers. The Peloton Bike comes with a resistance knob for manual control, a 3.5mm headphone jack if you want to listen to your instructors without disturbing anyone nearby, and a durable but space-saving design that only takes up 4 feet by 2 feet of space so it won't use up your whole exercise area.