Bike Blog v.007 🚲

Is Tesla Setting Up to Rule E-Bike Industry As Well?

The Bicycle is a fine instrument for transportation. This fine invention first appeared to the world by way of Germany in or around 1817-1819. Comparing this date to the first appearance of the automobile which is documented to be on or around 1886, also by way of Germany. It dawned on me that if any one of these two forms of transportation would have developed electric motor technology first, I would have bet on the bicycle.

After all, an e-bike motor should be much easier to build than an electric automobile motor, right? Right! But was the e-bike first or the e-car? The survey says! The electric car, born the year 1890, and the e-bike was born between 1895-1899. Notice how all of the earliest inventions that changed the world came out of Germany, huh! Must be the Prussia effects, wink! wink!

However, I'll get back on the subject. The point is, automobiles and bicycles go hand in hand. Automobiles have gone through more than 10 phases of change while the bicycle has only seen 7. It's only beginning to appear that the bicycle is finally beginning to experience the next phase of evolution.

It's no secret that electric transportation is set to replace petroleum-powered vehicles. It's also no surprise that more humans are reaching toward the two-wheel means for transportation over four. With vehicle ownership becoming as expensive as homeownership, it's no reason to question why more Americans are opting out of owning or leasing a vehicle altogether.

These reasons alone are why I am and continue to get excited about electric and solar technology. The person that inspires me the most, to be excited about our planet's green energy future is no other than, Elon Musk. My tech mentor has made yet another righteous move, this time toward electric bicycles. This move makes complete and total sense, especially because of what I have already stated about how cars and bikes go hand-in-hand.

So, what would a Tesla Electric Bicycle look like? And, what type of technology could an E-nthusiast expect to get from a dynamite bike such as a Tesla? We'll the industry is already buzzing over the release of the news and here's what I've gathered. Keep in mind that other automakers are in on the competition to dominate the new North American E-Bike industry. These automakers include Ducati, Harley-Davidson, and BMW. Mercedes is also thinking of moving in the direction as well.

According to TorqueNews and YankoDesign,

Here's what our sources are saying about the Tesla Model B Electric Bike concept:

· The word on the wire is Kendall Toerner, an Industrial Designer and Photographer who has proposed a design for the concept Tesla Model B e-bike.

· The Model B would be designed with road-vehicle safety in mind much like Tesla Model S, 3, X, or Y, allowing the e-bike to be safer, more efficient, and less energy-intensive.

· Providing forward, side-facing, and rear proximity and LiDAR sensors that scan the surroundings to create a protective bubble around the rider, alerting of any obstacle.

· The dashboard in an embedded display in the frame allowing you to see bike stats as well as set navigation, and monitor the Tesla autopilot.

· The frame also has ultrasonic radar sensors and cameras installed around the bike, enabling the e-bike autonomy in a dangerous situation using autopilot. How does that work?

· The forward, side, and rear-facing radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors. Detecting other bikes, cars, potholes, bumps, and other objects. The fork shaft is independently powered, and the stationary handles detect the force.

· By exerting more pressure on the handlebars, stronger the wheel turns independently based on data collected on the autopilot sensor.

· The frame of the e-bike also integrates foldout footrests alongside the foldout handlebars.

· Model B has a dual-drive hub system, the uniquely designed wheels are equipped with shock-absorbers that would neatly make the bike ride like a Model 3.

So, what does the electric bike industry have to gain from a Tesla takeover?

The was an article I found on the Electrek website that made several great points about Tesla's advantage. The best advantage is what Tesla is well known for and that their battery.

Batteries have long been too heavy and bulky for the average bike frame. No to mention batteries only come out of China, there is no local source in North America. Although many packs have gotten sleeker, still we've been using the same old 18650 battery cells that have been on the market for two or three years. In tech time that is ancient. Because it takes so many 18650 batteries to make a single pack, batteries haven’t gotten much lighter or longer-lasting. Batteries could become more energy-dense and last for a decade instead of just two or three years.

E-bike hub motors haven’t seen drastic changes in nearly a decade. Motors could be half the size or twice the power, Tesla has the type of innovation the industry needs to get electric bike motor more range efficient. Can you imagine getting over 100 miles on a single charge? Image the motor the size of a Raspberry Pie motherboard and twice as powerful invisibly hidden in the frame.

Then watch as Tesla changes the industry for bike charging, they already have the network for all of the vehicle charging stations around the nation. They could just incorporate the same technology into the Model B allowing it to charge at Tesla Superchargers as well as public stations.