Urb-E squeezes onto personal mobility train
By Brian Dodson January 5, 2014
Compact personal mobility vehicles are a great option for commuters looking to solve the "last mile" problem. The latest such vehicle to hit the streets aimed at filling this need is the Urb-E from Urban Mobility, which claims it is the "world's most compact electric vehicle."
Of course, it all depends on how you define "most compact," but we suspect the makers of electric skateboards, such as the Evolve, the Boosted Board and ZBoard, not to mention the Solowheel and S-Walker, might argue the point. But the claim might hold more water if you add a qualifier of "including a seat" into the equation.
Either way, the Urb-E is definitely compact – we just aren't sure exactly how compact since the company hasn't revealed the dimensions of the vehicle, or its weight. Although, the video below suggests users aren't likely to slip a disk while carrying it on public transport.
The Urb-E comes with color insert options (Photo: Urb-E)
The Urb-E is powered by a lithium-ion battery that the company says gives the vehicle a range of 20 miles (32 km) at speeds of up to 15 mph (24 km/h). It basically consists of a seat, a folding triangular frame holding the batteries, two freely rolling wheels about 6 in (15 cm) in diameter at the rear, handlebars, and an 8-10 in (20-25 cm) front drive wheel with an electric hub motor.
There's no word on pricing or availability as yet, but the Urban Mobility team will be at CES this week, with a crowdfunding campaign set to begin in February.
Sources: Urb-E, Autobloggreen
http://urb-e.com/about.html
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/01/04/urb-e-foldable-trike-is-worlds-most-compact-electric-vehicle/
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Derringer's board-track styled e-bike hits Kickstarter
By Angus MacKenzie January 3, 2014
Like the electric car, e-bikes continue to evolve and change as newer technologies and materials become available. But for some designers, the best formula resides not in the future, but in the past. For Derringer Cycles, 1920s board-track racers are the inspiration behind its new electric bikes.
Analyst E-bike computer provides important riding information such as battery range, speed...The e-bike's top speeds vary from 20 mph in the base model to 40 mph in the Bespoke series...Derringer e-bikes take design styling cues directly from 1920s board-track racers The faux aluminum gas tank hides the battery, the controller sits in a vented case below t...View all
For years Derringer has been hand building board-track styled bikes out of its Los Angeles studios, but now the house of Adrian Van Anz has shifted its product offering from that of strictly two-stroke engined bikes to that of the eco-friendly electrics.
Over the past few years electric bike offerings have ranged from a modified beach cruiser in the Juicer 36 to Lampociclo’s electric bike with 1920s styling. Whereas these bike houses appear to have used existing bike frames with bolted on electric bits, Derringer has stayed true to form with framing and handlebar configurations just like the original board-track racers.
The faux aluminum gas tank hides the battery, the controller sits in a vented case below t...
Derringer is getting ready to offer three different e-bike models through a Kickstarter bid. Each bike, equipped with a lithium-ion battery capable of 1,000 charges, is powered by a brushless hub motor in the rear wheel. According to Derringer, the direct drive motors are designed to deliver high torque at low RPMs for hill climbing and quicker acceleration.
Starting at US$3,500 the 37 V (Heritage Series) entry model, is capable of reaching a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) and a range of 22 miles (35 km) with no pedaling. Producing 750-watts of electric power, the 37 V would easily meet or exceed most bike path speed limits. With a 4-amp charger the bike can be up and ready to go in three hours.
The 52 V model will come with a geared hub motor that's designed to reduce weight via a planetary gearing arrangement. The faux gas tank hides the battery pack under the main crossbar and the controller sits in a vented case below the seat. Power is managed through a Magura electric throttle. An Analyst E-bike computer provides important riding information such as battery range, speed, distance and net energy.
Riders get a bike with longer range and a higher top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) thanks to 2000-watts of power, but will need to add at least an extra $1,000 to the pledge level.
Each bike is equipped with a lithium-ion battery capable of 1,000 charges, powering a brus...
For those wanting to drop $6,500 on a seriously quick e-bike, Derringer has a 63 V ride capable of delivering 2,800-watts of power to the back wheel. This wattage increase gives the Bespoke Series a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) and an improved no-pedal range of 38 miles (61 km).
In addition to a 6-amp charger and faster charge times, pledgers can choose seat and tire options, plus have the ability to configure the paint/color scheme on the limited edition 63 V – right down to the spokes, frame and fuel tank details.
Anyone interested in recreating 1920s era board-track racer schemes should check out Derringer’s gallery for old school color inspiration.
Derringer’s e-bike Kickstarter campaign runs until January 22. If all goes well, estimated delivery for the bikes will start in May.
Sources: Derringer Cycles, Kickstarter
http://www.derringercycles.com/products/derringer-electric-bike
http://www.gizmag.com/derringer-retro-ebike/30293/
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SenseGiz Star fitness monitor alerts contacts when you crash
By C.C. Weiss January 3, 2014
Over the years, we've seen innumerable fitness monitors; some crash-monitoring devices, like the Helite ski airbag; and an exploding number of smartwatches. The SenseGiz Star rolls aspects of all three of those categories into a small wearable device that you can clip to your shirt or strap to your wrist.
The Star is one of the latest smart devices stuffed full of sensors that track your every movement. Like pretty much every fitness monitor, it keeps track of your number of steps, distance traveled and calories burned. The 24/7 monitor also tracks your sleep patterns to help you differentiate between light sleep and deep sleep.
Where the Star really distinguishes itself is in its integrated crash/fall-alert technology. Like the ICEdot sensor, the Star detects crash-level forces with its sensor set and audibly alerts your emergency contacts via a paired smartphone app. The alarm alert was chosen over a text-message alert to help provide for instant recognition and action. The device also includes a manual emergency contact button that the wearer can use in the instance of a non-crash emergency.
The SenseGiz Star is part fitness monitor, part communications smartwatch and part emergen...
The Star's crash tracking potentially makes it a valuable tool for cyclists, skiers and other athletes that face high risk of injury due to crash or fall. It could also be valuable for everyday use by the elderly and other populations at risk of falling.
Outside of its fitness and emergency functions, the Star can pair with a smartphone and act as a gesture-controlled smartwatch. The controls can be customized by the owner, and SenseGiz uses the examples of tapping the Star twice to take a photo or clapping to automatically place a phone call. The device also offers call, text and app notifications. Of course, the Star can additionally display the time, serving the role of wristwatch when docked in the wristband.
The Star was recently named a finalist for the Everyday Health Awards for Innovation, part of the Digital Health Summit at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. You can see the other finalists and vote on the summit's website.
SenseGiz is still looking for funding to develop and launch the Star. Toward that end, it put its second product, Find tracking tags, up for preorder last month. Like other tracking tags, Find tags track commonly-lost items, such as wallets, keys and phones. The tags use Bluetooth Low Energy technology and an accompanying app to help you sniff out items within 160 feet (49 m) or so. Find tags retail for US$24.95, and shipments are scheduled to begin next month.
Source: SenseGiz
http://sensegiz.com/
http://www.gizmag.com/sensegiz-star-crash-monitor/30287/
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