E-Bike offers traditional pedal power or electric on demand
By Shari Kaplan
In today's increasingly high-tech society, in which people write email, read e-zines ("magazines" that exist solely on the Internet) and engage in e-commerce sales, what's next?
How about an E-Bike?
The E-Bike, a perfect addition to the lives of the technologically advanced and the technophobic alike, is the brainchild of Lee Iacocca, chairman and CEO of the EV Global Motors Company. The man who once jump-started Chrysler Corporation has now jumped on the environmentally conscious electric bandwagon with E-Bikes, EV Global Motors' very first product.
"We weren't trying to improve the bicycle. We set out to reinvent an industry," Iacocca explains. "Our observations of excessive traffic, smog and noise made us realize we could greatly expand the bicycle's potential to help solve these problems."
John Moore, owner of Los Gatos' Moore Buick, Pontiac, GMC, is the first automobile dealer in the Santa Clara Valley to distribute the sleek wheels.
"Electric vehicles are an important part of the future of American transportation. We believe the E-Bike represents fun, fitness and something positive for the environment," says Moore, who enjoys the bike for these reasons as well as for the questions from intrigued people who stop him around town and ask what exactly he's riding.
If they have a few minutes, Moore is ready with a long list of specifications, such as the bike's chrome-alloy steel frame, front and rear lighting, front suspension, seven speeds, cruise control and a thumb-operated switch that lets riders tell the bike how they plan to ride it: pedal-power only, motor-assisted pedaling, or completely motor-driven. It's called "power on demand."
The bike gets its juice from a hub-mounted motor that propels the bike at up to 15 mph. The motor is powered by a 24-volt lead-acid battery system that recharges on ordinary household current in about four hours.
"The way we think most people will use it is like a regular bike. But when you're going up a hill, like where Blossom Hill Road passes Oak Meadow Park, it's nice to have that extra power," says Moore fleet manager Dave Hopp, who recently bought a bike for his father-in-law. The bike can be ridden in bike lanes or, as even some standard bicyclists prefer, out in traffic.
The bike comes in standard and comfort models, with a fancy touring model coming out in the future. Red and black are the only colors available so far, but that may change down the line, according to Moore. E-Bike prices range from $995 to about $1,400, depending on the model and its features, just like those other vehicles--the big gasoline-powered ones--the Moore family has been selling since 1951.
The E-Bike can be seen at Moore's dealership, 15500 Los Gatos Blvd., or on the Internet at www.ebike.com.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
