Ford E-Bike Concept can go 53 miles on a single charge
Ford is jumping in on the electric-bike action with a new concept that was previewed at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Known as the Ford E-Bike Concept, the study demonstrates how Ford’s design language can be applied to a bicycle.
“The E-Bike market is growing very, very rapidly, with some 30 million units sold globally last year,” said Axel Wilke, director, vehicle personalisation, Ford Customer Service Division Europe. “We see E-Bikes as an important element of urban electric mobility. More and more people are using E‑Bikes for short distance commuting and they are becoming comfortable with the concept of electric mobility.”
The Ford E-Bike Concept is powered by a front wheel hub motor making 350W. The bike can hit a top speed of 15 mph and can return a total of 53 miles on a full charge.
“In the Ford E-Bike, the first application of this technology in the bicycle industry, the sensors read the revolutions in the inner bearing and relay this information to the control unit within a hundredth of a second,” Ford said in a statement. “The control unit then instantly activates or deactivates the electric motor, providing a seamless integration of the power of the legs with the power of the motor.”
A handlebar-mounted screen displays trip information and allows the rider to select from three support modes – Economy, Comfort and Sport.
Ford says it has no plans to produce the E-Bike but will continue studying the concept along with other future mobility solutions.
Hit the jump for the technical specs.
Technical Specifications
Drive Unit:
Front wheel hub motor
Max. nominal power: 350W
Electricity: 36V – 250W
Supports up to 25km/h (to EN 15194)
Clutch with freewheel function
Gearbox: Planet gears
Integral sensor technology
Battery:
Cell type: Lithium-ion accumulator
Electricity: 340Wh, 36V, 9.3Ah
Charging cycles: 1000 cycles at 80% residual capacity
BMS (Battery Management System): protects against deep discharge and self-discharge Charge times: 80% after 2 hours, 100% after 3-4 hours (at room temperature)
Range: Up to 85km (depending on drive power and support mode selected)
Temperature range: -20°C to +60°C
Extremely small unit to connect battery (remains on bike) to normal mains network.
Intelligent electronics to prevent overcharging, undervolting, overheating and shortcircuit; in particular, sleep function prevents deep charging and necessity for recalibration with charger connected
Controller display functions:
Background lighting with light sensor system
Energy-saving automatic sleep mode
Diagnosis function with fault code display
Support modes: Economy, Comfort, Sport
Displays: Range, Battery capacity, Speed, Time, Distance, Maximum speed, Average speed, Total distance, Service reminder, System diagnosis, Support modes
iPhone Smartphone app control function planned
Bicycle Components:
Wheels: Mavic Elipse Aluminum black (modified with Ford Design crossing)
Tyres: Continental Ultra Sport black
Pedals: Wellgo LU-C27G, silver/black
Handlebars: Downhill Aluminum black, custom made
Stem: Giant SLR Carbon 110mm
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR XC
Brakes: Avid Elixir 5, full hydraulic, 185mm, white
– By: Omar Rana
