A third wheel with electric motor should give ordinary bikes extra 'boost' at a fifth of the price of an e-bike. A Canadian student will soon bring the 'outboard' to the market.
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Electric 'outboard motor' turns your bike into an e-bike
The Canadian student Simon Park convinced a jury of the usefulness of his invention. By hanging a trailer with electric motor and battery pack behind your bike, you suddenly have an electric bike for 400 euros. Park won a prize of 15,000 Canadian dollars for its invention during an Open Innovation Challenge in Canada and with that money the electric outboard for bicycles is being made ready for production. 'Caboost' - as the product is called - is mounted on the rear hub and provides extra thrust.
'It is more sustainable than a car and more reliable than the bus', that is how Park describes the advantages of its invention. And that for a fifth of the cost of an electric bicycle. The high price of an E-bike was what motivated the Canadian to build the Caboost. "Why should I pay so much money for an electric bicycle if I already have a bike?", The University of Victoria student thought, and for families with a low income the Caboost could well be a substitute for the second car.
Some functions of semi-autonomous cars
The hand-welded prototype that Park itself uses to cycle, still weighs around twelve kilograms and is controlled via a cable connection on the steering wheel. Park wants to halve the weight and develop wireless control for serial production. And that is not the only thing. "I want to take over some functions of semi-autonomous cars. 'Caboost' must automatically detect when the cyclist is pedaling, but also reduce the braking distance by regenerating braking force", says Park.
Cargo bikes
As a net price including battery for a range of up to 50 kilometers, he strives for an amount of about 400 euros. 'Caboost' should be able to accelerate an average bicycle to the 32 kilometers per hour permitted in Canada. The outboard motor must also be able to be connected to conventional bicycles and recumbents, but also children's bicycles and the generally heavy cargo bike variants. The concept of electric motorisation of existing bicycles is not completely unique, but the price and wireless control are.
By: Erik Kouwenhoven
https://www.whatsorb.com/solution/transportation/cycling