Electric Velocipede (i.e. Electric Old-Timey Bike)

November 9th, 2013 by Zachary Shahan

The velocipede is a classic. Its that cool old bike with the big wheel in the front and a small one in the back, with the pedals connected to the front wheel. German design studio Ding3000 and German corporate giant BASF have now created an electric version of a velocipede, Concept 1865.

Image Credit: Ding3000

Pretty cool eh? As Leslie Katz of CNET humorously writes, “I’m so excited about the Concept 1865 electric velocipede I might have to lie down on my Victorian fainting couch for a moment.”

Image Credit: Ding3000

Here are some of the details about the Concept 1865:

250-watt electric drive
detachable seat with an integrated battery
39-inch front penny-farthing wheel
24-ince rear wheel with electric drive inside
aside from the metal brake, axles, and motor, the electric velocipede is made of BASF plastics (not sure how green that part of the velocipede is)
“The vehicle’s forks integrate LEDs and inlaid optical waveguides that make conventional bike lighting systems superfluous.”

Why is the electric velocipede named after the year 1865? Apparently, that’s the year BASF was founded.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this electric velocipede will be hitting the markets anytime soon. It is simply an advertisement for BASF’s advanced plastics, and how its customers could make innovative use of those in new products.

However, it seems that Concept 1865 could sell well. So, hopefully someone will reconsider and actually bring this electric beauty to market!

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Tags: basf, Concept 1865, Ding3000, electric velocipede, electric velocipedes, velocipede, velocipedes

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.