Sharp & Vintage Electric Bicycles From Barcelona
I recently got to check out some pretty sweet electric bikes while at EVS27 in Barcelona, but Chris somehow ran across these bikes himself and got an article up on them before me, so I’m primarily reposting his post (below). However, I’ll note that these electric bicycles really zip along fast & smooth. They look beautiful as they fly by, very sharp. Above are some pics I snapped while at EVS27 and at an electric vehicle event before EVS27 started. The photos from Chris DeMorro’s Gas2 article below come from Otocycle itself. (Oh yeah, interesting side story here too: the creators of this bike who I talked with in Barcelona — one of whom is fully pictured above and one of whom is half-pictured above — had actually just been to my home city of Sarasota, Florida a week or two before. Odd coincidence. Small world.)
Electric bicycles are poised to be the largest electric vehicle segment in the world in just a few short years, which promises for a wide variety of unique variants and designs. One recent entry into the e-bike field is the Otocycle, which combines vintage 1950s styling with light weight and up to 26 miles of pedal-free operation.
Using lightweight steel and a 36-volt NCM battery powering a rear hub motor, Otocycles are available in one of two design flavors, Otok and Otor. A handlebar-mounted LCD screen draws power from the pedals, providing unspecified information while a headlight lights the way at night. It’s the complete package, and unique enough to stand out in an increasingly crowded field.
On its own, the battery has enough life to take you some 26 miles before needing recharging, at speeds up to 15.5 mph. With the rider pedaling along, the Otocycle can go up to 37 miles before being plugged in
Built by a family of designers and engineers based in Barcelona, Spain, the Otocycle has plenty of competition from designers both near and far. Should the predictions of e-bike dominance play out however, the Otocycle could stand to carve a comfortable niche for itself with simple mechanics and a timeless design, though the $3,700 starting price puts it beyond the reach of most. Then again, $3,700 is a lot less than $30,000, the average cost of a new car in the US, or paying monthly parking fees on a beat-up used car.
Is there room in your garage for one of these Otocycles?
Source: Otocycles
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