Smart bike with ESA technology beats traffic jam
This Dutch B4 e-cruizer electric bike is a stylish and environmental sustainable alternative to a car. Developed by the ESA Business Incubation Centre-supported start-up company B4-Bikes, the spin-off from an ESA patent on a solar array regulator optimises the use of the 48 volt, 18 amp battery.
The idea behind the e-cruizer has its origin in the daily rush-hour traffic in many of our cities. Eight out of ten morning drives to work are shorter than 20 km and 80% with only one person. Time and fuel are wasted and traffic jams stress drivers. This could easily be reduced by motorbikes such as the e-cruizer. It’s comfortable, looks impressive and runs on electric power, a more sustainable energy source. And it’s fun to drive.
In February Govert Veldhuijzen, Deputy Head of Economic Affairs in the Province of South Holland, visited ESA Business Incubation Centre Noordwijk and tried the B4-Bikes’ e-cruizer twin version for himself (photo). The Netherlands has some of Europe’s longest rush-hour queues, so apollution-freesolution is very attractive.
The top speed is 45 km/h on test circuits but on public roads it has so far been limited to 25 km/h to meet legal requirements. On a single charge the e-cruizer can travel 100 km, enough for most daily local drives.
B4-Bikes developed the electric bike with the support of ESA Technology Transfer Programme’s Business Incubation Centre Noordwijk.
So far, seven bikes have been built and the design has been frozen after about 5000 km of testing. Now the plan is to produce 100 bikes over the coming year, and to start marketing it in other European countries.