If cycling has been one of our favourite means of transport for 200 years, it is now being dethroned by its electric version. What are the advantages, and most importantly, what are the trends of upcoming electric bikes?

From traditional bike to electric bikes

At the beginning, the bike enabled people to move around with a great speed. This is why it was called “velocipede“.

Nowadays, it is largely trivialized, and each family has at least one. And if we do not have one, we can rent one extremely easily in town thanks to multiple smartphone applications that can locate them for use according to our needs.

But today, pedalling is no longer enough since cycling has become an alternative to the car as a means of transport: users need to be able to travel greater distances, while keeping a comfortable bike, manageable in the city, resistant , lightweight and .. aesthetic! It is therefore necessary to offer electric bikes with smaller and lighter engines, more powerful battery packs, as well as the best autonomy.

Trending: tomorrow’s electric bikes

  • Battery packs with more energy than ever to increase the autonomy of the bike considerably, and thus to go further.
  • The emergence of hydrogen vehicles: thanks to its extremely high energy density, and its minimal charging time, hydrogen is an extremely interesting alternative, especially since the vehicles using it only reject water.
  • Bikes connected through the iOt to know all about the use of the battery, the mileage, and add features of GPS-like comfort on the dial, advanced anti-theft systems, etc … All driven by a connected smartphone application to the cloud.
  • Bikes stronger to minimize our impact on the planet and less draw in our natural resources: we need to come to an end with low-cost products and lower quality that we have to throw because spare parts are not found.
  • Made in France quality: more than ever, consumers are looking for products designed in France. Indeed, locally manufactured products will help develop French industry and bring work to our territory, making them more sustainable products. In addition, avoiding transport from other countries is also very good for the carbon footprint.
  • Harmonious designs: France has always been the home of fashion and elegance, so it goes without saying that this tradition extends to vehicles.

Our favourite results of electric bikes

We are proud to present the electric bicycles of Coleen and Pragma Industries, two Neogy® customers for whom we designed the battery packs as well as some of the electronics and embedded software, and who went to the CES 2019 in Las Vegas.

The Pragma Industries hydrogen bike

 velo-hydrogene-pragma-industries-neogy

A more efficient electric bike thanks to the power of hydrogen.

Pragma Industries imagined and designed a revolutionary electric bike: it works thanks to a hydrogen fuel cell, which gives it a number of advantages:

  • Its autonomy is thus more efficient than average, since it is 100 km, twice the autonomy of “traditional” electric bikes.
  • Its recharge time is 1 min, while others offer 1.5 to 4 hours of cooldown.
  • Its carbon footprint is very low.

On this pedelec, Neogy® designed and produced the lithium battery, as well as the hybridization card between this battery and the fuel cell. We also participated in the design of the drivetrain and in the development of the system.

For the moment, this bike is only used in the community because the refill stations cannnot yet be arranged everywhere. However, Pragma is working with partners such as Ataway and Ergosup to design carbon-free hydrogen generating stations, which in turn make it possible to run without a carbon footprint.

Note that Pragma Industries received the innovation award at CES2019 in Las Vegas, making it a recognized technology of the future!

Read our article on the Pragma Industries project.

The connected and design Coleen bike

vélo electrique Coleen

Coleen electric bikes

The Coleen bike is a well-designed, efficient and connected electric bicycle.

Its keyless system allows you to start the bike without a key, with the only help of your smartphone. The display module is directly embedded in the frame and you can check the kilometers traveled, the average speed but also the maximum, the number of kilometers traveled by charges, but also the display of all information related to the battery: the charge level, the number of kilometers remaining, the number of charging cycles, etc.

New features are planned soon, such as GPS. All features can be found on the dedicated smartphone app. The battery management system was designed by Neogy®, and the display by Clairitec® (Startec Development Group based in Mérignac, New Aquitaine, France).

The battery of this electric bike offers a range of at least 100 km, with a fast charge since it is done in 2:30 (knowing that 80% is reached in 1:30). Regarding the engine, it comes from a new generation extremely quiet and produced by a company based in La Rochelle.

On the design side, this pedelec has a trend-setting, vintage trend line with accessories in aluminum and leather of very good quality, Made In France too.

Read our article on the Coleen project.