Sanyo Electric will release an electric hybrid bicycle that has a Lithium ion secondary battery and a twofold assist force, early next February 2009 in Japan.

Dubbed the “eneloop bike (product No: CY-SPA226)” it’s an industry’s first product that reflects revisions in the Road Traffic Law Enforcement Regulations that came into effect on Dec 1, 2008. The maximum drive assist ratio (motor drive force to human power) is 1:2 in Japan. The 26-inch bicycle will cost ¥136,290 (approx US$1,463, including tax).

The motor that drives the front wheel is brushless motor and has a rated output of 250W. The rated voltage and capacity of the Lithium-ion secondary battery increased 1.5 times to 25.9V and 6.0Ah, respectively. The charging time increased from two to 3.5 hours.

The eneloop bike uses the assist motor as a generator during braking and downhill riding for recharging and can run in:

  1. Auto mode switches between assist and power generation automatically.
  2. Power Up mode provides a continuous assist force = double human power.
  3. Standard mode provides an assist equivalent to human power and recharges the battery when braking.

The cruising distance of the bike is 57km (33mi) without regenerative charging and it is 75km (60mi) in the Standard mode where regenerative charging occurs during braking. In the Auto mode, the travel distance reaches 100km.

Sanyo also released a model with a Ni-hydrogen secondary battery. But the cruising distance of this model in the Auto mode is only 53km.

The electric hybrid bicycle market sold 283,000 units in 2007. Sanyo hopes for 300,000 units in 2008.

Source: NikkeiBP

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