Technology
Ford Unveils Two Smart E-bikes Prototype
Ford has brought a pair of smart e-bike prototypes at Mobile World Congress 2015. Dubbed as MoDe:Me and MoDe:Pro, the bikes connect to your smartphone and offer navigation feedback via the handlebar grips, which vibrate when you need to turn left or right. The bikes can also alert you of any hazards lying ahead or behind, communicate with other vehicles and even charge your smartphone, which is placed in a cradle on the handlebar.
The MoDe:Me, which was built by the help of bicycle manufacturer Dahon, is a compact, foldable city bike, while the MoDe:Pro, which was built by a Ford team, is bigger and primarily aimed at urban commercial use.
Both bikes offer electric pedal assistance, which means when pedaling becomes too hard, the bike makes it easy for you to pedal. Both bikes also have a 200-watt motor with a 9-amp-hour battery, providing pedal assistance for speeds up to 25km/h.
There’s an accompanying app that aside from providing the location data for navigation, it also enables you to control certain aspects of the bike (e.g. turn on the signal lights, located in the handlebars).
Source: mashable.com