andrewglicklich

To kick off the new “Design.Inclined” category of my blog, I present the Audi E-Bike Wörthersee. Audi’s amazing electric bike concept, unveiled during the 2012 Wörthersee Tour, features the perfect marriage of high design and tech. To start, the bike looks like something out of a Batman movie and weighs just 3.5 pounds. That’s less than a Macbook Pro. Audi achieves this engineering marvel through the use of carbon fiber wheels, chassis, rims, handlebars, etc which provides for a lightweight but strong end product. The bike is fitted with a mini touchscreen computer that monitors your general speed and distance but also functions as a hub for recording your tricks and even popping the bike into different drive modes including a sweet “wheelie” mode. The on-board computer pairs with an Android app which lets the user switch between other biking modes, monitor general functions such as battery level, and even remotely “lock” the bike’s back tire and set a theft alarm. The bike uses what Audi calls a “Harmonic Drive System” developed by Clear Mobile, which balances the motor’s weight in the center of the bike’s frame and connects to the wheels through the traditional bike gear mechanism. Additionally, the bike’s torque sensor can intelligently adjust how much the user is pedaling and supplement electric power accordingly. The 2.3kW electric motor can propel this carbon fiber feather 30MPH and an amazing 50MPH if the user is pedaling. This combination of lightweight design and power makes the Audi E-Bike ideal for tricks and high speed biking.

The Audi E-Bike is a concept/prototype so don’t expect to see this fun, futuristic bike on the street anytime soon but at a price tag rumored around $20,000, you wouldn’t pass one in the park anyway.

[Image via Inhabitat, info from Electricbike]