The Angell — a new aluminum electric smart bike — weighs about as much as your two-year old nephew (approximately 30 pounds) and is one of the world’s lightest e-bikes available. The bike took three years to create at a venture lab that’s dedicated to using technology to improve life in cities around the world.
Why E-Bike?
Angell envisions their smart electric bikes as an answer to many problems city drivers face today. The amount of commuters that drive cars in metro areas is unsustainable, and the average American could expect to spend 97 hours in traffic in 2018 (according to a report from traffic data company INRIX).
“We dedicate half of public space to cars even though cars only represent 12% of trips,” said Marc Simoncini, Angell co-founder and CEO. He is convinced that cities in the near future will be seeking out a replacement for cars for ecological reasons, as well as convenience. He explained, “75% of car trips in cities go less than 5 km and it only takes less than 10 minutes on an electric bike.”
Angell Design
“We wanted to do for bikes what the iPhone did for the telephone. That is, make something that doesn’t exist. We invented this product category…so we looked for the very best designer and it was Ora Ito,” said Simoncini. Widely known for his aluminum Heineken bottle design, Ito was ranked amongst the top 40 most influential designers under 40 years old by Wallpaper.
The idea was to cut back on materials, and to make the bike as light as possible. Its frame is made of carbon and aluminum, and the design focused on the economical use of these materials. The Angell e-bike team invented a completely new kind of battery for the bike that is lightweight (4.4 lbs), has a base for recharging, and can recharge in about two hours. Two lights on the back of the battery work as brake lights and as indicator/warning lights.
The e-bike can take you up to 43 miles on one charge, and it will still work as a regular bicycle, even when the battery is no longer assisting the rider.
How Smart Can a Bike Be?
Riders can choose between four motor-assistance modes via a 2.4-inch touchscreen display that’s built into the handlebar stem. The display allows them to view data such as current speed, distance travelled, battery level, and present location. One can easily connect their smart phone to Angell, and use a GPS app to navigate the way to their destination.
Safety wise, the Angell features a “fall alert system” that texts family or friends in the event of an accident. When parked, the bike’s owner has the ability to lock the bike’s drivetrain. An anti-theft system will sound an audible alarm if the parked bike is tampered with and will proceed to track its location via GPS to the smart phone of the owner.
The Angell E-Bike is available now for pre-order, and costs €2,690.