Sponsored by ELECTRIC BIKES Bionicon puts battery in backpack
Brand takes an unusual approach to e-bike power cell storage with Eurobike prototype, placing lightweight battery in rider’s rucksack
Bionicon’s foray into off-road pedelecs
By Jonathon Harker
ONE PROTOTYPE e-bike at Eurobike was came from niche brand Bionicon. The brand’s off-road pedelec
prototype (the fifth so far) has been in development for three years and is expected to be ready for market in 2014. Faced with a conundrum of not
wanting to weigh down a lightweight MTB with a cumbersome battery and motor, Bionicon has come up with a solution that is perhaps unique for the electric bike sector – placing the
“The system enables longer rides with more climbing.” Roger Seal, Bionicon
battery in a backpack. The battery pack weighs just 2kg, while the motor unit weighs 1kg. Bionicon’s Roger Seal told BikeBiz:
“The system enables longer rides with more climbing, and the duration can be extended by added cells. It’s assist only, not pull throttle.” Bionicon’s unusual route to market – enabling a network of resellers to use smartphone tech to retail the bikes – will launch in November. www.bionicon.com