The Model 1 from Civilized Cycles combines scooter, moped, electric bike and cargo bike into one funky-looking ride. Those integrated panniers lock up to haul 20 liters of cargo inside, or pull out to offer 80 liters of extended carrying capacity.
While working at a Vespa dealership in New York, which had expanded its product line to include ebikes, Zachary Schieffelin noted that a bunch of customers were asking for dream rides combining the best of scooters, cargo bikes and Dutch cruisers. Inspired, he got to work on the design of a versatile, connected and durable people and cargo carrier.
Panniers can be easily attached to the rear rack of many two-wheelers, electric or otherwise, but Schieffelin wanted to have his ebike's cargo pods integrated into the actual design. After fine-tuning development sketches, a foam and ply scale mockup was created and after some positive nods from potential customers, the decision was made to build a prototype.
Schieffelin jumped into the project full time in 2016, and Civilized Cycles was born. Over the next wee while, the core team worked with suppliers and production partners to refine the original concepts and bring the Model 1 to life.
The first production Model 1 ebikes will be a limited run. The rides are said to seat two adults, or one adult and two kids, comfortably, using a step-through frame fashioned from hydroformed aluminum. There's a 350-W, 500-W or 750-W mid-drive motor (depending on local regulations) that's reported to offer twice the peak torque of a Bosch mid-drive motor. It has a top speed of up to 20 mph (32 km/h) or 28 mph (45 km/h), and riders can choose throttle only, or pedal-assist.
The ebike can motor along for 25 miles (40 km) of per charge range of the Li-ion battery, which sports two USB charging ports for powering devices, or twice that with the addition of an optional second battery pack.
Those eye-catching patented hard shell panniers can carry up to 50 lb (22.6 kg) of cargo, are weather-resistant, lockable and enclose the upper half of the rear wheel. The Model 1 features a novel full Manitou suspension system that auto adjusts to the weight of the rider, passenger and cargo, with 80 mm of travel available to the front and 60 mm at the back.
Elsewhere you'll find frame-integrated head- and tail-lights, with the former auto-dipping when oncoming headlights are detected and the latter also serving as a brake light. Stopping power comes courtesy of Tektro hydraulic disc braking, and ebike controls can be accessed using an app running on a Bluetooth-paired smartphone.
The first 40 Founders Team edition's are limited to a small production run of just 40, and are priced at US$5,999 each. Shipping is estimated to start in Q2 2020. The video below shows a Model 1 tackling hills in San Francisco.
Source: Civilized Cycles via The Verge