The Ukraine's Delfast Inc already has a distinctive world record holder among its ebike offerings, and has recently received positive feedback from a US Police Dept about its special edition TopCop model. Now company engineers have joined forces with students at Kyiv Polytechnic to design a "universal" electric bicycle.
The design is still very much at the concept stage, but shows hub motors front and rear, with the ebike deciding how much torque to apply based on load, speed, type of terrain and more. Sat between the dropped double top tube and the double downtube is a battery pack that Delfast told us should be good for up 120 km (74.5 mi) of per charge range. The frame is also home to a rear cargo rack.
Pedal-assist and throttle-only drive are available, with a top speed expected to be 45 km/h (28 mph). There's nothing yet on the kind of braking that will be in play, though fork and rear shock suspension is shown. Its carbon belt drive will make it low maintenance and friendly to cyclists wearing white jeans, and Delfast will install a mid-mounted transmission system from Pinion. The company will be aiming for a total weight, including that prominent battery unit, of 32 kg (70.5 lb).
For the time being, all we have are those few choice specs and some renders of what the "universal" ebike might look like. Delfast is now weighing up the pros and cons of prototyping with a view to adding the design to its product catalog. Should that happen, a tentative year-end production window and "affordable" pricing have been mentioned.
It's all subject to change of course, but a less expensive Delfast urban ebike that doesn't have an off-road motorcycle look about it would certainly be welcome.
Source: Delfast