While some companies make ebikes which come off as being like regular bikes, others revel in the whole "this is the bike that Tron might ride" thing. Taiwanese company OKGO has really gone in for the latter, with its carbon-framed Smart E-Bike.
Currently in functional prototype form, the Smart E-Bike was unveiled last month at the Taipei Cycle bicycle show. It's designed for urban use.
Along with its striking carbon fiber frame, one of the bike's most prominent features is its handlebar-integrated Smart Bike Display. This touchscreen shows all the usual ebike stuff, such as current speed, distance travelled, navigational prompts, electric assist mode (there are five) and battery charge level.
That said, the Display also accepts voice commands, it can unlock the bike's drive system via a fingerprint scan, plus it provides alerts of rear-approaching vehicles. Those alerts come courtesy of the bike's back-facing seatpost-integrated radar module, and take the form of both an onscreen symbol and vibrations in the handlebar grips.
The bar also incorporates a central headlight, front-facing button-activated turn indicators, and lights which project turn-indicator symbols onto the road beside the bike.
It should additionally be noted that the bicycle is connected to the internet via 4G, allowing for over-the-air firmware updates, the ability to remotely provide bike access to other people, and the monitoring of fleet bikes.
Given the fact that the one existing Smart E-Bike was designed mainly as a demo, not much information has been provided regarding its regular-ebike specs. What we do know is that it features a Kindshock rear suspension (but no front suspension), mechanical disc brakes, a rear hub motor, a down-tube-integrated battery and a traditional chain-drive rear-derailleur drivetrain.
An OKGO representative tells us that because the company is marketing the technology directly to other businesses – as opposed to individual consumers – there are no hard figures on pricing or availability.
Source: OKGO