Although slapping a battery pack and the requisite electrics to a conventional-looking frame to create an electric bike seems to be a path well traveled by a large number exhibitors at Eurobike 2013, there were a few designs that see the various electric components integrated into the frame. One example is the Coboc 3.0, which took out the Gold Award in the eBike/pedelec category at this year’s Eurobike.
To come in a choice of black or black, the Coboc 3.0 from Coboc eCycle sees all the electric components, including the battery, motor control and sensor, integrated into the down tube of the bike’s 7020 aluminum alloy frame. The only exception is the 250 W geared hub motor on the rear wheel that supports speeds of up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph). Despite this, the Coboc team has managed to keep the frame size free of any unsightly bulges so that at first glance it appears like a non-electric bike.
The integrated 36 V, 8.7 Ah battery pack is made up of Panasonic cells and is charged by way of an external charger that connects to the bike via a magnetic plug located on the underside of the top frame tube. The battery level indicator and on/off switch are on the top of this tube near the handlebars.
While this approach does enable the Coboc’s clean looks, the downside is that the battery can’t be removed for recharging, which Coboc says takes about two hours to provide up to 60 km (37 miles) of range. However, the company says the positioning of the bike’s various electric components and hub motor provides a balanced weight distribution.
The Coboc eCycle is a single-speed bike weighing just under 14 kg (31 lb) and will come in three sizes (S/M/L). All sizes will sell for the same price of €4,200 US$5,560) with sales set to begin in 2014 in Germany, Norway, Austria and Switzerland.
The Coboc eCycle's creators introduce their bike in the following (German language) video.
Source: Coboc (German)
