Bike-sharing schemes are commonplace in many urban centers around the globe. Though they offer great convenience for last-mile travel or as an option for inner city commuters, as well as easing the stress on overcrowded roads and public transport systems, to say they involve high performance machines would be a bit of a stretch. ShareRoller is a portable electrical motor designed to build on the practicality of shared bicycle schemes by adding a little power and removing some of the legwork from the mix.
Created by New Yorker Jeff Guida, ShareRoller takes the shape of an ordinary briefcase, perhaps so as not to look out of place among the hustle and bustle of Manhattan's streets.
Packing a brushless DC motor capable of delivering 750 W of continuous power however, the ShareRoller attaches to the mounting bracket above the front wheel of the bike and has a thumb throttle control that pops out and clips onto the handlebars. Swinging out of the case and into position, the motor assembly then uses a drive belt to transfer 1.0 hp to the bike's tire, enabling an 18 mph (29 km/h) top speed without the need to pedal.
Two battery options will be available: a Li-NMC (lithium-nickel manganese cobalt) version that promises a 12 mile (19.3 km) range and a more powerful Li-NCA (lithium nickel-cobalt aluminum oxide) unit that bumps this up to 20 miles ( 32.2 km).
The device also features USB ports to charge your tablet or phone, and adds a little more safety to your commute with 20 lumen LED headlights. While the 6-7 lb (2.7-3.2 kg) ShareRoller has been designed to fit onto the universal frames used in shared bicycle programs throughout the US, Canada and the UK, the company says it will also work with many personal bikes or scooters.
With functioning prototypes already built, Guida is turning to Kickstarter to fund production and bring ShareRoller to the streets.
Jeff runs us through how the ShareRoller system works in the video pitch below.
Source: ShareRoller on Kickstarter
