Ford unveils MoDe:Flex—an eBike that fits in a car trunk
Ford has announced via Twitter (and YouTube) the unveiling of a new electronic bike (eBike) it calls the MoDe:Flex—and its big draw, in addition to serving as a motor assisted pedal vehicle, is that it can be broken down and folded and put neatly into a Ford car trunk.
The eBike also comes with a smartwatch app that can track heart-rate, provide directions, offer weather and parking info, and perhaps most importantly, help decide when to turn on the electric motor to help with pedaling. It also does things like alert the driver (by vibrating the handle-bars) of upcoming potholes.
Notably, Ford points out that the bike will fit in Ford car trunks, as in, not in trunks of cars made by other car makers. Presumably, the company has plans for allowing for charging the bike while the car is in the trunk, though that would seem to preclude the use of the trunk for other purposes, such as for holding groceries. The company has not yet given specs on the bike, but others have noted that it appears similar to another concept eBike the company built, the MoDe:Pro—that one has a 200 watt motor and a top speed of 16 miles per hour. Ford has also not said whether it intends to actually market the MoDe:Flex, or whether it is just another of its test cases to see if there might be customer demand for such a vehicle.
http://mashable.com/2015/06/24/ford-ebike-mode-flex/
The unveiling comes just three months after the company introduced both the Mode:Me and Mode:Pro eBikes, models intended for commuters and delivery services, respectively. With the MoDe:Flex, Ford is diving into a third consumer base: The "bike enthusiast."
But, I want one of these ...
The US Army Is Investing In Hoverbike Tech
Last year we shared the story of UK-based Malloy Aeronautics, a tech firm that was attempting to raise £30,000 to develop hoverbikes. The Kickstarter campaign ended up bringing in over £64,000, prompting the US Army to take notice.
At last week’s International Paris Airshow, Malloy Aeronautics announced that they had signed a deal with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to develop hoverbikes – and they’re not the only ones. It was also revealed that Maryland-based SURVICE Engineering Company will team up with Malloy to work on the hoverbike tech.
Malloy’s hoverbike, basically a large quadcopter capable of lifting a human, was originally developed to replace helicopters for search and rescue or cattle mustering while the Army’s plans seem to be aimed at reconnaissance.
http://arstechnica.com/cars/2015/06/us- ... veillance/