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| BMW's latest electric Cruiser for the summer of 2016. |
TWO new electric bicycles made the hipsters who watch this field
sit up and take note.
In North America, BMW added the Cruise e-Bike to its electric bike
collection, while in Germany, Greyp unveiled the G12H, also a cruiser.
BMW said its latest electric bike is designed for commuters. Like
most electric bikes these days, the BMW is powered by a Bosch Performance Line
electric motor. A hydroformed aluminium frame was developed in-house by BMW. The
removable battery is good for some 40 km/h and can be charged directly on the
bike or separately in about 3,5 hours for a 100% charge, or 1,5 hours for a 50%
charge.
The BMW Cruise e-Bike sells for $3 430 (some R47 580) in the
U.S.
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| Greyp's offering to the city cyclists. |
Greyp’s latest electric bike sells for a lot more, but then it does
go a bit further. Greyp described its G12H as a street-legal version of its
faster H bike, with a range of up to 240 km at 45 km/h from its 3 kWh
battery.
Yes, Europe now has 45 km/h speed restriction laws on e-bikes,
which will came into effect on January 1, 2017. Anything faster is a motorbike.
The G12H has a 45 km/h top speed limit and 4 kW motor that will allow it to be
sold in Europe as a moped.
Greyp hasn’t announced any pricing for the G12H, but New Atlas
predicts a price of about €8 300 (some R129 000).
