The Copenhagen Wheel [video] | Hacker News Reader

The Copenhagen Wheel [video]

cnbc.com

33 pointsbagosm22 comments

It's too bad it's too expensive to be relevant for people who rely on bike transportation for financial reasons (at least, in much of america) :(

I'd love one, but it seems silly to spend that much on my bike.

I think in Denmark or any country with lots of support for cycling and expensive cars it would be reasonable.

You got downvoted but I think this is a pretty valid point, at least in the US

Well, this is basically the price of an iphone. The market said it could bear that price.

Top assisted speed of 20 mph and a range of only 30 miles for $700? Ouch. [1]

You could get some powerbocks for half that price, and no need to buy a bike. Those supposedly provide a running speed of 20 mph with no range limit, just the possible downside of making you look ridiculous. [2]

[1] http://www.gizmag.com/superpedestrian-mit-copenhagen-wheel/2...

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerbocking

The Copenhagen wheel was announced 4 years ago, and since then we've had copycats like the FlyKly back in October(http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flykly/flykly-smart-whee...).

In case, like me, you wondered why this was news - it's because they're actually putting it on sale. I'm curious as to what they mean by a battery life of 1000 cycles, when there's regenerative braking and I'd hit more than 3 hills a day on my commute[1], so is that 1 year?

[1]ok to be fair I work from home now, so my 20 mile each way commute is now a morning jaunt on the bike to wake me up.

One cycle usually means one full charge and discharge cycle. So if you discharge from 100% to 50% and then charge it, that's 0.5 cycles.

If it's anything like my electric bicycle, the regenerative braking doesn't really count for much

For any Weeds fans: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665013/how-weeds-became-a-marke...

I seen someone on Facebook post about the Copenhagen Wheel yesterday and knew I'd heard about it before. Good old Andy.

It's a good idea to even out uphill and downhill sections of cycling, so that you can cycle around, in places which are not completely flat, without arriving where you want to go covered in sweat. And the concept of the casing staying static, while only internal sections spin with the wheel, sounds interesting. The problem for mass adoption is cost.

For my money I'd rather a proper integrated system like the Panasonic range: http://cycle.panasonic.jp/products/electric/

I've ridden a number of electric-assist bicycles and the panasonic system worked brilliantly - seamless and intuitive boosting exactly when needed, so hills just seem to disappear. They seem a lot more convenient, too, with the battery integrated into the lights system.

Yamaha's pedelec system is also worth a look, though I didn't find it quite as intuitive as the panasonic: http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/pas/lineup/

E-bikes seem to be everywhere these days (in western europe). Even grandparents I know have been talking about getting them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_bicycle

Would t be possible to design something similar for a car wheel?

Regenerative braking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_brake is a mainstay of modern electric cars. They all do this.

Yes but does the equivalent of a Copenhagen wheel exist for a car? That sir is my question.

You'd need a hub motor in each wheel, which causes the vehicle to have an excess of unsprung weight. So, not at the moment. If electric motors were to drastically come down in weight, possibly.

Do you mean an electric motor, battery, and regenerative system built into each of a cars wheels?

I think that a system like that would not be practical when scaled up to the size and energy demands of cars.

For automobiles, incorporating the energy storage into the wheel itself would be a poor allocation of weight (and size). So most solutions revolve around (pardon the pun) batteries or flywheels housed within the chassis.

Like this? http://mtsunews.com/wheel-hub-retrofit-update/

So it's a brake replacement? Pretty cool, but too expensive even if it generates more power than a simple dynamo...

No, it's a pedal-assist motor/control system (with regenerative braking).

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