Copenhagen electric bike wheel reaches design competition final

A device that enables almost any bicycle to be transformed into an e-bike within minutes has reached the final the James Dyson Design Awards.

Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Copenhagen wheel is so named because it is intended to help the city achieve its goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

As well as an electric motor and batteries, the wheel houses a 3-speed internal hub gear, a torque sensor, a GPS unit and a sensor kit that monitors noise, pollution, relative humidity and temperature.

All the data is collected and accessed via an i-phone application.

The Copenhagen Wheel goes on sale in 2010, although its price has yet to be finalised.

The advantages of electric bicycles

Electrically-assisted bicycles make sense for those who are unable or unwilling to ride conventional bikes.

If the electricity used to charge them is from a renewable source, they are a sustainable mode of transport and they are usually covered on a standard cycle insurance policy

The secret to the Wheel’s design is that it is little larger than a bicycle’s standard hub and as a result can be fitted to almost any standard bicycle.

The motor delivers 25 miles of pedal-free riding, and this can be extended to 50 if the rider does some of the work. The battery is expected to last for 40,000 miles.

Unlike other ‘retro fit’ electric bicycle motors, the Copenhagen Wheel has no wiring to fit – the throttle, which attaches to the handlebars, uses the same Bluetooth technology used in many mobile phones in order to control the electric motor.

A spokesperson for cycle insurance provider, the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), said: “There is much talk about electric cars, but electrically-assisted bicycles are already being bought around the world in their hundreds of thousands.”

Cycle insurance

Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old replacement, third party insurance (in the case of an accident you may need to seek compensation or even deal with a claim by someone else), personal accident cover and if you breakdown, they will even come out and recover you and your bike.