Cool Technology of the Week

I've written about my Strida folding bike for commuting between meetings in Boston. It's worked very well for my use case - pedaling a few miles on flat ground on city streets.

What if your commute is longer, the terrain is more hilly, and you need to go a bit faster?

The Yike Bike from New Zealand is a masterpiece of engineering. It's a fully electric foldable bike weighing about 20 pounds with a top speed of 15mph.

Here's the detailed overview.

It's not yet in production and will be pricy - about $4500, but it's definitely an intriguing technology as we consider greener ways to commute and strategies to avoid traffic delays.

The Segway seemed like a good idea at the time but its competition with pedestrians for sidewalk space has been problematic. The YikeBike should be no different than an urban bicycle, using city streets and existing bike laws. It will be interesting to see how cities react to it.

Of course, a helmet should always be worn, despite the lack of them in the demonstration video. Definitely a cool technology design!