Saturday, 14 November 2009 13:09
| GRACE The World's First e-Motorbike
German company GRACE produced the world's first e-motorbike. It might look like a futuristic version of a regular bike, but it is actually the world’s first e-motorbike that you are allowed to ride on the street. The bike is handmade in Germany, using euro-fighter plane parts and formula one parts and will be coming out this month. The frame is basically indestructible and all controls are included in the handlebars, such as lights, battery management, alarm system and everything else one could need. The grace can be ordered now for prices starting from 5877 EUR + VAT.
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Source: Highsnobiety
Comments (9)
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Style-over-function at its worst to appeal to the Sharper Image crowd.
Everything about this "e-motorbike" screams "electric motor + bike", not anything remotely motorbike. Whereas that's simply marketing over-reach, I think the worst offense is that the designer/builder took mountain bike parts (wheels, brakes drivetrain, etc.) and designs (diamond frame, steerer/stem/handlebar, etc.) and chose to build his own proprietary solutions (fork, headlight) to problems that didn't need solving, of course for a hefty upcharge.
If somebody is going to argue that "normal MTB parts can't handle the stresses and demands of the e-motorbike", then I will laugh at him for:
1) Being a fool completely oblivious to the stresses that DH bikes can suffer at speeds of 40-60mph, slamming through boulder gardens, and taking/landing multi-story jumps, and the designs/constructions that have arisen to deal with those needs, plus everything in-between...
2) Being a fool for believing that a designer can out-design, out-engineer, and out-tune established mountain bike suspension manufacturers (Fox, Marzocchi, Answer, etc.), most of which are also motorcycle and racing vehicle component companies.
3) Being a fool for failing to see that MTB designs and standards (steerer + stem construction, MTB tires + rims) limit the performance envelope of a road-going "motorbike". A higher-performance road-going electric motorbike will look more like... a sport motorbike (*gasp*), with a much burlier frame, single-pivot monolink rear suspension, smaller wheels, bigger tires, etc... like the Mission One EV.
In all cases, for just being a fool.
And did anyone consider that by incorporating the batteries in the tubes, this makes battery swaps difficult-to-impossible? Rechargeable batteries degrade with time and need to be replaced, as all hybrid car owners know. Whereas the obvious solution was to mount an external battery pack (which also allows center-of-mass of the vehicle to be tuned), the designer went for design-over function.
Everything about this "e-motorbike" screams "electric motor + bike", not anything remotely motorbike. Whereas that's simply marketing over-reach, I think the worst offense is that the designer/builder took mountain bike parts (wheels, brakes drivetrain, etc.) and designs (diamond frame, steerer/stem/handlebar, etc.) and chose to build his own proprietary solutions (fork, headlight) to problems that didn't need solving, of course for a hefty upcharge.
If somebody is going to argue that "normal MTB parts can't handle the stresses and demands of the e-motorbike", then I will laugh at him for:
1) Being a fool completely oblivious to the stresses that DH bikes can suffer at speeds of 40-60mph, slamming through boulder gardens, and taking/landing multi-story jumps, and the designs/constructions that have arisen to deal with those needs, plus everything in-between...
2) Being a fool for believing that a designer can out-design, out-engineer, and out-tune established mountain bike suspension manufacturers (Fox, Marzocchi, Answer, etc.), most of which are also motorcycle and racing vehicle component companies.
3) Being a fool for failing to see that MTB designs and standards (steerer + stem construction, MTB tires + rims) limit the performance envelope of a road-going "motorbike". A higher-performance road-going electric motorbike will look more like... a sport motorbike (*gasp*), with a much burlier frame, single-pivot monolink rear suspension, smaller wheels, bigger tires, etc... like the Mission One EV.
In all cases, for just being a fool.
And did anyone consider that by incorporating the batteries in the tubes, this makes battery swaps difficult-to-impossible? Rechargeable batteries degrade with time and need to be replaced, as all hybrid car owners know. Whereas the obvious solution was to mount an external battery pack (which also allows center-of-mass of the vehicle to be tuned), the designer went for design-over function.
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November 17, 2009
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Nuts! Big headed to call it the "first" e-motorbike! Really goes to show how narrow minded and arrogant this company is!
You might have a nice, technically savvy electric bike but far from the best of what's available (and the price! Geez!).
You might have a nice, technically savvy electric bike but far from the best of what's available (and the price! Geez!).
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November 16, 2009
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Call it what you want, mine's 800watt, goes up to 50km/hr, and cost 340 Euros including a nice lock and a rain cover. So I could buy a fleet of 17 of them for the cost of one Grace, heh. Also it has a nice smooth suspension and disc brakes. I can't evaluate Grace's suspension but I imagine that seat might get uncomfortable on longer rides, also can't take a passenger as vespa style can. I bought mine from a Chinese shop but here's a comparable English language webpage. http://www.scooteretta.com/ We don't have laws for vehicles like this in China so I can't comment on that part.
Anyhow, doesn't really matter what style or brand, electric two wheel vehicles are a great idea that provide quick, quiet convenient transport at minimal cost (notwithstanding the incredible purchase price of that Grace) and minimal environmental impact.
Anyhow, doesn't really matter what style or brand, electric two wheel vehicles are a great idea that provide quick, quiet convenient transport at minimal cost (notwithstanding the incredible purchase price of that Grace) and minimal environmental impact.
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November 15, 2009
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Thats why yours is called an e-scooter, and GRACE e-motorbike.
E-motorbikes look like an bike but have the speed of a scooter or a small motorcycle. Its by definition is the first street legal of its kind. Also what you see in China is e-bikes with 250-500 Watts, GRACE runs with 1300 Watts of Power.
E-motorbikes look like an bike but have the speed of a scooter or a small motorcycle. Its by definition is the first street legal of its kind. Also what you see in China is e-bikes with 250-500 Watts, GRACE runs with 1300 Watts of Power.
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November 15, 2009
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