

The Copenhagen Wheel [video] - bagosm
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101253202

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neona
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.

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

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bazzargh
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...](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flykly/flykly-smart-wheel)).

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.

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skdoo
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.

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aric
For any Weeds fans: [http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665013/how-weeds-became-a-
marke...](http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665013/how-weeds-became-a-marketing-
high-for-mits-hybrid-bike-wheel)

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

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Brakenshire
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.

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enko
For my money I'd rather a proper integrated system like the Panasonic range:
[http://cycle.panasonic.jp/products/electric/](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/](http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/pas/lineup/)

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willvarfar
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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_bicycle)

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

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

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

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toomuchtodo
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.

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

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

