ZeHus Bike+ electric bike wheel

[Admin]

Hey guys, have you seen or heard about this new ZeHus all in one (AIO) electric bike wheel? It's like the FlyKly, Copenhagen Wheel or Electron wheel but it's made by these guys in Italy.

• Official website: http://www.zehus.it/
• Motor: 1.1kg (2.4lbs)
• Wheel + Motor: ~3kg (6.6lbs)

I found the following video interview (long and the interviewer is kind of wordy at first... accents also make it a bit tricky). It sounds like you don't need to charge the wheel, just ride around and it slowly builds up for you to use in bursts. I could see it working if it charged only when coasting downhill or on flats. It's an interesting concept.

Questions I have:

• Do you need to charge the system or just ride with it?
• What will happen to the battery if you don't ride for a while, will the chemistry get wrecked if it runs to zero... since you can't plug it in?
• Does it only charge when it senses you are coasting downhill or on flats with a giro? Is there a control unit?
• Can it only work with a single rear gear or can you add a cassette and derailleur?
• They say it is 90% efficient, taking energy from your body (pedaling) and converting into electricity to store and use when riding. This seems really good, better than plugging in to the wall because the electricity gets lost when traveling from a power plant to your house.
• Even though it is human powered, if you are a person who eats meat and lives inefficiently the energy you burn can still be inefficient right? We were talking about this the other day.

 

[James]

Cool. I like the stealth factor it has.

 

[George S.]

It has a tiny battery pack. They suggest that you get it charged and then it has computer logic to stay charged. It might work if you 'borrowed' a charge on the flats, and withdrew it on uphills. It would never work riding into a headwind for a long time. Why go with this approach? A real ebike needs a nickel's worth of power and you ride for a couple of hours with a lot of assist. A real ebike has a real motor.

They mentioned that the FlyKly motor is proprietary. That's interesting. They are supposed to be out in June. FlyKly still lists a huge battery and 36V. It must be all batteries, but it says 9 pounds. Very light motor? From the FAQ's:

• What are the Smart Wheel's battery technical specifications?
  Smart Wheel's battery is currently measured at 12 amp hours (Ah) but because we're still testing out different types of Lithium batteries to ensure the best performance and durability these specifications are still bound to change in the future.
  
  Last updated: Fri, Oct 18 2013 10:26 PM MST

Seems like Superpedestrian and FlyKly should have review products widely available about now.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I am most excited about Copenhagen Wheel (superpedestrian) and FlyKly..!
They have all that needs to make a normal bike into an ebike with minimal clutter.
As they say, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

 

[James]

I agree that the Copenhagen wheel is a game changer. Now it'll be even more awesome when they make more colors!