INNOVATIONS IN MICROMOBILITY
Ir. Martijn C. de Kuijer
Electrical engineer, Sustainability Nerd, Columnist, Founder of Greenchoicess, Senior Construction Manager @ Pilot Construction Sdn Bhd
Heritage Style Meets Modern E-Bike Performance...
The Dodge e-Bike by BYTECH is a 2024 electric bicycle that combines a retro-inspired design with modern technology, paying tribute to the Dodge Brothers’ early 20th-century bicycles. Priced at $3,499 USD, the e-bike delivers a vintage aesthetic alongside advanced performance features for contemporary riders. Licensed by FCA US LLC, it carries the Dodge name but is independently produced by BYTECH, with no direct involvement from Stellantis, Dodge’s parent company.
The Dodge e-Bike by BYTECH stands out with its Fire Red frame and vintage-inspired design, featuring the Dodge Brothers' 1910 cloisonné winged emblem and the classic Fratzog logo on its leather saddle and tire caps. Its rims showcase a wooden grain texture, and it is equipped with durable 26-inch x 4-inch Kenda fat tires, suitable for urban and off-road use.
Powered by a 52-volt, 20Ah removable LG battery and a 1000-watt Bafang motor, the e-bike delivers up to 95 Nm of torque, reaching speeds of 45 kph (28 mph) with pedal assist and 32 kph (20 mph) via throttle. It offers a range of 62–74 miles per charge, with a full recharge time of 7–8 hours, making it practical for both commutes and extended rides.
The Dodge e-Bike by BYTECH offers advanced features for a smooth and safe ride. It uses a Sinewave Bluepoint controller with 12 MOSFET for efficient performance, even on challenging terrain. A Shimano 7-speed gear system and Tektro HD-E395 hydraulic brakes ensure excellent control and stopping power. Comfort is enhanced by an air suspension fork with lockout and a spring-supported saddle.
Safety features include a high/low-beam front motorized light controlled via the display and a Sate-Lite brake light and turn signal system for visibility. The e-bike also has a smart display with USB charging, torque sensors for responsiveness, and an NFC-enabled key card for secure access.
The Dodge e-Bike by BYTECH is crafted with premium materials, including hand-stitched leather grips featuring the Dodge logo, combining style and quality. BYTECH, known for its work with brands like Case Logic and iHOME and its electric folding scooters for the FIAT 500e, has infused Dodge's heritage into this modern e-bike. The result is a sleek, high-performance model that celebrates Dodge's legacy while embracing innovation.
WMC300E+ Aero-Electric Motorcycle
White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC), a British company renowned for its electric motorcycle land-speed record initiatives, has introduced a groundbreaking electric motorcycle designed specifically for fleets and first responders. This innovative vehicle emphasizes fast charging capabilities, making it particularly suited for emergency and rapid-response scenarios where downtime needs to be minimized. By combining WMC’s expertise in high-performance electric motorcycles with practical features tailored to operational efficiency, this motorcycle aims to provide a reliable, sustainable, and efficient solution for organizations that rely on quick mobility.
The WMC300E+ electric motorcycle, designed for emergency services, offers exceptional performance with a 100-mile range during intensive emergency operations and 125 miles on standard driving conditions. This impressive range makes it suitable for demanding roles like first responders and fleet operations.
A key feature is its innovative battery system, developed in collaboration with MAHLE Powertrain. The battery is optimized for rapid charging, enabling a full recharge in under 15 minutes using a standard CCS (Combined Charging System) charger. This fast-charging capability ensures minimal downtime, making the motorcycle highly effective for critical missions requiring quick turnaround times.
Robert White, Founder and CEO of White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC), highlights the significant technical and commercial challenges the industry faces in creating electric motorcycles that match the performance of petrol-powered models. Current electric motorcycles primarily target retail consumers, but fleet users, especially emergency first responders, require solutions with high availability that existing electric options struggle to meet due to lengthy charging times.
To address these challenges, WMC applied clean-sheet engineering and innovative technologies to meet the needs of fleet customers while aligning with upcoming regulations and contributing to net-zero ambitions. By leveraging expertise from Formula 1, WMC’s engineering team used advanced techniques such as in-house modeling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, prototyping, and validation processes to rapidly develop and assemble the WMC300E+.
The resulting product, the WMC300E+, offers a zero-emissions solution with market-leading capabilities, delivering operational performance close to petrol equivalents while being tailored specifically for fleets and first responders. This innovation sets a new standard for the electric motorcycle market, combining environmental benefits with practical, high-performance features.
The WMC300E+ stands out due to its exceptional aerodynamic performance and innovative battery design, which together enhance the motorcycle’s overall efficiency and capabilities. A key feature of the WMC300E+ is its patented V-Duct—a central air duct running through the middle of the motorcycle. This unique feature helps to reduce drag significantly, leading to improved performance, stability, and energy efficiency.
The V-Duct system, developed over years of research and refinement through WMC’s land-speed record projects, is designed to channel air efficiently through the motorcycle. In the WMC300E+, a dual-channel system is utilized, which boosts aerodynamic efficiency by 25%. This improvement directly contributes to better fuel efficiency, longer range, and smoother handling, making it an ideal choice for demanding fleets and emergency responders who require high-performance, low-emission vehicles.
The WMC300E+ motorcycle features a unique battery design developed by MAHLE Powertrain, which plays a key role in its quick charging and efficient operation. The T-shaped battery pack centralizes the mass for optimal performance, maximizes aerodynamic efficiency, and fits within the motorcycle’s compact design. It uses advanced Lithium Cobalt Oxide and Nickel Manganese Aluminium chemistry, enabling high charging rates and long lifespan, while also offering resistance to wear.
The battery integrates innovative cooling methods to maintain consistent temperatures, improving thermal performance and cell longevity. It also includes a DC-DC converter for simplified connections between the traction motor, charger, and 12V system. Designed with emergency personnel in mind, it can power auxiliary equipment such as lights and sirens, while maintaining practical storage space for items like a full-face helmet. Despite its large 11.9 kWh capacity, the design focuses on efficiency and usability.
The WMC300E+ electric motorcycle benefits from a collaborative design effort between MAHLE Powertrain and WMC. MAHLE’s Battery Engineering Centre in Northampton played a key role, utilizing advanced modeling, simulation, and testing to create a clean-sheet design that meets WMC's ambitious performance targets. The WMC300E+ boasts zero emissions, better acceleration than gasoline motorcycles, and a top speed of 100 mph, while maintaining excellent aerodynamic stability, even when carrying heavy loads.
The bike’s compact charging requirements make it ideal for first responders and last-mile delivery, with easy operation under a standard car license, making it accessible for paramedics. It also features high visibility for safety and eco-friendly construction, incorporating recycled carbon fiber. The battery design allows for fast charging and reduces the need for rare earth materials, minimizing downtime. The project received partial funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s ARMD2 program and builds upon the WMC300FR hybrid motorcycle project, which is being tested by UK emergency services.
Fucare Gemini X Electric Moped
The Fucare Gemini X Sport Dual Motor Dual Battery electric bike takes performance to extreme levels, surpassing typical electric bicycle regulations. With a top speed of 35 mph (56 km/h), it far exceeds the speed limits of standard e-bikes, effectively making it more of an electric moped than a bicycle. While it may not officially qualify as a motorbike yet, the bike's high performance raises significant regulatory questions. However, for now, the focus is on its impressive power and how it performs on the road as a high-speed e-moped.
Fucare Gemini X Sport tech specs:
Double the trouble, twice
The Fucare Gemini X Sport features dual motors and dual batteries, providing extra power but not significantly extending the range compared to standard single-motor models unless the power is limited. The bike includes nearly 1.5 kWh of battery capacity, which is quite substantial for an e-bike. Both batteries are housed within a unique, neat-looking trellis frame, earning praise for its distinct design. However, the frame's rear chainstays are problematic, as they are wide enough to cause heel strikes during pedaling, which is an issue users need to adjust to rather than one that should have been designed out.
The Fucare Gemini X Sport weighs a hefty 99 lbs (45 kg), largely due to its dual motors, dual batteries, and heavy components such as a dual crown suspension fork, 4" tires, fenders, rear rack, LED lights, and hydraulic disc brakes. While these features enhance the bike's usability, they contribute significantly to its weight. This bike is intended more as a moped or motorbike replacement, rather than a traditional e-bike, reaching speeds of over 30 mph (up to 35 mph in optimal conditions). Given its weight, it's not designed for easy lifting or portability but rather for confident, motorcycle-like riding. Weight savings were not a priority in its design.
The Fucare Gemini X Sport is priced at $1,699, offering excellent value with features like 1,500W of power, dual motors, dual batteries, and speeds of over 30 mph. This performance-to-price ratio is hard to beat, especially for an e-bike with such high specifications. However, the bike exceeds typical Class 2 and Class 3 e-bike regulations in many areas, making it more suitable for off-road use unless adjusted to comply with local laws for on-road riding. Riders should be aware of their responsibility, particularly in shared spaces, and take necessary safety precautions like wearing a helmet and jacket.
Powering E-Bike with Discarded Vape Batteries
A British man modified his e-bike using discarded vape batteries, managing to ride 20 miles with minimal pedaling. In this unconventional experiment, he repurposed the small, rechargeable batteries from used vapes to power his e-bike's motor, creating a makeshift battery pack. Despite the batteries being designed for much smaller devices, the modified bike still functioned, demonstrating that with some ingenuity, even seemingly useless items can be re-purposed for alternative uses. However, this setup is highly unconventional, potentially unsafe, and not recommended for the average rider due to the risks involved, including fire hazards or battery malfunctions.
"A battery is simply a power source, and with sufficient quantities of them, it’s possible to power virtually anything. It emphasizes the versatility of batteries when combined in larger capacities to drive different types of devices or machines".
A "What On Earth?" Moment
YouTuber Chris Doel has ingeniously created an e-bike battery using discarded disposable vape batteries, powering the bike for 20 miles with minimal pedaling. While the idea of riding an e-bike that operates mostly on its own power is not recommended for public roads, this project is notable for its environmental significance. By reusing waste batteries, Doel demonstrates a creative way to repurpose e-waste and reduce environmental impact, even if it’s not ideal for regular use or legal on public roads.
Starting in June 2025, disposable vapes will be banned in the UK due to their environmental impact, as 260 million vapes are discarded each year. These vapes contain enough lithium to create 1.3 million e-bike batteries or 49 million mobile phone batteries. Interestingly, many disposable vapes actually contain rechargeable batteries, which YouTuber Chris Doel repurposed to create a battery for an electric bike.
While the battery is often the most expensive part of an e-bike, cheaper batteries can sometimes cut corners, particularly in their battery management systems (BMS). The BMS is crucial because it helps prevent fires or explosions if a cell malfunctions. This project not only highlights the potential of repurposing waste but also draws attention to the importance of proper battery safety and management in electric vehicles.
In his latest experiment, Chris Doel aimed to power an electric bike using vape batteries. E-bike batteries typically consist of 18650 lithium cells, which are also used in devices like laptops and electric cars. These cells are grouped to achieve the desired capacity, with each group providing around 3.6V. To create a 36V battery, manufacturers stack 10 groups together.
A crucial component of e-bike batteries is the Battery Management System (BMS), which monitors the health and safety of each cell. The BMS ensures the cells are functioning properly by tracking their voltage. Cheaper batteries often lack a BMS, which is vital for safety.
For his project, Doel used 130 vape cells to create a 48V battery. After stripping the cells, he completed the necessary technical steps to ensure they operated correctly and then assembled them into 3D-printed modules. The result was a working e-bike battery, showcasing the potential of repurposing vape battery cells for sustainable e-bike power.
Chris Doel successfully repurposed vape batteries to create a 48V, 1,500W e-bike battery, achieving a top speed of 32mph. While riding the bike in non-pedal assist mode, it no longer qualifies as an EAPC (electrically assisted pedal cycle) and would require the proper insurance to ride on public roads or trails.
The video’s main focus wasn't just on the unique project but on raising awareness about electrical waste. Doel highlighted how disposable vapes, often considered waste, contain rechargeable batteries that can be reused and last up to 300 cycles. With a ban on disposable vapes coming in June 2025, the video prompts reflection on the broader issue of waste and how to better manage and repurpose it.
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