This Wheel Gadget Can Convert Bicycles Into Electric Vehicles
Right off the bat, Michael Burtov declares that he and his team at tech startup GeoOrbital did not re-invent the wheel. But — in a sense — they did.
After two years and five prototypes, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup has established a new type of electric bicycle wheel that navigated the company into crowdfunding fame raising more than $1.2 million at a record-setting pace on Kickstarter.
This bicycle wheel has all the main components of an electric vehicle —battery, a 500-watt motor and a suit of electronics — all set to fit perfectly into the radial of a wheel prepared out of high-density foam to avoid a flat.
Michael Burtov, CEO & founder of Geobital, says: “What the unique thing about this wheel is that we rearranged it. We kind of re-imagined how we put these things together.”
“Were as normally you would have a battery in one place and motor in another place and a wheel in a third place, and then you would have all of the electronics sprinkled all over the place, we just put it in one package.”
That package makes up an electric wheel that can be involved to virtually any bicycle — converting it into an electric bike that can accelerate to 20 miles per hour in six seconds.
With no pedaling the wheel has a range of 20 miles but averages 50 miles with a bit of help from the rider.
"It's not a more efficient system, it's just a more practical and applicable system," said Burtov, adding that his wheel has a USB port, enabling riders to charge their smartphones on the go. The first wheel orders are scheduled for delivery in February 2017.