5 ms·

What If Apple Made an E-Bike?

16 points by herbertl 4y ago

morsch 4y ago
It'll be difficult to steal (location tracking, authenticated parts), do one unexpected thing really well that will be everywhere two years later (the acceleration will be "retina"? self adjusting headlights? traction control?) and you'll need an Apple device to use the full functionality. And it'll be 4000 EUR.
- mikestew 4y ago
  And it'll be 4000 EUR. So it'll be price-competitive, you think? Because the e-bike I'm riding cost $3K EUR, and that's before inflation decided to take a run for the double-digits. Frankly, this is something right up there with "Apple is going to make a car", "Apple is going to make a TV", only this author at least admits it's only a "what if?". I can't picture Apple ever doing this. OTOH, 20 years ago I wouldn't have guessed they'd make a music player, either.
  - morsch 4y ago
    Sure, it'll be priced competitively with the premium segment, like most Apple stuff. In the hypothetical world where Apple is doing this. Then they'll release a pro version that's 150% the price. The bike frame will be 8mm in diameter. Who asked for that? Everybody, after that.
- Schroedingersat 4y ago
  > And it'll be 4000 EUR. Those are rookie numbers. One the bougie bikes scale that's like a second hand non-electric pino. Gotta pump those numbers up.
shubb 4y ago
E-bikes are interesting because they are a hack. The way most people use E-Bikes is as an unlicensed motorbike. Every city is full of food gig-workers who need a super cheap motorbike they can ride on the pavement. That's what they are for. If Apple made an e-bike, they'd have to follow regulations. Most people don't want a legal e-bike. They want a motorbike they don't have to insure for a very low cost. They want to go at 20 miles an hour without pedaling. Apple can't make an e-bike, just like they can't run a pirate movie website.
- PopAlongKid 4y ago
  >The way most people use E-Bikes is as an unlicensed motorbike Not just food delivery, but even allegedly recreational users abuse them. In the urban area where I live there is a network of paved trails that are well-used by walkers, runners, and cyclists (dozens of paved miles with some bridges or underpasses to ease crossing major streets). Even though motorized vehicles are prohibited, I'm told by the former director of the regional park district that e-bike users are able to flaunt the law because of ADA (disabled) access rules, apparently they can pretend their e-bike is just like a motorized wheelchair or scooter for a disabled person. They often zip by pedestrians from behind, squeezing through two-way traffic, never ringing a bell when passing, at relatively high speeds. I strongly believe they should have to display a license plate and be insured, and wear a helmet too. I've also considered how I might be able to carry some kind of stick or rod projecting out to my left as I walk on the right, so that they have to give me a few feet of clearance to avoid hitting it.
  - Schroedingersat 4y ago
    > never ringing a bell when passing, at relatively high speeds. Bells are a problem because they make passing less safe at closing speeds over 2mph as people tend to react very unpredictably. When used at 0 closing speed people often interpret them as aggressive. I find the safest passing strategy on mixed paths is usually to slow to walking speed with 3m clearance until there is a grassy area or wide driveway/road/similar to pass with a wide berth, and to use the freewheel to make a bit of noise so it's not a surprise. I think the solution (in addition to reducing the number of overpowered and fast vehicles) is probably a PR campaign of some kind to encourage some kind of predictable behavior (one ring means 'please do not move I am passing owly with 2ft of clearance' or similar) > I strongly believe they should have to display a license plate and be insured, and wear a helmet too That's just conceding that shared paths and bike paths should be more like roads, and then punishing the few people doing the right thing. Actually enforce the laws that already exist, and if that's not enough make ebikes more like bikes (smaller, lighter, slower). I'm here for more LEVs (whether number plated or not), but they're not bikes, they do not belong on pedestrian paths, and adding pedals to one doesn't make it a bike. 200W or 250W power limits (as the real upper limit, not the horribly flawed test process euro standard bikes use that makes it more of a lower limit) and 15mph motor-speed limitations based on real physical design instead of software. If that's not enough, reduce the power further or make it scale down with speeds above 5mph.
rchaud 4y ago
Why does it have to be Apple? What can Apple genuinely bring to this market, besides another subscription service? It isn't just this e-bike fanfic, in years past, there have also been highly popular articles exhorting Apple to make a better TV, or even an electric car. Why? Apple has never made built anything more ambitious than...a phone. And once it succeeded there, it went on to turn the phone into a walled-off services platform. Apple today isn't a gadget company so much as another boring SaaS vendor.
- Maursault 4y ago
  > Apple has never made built anything more ambitious than...a phone. Apple Park is more ambitious than iPhone. They should have a subscription service for building corporate headquarters and corner that lucrative market. "Welcome to iHQ."
btbuildem 4y ago
Hard paywall article linked, consider an alternate source?
sschueller 4y ago
It would probably be what Stromer [1] builds. [1] https://www.stromerbike.com/ https://www.stromerbike.com/

16 points by herbertl 4y ago

It'll be difficult to steal (location tracking, authenticated parts), do one unexpected thing really well that will be everywhere two years later (the acceleration will be "retina"? self adjusting headlights? traction control?) and you'll need an Apple device to use the full functionality. And it'll be 4000 EUR.

mikestew 4y ago
And it'll be 4000 EUR. So it'll be price-competitive, you think? Because the e-bike I'm riding cost $3K EUR, and that's before inflation decided to take a run for the double-digits. Frankly, this is something right up there with "Apple is going to make a car", "Apple is going to make a TV", only this author at least admits it's only a "what if?". I can't picture Apple ever doing this. OTOH, 20 years ago I wouldn't have guessed they'd make a music player, either.
- morsch 4y ago
  Sure, it'll be priced competitively with the premium segment, like most Apple stuff. In the hypothetical world where Apple is doing this. Then they'll release a pro version that's 150% the price. The bike frame will be 8mm in diameter. Who asked for that? Everybody, after that.
Schroedingersat 4y ago
> And it'll be 4000 EUR. Those are rookie numbers. One the bougie bikes scale that's like a second hand non-electric pino. Gotta pump those numbers up.

shubb 4y ago

E-bikes are interesting because they are a hack. The way most people use E-Bikes is as an unlicensed motorbike. Every city is full of food gig-workers who need a super cheap motorbike they can ride on the pavement. That's what they are for. If Apple made an e-bike, they'd have to follow regulations. Most people don't want a legal e-bike. They want a motorbike they don't have to insure for a very low cost. They want to go at 20 miles an hour without pedaling. Apple can't make an e-bike, just like they can't run a pirate movie website.

PopAlongKid 4y ago
>The way most people use E-Bikes is as an unlicensed motorbike Not just food delivery, but even allegedly recreational users abuse them. In the urban area where I live there is a network of paved trails that are well-used by walkers, runners, and cyclists (dozens of paved miles with some bridges or underpasses to ease crossing major streets). Even though motorized vehicles are prohibited, I'm told by the former director of the regional park district that e-bike users are able to flaunt the law because of ADA (disabled) access rules, apparently they can pretend their e-bike is just like a motorized wheelchair or scooter for a disabled person. They often zip by pedestrians from behind, squeezing through two-way traffic, never ringing a bell when passing, at relatively high speeds. I strongly believe they should have to display a license plate and be insured, and wear a helmet too. I've also considered how I might be able to carry some kind of stick or rod projecting out to my left as I walk on the right, so that they have to give me a few feet of clearance to avoid hitting it.
- Schroedingersat 4y ago
  > never ringing a bell when passing, at relatively high speeds. Bells are a problem because they make passing less safe at closing speeds over 2mph as people tend to react very unpredictably. When used at 0 closing speed people often interpret them as aggressive. I find the safest passing strategy on mixed paths is usually to slow to walking speed with 3m clearance until there is a grassy area or wide driveway/road/similar to pass with a wide berth, and to use the freewheel to make a bit of noise so it's not a surprise. I think the solution (in addition to reducing the number of overpowered and fast vehicles) is probably a PR campaign of some kind to encourage some kind of predictable behavior (one ring means 'please do not move I am passing owly with 2ft of clearance' or similar) > I strongly believe they should have to display a license plate and be insured, and wear a helmet too That's just conceding that shared paths and bike paths should be more like roads, and then punishing the few people doing the right thing. Actually enforce the laws that already exist, and if that's not enough make ebikes more like bikes (smaller, lighter, slower). I'm here for more LEVs (whether number plated or not), but they're not bikes, they do not belong on pedestrian paths, and adding pedals to one doesn't make it a bike. 200W or 250W power limits (as the real upper limit, not the horribly flawed test process euro standard bikes use that makes it more of a lower limit) and 15mph motor-speed limitations based on real physical design instead of software. If that's not enough, reduce the power further or make it scale down with speeds above 5mph.

rchaud 4y ago

Why does it have to be Apple? What can Apple genuinely bring to this market, besides another subscription service? It isn't just this e-bike fanfic, in years past, there have also been highly popular articles exhorting Apple to make a better TV, or even an electric car. Why? Apple has never made built anything more ambitious than...a phone. And once it succeeded there, it went on to turn the phone into a walled-off services platform. Apple today isn't a gadget company so much as another boring SaaS vendor.

Maursault 4y ago
> Apple has never made built anything more ambitious than...a phone. Apple Park is more ambitious than iPhone. They should have a subscription service for building corporate headquarters and corner that lucrative market. "Welcome to iHQ."

btbuildem 4y ago

Hard paywall article linked, consider an alternate source?

sschueller 4y ago

It would probably be what Stromer [1] builds. [1] https://www.stromerbike.com/ https://www.stromerbike.com/