OSLO: The Norwegian startup Podbike is launching its first hybrid vehicle - half bike, half car.
Classed as an electric bike, it lets riders enjoy the benefits of cycling with a new level of comfort. Production is expected to start in spring 2022.
After lengthy development work, Podbike is finally releasing its first electric bicycle with a closed cabin.
Halfway between a bicycle and a car, this new mode of transport allows the rider to pedal in a comfortable seated position, while benefiting from electric assistance.
Named Frikar, this strange four-wheeled contraption is classed as an electric bicycle, and can therefore be used on cycle paths.
Its design has been developed to ensure even less air resistance than a conventional bike, but with more comfort, of course, since the rider is seated and protected from the elements.
Heating is even available as an option. According to Podbike, anyone between 1.50 and 2 metres tall can hop in and ride this ebike. There is even space to add a child seat, again as an optional extra.
Its motor promises a speed of 25kph, reaching up to 60kph downhill. As for range, this varies from 50km to 80km, depending on the type of roads taken and the average speed.
Through this new vehicle, Podbike's objective is to help people transition to more efficient and sustainable modes of transportation, even if they are as original and expensive as this ebike, which costs €6,249 (RM30,000)
Note that in 2020, the German bicycle manufacturer Canyon presented a similar concept - a veritable vision of the mobility of the future - taking the form of a strange-looking capsule with a passenger compartment that can open completely if it gets too hot, a bit like a convertible car.
