Slovenian startup Noordung presented the first prototype of an urban electric bicycle (N-01), which connects cycling with music and introduces other innovative solutions for the excellence of the user experience while cycling on city streets. Or as they say at Noordung: "When Tesla and Dr. Dre.''
Slovenian startup Noordung (the inspiration for the name came from the Slovenian Herman Potočnik - Noordung, a rocket engineer and the father of cosmonautics, space flights and technologies) was presented by the first a prototype of a high-end urban electric bicycle (under the working name N-01). The final product, which we are still three prototypes away from and which you will also be able to co-design, will land on the crowdfunding platform in the final stage Kickstarter and April 2017, which is no coincidence, because then we will celebrate 200th anniversary of the invention of the wheel (it was a two-wheeler without a drive with the possibility of steering the front wheel of an airplane, registered in 1817 by the German inventor Baron Karl von Drais and given the name Laufmaschine, i.e. running machine, but later he also heard the name Velocipede or 'Draisine').
It is the heart of the electric bicycle of Slovenian knowledge multifunctional "Powerbox" (in addition to powering the electric motor, it assists the rider while riding, enables music playback and charging of electronic devices via USB interfaces) with an integrated sound system, which via connection Bluetooth allows you to play music from your smartphone. According to Gregor Fras, founder and director of Noordung, they are cycling and music inextricably linked: "We believe that commuting to work or running errands is not just moving from one point to another, but the pleasure that the journey offers you. Cycling represents freedom for us from a young age, which we wanted to enhance with the pleasure of listening to music. Today, cyclists mainly listen to music through headphones, which is extremely dangerous, because with them the perception of the surroundings is practically zero." And he continues: "Noordung is the first in the world to properly address the user experience of listening to music while cycling, which is, for example, one of the key components of the user experience in motoring. Basically, the idea of Noordung is, like if Tesla and Dr. met. Dre!”, and finally sums up the essence of a high-end urban electric bicycle plastically and jokingly
As mentioned, it is the first phase of a four-stage development. In the next one, they will focus on developing their own frame design and components, which will be made of carbon fiber, as they want to prepare the lightest electric bike in the world.
READ MORE: BiWa: exercise bike that is also a washing machine
Did you know that the average European owns more bicycles than any other means of transport? Can you guess which category within the cycling industry has been the fastest growing in Europe in recent years? If you said the electric bike category, then you were right (the industry represents 6 percent of all bikes sold). By 2020, according to projections, sales of electric bicycles in the EU should already represent 10 percent of all bikes sold.
More information:
noordung.com