Electric Compact Bike by Mando Converts Pedaling to Electricity

There are a lot of reasons why someone turns their attention towards caring for and preserving the environment. Some people have directly experienced how the requirements of an exploding population and the modern, technology-focused world have drained our planet, causing illness, hunger and poverty. Others are extremely concerned about climate change, and watch the shrinking of the ice caps with trepidation. But for most of us, it is the ever-increasing expense of trips to the gas pumps that really get us moving on the path towards environmental consciousness. Hybrid and electric vehicles certainly help the cause, extending our dollars and helping control the devastating harm fossil fuel exhaust does to the planet. Public transportation is also hugely beneficial, and anyone who takes a bus or a train to work is helping to lower our collective carbon footprint. The best option will always be manpowered transportation, but you can’t walk everywhere. Bicycles are a fantastic choice for getting from point A to point B, and electric bikes can extend your range well beyond comfortable physical exertion. Bicycle manufacturer Mando has recently announced an incredible innovation, an e-bike known as the Footloose.

This recent release is truly the next generation in electrical bicycles. It works as many other electric bikes do, when a fully-charged battery can zip you around town with zero carbon emissions. But the Footloose is both lighter and les expensive than similar two- or four-wheeled vehicles, while also offering users a way to refuel the battery while on the go. The Footloose doesn’t have any sort of chain or gears you must contend with, but it does have pedals that link directly with the motor and the battery. That means if the battery begins to run low, you can actually recharge it simply by pedaling.

The easy pedaling will generate additional power that heads right into the alternator. That alternator turns your energy into electricity that then fuels the motor. According to the announcement by Mando, the bike will take you around twenty miles on a full battery. And the pedaling that creates more energy will actually keep the electric motor going as long as you continue to do the work. That means the bike’s range can truly be considered endless. But the best part is the flexibility possible with the absence of the gears and chain. Since everything is so streamlined, the bike can actually be folded clear in half, for a simple transition from riding the bike to riding the subway or bus. It’s a great option for city commuters who must take a couple different means of transportation to get to their destination.

Although Mando is a Korean company, the Footloose is a truly international development. The design team included Mark Sanders, a British designer, Han Goes, an e-bike master from the Netherlands, and Korean’s Meister Inc. While the bike is ready for marketing, don’t expect to see it incorporated in a limo service in Houston any time soon. It will first roll out in European cities in early 2013, before eventually making its way into the United States.