Across the globe, the pedal powered movement is going electric.
Simple electric-assisted bikes are being used everywhere from bike tours
through the Alps to everyday bikes for hilly cities. Here in our own
hilly city, Bernal Heights’ e-bike shop, The New Wheel,
is leading the charge. Last week they added a new addition to their
electric fleet: A solar-powered charging station to power your e-bike—or
any other battery product that needs some juice.
The New Wheel owner Karen Wiener describes the SolarPump as a “public
power station” that anyone can use, free of charge. The only
stipulation, she says, is that’s it’s BYOP (bring your own plug). The
station can charge up to four e-bikes at a time, giving these
battery-assisted bikes enough juice to make it up the steepest of San
Francisco hills. On average, The New Wheel’s e-bikes run 60 miles on a
single charge, though a full assist up Twin Peaks might knock that down a
few miles per solar.
Check out this video
that shows the power of the e-bike to cruise up San Francisco hills.
The SolarPump is the brainchild of Beth Ferguson, director of Sol Designs,
who designed it for music festivals. It’s been used at Coachella, South
by Southwest and will be heading to Outside Lands this fall. The
station itself made from the hollowed-out belly of a 1950s gas pump, a
fitting shell for something that powers an automobile alternative.
For now, it’s on loan to The New Wheel, and anyone who wants to coast
on by with their e-bike or plug in their laptop or phone. While it’s
charging your phone, pop into The New Wheel and test ride one of their
e-bikes. You might just find yourself the new pedal-powered revolution.
And this revolution is, in this case, solarized.
