Just spotted this one on the BBC news...
BBC NEWS | Business | Toshiba plans bike battery plant
I've been interested in the SCiBs since I first heard of them a couple of years ago, but haven't seen any in the flesh yet. Maybe I'll have one by christmas 2010.
Probably not Fecn. SCiBs are a fast charge technology but very bulky for a given capacity. For example, the bike mentioned from Schwinn, who are noted for their gimmicky approach to e-bikes, has a full size battery but the motor system is low powered since the battery is unable to deliver anything like the same amount as a conventional Li-ion.
SCiB is really a car technology to enable very fast recharging at frequent stop points, something Toshiba have been researching for years via Li-cobalt, Li-polymer and now SCiB. They've made excited annual announcements as long as I can remember about these being on the market "in a year or so", but never coming to fruition. Indeed it was barely a year ago that they said it was Li-polymer that would deliver what they now say SCiB will.
Fast charging isn't really what e-bikes need so much as good range with low battery bulk, for which SCiB is the worst technology.
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