Zedfactory Foreverzed Electric Bike system

[BrianP]

What a great concept

http://www.zedfactory.com/zedtransport_brochure.pdf

Brian

 

[tillson]

It's a wonderful concept and it would be nice to see rotund, jolly faced policemen in tunics watching over the charging points as fellow commuters exchange casual pleasantries in the warm afternoon sun. Unfortunately, I know things that I wish I didn't know and so I have to say, it will never catch on or stand any chance of working.

 

[Cyclezee]

The bike frame looks like it needs some serious design changes.

I don't quite understand the reason for the steeply angled rear battery rack and can't quite see anyone of normal stature being to mount it without the use of a stepladder, then how do you get off

 

[Blew it]

The general idea is good, the choice of bike ridiculous. A huge cumbersome lump of a thing. No provision for carrying personal items, and difficult to maintain in a safe rideable condition.

A far better machine, with a greater range and proven reliability, would be a Panasonic powered low-step fitted with 18ah battery and full panniers.

 

[flash]

I thought for a moment that this thread was about zed cred

Urban Dictionary: zed cred


or about the mz factory in Zschopau which is a place I once rode to using zed cred

Motorenwerke Zschopau

Shame it's far too green - cos I love the smell of two stroke in the morning

 

[BrianP]

I live on the south coast between the New Forest and the sea. Very high proportion of retired people. Not too hilly, lots of pleasant places to ride. I asked my local bike shop, a Giant agent, if they sold any electric bikes. Hardly any was their reply. I was puzzled by this - until I realised why. They all have free bus passes so why buy a bike. The government spend £1 billion per year on free bus passes for over 60's. Just imagine how much 1 billion would do for electric cycling in the UK. How much healthier for all.
Brian

 

[indalo]

The government spend £1 billion per year on free bus passes for over 60's. Just imagine how much 1 billion would do for electric cycling in the UK. How much healthier for all.
Brian

Ermm.....can you keep that one to yourself please Brian! Many of us make full use of a bus pass and see it as something that complements an ebike.

Indalo

 

[rog_london]

I live on the south coast between the New Forest and the sea. Very high proportion of retired people. Not too hilly, lots of pleasant places to ride. I asked my local bike shop, a Giant agent, if they sold any electric bikes. Hardly any was their reply. I was puzzled by this - until I realised why. They all have free bus passes so why buy a bike. The government spend £1 billion per year on free bus passes for over 60's. Just imagine how much 1 billion would do for electric cycling in the UK. How much healthier for all.
Brian

Not just on the South Coast, Brian. In London we get an Old Git's pass on steroids. If we take it as a given that the majority of e-bike riders and potential e-bike riders are the wrong side of 60 I'm fairly sure that because of free public travel this market is largely lost to cycling in general, apart from the fact that for many an e-bike would be a huge financial investment.

Not everyone has the drive to get an e-bike just for fun and exercise. The whole idea of cycling might terrify people who would consider cycling to be a dangerous pastime and therefore should be relegated to the young and foolish (as opposed to the old and second-childish!)

Rog.

 

[flecc]

I've been pension age in London for 11 years, but I've never had any free travel pass. It's walking, cycling and car for me. When I needed to do four weekday trips to Euston Road in central London in 2010 I tried the doubtful pleasures of our local feeder buses, tram system, South Eastern trains and the Victoria line tube using an oyster card. It just convinced me that I was doing the right thing by avoiding them.

 

[rog_london]

Of course you're exercising your personal choice, and that's as it should be. I'm tempted to go on about why the transport system in London impresses me but I'll avoid that, beyond saying that I'm still working and public transport is the only effective way to get to my numerous customers in Central London. This isn't the place to start a discussion or (more likely) an argument about that.

Rog.

 

[smudger1956]

The bike frame looks like it needs some serious design changes.

I don't quite understand the reason for the steeply angled rear battery rack and can't quite see anyone of normal stature being to mount it without the use of a stepladder, then how do you get off

Plus...they could have painted it rather than leave it in Red Oxide primer.........

 

[flecc]

Of course you're exercising your personal choice, and that's as it should be. I'm tempted to go on about why the transport system in London impresses me but I'll avoid that, beyond saying that I'm still working and public transport is the only effective way to get to my numerous customers in Central London. This isn't the place to start a discussion or (more likely) an argument about that.

Rog.

No argument, I agree Rog, I was favourably impressed with the tram and trains in particular. The problems are not of their doing, it's just that the services are often overwhelmed with such an excess of travellers at times, with no current possibilities of expansion.

 

[bazwaldo]

Isn't the main point about this thread the ability to Ebike with emissions free renewable electric power.
This is the "Holy Grail" for Ebikers isn't it?
I would love to be able to charge my Ebike battery using Solar panels and maybe wind turbine generated electric but have no practical knowledge about how viable this is.
With these modern roof solar panels springing up on roofs all over the place is this becoming a possibility?
What do fellow members think?

Barry.

 

[flash]

I've been pension age in London for 11 years, but I've never had any free travel pass. It's walking, cycling and car for me. When I needed to do four weekday trips to Euston Road in central London in 2010 I tried the doubtful pleasures of our local feeder buses, tram system, South Eastern trains and the Victoria line tube using an oyster card. It just convinced me that I was doing the right thing by avoiding them.

Flecc
You are lucky to have those choices, many of us that live in rural areas the choices are car, walk or bike. The railway station is 2.5 miles away from the town, the buses run every 2 hours. The roads are congested and even gridlocked when the M6 has problems.
Ebikes are gifts from the gods round here for us semi retired folk

 

[flecc]

Flecc
You are lucky to have those choices, many of us that live in rural areas the choices are car, walk or bike. The railway station is 2.5 miles away from the town, the buses run every 2 hours. The roads are congested and even gridlocked when the M6 has problems.
Ebikes are gifts from the gods round here for us semi retired folk

I certainly appreciate how that feels. I once lived in a remote village for a couple of years where we had one bus a week on Wednesday to go into the nearest town which was 13 very hilly miles away. The empty bus came in the morning to take villagers into the town, two hours for shopping there and then the bus trip back to the village, the bus then returning empty to it's base. Since that was wartime when no-one had cars, missing the bus was a disaster.