RevoPower

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RevoPower
Manufacturer RevoPower
Production 2008–[1]
Class Motor bike
Engine 23 cc two-stroke cycle
1.1 hp (0.8 kW) 7500 rpm (maximum)
Weight 15 lb (6.8 kg)
Fuel capacity 1 liter

RevoPower is the name of both a motorized bicycle wheel, made to turn normal bicycles into a motor-assisted one, and the Denver, Colorado based company that produces them. The Wheel, which has a gasoline powered engine inside it, allows the bike to which it is it is attached to travel up to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) at over 100 mpg (U.S.) (2.4 l/100 km).[2][3] It is made to replace a standard 26 inch bicycle wheel,[3] and to be able to run off a standard two-stroke mixture of gasoline and oil.[1][2] According to the inventor, it was designed to be fuel efficient personal transportation for commuters, college students, and other specialty uses.[4][5]

Contents

[edit] History

In 1997, Steve Katsaros, the creator of the Wheel, visited a manufacturer who was experimenting with making electric powered bicycle taxis.[4] He did not like the electric design, and began to think about how to power a bicycle with a gasoline engine, eventually deciding to keep the engine inside the wheel of the bicycle, so that it could be added or removed easily.[4][5] In 2002, Katsaros filed a patent on the design, and submitted it in various contests, including one in Design News, in which he won an Excellence in Engineering Award.[6] After news of the award was published on Slashdot, Katsaros received hundreds of emails regarding the product, including one from John Richards, who began discussing business with Katsaros.[6] On May 16, 2003, Katsaros and Richards founded RevoPower, Inc.[4][6] Its release has been postponed numerous times, having been planned variously for the second quarter of 2004,[5] late 2005,[7] early 2007,[3] and being hopefully expected for early to mid-2008 as of May 2007.[8]

[edit] Design

The Wheel's design is covered by numerous patents in over 26 countries.[6] In order to fit the entire engine inside the Wheel, it was designed using SolidWorks to deal with the technical challenges of building an engine in a bicycle's wheel.[9] The engine is a 25 cc two-stroke cycle design, capable of producing 1 horsepower (800 W), and doing up to about 20 mph (32 km/h) on level ground, [3] while getting about 100 mpg (U.S.) (2.4 l/100 km).[2] The wheel conforms to CARB and EPA emissions regulations, with the company noting "The Wheel stops when you stop, eliminating idling".[2] Later models are expected to include four-stroke, ethanol, and hybrid and trybrid engines.[1]

Although the company intends the Wheel to be used by people who are not mechanically inclined, it can be installed by a dealer.[1] The Wheel's initial release will fit only 26 inch or 700c wheel bicycles, although later models may be made in other sizes.[1] The design of the Wheel allows the bike to which it is attached to be powered by traditional pedaling, the motor alone, or a combination of the two.[3] As a safety feature, it shuts itself off if the rider falls off.[7]

The release of the RevoPower wheel has been indefinitely postponed. RevoPower has delayed the launch of retail sales mainly to set up a dealer network for installation, even though anyone could install it themselves. It involves little more than changing the bike's front wheel. They chose not to sell directly to consumers and this was the downfall of this great idea (though many power wheels have been available in the past 50 years). Plus, the retail price of the unit kept increasing even though not one unit was ever sold, so by the time it would have been launched, it would have been overpriced. Also, their website solicits prospective buyers to subscribe to their email list to keep them informed, but the signup doesn't work and they have never fixed it.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e RevoPower - Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
  2. ^ a b c d RevoPower - Specifications. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
  3. ^ a b c d e Aaronson, Lauren. Pedaling is so 2005. Popular Science. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
  4. ^ a b c d Katsaros, Steve. Message from the Inventor. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
  5. ^ a b c Berry-Helmlinger, Lyn. "Company ready to roll out new Revolution Wheel", Denver Business Journal, 2003-09-26. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. 
  6. ^ a b c d RevoPower, Inc. (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  7. ^ a b Crowe, Paul (2005-11-07). RevoPower Wheel. The Kneeslider. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
  8. ^ RevoPower, Steve Katsaros, Rutt Bridges Venture Capital Fund Recipient and BPC Winner (2007-05-04). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
  9. ^ Denver-Based RevoPower Taps SolidWorks Software to Reinvent the Wheel… the Bike Wheel, That is. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.

[edit] External links