Giant Twist Freedom DX Electric Bike, 75 Miles per Charge
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 03.11.08
Before you ask, it comes out in May 2008 and will cost about $2000.
The Giant Twist Freedom DX works pretty much like a regular bike, except that a torque sensor monitors your pedaling and controls a 250-watt DC motor located in the front wheel. Power comes from two 26-volt lithium-ion batteries (range of up to 75 miles/120 kilometers).
The motor supplements your muscles and help you keep a steady pace; "pedal harder and the motor settles down, take a rest and it kicks into overdrive." There's a controller on the handlebar that allows you to switch between three modes, each with different ratios of emphasis of muscle vs. motor. The manufacturer, Giant, hopes that it will be popular in developing countries as a low-cost alternative to cars. ::Electric Bike Hits 75 Miles Per Charge, Could See Third World.
See also: ::Schwinn's New Line of Electric Bikes, ::Intriguing Electric Bike: The EV-X7 Prototype, ::Wayback Machine 1947: Electric Bike, ::eZee Quando - A Folding Electric Bike. Photo: Levi Brown, Popular Mechanics
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