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Ford to save you from BIKE FITNESS HORROR

No more uphill... literally

A wider plan

The bike projects are part of a wider Ford Smart Mobility plan with a new experiment to study how electric bicycles can work seamlessly with cars and public transport to deliver faster and easier daily commutes and help businesses operating in urban centres.

Both e-bikes are have a 200-watt motor with 9-amp-hour battery that provides electric pedal assist for speeds of up to 25km/h and a range of around 35km. The prototype e-bikes offer technology inspired by the automotive industry including, for example, a rear-facing ultrasonic sensor.

This enables a rider alert system that both warns the cyclist when a vehicle is overtaking, by vibrating both handlebars, and alerts motorists of the presence of the e-bike by illuminating handlebar lights.

Similar prompts are used for the MoDe: Link app which runs on an iPhone, and the satnav will vibrate the handlebars when you need to turn.

The app can identify bike-friendly roads, hazards and alerts, and will be able to sense, and communicate with other vehicles, much like the Volvo/Ericsson/POC crash helmet.

There is no getting away from the car however, and the app will work out where you should drive your car before getting out and hopping on your bike for a park-and-ride where you don’t have to sit on a bus. Map includes weather, parking costs, and charging stations.

After users input a destination, the MoDe:Link app lists possible journeys and then provides step-by-step or turn-by-turn navigation. This might include driving to a train station, taking an e-bike onto the train, then riding the bike from the train stop to the final destination.

The app also updates the route as circumstances change. For example, if a train service is cancelled, the app could recommend that a commuter drive instead.

The bike balances speed and comfort, the electric pedal assist rate can be adjusted based on heart rate, and “No Sweat” mode reduces the requirement to pedal, allowing riders to arrive fresh at their destination.

Still very much an experiment, the bicycles are all part of Ford’s connected car strategy. This will include the use of sensors on cars to collect data about surroundings which can be passed on to other vehicles. The poster child for this is to use wheel sensors to detect ice and then show that on the navigation screen of other cars.

Ford is not the only company working on such things. Volvo showed similar technology developed in conjunction with Ericsson.

While Ford's connected bikes are novel, the connected car is starting to become mainstream at MWC. ®

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