Canyon presents four-wheel e-bike concept
The German bicycle and e-bike manufacturer Canyon presented its Future Mobility Concept, a mixture of electric car and pedelec. The four-wheeled vehicle with pedelec drive is designed to be driven on cycle paths or the road.
Unlike some other four-wheeled e-bike concepts, the Future Mobility Concept is not a cargo bike. Some of these concepts – such as the Citkar Loadster or the EAVan – are primarily intended for inner-city logistics. Instead, Canyon has developed a “revolutionary alternative to both the automobile and the bicycle” primarily as a commuter vehicle.
While the cab of four-wheeled cargo bikes is usually open to the side, exposing the driver to the weather, the Koblenz-based company has designed a “panoramic capsule”. The driver is protected all around and should have a good view of everything through the large windows. In hot weather, the panorama capsule should be able to be opened so that the Future Mobility Concept can be driven like a convertible. In the opposite case, a heating system is also to be included on board to prevent fogging of the windows on cold and humid days.
In addition to an adult, the capsule can accommodate a child (up to 140 cm tall) or luggage, according to Canyon. The aerodynamically designed vehicle is 2.3 meters long, 83 centimeters wide, about one meter high and has a wheelbase of 1.68 meters. The track width on both axles is 76 centimeters.
According to the WLTP test cycle, a range of 150 kilometres can be achieved with a battery capacity of around two kilowatt hours. The driver still has to pedal, and an electric motor supports them in doing so. On the cycle path, the maximum speed is reduced to 25 km/h, which means that the Future Mobility Concept is no faster than an e-bike. To prevent the vehicle from becoming a rolling traffic obstacle on the road and to avoid dangerous overtaking maneuvers, the manufacturer promises that up to 60 km/h will be possible in road mode.
Canyon developed the 95 kilogram Future Mobility Concept together with the RWTH Aachen University. The idea is to keep the vehicle on the road as long as possible (to take advantage of the speed benefits) and only switch to the cycle path in the event of a traffic jam.
So far, however, the Future Mobility Concept is only a prototype. According to Canyon, it is a “decisive step in re-imagining how bicycle technology can reclaim space on the streets. It is a clean vehicle, a statement, and a sign of what’s to come”. The unique vehicle is currently on display in the company’s showroom at its headquarters in Koblenz.
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