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An electric folding bike protoype that’s small enough to fit inside a backpack is on the way to beating its Kickstarter funding goal by six fold.
Dubbed the ‘Impossible’, the concept is built around the tiny wheels as opposed to the frame. According to the designers, the rider’s weight is evenly spread across the carbon fibre frame, with a central steel connecting box enabling the bike to carry a rider of up to 180 pounds/85 kilograms.
In order to minimise the package, the NeverWet-coated saddle doubles as the folded bike’s carry case, simply clipping on when in use.
With ten 2900mah 10A 3.6V 44.5g batteries, the e-bike can travel up to 12.4 mph for 45 minutes, per charge, or at "normal speed" for up to 15.6 miles. The motor meanwhile is a customised brushless DC unit designed solely for the Impossible.
Having met it’s goal early on in the funding schedule, the creators have now added several stretch goals ranging up to $1,000,000, at which point the Impossible will become a whole lot more customisable. At $700,000 the company will add GPS and bluetooth functionality to assist riders with their journeys.
The downside of the compact design is that it’s completely pedal free, relying solely on its charge, so if you were to run out of juice it’d become a scooter for the remainder of the journey.
To grab one of the first of the production line for just $530 (carbon fibre Kickstarter exclusive design), see here.
