There's a case brewing in Springfield (near Eugene), Oregon that could set a precedent and clarify several legal issues around the operation of electric-assisted bicycles. We broke down much of the legal morass around e-bikes in a post last year, but adding complexity — and confusion — to the issues are cases where the bicycle operator has a suspended or revoked driver's license.

Here's a snip from the Register-Guard, which reported on a case involving Springfield resident and e-bike rider Paul McClain earlier this month: (more...)

If you ride an e-bike, PSU wants to hear from you.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Researchers at Portland State University are looking for interview subjects for a project on e-bikes. Jennifer Dill, an associate professor at the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, got in touch with us with the news.

Dill says it's a small, exploratory research project intended to further their understanding of the e-bike market and e-bike users. "This may lead to a larger study of the role e-bikes play in bicycle transportation."

Here's some text from a flyer to recruit interview subjects:
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Neat event coming up for e-bike fans this Sunday from 1-4 at PSU Engineering Building atrium (1930 SW 4th). Here's the blurb, followed by event flyer:

Local builders of electric vehicles will be displaying their creations to showcase the present state of electric vehicle engineering and technology and to allow local electric vehicle builders to meet. Open to the public, especially those interested in "green" transportation and recent developments in electric bicycle engineering and small electric vehicles.

Event is sponsored by the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Endless Sphere web forum.

E-bikes are popping up all
over Portland these days.
(Illustration: Mark Young/Portland Storyboard)

Whether you like them or not, electric bikes have arrived and it looks like they're here to stay. E-bikes can now be found in almost every local bike shop, major manufacturers are adding e-assist to a growing number of urban and cargo bikes, and e-bikes can be spotted among bike traffic more and more. But what about the laws governing their specifications and usage?

This isn't intended to be legal advice, as I'm not a lawyer, but a brief summary of e-bike related law at the federal, state, and local levels. (more...)

Now at OMSI.
(Photos: Scott Ewing)

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) has installed a solar canopy charging station for electric vehicles. The station includes infrastructure for charging e-bikes, and according to OMSI, it's the first such facility in North America to provide "a solution for the increasing use of alternative transportation." (more...)

The Express from Giant is one of
the models available for rent.

Two local businesses have teamed up to put more electric bikes on the road in Portland.

A new partnership between The eBike Store (201 N Alberta Ave) and Pedal Bike Tours (2249 N Williams Ave) gives tourists and locals alike a chance for a guided bike tour of Portland on an e-bike or an extended test ride on one of the e-bikes that will become a permanent part of Pedal Bike Tours' rental fleet. (more...)

The Hauler is solar, electric and leg-powered.
- Full gallery -
(Photos © J. Maus)

Introducing the Hauler -- a solar, sweat and electric powered vehicle its designers hope will bridge the gap between bicycle and car and bring a new level of utility and affordable mobility to millions in the process.

The Hauler is a product of Hood River-based Senkai Motor Works (Senkai is "revolution" in Japanese). The three men behind it are Aaron Blake, 29, Adam Kravetz, 30, and Tris Tarantino, 28. I caught up with Blake and Kravetz between meetings with potential investors during a recent visit to Portland. (more...)

Mayor Adams on the Eneloop.
- Watch video below -
(Screen grab from video taken by Mayor Sam Adams' office)

On Tuesday, representatives from Sanyo North America Corporation gave Portland Mayor Sam Adams an Eneloop electric-assist bicycle.

The Eneloop made a big splash at the CES trade show in Las Vegas back in January, leading Treehugger.com to say it "might be the bike that transitions us to electric assist bikes as a more primary form of transportation than cars." (more...)

A unique unicycle.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The eBike Store in North Portland has become the first dealer in the country to stock the Self-Balancing Unicycle -- a.k.a. SBU. The SBU is an electric-assisted unicycle with "advanced angle sensing electronics and software" that allows it to balance and "pedal" for you.

The SBU was invented by engineer Daniel Wood of Camas, Washington-based Focus Designs. I met Wood last week for an up-close look at his amazing invention.
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A happy e-bike owner leaves
Kalkhoff Bikes in the Pearl District.
(Photo by Adams Carroll)

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a new hybrid electric bike from Sanyo stole the show. The Eneloop model made lots of headlines (Treehugger called it a "game-changer" and it even made it's way into the Business section of the New York Times), leading reasonable people to wonder -- could 2010 be the year of the e-bike in America?

Given that bike product trends often start here (dutch city and cargo bikes and Electra's Ticino to name a few), it will be interesting to see if Portland becomes the first U.S. city to embrace e-bikes.

Last week, Sanyo's North American Business Development Manager Alex Kelley was in Portland to show off the Eneloop. He was also in town to scout locations for solar charging stations they plan to install in Portland in the coming months. Acknowledging that e-bikes have their detractors, Kelley wrote me via email: "I know that e-bikes aren't a product for everyone, but we feel that anything that helps get people out of their cars and onto the bike paths is a good thing." (more...)

A customer on a test ride in
front of Kalkhoff retail
store in the Pearl.
(Photos by Adams Carroll)

Back in August we reported that a new e-bike store was prepping to open its doors in the Pearl District. Now, although the dust has not yet settled in their combined corporate office and retail space, Kalkhoff Bikes Portland is open for business. Kalkhoff Bikes Portland is a retail venture of Greenlight Bikes, LLC., the Portland-based importer of German manufacturer Kalkhoff’s line of traditional and e-assist bicycles. The company’s Pearl District storefront is the only one of its kind in the United States and joins The eBike Store in North Portland as the second retail outlet for e-bikes in Portland.

In an interview on Monday, Greenlight Bikes’ Managing Director Eric von der Heyden said that Kalkhoff Bikes Portland will celebrate its official grand opening “sometime in mid to late January” once all renovations to their building have been completed. In the meantime, the Kalkhoff Bikes Portland showroom is open Monday through Friday and is stocked with a shiny new line of e-bikes and commuters ready for a test ride.
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[BikePortland managing editor Elly Blue is back from Interbike, but she's still going through mountains of notes and photos. Below is a report of city/cargo/utility bikes she came across on the show floor. See the rest of our Interbike coverage here.]

Raleigh's new commuter bike.
(Photos © Elly Blue)

For an Interbike rookie, the main floor of the show is quite overwhelming. But after the safe confines of the Advocacy Zone, I decided to delve out into the mayhem in search of the latest city bike offerings.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a fairly widespread interest in commute and utility biking. In fact, the very first booth I saw was Topeak's, and the first thing I saw in the booth was a bike geared up for touring next to an ultra light tent, backed by a display of racks and baskets. (more...)

The eBike Store opened
last week in North Portland.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Opening a new retail business in the midst of an historic economic downturn isn't exactly a safe bet, especially when there's not a very big existing market for your product. But that didn't stop Wake Gregg from opening Portland's first all-electric bicycle store, The eBike Store (201 N. Alberta), last week.
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This new cargo bike from Madsen Cycles, will be available in Portland soon. Retail price is $1,299.

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