Many people like folding electric bicycles, but they find that the chains or external belt drives can cause problems like dirtying up their clothing, or making it hard to fold them up when they get to their destination. Enter JAM Vehicles, a British start-up company that has created the JIVR bike, a chainless electric bike with a sealed drivetrain.
JAM’s founder is Marcin Piakowski, who says that the enclosed drivetrain is purely mechanical and has been created through a process of three years of development. He explained that the drivetrain is entirely enclosed inside the bike’s frame. This has other benefits besides lack of dirt or problems folding too, as no dirt, sand or water can get inside and damage it.
In addition, he says that the drivetrain is very durable, and does not need any regular maintenance. Unlike a chain drive, it can’t get rusty, so the efficiency of the enclosed drive is much better.
He also added that even though the JIR electric bike doesn’t have a chain, it’s not like some electric bikes that have an alternator hooked to a crank that generates the electricity to run the motor. They found that sort of system was not viable and was dropped in favor of their current system; one which he says he can’t divulge because it is the “secret” process by which it works.
Riders of the JIVR use either their own feet for peddle power to supply power to the rear wheel or they can use an attached throttle that works a 250-watt hub motor, which is located on the front wheel of the bike. By using the motor, the riders can go as fast as 32 kilometers an hour or 20 miles per hour and go a range of about 20 miles or 32 kilometers. It is powered by one 36-volt lithium ion battery and takes about 90 minutes to charge up fully.
The JIVR electric bike also can hook up to Bluetooth and thereby work with a smartphone so the rider can use the phone like a control console hooked to the handlebars. The bike comes furnished with iBeacon technology as well, which lets it work with an Apple smart device that is within range.
The JIVR electric bike weighs in at 33 pounds or 15 kilograms and folds up in four steps, and then can be pulled by the two 20-inch wheels to where you need to put it or store it when done riding or commuting.
If the idea of having a foldable electric bike that is easier to fold appeals to you, then you can help JAM to get them into commercial production. JAM is now trying to earn money to make the bike and has a campaign running on Kickstarter. Anyone who pledges £1,199, which is about $2928 US dollars, will get one of the new JIVR electric bikes. Once they are able to put it into commercial production, it is expected to cost about the same as requested pledges.
