OKAI has confirmed that its two slick, new e-bikes that stole the show at CES2023 will be coming to the US later this summer!
The minimalistic OKAI EB60 made its trade show debut at Eurobike 2022 in Frankfurt and, more recently, CES 2023 in Las Vegas, where the company confirmed US availability for the bike following its European launch in May. The bike joins the limited-production EB20 eMTB that we had a chance to sample last year at Electrify Expo Seattle.
Because OKAI has plans to launch the e-bike in both the European and American markets, the brand chose a “Class 1” 250 W (500 W peak) hub motor by MIVICE, with a belt drive transferring power from the pedals to the hub with a mix of wheel speed and torque sensing hardware in place for improved pedal response and feel. That Class 1 rating also means that there is no standalone “throttle” function, and the e-bike won’t do more than 20 MPH with pedal assist.
OKAI is playing pricing close to its chest, but the innovative bike brand typically comes in lower than you might think – especially considering the high spec. level of the OKAI line. And, speaking of OKAI, we had a chance to talk to the company’s forward-looking Sr. Director in Seattle, and we’ve included the interview, along with a few show notes, below. Enjoy!
Episode 241: Jack Gillin (OKAI) Talks Urban Mobility, AI, and Smart Accessories
SHOW NOTES
- We talk a bit about the original Segway in the opening remarks, and it’s absolutely impossible to overstate how much this thing was hyped when it was first released. Here’s an ABC News article from 2001, quoting supposedly smart people saying the Segway PT would be, “more important than the internet.”
- Here’s a Tweet from Seattle’s Lumen Field, talking about how the city’s investments in sustainability and infrastructure helped push it over the edge to win the big to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- We talk about how e-bikes, once shunned by local bicycle repair shops, are gaining more and more acceptance there, allowing riders more options for support and service. Even industry giant REI is getting in on the action, advertising that they can service your e-bike at any of their 177 service locations.
- The OKAI Ranger eMTB is a great-looking bike with touchscreen display, LED lightning, and a few other clever features Jack’s not quite ready to talk about. But the Ranger isn’t OKAI’s first consumer e-bike. That honor goes to the OKAI Stride, released earlier this year.
- Jack does mention a smart helmet (about 10:45 in) that uses gestures and gyroscopes to activate brake lights, turn signals, and more— and that’s all part of the “you think left, it goes left” work that goes back twenty years to the original Segway.
SOURCE | IMAGES: OKAI, VIA NEW ATLAS.
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