One of the coolest electric bikes yet: the EV-X7 Prototype

The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Here's one electric vehicle where limited range no longer seems unpalatable. Designed and built in China by a company called Axle Corporation, the EV-X7 is driven by an electric wheel hub motor and has a top speed of 93 mph. This, of course, is a snail's pace compared to modern motorcycles, but then again, this doesn't burn an ounce of fossil fuel. It also looks like something the police force in Minority Report would patrol the suburbs with, were it painted black. The above video is in Japanese, but the basic idea is that they think their potential commercial product will revolutionize personal transportation, to the point that one day we will see this and others like it (such as the more conventional style scooter at the end) running around everywhere. This was not a spirited test drive, but the sporting nature of the vehicle is obvious.

This bike does show, along with the PML Flightlink motors soon to be found in the production ZAP-X, Volvo ReCharge, Lightning GT, and PML Flightlink's own Mini, that the trend in electric vehicle propulsion may turn towards hub motors. What will have to be proven before these motors have an effect on people's health and safety is that the motors can function as well or better than conventional brake technology.

[Source: ITN Source -- Thanks for the tip, Sean!]