ŠKODA presents brand’s first electric cycle

New ŠKODA Green E Line e-bike expands existing ŠKODA bicycle collection. “Pedelec” combines muscle and engine power, up to 105 km range. Wide choice of ŠKODA cycles for any age and any purpose. ŠKODA AUTO presents its first electric cycle. The new ŠKODA Green E Line has an electric range of up to 105 km. It is available effective immediately from ŠKODA dealers for a price of 65,990 CZK. The new ŠKODA Green E Line is an attractive addition to ŠKODA’s 2013 bicycle collection. Besides the e-bike, the current offering includes ten other bicycles – children’s and youth bikes as well as racers and trekking and mountain bikes. Available for the first time are currently popular 29-inch mountain bikes. “Electric power is playing a growing role especially in bicycles,” says Werner Eichhorn, ŠKODA board member for sales and marketing. “The new ŠKODA Green E Line offers cutting-edge technology and guarantees sporty mobility. It is the perfect complement to the broadest bicycle collection that has ever been available from ŠKODA,” says Werner Eichhorn. ŠKODA created its first e-bike in cooperation with KTM company. The new ŠKODA Green E Line was designed as a so-called “pedelec” (short for pedal electric cycle). In this sort of electric cycle, the motor will only switch on if the rider turns the pedals (limited pedalling support). Motor support is limited to speeds below 25 km/h for regulatory and insurance reasons. The motor’s range is up to 105 km. Once the lithium-ion battery’s capacity has been fully used, it can be recharged in a maximum of four hours. The motor from BionX brand is integrated into the rear axle and puts out 250 watt. It is powered by a battery attached to the frame with a capacity of 423 watt-hours and a weight of just 2.6 kg. The entire bike weighs a mere 21.7 kg. To ensure the motor can support a rider’s effort in the best possible way, sensors continuously monitor parameters such as speed, cadence and torque. Depending on settings, the motor will provide support of 35, 75, 150 or 300 per cent of a rider’s own effort. The motor also features a recuperation function which feeds back power generated when braking or running downhill. In addition, the ŠKODA Green E Line can easily be turned into a standard trekking bike simply by replacing the rear wheel. The battery can be easily removed to this end. The new ŠKODA E-Bike is the most recent innovation in the brand’s wide bicycle offering. In addition, ŠKODA Original Accessories offers a total of ten models for a variety of purposes and age groups. Street racers can chose from two, while mountain bikers can look forward to all of four new ŠKODA models, no less than three of them in the popular 29-inch category. The “ŠKODA Cross” trekking bike features new equipment, and there is also an offering specially aimed at children, namely the new 20-inch “ŠKODA Junior” bike, and the “ŠKODA Kid” designed for smaller children, all of them made in cooperation with renowned manufacturer Superior. The “ŠKODA Mini” training bike, aimed at the youngest ones, is made by Olpran. ŠKODA’s current bicycle collection is another testament to the brand’s special relationship with cycles. It was bicycle-making at the company’s home location in Mladá Boleslav which started its success story. As early as the late 19th century, in 1895, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement founded a company called Laurin & Klement (L&K) and began making bicycles. The first years saw these two enthusiastic pioneers of mobility building cycles under the “Slavia” brand name, followed by motorcycles from 1899 and finally, from 1905, the “Voiturette A,” the company’s first car. In 1925, L&K merged with ŠKODA. Today, ŠKODA’s close commitment to cycling is evident in its comprehensive sponsoring activities, involving international contests such as the “Tour de France” and the “Giro d’Italia,” but which have also long included ŠKODA supporting cycling events in the Czech Republic. Among them is the popular “Kolo pro život” series (“Cycle for life”), the world’s largest racing series for mountain bikes. In the past thirteen years, a total of about 160,000 professional and amateur cyclists took part in the race, 20,000 of them in 2012 alone. In addition, ŠKODA has been hosting the popular “Virtual Cup” contest in the Czech Republic, which has cyclists competing on one of 16 racecourses. Source: skoda-auto