Ford is showing off yet another set of electrified bicycles, although this time they’re designed to be used in town, as part of a more complex app-integrated transport solution. They’re all are meant to work together along with cars and public transport to achieve Ford’s “Smart Mobility Plan.”
The two bikes revealed, called MoDe:Me and MoDe:Pro, are both equipped with 200 watt motors and promise speeds of up to 25 km/h or 16 mph.
Ford says “the prototype e-bikes offer technology inspired by the automotive industry including, for example, a rear-facing ultrasonic sensor. This enables a rider alert system that both warns the cyclist when a vehicle is overtaking, by vibrating both handlebars, and alerts motorists of the presence of the e-bike by illuminating handlebar lights.”
Each bike was actually built by a different team: the MoDe:Me came from specialized manufacturer Dahon and is intended to be folded away and used on short urban commutes, while the MoDe:Pro is the work of Ford itself.
It’s aimed more at people that actually need to carry out tasks around the city, so it would be good for “urban commercial use such as by couriers, electricians, and goods and delivery services. It is designed to stow safely into commercial vehicles such as Transit Connect, which can act as carrier and support vehicle.”
The final part of Ford’s “Handle on Mobility experiment” is the journey planning app. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about it and that’s okay, as long as it works as intended and doesn’t become troublesome to use.
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