By 1998, I had taken up residence in what was now my electric bicycle factory. I awoke one particular morning somewhat bleary-eyed after a night of irregular dreams filled with tumbling geometric forms: triangles, double diamonds, a few circles, and—more importantly—arches! Reaching for the nearest note pad, I quickly scribbled two circles connected at either end by an arch.

Fast forward nearly a decade to 2007 and the introduction of Electrobike Pi. This multi-year intensive engineering effort incorporated multiple prototypes, extensive aluminum spar analysis, radius length, shape and battery form analysis, tooling, manufacturing, hybrid propulsion system development and much more.

My original dreamy concept of the world's simplest bike had evolved into what is possibly the first electric bicycle that is unmistakable from any other.

So what is an electric bicycle? Explore more below and on the rest of this Electrobike.com website and decide for yourself if Electrobike Pi meets your electric hybrid needs and dreams.

—Marcus Hays, Founder and CEO

 

The Story Behind the Design...
Marcus Gulley Levison-Hays

Marcus’ exploits at age ten aboard a Yamaha Mini Enduro in the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding his Charlottesville, Virginia birthplace were the stuff of self-described legend. His early passion for all things two-wheeled was later solidified by multiple viewings of the film, “On Any Sunday.”

Sturgis 50th Anniversary Heritage Softail® Classic built by John Reed

At 18 Marcus was offered an apprenticeship under the tutelage of famed British motorcycle designer John Reed, aka “Uncle Bunt.” In the ensuing years work in the formula car racing business further shaped Marcus’ understanding of high performance engineering and design. A dream of studying Transportation Design at the famed Art Center Pasadena was eventually realized in 1993. Marcus supported himself by driving a Los Angeles-based taxicab in the evenings. It was at this time that the proverbial light bulb switched on and soon after Marcus created “World Taxi” – a proposal for a globally distributed, gas-electric hybrid taxicab. Not long after, he was invited to join the recently created Calstart Incubator for Advance Transportation.

Marcus elected to leave Art Center and instead direct all of his resources into the fledgling alternative energy vehicle industry. Offers to help create electric and electric hybrid vehicles of every imaginable type were presented, but what captured Marcus’ sharpest attention was the littleelectric vehicle with the smallest footprint of all…the electric bicycle. In 2000 he founded an electric bicycle venture and it was not long after that that Pi was conceived.

“On one particularly chilly morning I awoke bleary-eyed after a night of irregular dreams filled with geometric forms: triangles, double diamonds, circles and, of course, arches! Reaching for a piece of scratch paper, I scribbled two circles connected at either end by an arch. I never imagined then that producing a bicycle from what in essence is a single aluminum tube would become the most challenging design and engineering project of my life. But six years after that initial loose scribble I feel the finished product reflects the thought, time and human energy that was invested in its creation.”

High among inspirations and the influences behind Marcus' design: J.K. Starley’s circa-1885 “double diamond Safety Bicycle” — then and now an engineering and design marvel.

Rover Safety Bicycle — 1885 ©Science Museum / Science and Society Picture Library

Despite the difficulties with attempting to improve upon what is a fully evolved design, Marcus had tired of what in his view has become a somewhat formulaic approach to bicycle construction. “The designer in me wanted fewer intersecting tubes, fewer welds and an outwardly organic form, while the engineer in me wanted a more efficient structure, and a more human-friendly relationship between the seat, controls and the ground – not to mention a fully secure structural environ for stowing vital electronics and batteries. “From the early arches of Mesopotamia, to Alexander Calder’s La Defence, to Eero Saarinen’s Gateway Arch and the many others who have emulated one of nature’s most magnificent forms, I owe to all a debt of gratitude.”

Despite the difficulties with attempting to improve upon what is a fully evolved design, Marcus had tired of what in his view has become a somewhat formulaic approach to bicycle construction.

“The designer in me wanted fewer intersecting tubes, fewer welds and an outwardly organic form, while the engineer in me wanted a more efficient structure, and a more human-friendly relationship between the seat, controls and the ground – not to mention a fully secure structural environ for stowing vital electronics and batteries. From the early arches of Mesopotamia, to Alexander Calder’s La Defence, to Eero Saarinen’s Gateway Arch and the many others who have emulated one of nature’s most magnificent forms, I owe to all a debt of gratitude.”

Why the particular materials were chosen for the Pi series and how they add to the design:
“While so-called advanced composites permit the creation of structures of virtually any shape or form, my early work experiences with hand-made motorcycles formed from metal fostered within me a need to create an arch from metal. I felt the Pi needed a physical connection to classic motorcycle origins and what better way to express this than via the use of metal? And because I ultimately determined that a 4” diameter tube was necessary for pragmatic metallurgical reasons, aluminum became the obvious choice.

Are there any sustainable, eco-friendly, or “green” aspects about this design and the materials used? The underlying eco-friendly aspect of an Electrobike does not end with the fact Pi uniquely blends human and electric power, roughly achieving 750 MPGe or “Miles Per Gallon Equivalent”.

“My core principal of “smaller (and lighter transportation) is better” includes the scrutiny of everything from source materials, to manufacturing, to manufacturing by-product and inter-vendor transportation. Trading one environmental problem for another just isn’t good design, so I sought from the outset (and continue to do so) the integration of corresponding technologies that balance my environmental ethos with functional reality. Electrobikes are produced by California-based manufacturers and, whenever possible, materials produced within California borders. In spite of the fact this makes California-based manufacturing more costly because I support the State’s effort to minimize the environmental impact of manufacturing – as much as humanly possible – Electrobike production will for the foreseeable future remain within state boundaries.

“In spite of the dismantling of the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate and, as an early “Calstart Incubator” participant, which I worked years to support, I remain committed to also supporting the State’s regulatory environment which directly and indirectly helps me to ensure that every Electrobike is as clean as domestic industry is capable of providing. This also helps to ensure that very little container ship bunker fuel ends up as part of an Electrobike’s skin. Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries in hermetically sealed cases are but one example. Regardless of NiMH being less problematic than many other vehicle battery chemistry options, I support battery recycling via the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s Charge Up to Recycle! Program. As a consequence when pack replacement necessitates (3-5 years on average) call me at Electrobike’s San Francisco headquarters at 415-887-7643, or the “RBRC” at 1-800-8-BATTERY or visit www.rbrc.org and together we will increase the long term environmental value of Electrobike-based mobility.

“I would also add that during a meeting with Design Within Reach CEO Ray Brunner, he was not content with the glossy exterior surrounding Pi’s function, but pointedly inquired as to the origin of my source materials and manufacturing locales. Given that no one else interested in Electrobike sale and distribution had ever before asked such questions, and given the six years invested on both Pi’s form and Pi’s function —this impressed me so thoroughly that I silently elected then and there to sell the Pi model at retail exclusively through DWR.”

What design problem does the Electrobike solve?
“Reducing this machine to its essential purpose made the arch shape the logical choice to meld form with function. Unlike traditional bicycle construction that places weight limits on the finished product, an Electrobike is under no such limitations as the inherent structural integrity of an arch is well documented. I discovered a year or so into the design for manufacturing process that as the diameter of a tube increases, wall thickness can be decreased. Thus, my choice of a 4” diameter tube was determined not so much by considerations for appearance but rather based on the functional necessity to supply a very light but very strong bike, on balance, to available power and purpose.”