Xiaomi Qicycle Electric Folding Bike Launched
Finally on Thursday, Xiaomi has introduced its much-anticipated electric folding bike Quicycle at an event in China. The smart bike has been estimated at RMB 2,999 that amounts to approximately Rs 30,000.
As the name advises, the bike is electric and foldable. It also appears to be very compact, with Xiaomi claiming that when folded, the bike can be small enough to fit into the boot of most cars. That amount may seem high for a cycle, but electric bikes are deceptively very popular in China and Xiaomi’s earlier offerings were well received.
The bike uses a technique that Xiaomi’s calling Torque Measurement Method to decide how much assistance to give the rider when pedalling. Xiaomi declares that the motor can give 45km of range on a single charge. Xiaomi is quick to point out that these are the same batteries used by Tesla in their electric cars. The bike is powered by a 250W 36V motor which gets its juice from 20 Panasonic 18650 batteries providing 2,900mAh each.
"As more people move to the edge of towns and cities, traffic congestion may get worse. Many people will drive their cars into the city centre to get to work," Xiaomi says in its statement. "How you wish you have a bicycle with you right now?"
The bike has weighed only 14.5 kg and is made of carbon fiber. All the parts, excluding the main beam and the tires, can be folded to fit into a small car's trunk.
Like Xiaomi's other IoT devices, the bike can be associated with a companion smartphone app, which deals GPS navigation and measures real-time fitness parameters such as the mileage, speed, distance covered and the calories burnt.
Xiaomi has long declared that it is much more than a smartphone manufacturer and the introduction of this bike further boosts their position as a consumer-oriented Technology Company. Apart from smartphones, the company has given customers a slew of other products from wearables to smart water purifiers, drones and much more.
Xiaomi has not yet open if the bike will be sold outside China yet.
