Urban Arrow | possible replacement of an urban car

Interesting Engineering
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urban_arrow[Image Source : Urban Arrow]

The Urban Arrow is intended to be “a replacement for the second car,” and it won an innovation award when it was first unveiled at the 2010 Eurobike trade show.

The Dutch designers of the Urban Arrow used as a base for their project bikes with cargo decks in front of the biker called Bakfiets. The Bakfiets are useful, but not very comfortable if your children have to sit there. So, the Urban Arrow received a padded, covered cargo box to keep the kids comfy and dry, an electric motor to compensate for its 45-kg (99-lb) weight, and a few other features.

Its cargo box is made from EPP (expanded polypropylene) high-density foam – strong enough to maintain structural integrity. That box can be removed, to transform the bike into a flatbed carrier, or it can be replaced with a lockable hard-sided cargo box.

The entire front end of the bike could be shortened, transforming the Urban Arrow into a bike with normal length and a modest cargo rack placed above the front wheel. It is expected to be produced a variation with two-wheeled front end.

The stock EPP box incorporates features such as cup holders, a cargo net for securing groceries, and a removable rain cover with a clear plastic windscreen. That cover can be stored within the frame tubes that cradle the box, when not in use. An optional rain cover for the rider is in the works. Its features include also a Daum electronic control panel, a NuVinci N360 continuously-variable hub transmission, and SKS mudguards. Its aluminum frame is available in black, silver or white.

The bike has a top pedal-assisted speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph), and a cargo capacity of 110 kg (242.5 lbs). Pedaling assistance is provided by a 250-watt motor attached to the crank chain, which it helps turn when activated. That motor is powered by a 36-volt, 10Ah lithium-ion battery, which gives the bike a tested range of about 50 km (31 miles) without cargo, or about 40 km (25 miles) with two kids and loads. It is obvious that the range of this bike will depend on how much the motor is used.

The Urban Arrow costs €2,950 (US$3,691) with electric motor and €1,950 ($2,440) without it.

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