E-Bike for Hard-Core Trailblazers
For those who are loathe to generate internal combustion oise and corrupt the atmosphere with petroleum-based
exhaust but nevertheless appreciate the feeling of blasting
through the woods with wind in their hair and tree branches
in their faces, Grace Bikes ( www.grace-bikes.com) has a
solution.
The latest Grace MX II trail bike now sports 27. 5 inch
wheels for improved traction and better road holding during
acceleration and cornering, in addition to its precipitation-hardened aluminum alloy frame, Rock Shox Sektor Gold RL
fork, SRAM X9 nine-speed shifting system, and Bosch Gen2
Performance Line motor. The bike weighs in at a fairly hefty
22 kg ( 48. 5 lb), but that includes the 11. 6 Ah/400 Wh battery
pack. Range is specified at up to 185 km (115 mi) on a
charge, but “is measured under optimal conditions and
therefore may vary greatly in practice.”
To put it another way, only an idiot would stray too far from the road. Looks
like a lot of fun, but it will set you back close to $4,000, which is $600 more than
a 144 cc Kawasaki KLX off-road motorcycle. Hmmm ... ▲
INDUSTRY and
the PROFESSION
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/article/december2015_TechKnow15.
■ The Grace MX II electric trail bike:
quiet and emission-free.
Top 10 World Changers
According to technology market analyst, IHS Technology
( technology.ihs.com), the three
technologies that are most likely to
change the world over the next five
years are: (1) the Internet of Things
(surprise, surprise); ( 2) cloud
computing/big data; and ( 3) 3D
printing. To arrive at that
conclusion, IHS gathered experts
from the technology supply chain
from electronic components to
finished products, and looked at
markets ranging from consumer,
media, and telecom, including
industrial, medical, and power
sectors. Experts were asked to
nominate their top 10 most
impactful technologies over the
period.
Finishing up the top 10 are
artificial intelligence, biometrics,
flexible displays, sensors, advanced
user interfaces, graphene, and
energy storage/advanced battery
technology. NV
CIRCUITS and DEVICES Continued
December 2015 9
