Evolve E-Bike Offers Digital Dashboard of GPS, Telematics and Wireless Services

Until recently, bicycle riders only had to master a few gears on one handlebar and a bell on the other before they could push back the kickstand and ride into the wind. Those simple two-wheelers still are available, but for the “techmeisters” among us – or the directionally impaired – there are now electric bikes that offer dashboards packed with the same telematics, global positioning systems (GPS) and wireless services that a consumer would enjoy in a fully loaded car.  

Vancouver, Canada-based Saturna Green Systems Inc., an automotive wireless technology developer and GPS location-based services (LBS) provider, recently announced an agreement with New York City-based Evolve motorcycles to incorporate Saturna’s wireless communications platform into Evolve’s U.S.-made electric bicycles.

The platform will be available on certain evolve 2013 models, representing the first time that LBS and telematics devices have been installed up-front on an electric scooter OEM’s assembly line.

Evolve describes its bikes as 100 percent electric – no gas, no oil, no emissions. They run on the LiFePO4 lithium ion battery, “the most technologically advanced battery system available, allowing for shorter charge times and long range,” according to the company.

Saturna’s patent-pending communications platform includes:

• A rugged on-vehicle device that incorporates a high-speed processor, memory, GPS and 3D accelerometer. The device collects detailed data from the Evolve scooter’s battery, motor, and electrical systems, as well as the bike’s location, speed, direction, attitude, etc. – and delivers it to the driver via digital dashboard or smartphone.
• A digital dashboard provides a human machine interface (HMI) consisting of a large, digital, color touch-screen display. Information can also be sent to a rider’s phone via Bluetooth.
• The Saturna/Evolve cloud, a highly customizable and scalable software application that opens an unlimited number of location-based services and networking possibilities, and allows evolve scooters to be managed remotely from any web-enabled device.
• These features help reduce anxiety by giving the Evolve rider detailed state-of-charge and range information, as well as connecting to electric vehicle charging infrastructures.
• Saturna’s technology enhances safety and security, facilitates location-based services such as roadside assistance/charging, and makes possible urban social networking. It also enables manufacturers, such as Evolve, to proactively engage with customers for warranty, maintenance, and CRM initiatives.

Saturna Green Systems has entered a partnership with Evolve to equip their electric bikes with industry’s first digital dashboard and connected wireless services. Visuals by Saturna.
 
“Evolve’s line-up of bikes is cutting edge – from their design to the technologies that power them,” said Lex Kendall, co-founder and director of Evolve motorcycles. “With the Saturna platform, we’ll bring revolutionary features to the user interface, and take the experience of riding an EV to a whole new orbit. An Evolve motorcycle is an extension of the rider and his/her network, a vehicle that takes any possible worry out of riding electric. [This is] a vehicle that is no longer an island, but instead redefines true connected mobility.”