The increasing popularity of bicycles in megacities, overloaded with traffic jams, has led to the need to come up with an inexpensive but effective solution for the market, involving the hybrid devices based on muscle power during sports and relying on electric traction to solve transport problems. Swytch startup developers offer the Swytch Kit, which allows you to transform almost any bike into an electric bike with decent features.
The first kit was launched two years ago and was called the Swytch eBike Conversion Kit. The kit included three components: a front wheel motor with a power of 250 W, a control dock, and a removable battery in a waterproof design. A similar package is provided for in the new Swytch Kit. Fundraising for the launch of it began at the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform. A common feature of both Swytch kits is a simple way to transform an electric bike into an ordinary bike by just removing the battery.
The technical parameters of the new Swytch Kit are similar in power to the previous version, and that is 250 watts for all complete sets. Major improvements have been made to the battery, which is 70% smaller and 50% lighter than the original version. The weight of the battery is only 1.5 kg.
In addition, a display has appeared on the control unit that allows you to adjust the power of the motor-wheel. With maximum traction, the vehicle allows you to move on a surface with a 20% slope without the user’s muscular strength. With the help of a cyclist, the bike can overcome 30% slopes.
When installing the Swytch Kit, it is necessary to change the front wheel, install the touch control disk on the pedal, and place the docking station on the steering frame. The developers offer three versions of the Swytch Kit, distinguished only by the battery capacity, the motor power being the same. The radius of the autonomous ride of the converted bike is from 35 km up, with a minimum configuration of up to 100 km for the top Tour version. The intermediate Pro version provides for an autonomous journey of 50 km.
The cost of Swytch Kit at registration on Indiegogo will be $394 for the minimum Eco version and up to $738 for Tour. The intermediate Pro version will cost the user $490.
Deliveries of ready-made kits to the consumer are scheduled for March 2020. Considering that a few days after the start of the fundraising campaign, Indiegogo accumulated about $385,000 instead of the required 25,000, the project will receive a fairly good starting impulse.
