Electric bikes are all equipped with a battery… All but one. The Pi-Pop, created by the French company STEE, is a one-of-a-kind two-wheeler: it accumulates the energy necessary for its assistance functions from the user’s pedal strokes.
Pi-Pop electric bikes look like any other bike of the same kind, except that they hide an invention that prevents them from running on battery power. The manufacturer STEE, installed in Loiret, uses super-capacitors, a green technology which stores the energy produced by the cyclist when he presses the pedals.
Unlimited autonomy
As soon as the need arises, on a hill for example, the bike can take on part of the effort with its electric assistance. No need to recharge the battery on the mains, moreover in environmental terms the Pi-Pop does not use rare earths and other extremely polluting components.
Adrien Lelièvre, the company’s boss, also assures the Parisian that his bikes have excellent performance. They can reach 25 km/h with assistance and have unlimited range, and for good reason. They also incorporate a luggage rack and a mudguard, all weighing 22 kilos.
The ecological aspect is also felt in the production of the Pi-Pop, with the objective of reducing CO2 emissions as much as possible during the manufacturing process. The first batch of 20 units was also built from commercial bicycles! A second production of 100 copies has been offered for sale on social networks, there are none left.
STEE now wants to move up a gear by setting up an assembly line better able to meet demand, the goal being to manufacture a thousand Pi-Pops per year. It is Boulanger who will sell the bike, at a price of 1,995 euros each.
