Pedego Develops World’s First Electric Tandem Bicycle

PEDEGO, an electric bicycle company creating the coolest electric bicycles outfitted with the latest in electric technology, announces the debut of the world’s first electric tandem bicycle. The bike will be on display September 23-25 at Interbike International Bicycle Expo, the cycling industry’s largest trade show, in Las Vegas. This two-person e-bike joins PEDEGO’s growing line of electric bicycles including the Comfort Cruisers and Umbrella Folding electric bicycles.

PEDEGO offers consumers comfortable and fun electric bike options. The new tandem bike is designed specifically for couples of all ages who enjoy riding together. With its electric capabilities, it allows riders a smooth ride whether cruising across a flat surface or over hills.

The PEDEGO tandem e-bike features a beach cruiser design with two wide, cushioned seats, relaxed handlebars and a rear motor. Featuring the same components as other PEDEGO bicycles, it operates much like a regular tandem but utilizes a parallel electric drive system that includes a 750-watt motor and 48-volt lithium manganese battery. The battery will last about 15,000 miles and costs less than 10 cents to recharge. The throttle is controlled by the rear rider gently revving the right handlebar grip.

"PEDEGO fuses fashion and fun with electric bike technology, so we’re thrilled to be the first company to offer a cool tandem bike with electric components," said Don DiCostanzo, co- founder and CEO of PEDEGO. "As interest in electric bikes continues to grow both here and abroad, PEDEGO remains committed to offering consumers unique, quality bicycles available in stylish designs with customizable options."

The PEDEGO electric tandems will be available in time for this coming holiday season and will retail for approximately $2,300. For more information about PEDEGO, please visit

Battery Facts

Nickel-cadmium (NiCAD) – mature but has moderate energy density. Nickel-cadmium is used where long life, high discharge rate and extended temperature range is important. Main applications are two-way radios, biomedical equipment and power tools. Nickel-cadmium contains toxic metals.

Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) – has a higher energy density compared to nickel-cadmium at the expense of reduced cycle life. There are no toxic metals. Applications include mobile phones and laptop computers. NiMH is viewed as steppingstone to lithium-based systems.

Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) invented in 1859 are the oldest type of recharge battery and are most economical for larger power applications where weight is of little concern. Lead-acid is the preferred choice for hospital equipment, wheelchairs, emergency lighting and UPS systems. Lead acid is inexpensive. Very short life in ebike applications since they were not designed for high discharge. NOT environmentally friendly – highly toxic.

Lithium-ion manganese (LiMh) – the saferst and fastest growing battery system for electric vehicle applications; offers high-energy density and low weight. Protection circuits needed to limit voltage and current. Applications include notebook computers, cell phones, cars and ebikes. High current versions are available for power tools and medical devices. Easy to recycle and reuse. Be careful with other types of lithium as some types are untested and have the potential for fires.

36 volt vs. 24 volt
36 volt systems boast faster speeds, quicker acceleration, greater range and better hill climbing capability than 24 volt systems. 24 volt systems are typically used on slower models that require pedal assistance to operate.

Recharging battery packs
Simply plug your battery pack into any standard 110 volt wall outlet. You can leave the battery pack on your ebike or take it off on most models. Charging takes about four hours and costs just pennies per charge. Safety circuitry guarantees that the battery pack cannot be overcharged.

Maintaining battery packs
Plug in your battery pack after every use. Lithium batteries are memory-free batteries and do not require a full discharge before recharging.

Life of the battery pack
Lithium-ion manganese batteries typically can be fully charged and fully discharged 500 to 1000 times which translates to 10,000 to 20,000 miles with average usage. Lead Acid packs are only good for about 100 full charges.

Battery FAQ

What is VOLTAGE and which Voltage is best?
Voltage can be thought of as the pressure or strength of electric power. All things being equal (see AMPS below), the higher the voltage the better, because high voltages pass more efficiently through wires and motors. Very high voltages (100+ volts) can give you a nasty shock because they also travel through people rather well, but the sort of voltages found on electric bicycles (12 – 36 volts) are quite safe. As a rule, a 12 volt system is fine for low-powered motors, but more powerful machines work better with 24 or 36 volts.

What are AMPS?
Amps can be thought of as the volume or quantity of electric power. To aid this analogy, the flow of amps is called the current, as in the flow of a river. Unlike a river, though, the speed of the current is fixed – only the volume varies.
The maximum flow of amps in a bicycle drive system can vary from 10 to 60 or more. A current of 60 amps requires thick wiring and quite substantial switchgear.

What are WATTS?
Once we know the voltage (or pressure) and current (or volume), we can calculate the power, or wattage by multiplying the two figures together. The number of watts in a system is the most important figure of all, because it defines the power output.

How many watts do I need?
As a general rule, a cyclist can produce several hundred watts briefly, and one hundred watts for a reasonable length of time. To be really useful, a motor needs to produce another 100 Watts on a continuous basis, with peak power of at least 400 watts. Just to confuse things, our measurements are of power consumption – losses in the motor and drive system mean that the power output to the wheel can be much lower.

If you expect the motor to do most of the work, especially in a hilly area, you’ll want a peak consumption of 600 watts or more. On the other hand, if you prefer gentle assistance, a peak of 200 watts may be enough.

How big a battery do I need?
The capacity of the battery is usually measured as the amount of current it can supply over time (defined as amp/hours). However, this is useless on its own, because you’ll need to know the voltage too. By multiplying the two figures together, we get watt/hours – a measure of the energy content of the battery. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple… but you didn’t think it would be, did you? In practise, you’re unlikely to get results that match the stated capacity of a battery, because battery capacity varies according to the temperature, battery condition, and the rate that current is taken from it.

Sealed Lead Aacid (SLA) batteries are tested at the ’20-Hour’ rate. This is the number of amps that can be continuously drawn from the battery over a period of 20 hours. However, an electric bicycle will usually exhaust its battery in an hour or two, and at this higher load, the battery will be much less efficient. So the figures for lead/acid batteries tend to look overly optimistic.

It’s best to choose a package that will provide twice your normal daily mileage. It’s difficult to guess the mileage from the watt/hour capacity, because actual performance depends on the bicycle and motor efficiency, battery type, road conditions, and your weight and level of fitness.

Do electric bicycles recharge when you go downhill?
The answer is generally NO. Taking into account wind-resistance, road friction and so on, there’s surprisingly little energy left over for recharging the battery, even before generator and battery losses are taken into account. In most systems the motor coasts when you ride downhill, but those that don’t (mainly electric scooters) are capable of putting back only about 5% of the power absorbed climbing the hill. Regenerative systems are typically over-hyped and not worth the cost.

Eco-Friendly Pedego Bikes

An electric bicycle simply defined is a standard bicycle with a motor attached (usually in the front or rear hub) and powered by a battery. In this economy, many people are considering alternate forms of transportation due to stress on finances and concerns regarding the environment. Electric bikes sales are growing rapidly in many countries due fuel and environmental concerns. Electric bikes do not require a driver’s license to ride.

Since the Pedego electric bike is powered by a lithium ion battery, (the same battery type used in laptops) there aren’t any poisonous gases released into the atmosphere. The Pedego lithium ion battery is friendly to the environment and uses a small amount of electricity to recharge. The average battery life is approximately 3-5 years with 500-1,000 charges which will power the Pedego electric bicycle for 10,000-20,000 miles.

The average commuter will save time and money by commuting to work and avoiding traffic jams and still arrive to work without needing a shower. With the time saved from traffic jams, the electric bike cyclist can sometimes arrive to work before those choosing to drive.

Bicycles are now outselling automobiles in the U.S. In 2008, new automobile sales in the U.S. totaled 10.8 million vehiclesand sales of adult were 12 million. In Europe where high gas prices and and eco-friendly attitiude among conumers became prevalent about 5 years ago, 10% of all adult bikes sold in 2008 were electric. As Amercans continue their quest toward becoming more eco-friendly and gas prices continue to rise, electric bikes are becoming more prevelant.

Pedego Electric Bikes are leading the way in eco-friendly electric bike transportation, comfort, style, quality and technology.

As you discover all the advantages of riding an electric bicycle, you will be simultaneously saving money and helping to improve the air quality of the world. As a bonus, you will have fun and get in better shape!

www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/