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TOKYO, Japan - Sanyo Electric Co. unveiled a new electric hybrid bicycle last Monday that can enlarge the user’s pedal force and recharge the battery automatically. The ‘eneloop’ bike has been equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

The system harnesses energy from braking and pedalling when the bike goes forward, and can add extra power equivalent to double the rider’s pedal force when requested by the biker.

Sanyo, which has rebranded itself as a purveyor of green technology, hopes to enlarge its market position in e-Bikes, demand for which has almost doubled over the past eight years to hit about 283,000 last year in Japan.

Until 1996, Sanyo was only active on the e-Bike market with components. From 1996 they have been creating hybrid bicycles branded under their own name, and the addition this time marks the change in the government policy regarding what constitutes an electric bicycle (not motorbike) under the road and traffic laws. For this reason, Sanyo has decided to announce this new eneloop bike at this time.

This new e-Bike is part of Sanyo’s news ‘Think GAIA’ vision. The eneloop concept stresses ‘looping energy’ or the reuse of energy. The eneloop bike will become a part of this product series, as it represents both looping energy and consideration for the environment in a reusable system. With this new product, energy is “generated, recharged, and conserved” simultaneously. Energy is generated by the rider and by recharging the auxiliary battery while it is also conserving the energy both from the main battery and the rider.

The bicycle sells for 136,290 Yen (€ 1,061) and will be in stores in Japan from February 2009. At some point in the future Sanyo aims to launch this new bike overseas.

Photo AFP

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