TWIKE – A success story since 1986
When students from ETH Zurich presented the first TWIKE at the World Expo in Vancouver in 1986, sustainability was still a completely niche topic. The “original TWIKE” was a two-seater bicycle with a body, weighed 50 kg and could be accelerated to a speed of 50 km/h using a pedal drive. The idea was too good to simply fall into oblivion afterwards.
The TWIKE 2 is launched in 1991 and four years later the TWIKE 3 goes into series production. Years of further development and records followed. In the summer of 1998, a group of TWIKEs drove 10,000 km from Bern via the Baltic States to the North Cape and back via Scandinavia. This earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest distance traveled by electric vehicle and the energy efficiency achieved.
In 2002, the TWIKE becomes a German brand. FINE Mobile GmbH takes over the entire production from Switzerland. Just three years later, a breakthrough in battery production enables the range to be increased to 100 km. In 2007, the development of the LION battery even increases the range to 200 km.
In 2010, the TWIKE 4 prototype is constructed especially for the “Automotive X-Prize” and achieves third place in the international competition. 136 teams from all over the world took part in this performance show. TWIKE then set a new range record at the 1st eRUDA (“Electric around the Ammersee”) 2013. The TWIKE 4 reaches 510 km with a current standard battery. The Tesla Roadster gave up after just 418 km.
The new TWIKE 5 – Sustainable riding fun in a modern design
As good as the TWIKE 4 was, it was also clear to us that we wanted to develop it further. In keeping with tradition, the TWIKE 5 will also be a lightweight, highly efficient three-wheeled vehicle. Just like the “original TWIKE”, it will have a pedal drive. This allows the rider and passenger to assist the electric motor. The energy generated in this way can be used to charge the battery while driving, thus increasing the range.
The TWIKE 5 should weigh a maximum of 600 kg. The low weight is of crucial importance, as only a lightweight vehicle can be operated in an energy-efficient manner. Although it is heavier than the TWIKE 3, the additional consumption is almost completely offset by the higher electrical efficiency and lower air resistance.
The TWIKE 5 will probably be offered with two different sized batteries. The battery size not only influences the range, but also the maximum available power. Even the smallest battery size enables a sufficiently high speed of around 130 km/h and a range of more than 250 km. With the maximum battery size, a speed of over 190 km/h and a range of over 500 km will even be possible. Consumption is expected to be 7.2 kWh per 100 km.
In 2019, we presented the new TWIKE 5 for the first time in the country where TWIKE has its roots: at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The public and the trade press responded enthusiastically to the prototype. Now we want to go into series production – with your help!
In our next update, we will explain why we opted for a three-wheeled vehicle.
