Veterans of the tech scene will no doubt remember dear old Uncle – also known as Sir – Clive Sinclair’s first foray into sustainable transport with the much ridiculed C5 product back in 1985. Well he’s back again, 26 years later, and things haven’t moved on an awful lot, it seems.
His new product, due out in July or thereabouts, is the Sinclair X-1 Electric Vehicle, a 30 kg recumbent electric bicycle with 16 inch wheels, a 10 mile range and the styling smarts of a plastic warthog. What is it with this man and bland grey plastic?
Anyway as the live video of the vehicle shows, the device still looks like a truck driver’s worst nightmare; low slung, easy to miss and perfect for some blind side shenanigans. No doubt the determined Sir C. is hoping that the recent huge oil price increases and the growing popularity of the urban electric bike will help him avoid derision this time around, but really we’re not hopeful. It looks like he’s in for yet another media drubbing. Oh dear. Priced at £595.00.
It requires no fuel, just a lightweight rechargeable battery pack (24v Lithium Polymer pack supplied, secondary pack available as an option at extra cost of £50)
# A super efficient MCR pancake motor is linked to rear wheel by fixed gear drive chain (motor rated at 190 watts, wheel size: 16″)
# Front and rear disc brakes provide 100% stopping power