• Lithium Bibi: Panasonic Shows Extra-Light E-Bike

    Serkan Toto

    Dr. Serkan Toto is an independent consultant and advisor focusing on Japan’s web, mobile and social gaming industries. Based in Tokyo, he works together with financial institutions and startups worldwide. Serkan has been the Japan contributor for TechCrunch.com since 2008. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. → Learn More

    Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

    Panasonic announced [JP, PDF] a new electric bike for the Japanese market yesterday, the so-called Lithium Bibi F BE-ENSF63. And while the bicycle looks rather bland, it has own distinct selling point: at just 19.9kg, it’s the lightest e-bike out there, according to Panasonic (among those that come with a shopping basket, at least).

    Panasonic says they used a special aluminum alloy for the frame and a small battery (25.2V/3.1Ah) to achieve the weight. The assisted travel range stands at 20km in eco-mode, 15km in automatic mode, and 11km in power mode.

    The 26-inch bike will go on sale in Japan on June 27 (price: $1,220).