The electric bicycle market is booming in Japan, with national firms Sanyo, Yamaha, Bridgestone, Miyata and Panasonic in a five-way race to create “e-bikes” that are light, travel further on a single charge, and meet the design needs of every demographic.
See more examples of the electric bike boom in Japan
This has resulted in technologically advanced, lithium-ion battery-powered models such as Bridgestone’s rugged RealStream electric mountain bike, which can sense the amount of strain and deliver power accordingly; Panasonic’s Lithium ViVi RX-10S town bike which charges up the battery life each time you brake; and Sanyo’s Eneloop CY-SPK227, which features regenerative braking and folds down to a fraction of its size, so it can be easily taken on public transport or carried into the office.
Although these e-bikes have greatly reduced carbon footprints compared to cars, recharging its batteries still requires electricity. To solve this problem, Sanyo has ingeniously set up the first solar-powered bicycle-recharging stand stocked with its Eneloop e-bikes in Tokushima this year. Local government workers in the city, population 260,000, can run errands on the e-bikes that tap the sun’s rays to keep their batteries charged. No emissions, no sweat.
-
A new Oxford Street pop-up celebrates IKEA's blue bagsIKEA's iconic blue bag gets its own pop-up concept store, the 'Hus of Frakta'.
-
Audemars Piguet and Kaws have created the Royal Oak Concept watch we didn't know we neededThe Audemars Piguet x Kaws Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon 'Companion' is slick wrist-worn art
-
A friendly rivalry coloured by kinship: Wendy Maruyama and Tom Loeser on their two-artist show'I wanted to make furniture, just not traditional furniture, but weird furniture,' says Wendy Maruyama on ‘Colorama’, a two-artist show presented at design gallery Superhouse (until 11 January 2025)
-
Hands on with new Nothing Phone (1): a clearly different smartphoneNothing Phone (1) launches, hitting the sweet spot between price, performance, and efficiency, and promoting the simplification of your smartphone life
-
Teenage Engineering announces OP-1 Field, the ultimate new musical deviceWithin the tiny confines of this compact synthesiser – Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 Field – it’s possible to compose and record a complete track
-
Flying high with B&W’s pioneering Zeppelin, the ultimate standalone speakerReviewing the latest, ever-more functional iteration of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin sculptural speaker, we speak to the brand about the secret of its 15-year success
-
Beosystem 72-22 music system pays homage to best of Bang & OlufsenBeosystem 72-22 is a beautifully crafted, collector’s edition music system that celebrates and renews Bang & Olufsen’s 1972 Beogram 4000 Series turntable, and comes in a handmade walnut gift box-cum-stand
-
Moleskine Smart Writing System 2.0 seamlessly uploads your notes to the cloudBringing digital functionality to your jotting, sketching and writing, the upgraded Moleskine Smart Writing Set is a boon to the creative process, explains CEO Daniela Riccardi
-
Year in review: technology editor Jonathan Bell’s top 10 tech stories of 2021Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell reveals his top 10 technology stories of 2021, spanning portable speakers, virtual supercars, reimagined electric guitars, and a peek inside Apple Park
-
Apple AirPods reach their third and best generation yetApple AirPods 3 come newly contoured for greater comfort, and with a ‘surround sound’ experience
-
Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 is a newly enhanced pocket foldableMicrosoft Surface Duo 2 enters the foldable phone fray, with a host of improvements that bolster its status as a miniature workstation
