It looks a little… unfinished. Is there anything missing? Yes, it is. Somehow the Eeyo 1 from Gogoro has lost its seat tube. If you think there’s not much left of it, you’re wrong. In fact, this bike is packed with ideas. And some of them are proof of a lot of ingenuity.
First of all, of course, the extraordinary geometry of the bike catches the eye. Brands like Urwahn from Germany and now the Eeeyo 1 from Taiwan show that creative designs have long since found their way into e-bikes. Of course, it is still an eye-catcher.
Everything revolves around the hub
This leaves only the top and bottom tubes to contain the battery. But it is not in the frame. Together with the engine and all necessary sensors, the battery is located in the hub of the rear wheel. Therefore, it is quite voluminous. When looking at the Eeyo 1 as a whole, however, it surprisingly peels away.
Engine, battery, sensors and electronics for engine control in a self-contained hub – that’s a statement. Gogoro, the manufacturer of the Eeyo 1, calls its proprietary development Eeyo Smartwheel. A torque sensor controls the power flow for the driving assistant. The more power you invest, the more the engine provides support. However, at some point, the battery management system also switches on. This keeps an eye on how much residual energy is still available. The less, the more economical the power is released. Eeyo really wants to take you home.
Basically, the Smartwheel serves as the bike lock, too. Because if you move away from the bike, the motor locks automatically. The hub is then blocked. This way, thieves can’t fly the coop with the precious piece.
Spartan concept
Of course, this does not protect from being carried away. And unlike many other e-bikes, carrying away is a real option on the Eeyo 1. After all, it is a true sprinter. The Eeyo 1s weighs a full 11.9 kilograms. The list of components that are made of carbon is almost longer than the list of other parts: Frame, fork, seatpost, handlebars, rims. In addition, a pad is built into the frame. It is placed at the lower edge of the line where top tube, seat tube and rear stay merge. This should normally make shouldering the lightweight even more comfortable for you.
When carrying it you won’t get stuck on parts like mudguards, lights, display, bottle cage, chain guard or similar. You will look in vain for all that on the Eeyo 1. However, a sprinter doesn’t have a cereal bar for in between. Instead, there are internally routed brake and gear cables. Gogoro calls this approach “agility over utility”. In other words: The Eeyo 1 explicitly doesn’t want to be an extremely versatile beast of burden, but wants to get you from A to B in the city as quickly as possible.
Suitable for commuters
This is exactly what can be seen in the package of battery, motor and drive. With 123 watt hours, the charging capacity of the battery follows the spartan concept of the bike. You can tap into the power via two support levels: “Sport” and “Eco”. As a result, you can cover about 65 kilometres of sporty riding or up to 90 kilometres in an economical way. As soon as the battery reaches a minimum, it automatically switches to eco mode. About 2.5 hours should be enough for a full charge.
Speaking of recharging. As an accessory, Gogoro offers a stand that serves as a charging station. Sounds practical, especially as the battery is permanently installed in the bike. So you can leave the Eeyo 1 in your apartment without much effort and without damaging the walls of your room.
Shipping is on its way
On Facebook Gogoro states, that the second batch of the bikes are shipped right now not mentioning to which countries exactly. Originally, July was specified as the starting date for the USA and Taiwan as well as “late summer” for Europe. The whole thing is supposed to cost 4,599 US dollars for the Eeyo 1S. The Eyo 1, 500 grams heavier and with a little more aluminium instead of carbon, is estimated at 3,899 US dollars.
Bilder: Gogoro