Hasta La Ideas

As in 2011, the modish mode of transportation that Eben Weiss cheekily calls “bicycle cycling” continued to gain popularity over the past twelve months, and it’s safe to assume that the trend will continue into the new year as well. Similarly, electric bicycles are gaining ground on traditional transportation, be it the private automobile or public transit, as a viable alternative for short commutes or errands. From a pair of Kickstarted folding e-bikes to the IDEO-designed Faraday Porteur and, most recently, the ELF ‘velomobile’. Besides the pricepoint, which range from about $1,500 to upwards of $4,000, we hope that factors such as street legality and range will encourage competition and innovation in this growing sector as forward-thinking electric bikeshare programs at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the Bay Area bring pedal-powered hybrids into public consciousness. (Suffice it to say we’ve come a long way from this.)

BRD Motorcycles

These factors also come into play with a more powerful breed of eco-minded two-wheelers: Electric motorcycles are also the subject of growing interest in the wide world of transportation design. Indeed, both editions of the Core77 Design Awards have seen a fair share of sporty-yet-sustainable bikes, including 2012 Student Winner Eyal Melnick’s “Shavit” and the 2011 Professional Winner Mission R Superbike (coincidentally enough, rim-mounted bicycle lights have also been winners in the Transportation category for two years running). To get a sense of the design challenges behind electric motorbikes, we recommend Marc Fenigstein’s mini-case study on BRD Motorcycles (a Core77 2012 Design Awards Notable).

Bradley Berman for The New York Times

As for that elusive grail of electric vehicles, we sincerely hope to offer more electric car coverage in 2013. Which is not to say that the industry stalled—the New York Times celebrated ‘plug-ins’ in last week’s end-of-the-year coverage—but more that we have yet to see a major breakthrough, i.e. how the Prius stepped up pace for hybrids. For now, we’re keeping our eye on our discussion boards, where Hurricane Sandy-related headlines inspired a frank conversation about the long-term prospects of Tesla and Fisker.

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