geoorbital reinvents the wheel to make any bicycle electric

geoorbital has a different take on the electric bike. rather than putting a motor on the bike, they have literally reinvented the wheel. founder michael burtov was prompted by something he had seen in the science-fiction movie ‘tron’. he thought there was a lot of wasted space inside the motorcycles because of their hollow wheels. this was his impetus to create up what he now calls the ‘geoorbital wheel’.

the wheel, which comes in two sizes, is designed to be attached to any bike in less than a minute–taking the place of a bike’s front wheel. it makes use of a panasonic 36 V removable lithium-ion battery with a pedal-assisted range of up to 50 miles per battery; or alternatively, a 30-mile range for the 26-inch wheel. it also has a 500 W brushless DC motor that the geoorbital claims will accelerate cyclists to 20 miles per hour in just 6 seconds. and just like any other electric bike, riders can continue to pedal to go even faster.

‘geoorbital wheel’ comes in two sizes to cover more than 95 percent of all adult-sized bicycles, the company says. if a bike has a 26-inch wheel, or 700c front wheel, and uses rim brakes, the wheel fits, the company’s kickstarter page explains. it’s also compatible with 28-inch and 29-inch wheels. the wheel charges via USB through an in-built outlet, which can also power a speaker on the go or even charge a phone. cyclists can also remove the battery if they need portable power–like for a day at the beach.

the wheel itself is an all-season ‘flatless’ tire filled with solid foam. that may not make it ideal for serious bikers, but that’s not really geoorbital’s market.

‘we look at it as more of an urban product, or suburban product,’ says michael burtov.

he explains that his wheel will appeal to anyone who wants to bike, but needs a little boost. that could include people who simply want to arrive at work without getting sweaty, or anyone who would otherwise go biking but for some reason couldn’t.

the two-person team has over 20 testers driving on their wheel around the startup’s hometown of cambridge.