DAHON & Ford Motor Company Unveil MoDe:Me at Taipei Cycle Show

Taipei, Taiwan, March 18, 2015 – The world’s largest manufacturer of folding bikes and category leader, DAHON, and Ford Motor Company, today unveiled the first prototype folding electric bicycle at Taipei Cycle Show created under a joint project to merge Ford’s inspired design with DAHON’s state-of-the-art folding bike technology. The MoDe:Me folding e-Bike is part of Ford’s Ford Smart Mobility program, an expanding global plan to study how folding bikes and folding electric bikes can work seamlessly with cars and public transport to deliver faster and easier daily commutes and help businesses operating in urban centres. The MoDe:Me is one of the starting points under the first experiment — Ford’s “Handle on Mobility” — which extends the range of transport solutions for a connected journey that is more efficient, safer, healthier, and enables journey to be completed with less anxiety and stress.
The MoDe:Me is the result of a joint development agreement between DAHON and Ford signed in October 2014. Although DAHON has offered e-bikes for several years, the MoDe:Me represents a new concept e-bike designed with innovations to work integrally with a Ford car, rather than just adding a motor to existing bicycle models. The MoDe:Me is intended for urban commuters to easily navigate through congested city traffic yet fits compactly in a section of the trunk. Utilizing DAHON’s industry leading technology, the bike folds and stows easily, allowing commuters to park on the city outskirts, take the bike onto public transport and travel to their city center, then ride the MoDe:Me to their destination. The MoDe:Me is equipped with a 200-watt motor with 9-amp- hour battery that provides electric pedal assist for speeds of up to 25 km/h. DAHON will also produce a model without a motor. The prototype e-bike also offers technology inspired by the automotive industry including a rear-facing ultrasonic sensor. This enables a rider alert system that both warns the cyclist when a vehicle is overtaking, by vibrating both handlebars, and alerts motorists of the presence of the e-bike by illuminating handlebar lights.
“We are excited and honored to have the opportunity to work jointly with Ford Motor Company to design the MoDe:Me folding electric bicycle,” said DAHON CEO Dr. David Hon. “After 30 years of trumpeting the idea of a DAHON folding bike being a future solution of urban mobility, we are pleased that Ford, a major worldwide automobile manufacturer, has joined us in this same vision. DAHON was founded on the dream of folding bicycles for multi-modal mobility toward a sustainable and green environment. The MoDe:Me goes a long way to fulfilling our dream, while at the same time providing performance and convenience that exceeds rider expectations.” Bill Coughlin, President & CEO, Ford Global Technologies continues, “You know when you have found a great partner when teams from across the world can come together and build an award-winning product,”
The MoDe:Me also has a number of innovative features like a pedal assist that can be adjusted based on the riders’ heart rate and the “No Sweat” feature allows the rider to pedal very lightly so they can arrive at work without being too sweaty. The MoDe:Me incorporates the Gates Carbon Belt Drive system so that riders don’t have to worry about a greasy chain. In addition, Ford’s prototype app called MoDe:Link is compatible with iPhone 6 and provides multimodal navigation and smart routing that takes into account all of the different transportation options that are available (auto, mass transit, e-bike, etc.) and provides the user with the best options filtered by cost as well as a map that includes weather, parking costs and charging stations. The app can also update in real time if traffic pattern changes or if a train is cancelled. With voice-activated SYNC compatibility, the MoDe:Me is stowed and charged inside the Ford vehicle while the app shows on the vehicle’s display.

About DAHON：
In 1982, DAHON ignited the folding bicycle revolution with the introduction of the DAHON Convertible, the forefather of most modern-day folding bicycles. Today, DAHON is recognized as a world leader. Spearheaded by the guiding principles of innovation, reinvention and technological leadership, DAHON is committed to creating quality product, a unique riding experience and green mobility solutions for people leading active, environmentally friendly lifestyles. Headquartered in California, DAHON’s offices, factories, cooperating assembly plants and distributing partner network reaches around the world. For more information regarding DAHON’s products, please visit www.dahon.com.
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