We wrote up the Uno for the first time back in 2008, then again in 2009. It started out as a high school project where Benjamin Gulak put together an electric motorcycle with parallel wheels, moving forward and backward like a Segway. It was a pretty neat project for a high school student, but it probably wasn’t going anywhere commercially.
Ben took his project to stage two when he appeared on a TV show, the Dragon’s Den, showing his idea to angel investors who gave him the cash to develop it further. The result was a morphing vehicle that moves from parallel to single track mode as speed increases. It was pretty cool from an engineering standpoint, but again, it still had a lot of that science project look to it.
I wasn’t keeping track of the Uno but a tip from Andrew sent me over to see the Uno 3. The Uno now sports 3 wheels. It sits up on the rear parallel wheels at slow speed but then lowers the front wheel at higher speeds. It’s starting to look a bit more like a conventional motorcycle, albeit one with a pair of rear wheels, but it still has the convertible function he developed in stage two, allowing it to stand up and fold the front wheel in for slow speeds and even, the site says, be carried on an elevator or stored in an apartment.
I don’t know how many people will be interested in something like this, but I have to give Ben a lot of credit for designing and building it. If nothing else, he shows he’s a person who can take a project from idea to working prototype, which is a whole lot more than a lot of armchair engineers ever do. You can pre-order now.
Thanks for the tip, Andrew!
Link: BPG Motors
Video below:
Jay Allen says
Innovation in action, proof that we still have lots of undiscovered ideas. I hope his naysayers will remember horse owners didn’t think the auto would catch on
B50 Jim says
In a world that is changing at a dizzying pace, Ben displays the kind of thinking we desperately need to meet the challenges that bombard us every day. Not just for this project, but for any project. Our schools should be teaching students how to think alternatively and encourage them in pursuing all kinds of ideas, no matter how silly or fantastic. If we as a nation want to maintain our leadership role in the world, and if we as a people are to move into the future in a positive way, we must foster new ways of thinking and new ways of looking at problems.
Ken says
This just makes me think two things.
A: If I worked downtown in a high density city, I would buy one. Not might, but would. I have lived in condos for the last 7 years (Lord, I miss my garage!!!). This last year, I have lived in a building with an elevator. With that in mind, if this thing fits in the door, it means I could bring it to my place and charge it indoors. This means I could charge it, it would be less likely to be stolen and it would become something to talk about when people came over! Zero might have a removable battery pack, but if you don’t have a secure parking spot, well…. And its cool tech. iPod anyone?
B: There are perfomance art high schools in this country, but why don’t you hear of engineering high schools? I’m certain they could be funded by industry as they love to have write offs for tax reasons. If the top engineering programs at the top universities were excepting graduates from these schools, think of the engineering advancement in your country as a result of this…
Norm says
It’s an interesting concept and I do believe that at some point it, or something similar, may become a practical method of transportation within reasonable limits.
There is, as most everyone knows, a growing need for “green” transportation. However, as always I am puzzled as to how it will significantly reduce the “carbon footprint”. As with most battery type electric vehicles virtually everyone seems to forget where the power at the charging outlet comes from. Presently in North America the generation of power is primarily coal fired power plants. The actual numbers are as follows: Coal 44.5%, Natural Gas 23.3% Nuclear 20.2%, Hydro Electric 6.8%, Other Renewable’s such as wind and solar 3.6%, Petroleum 1.0%, Other Combustible Gases .3%, and Other Alternates such as wood burning .3%. Since the vast majority of electrical power is still generated by the burning of fossil fuels you are not removing the carbon footprint at all (69.1% of all electricity produced in North America) what you are really doing is just moving the carbon footprint to another location. This coupled with a top speed of 30 MPH (not freeway legal), a range of 30 to 35 miles, and a 3 to 4 hour recharge time makes this a little impractical for the average person in the US who, according to a recent poll, has a one way commute of 16 miles (approximately 26 minutes under normal conditions) using the existing freeway and roadway network. Another pitfall which always seems to be ignored is once at your work location, how likely is it that your employer will just pony up to pay for your fuel to commute to work?
As I said before, the concept may be great but the practicality in todays marketplace is questionable. Until our Governments and our utility companies get off their collective duffs and actively seek out new and practical methods of electrical power generation the UNO will probably just remain a curiosity.
todd says
Norm, the source of electrical power in places where electric vehicles make the most sense (urban pack) is not typically coal. In Northern California where there are 15 million (documented) people less than 1% of the electricity comes from coal. Marin County, for instance, boasts 78% renewable energies in their grid and zero coal. This will help cut pollution, no doubt.
-todd
Norm says
Todd, the power in California’s power grid is also bolstered by co-gens operating in northern Alberta in the Fort McMurray area. There are at least 5 co-generation plants in the area and all of them burn hydro carbons as fuel and this has been happening for well over 30 years. These plants are purposely built to produce a surplus over the extraction and upgrading operations needs and all surpluses are put on the grid and pushed southward. At least one plant in the area has pre-sold all of it’s surplus to utility companies in California, in fact, this plant could shut down all of it’s mining operations and still make in excess of $50,000.00 a day clear profit. The reason I know all of this is because I work on them. We also have a number of coal fired plants selling excess power on the grid to the U.S. About 23% of all the power produced in Canada is from hydro carbon fired plants.
The following is taken directly from the Canadian Governments website:
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/can-am/bilat_can/energy-energie.aspx?lang=eng#electricity
Electricity
Canada: the largest electricity supplier to the United States
Canada and the United States share an integrated electricity grid and supply almost all of each other’s electricity imports. Canada is a major supplier of electricity to New England, New York, the Upper Midwest, the Pacific Northwest and California.
Canada is one of the world’s largest producers of hydroelectricity, producing about 13% of the world’s total. Hydroelectricity represents 59% of Canada’s total electricity generation—representing over three times the global average.
In fact, 77% of Canada’s electricity comes from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases.
Canadian electricity represents a reliable source of power and is a key element in ensuring long-term North American energy security and addressing our collective climate change challenges.
So you see Todd, whether you know it or not, California is consuming power generated by hydro carbons and the pollution is just moved to somewhere where it is less likely to be noticed. I, as I am sure you are, am not happy about this situation but it is the way it is. I agree with you that electrical vehicles are needed in densely packed areas but it’s not helping with controlling green house gases in my part of the world one damn bit. I have spent most of my life working in and around the oil and gas sector and seen first hand what happens. This is only one example of the “slight of hand” tactics that large corporations use to distribute energy around North America all the while claiming that they are “soooooo greeennn”. They can feed the “dirty” power to areas that already have a surplus of “clean” power and then they send that “clean” surplus south to where there is a greater demand than supply. They are just bending the numbers……….
Todd, you might want to view the website as it has a number of statistics as to where the U.S. and Canada really get their energy from.
todd says
Thanks for the wealth of information! Sorry, I was basing my info on PG&E and the MCEA’s marketing info since it is readily distributed to consumers. Serves me right.
-todd
Norm says
Todd, you have no reason to be sorry. The vast majority of the folks in the U.S. and Canada have no idea of what is being done in the “secluded” north so you are not alone. But now, after reading a little more, you and others are better informed and perhaps better armed when it comes to dealing with Corporate propaganda and that was my intent. I, as a father and a grandfather, am concerned about how our resources are being used and how the environment is affected. I would like to see everyone’s families grow up and still be able to breathe the air and drink the water.
One more thing Todd, if you can get your scooter up this way sometime you would be more than welcome. I am sure that we Canucks would be more than happy to show you the raw beauty of our north.
Ken says
Todd is right. Another point to ponder… The electricity produced by power plants is not all used and much goes to waste since you cannot store it. If most of the charging is done at night, you would be capturing that possibly wasted energy. That is a win-win for both the power company and the end user. Point being that you wouldn’t just move the carbon footprint…
Also, if you actually checked on this machine, you would know that this was made for Asia and its crowded cities. This was never intended to replace a motorcycle, it was made to replace two stroke scooters.
Norm says
Actually Ken, if you visit BPG motors website it says that the idea came from a visit to China. Now where does it state that the intent is to market it there. If fact if you look in the FAQ section you will find the following:
How fast does it go?
The U3 is designed to be licensed as a scooter class vehicle. The current prototype in Motorcycle mode has a top speed of 30 MPH and a top speed of 15 MPH in Uno mode. Now that we have the transforming technology finished, we intend to increase the performance of the bike to go faster.
How is it licensed?
Licensing depends on where you reside as laws differ from state to state. The U3 is designed to meet U.S. standards for a low speed motorcycle/scooter which in most places does not require a special rider permit.
How are you funded?
BPG Motors is angel funded by high visibility investors in the U.S. and Canada.
If I am reading and comprehending this correctly the UNO is being designed and financed with the U.S. and Canada as the target markets.
As for where the power in China is produced and how it’s produced to fuel the UNO, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China . You will note that it states under electrical generation it states:
Coal
Main article: Coal power in China
China currently generates around two thirds of its electricity from coal-fired power stations. It is progressing with the construction of 562 new coal-fired plants over the next few years. In June 2007, it was reported that an average of two new plants were being opened every week.
Based on this, even if you were to market this product in China the power would still be coming from a fossil fuel with a carbon footprint. Having said this though, I would also have to give China credit for if you care to read further you will find the following:
Renewables
Main article: Renewable energy in China
China is the world’s leading renewable energy producer, with an installed capacity of 152 GW. China has been investing heavily in the renewable energy field in recent years. In 2007, the total renewable energy investment is $12 billion USD, second only to Germany, and expected to be first by 2009. China is also the largest producer of wind turbines and solar panels. Approximately 7% of China’s energy was from renewable sources in 2006, a figure targeted to rise to 10% by 2010 and to 16% by 2020. The major renewable energy source in China is hydropower. Total hydro-electric output in China in 2009 was 615.64 billion kWh, constituting 16.6% of all electricity generated. The country already has the most hydro-electric capacity in the world, and the Three Gorges Dam is projected to be the largest hydro-electric power station in the world, with a total capacity of 22.5 GW. It is expected to be fully operational by 2011.
As I said before, if our Governments and and our utility companies get off their collective duffs and actively seek out new and practical methods of electrical power generation………
Ken says
From watching the Dragon’s Den full episode and reading various small articles on the web, it seems as though his investors see overseas as the best market for it. Isn’t Ben from Canada, but wanted the money to move to Mass. to be near the engineering hub he felt he needed to fully prototype it. If I remember the show correctly, one of the investors thought this might be something that they could pitch to a company such as Toyota.
As far as the power plants claiming they are going green, I completely agree. Then again, how could I not as you had the facts to back it up! I’ve worked in my field long enough to have seen how this “green” business isn’t really all that green. Using fluorescents that actually pollute when you discard them is no good (LED is still a better choice if they can get the color right). I like how they give out free evaluations on how to reduce your consumption, but really you’ve already paid for it by contributing to their slush fund!
Norm says
Ken, please don’t talk to me about fluorescents. Would you believe that some hammerhead in Government here actually proposed the banning of all incandescent lighting in favor of fluorescents? Seems they believed that the reduced power consumption was worth the effort. Unfortunately they did not realize that fluorescents contain mercury that would find its way into the water table from the landfill dumps and poison us all………Duh. You are right about LED’s and this is the direction we should be headed. I guess the moral of this is Thank God we don’t get all the Government we pay for……LOL
Nicolas says
ain’t that cool ?!?
Arion says
I have watched that episode of Dragon’s Den several times, and what continues to strike me about it was the willingness of all of show’s investors to plough a lot of money into this even though, based on their stated expertise, none of them know or knew much about the alternative energy and vehicle technologies market.
On screen at least, none of the Dragon’s bothered to ask questions such as the following:
1. What happens in the event of a stabilization system failure while the parallel track version is at speed?
2. How quickly can the parallel track version negotiate a turn without tipping over?
3. How do the answers to questions 1 & 2 affect certification for road worthiness and associated costs?
4. How does the stabilization system affect procurement and recurring costs compared to conventional electric scooters and how might that affect market share and penetration?
As for the transforming variant now presented:
5. How are weight and reliability affected by the transforming feature?
6. How would range and market appeal be affected if instead that weight were devoted to additional batteries?
7. What is the ride quality when the ratio of unsprung weight to total weight apparently/probably exceeds that of all other comparably sized single track vehicles?
I have seen a number of electric scooters little larger than a bicycle that will easily fit into a large modern elevator, provided it is not rush hour.
I have a lot of admiration for the inventor’s talent and perseverance, but there is much about this concept (succession of concepts) that seems heavily compromised.
Nicolas says
Investors are not engineers. They bring the funds, and expect some return on their investment. They don’t have to ask that sort of technical questions, it’s the engineers job to take care of it (and the lawyers too …). If the investors start to look at all the technical questions and potential issues, it results in paralysis by analysis, nothing happens.
That’s why you Arion are an engineer, and other people are investors.
Arion says
Investors who are not engineers should ask engineers before taking that plunge. Otherwise they lose their investment and become far more reluctant to invest the next time around, even though the next time could be regarding something really, practically, brilliant. Once bitten, twice shy.
Shawn says
This is one of those scenarios where someone comes up with a cool concept, but when it looks like the practicality of that concept just doesn’t work, they can’t let go.
It was originally pretty cool, a sport-bike looking Segway. Cool. But now its some goofy looking motorcycle/segway nightmare. I don’t get it. Sure it’s an amazing piece of engineering. But what’s the practical benefit of a motorcycle that transforms into a perpetual wheelie stance? Smaller footprint and elevator access, as Ken above mentioned? Maybe version 7 or 8 will make sense. 🙂
todd says
This is a very impressive undertaking and I applaud Ben’s ability to see his concept through to this stage. Just think, he was paid to build this. That alone would have been worth it for me – Did Dragon’s Den ever expect to get their money back out of this venture?
-todd
Vinnie Dee says
I luv Ben for being able to screw Dragons Dick Kevin O’Leary out of a pile of cash. The hype that he brought to the show with cover of Popular Science gave those money hungry pigs no choice but to feed at the trough.
The price that that the segway/bike will have to be sold at to get any return on investment means that buyers more than likely own 5 car garages and the elevator convenience is a null selling point.
PAULINATOR says
Brilliantly executed stupidity. This kid has got to start reviewing projects at the napkin-sketch level or he’ll be working in the hardware isle soon…and that would be a tragic waste of incredible raw talent.
Alex says
It appears that the Uno3 has deviated too far from the initial concept. This model lacks complete design thinking and it’s a real shame that this entire project has been taken in the wrong direction.
I wonder who’s steering the ship here?
mattg says
This contraption is pretty neato from an engineering perspective but I don’t know it’s really better than a bike set up like that.
I suspect people questioning whether electric vehicles are practical have never actually driven one or closely questioned their transport needs. A quality mountain bike with a lithium ion battery motor is fun as hell to ride around. 30mph on a bike along bike track is plenty fast.
As a non post related comment:
Assuming the electricity must be generated by huge central plants instead of passive solar shingles or something that this argument about carbon emissions is only partly valid because a wholesale switch to electric vehicles would greatly decrease the sources of carbon emissions; all emissions actually. It’s hard to imagine a workable carbon sequestering or scrubbing system which collects carbon from hundreds of millions of individually maintained vehicles. Such a system would be a solvable engineering problem if the sources where reduced to a few hundred.
OMMAG says
The kid is a genius …. and a heck of a craftsman ….. I just hope he stays away from those jokers after the gimik-o-cycle business goes poof……………..
I can see O’leary trying to get his hands on options for Ben’s future works …. for the kid … a fate worse than death.
David K says
IIn the conventional (down) position there is good telescopic fork actin and rear wheel swing fork action. It the standing up position it appears that the only bump forgiveness comes from the tires.
Dano says
The holes in the tank area would be good on a sport tourer. It would be nice to have removable plugs in them that can be pulled for colder weather riding.
John S says
Personally, I’d get tired of the $1,000 fines and 2 year license suspensions for riding wheelies…
Gazberzu says
The UNO concept is just f*** stupid. You need a proof ? Two words : emergency braking !
I can’t believe there’s investors dumb enough to not understand that.
Ken says
I still think that people are missing the point on this. It is an electric scooter to replace 2 stroke scooters. Not a motorcycle. It was designed for the tech savy and densly poplulated people of Asia. If you lived over there, wanted something no one else had and could afford a scooter that cost 5 grand, why wouldn’t you want this? In North America, this is just another toy.
froryde says
I live “over here” in Hong Kong (dense enough for ya?) and if I had 5 grand to spend, I’ll just get a better scooter. Or save it up as my commuting fund for taking the bus, subway, taxi…etc.
It’s a brilliant piece of engineering, but if the design brief were to replace 2 stroke scooters, I think it failed miserably.
akumabito says
What parts of Asia would that be? I mean, $5k, really? the VAST majority of scooters/light motorcycles sold in Asia are 100 ~150cc machines costing around $1500.. most people can’t afford to spend much more than that, and if they could, I highly doubt they’d buy such a complex and weird machine – in Bangkok there are small garages on every street corners. Fixing a Honda or Yamaha is done in no-time.. try wheeling in one of these, lol!
leston says
So my question is. What was the overall goal with this bike in the first design? and what is the goal of this bike at its current design? Is he achieving it?
Ken says
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2DgwY5QQBk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
This is a good start to find all your answers!
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
Video added above
john says
bitching and whining aside, and its easier to criticize than to create, I don’t see how the rear works in a lean. Are the left and right swingarms independent? Otherwise, awesome.
Won’t save our species but its creditable indeed.
James McBride says
I love the innovation here but I can’t help thinking this’ll be another Segway or another Sinclair C5.
akumabito says
..what problem does this solve that is not already addressed by any of dozens of electric scooters already on the market today? Those have similar performance, similar ranges, far less complexity and -if this thing ever enters the market- the scooters got a whopper of a price advantage..
Sure, you might not be able to take a regular scooter up in an elevator, but WTF? Who is going to store one of these inside living quarters anyway?
Alex says
That’s all fun to watch, and great innovation, but he’s gotta call it the Dos Tres, not the Uno.
pabs says
clever guy dumb idea
Brian says
Like a segway with a fairing? JK