This French company has designed the first e-bike that doesn’t need a battery

December 6, 2023 by EUNILITO

The brainchild of French entrepreneur Adrien Lelièvre, the Pi-Pop e-bike uses a supercapacitor to store energy rather than a battery base.

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If riding a bike every day is too challenging for you, you may be tempted to opt for an electric bike.

The problem with those is that the production of batteries consumes a lot of natural resources, such as lithium or rare earth elements that require extensive mining procedures and often environmental impact.

French entrepreneur Adrien Lelièvre, however, has developed a pioneering and sustainable solution.

Equipped with a super capacitor

The inventor, who has a background in electronics, designed and patented a e-bike called Pi-Popwhat you dodoes not use lithium batteries but supercapacitors.

“The system is loaded when the ride is easy and when the bike brakes – thanks to the engine brake – the energy is restored when needed,” said Lelièvre, the director of STEE, the company behind the bike, at Euronews Next.

To put it simply, a supercapacitor works to store energy electrostatically, or through slow charging. In contrast, a lithium battery stores energy as a chemical reaction. In other words, a supercapacitor can store and release energy very quickly when needed.

In the case of his bicycle, it means storing energy when the person pedals or brakes and using it to help with more difficult actions such as restarting or climbing.

Lelievre estimates that the assistance offered to the rider by the bike’s supercapacitors is enough to handle an elevation gain of 50 m if loaded in a plan in advance, making it suitable for about 80 percent of European cities.

The concept of a supercapacitor is not a new innovation in itself; the first were manufactured at the end of the 1970s. Today, they are used in photovoltaic systems (such as solar panels), digital cameras, and some hybrid or electric vehicles to improve their performance.

It made sense for Lelièvre to use bicycle technology.

“A symbol of sobriety”

According to him, the 20 kg Pi-Pop “is really a symbol of sobriety”.

“Always wanting more, meaning wanting to go faster, adding more energy … that’s a dead end,” he said.

No rare earth materials are used in the production of the bike as the supercapacitors are made of carbon, conductive polymer, aluminum foil and pulp – materials for which recycling processes already exist.

There is no need to wait for the bike to charge as well, another advantage compared to classic e-bikes. The company also claims that the life of the supercapacitor ranges from 10 to 15 years compared to five or six for a lithium battery.

The bike – now a third-generation design – is currently assembled in Orléans. Being produced locally in his native France was important to Lelièvre whose career was built in the French electronics industry.

“I think we can’t innovate if we lose control of production,” he said. “When we talk about sustainable development, ecological transition and energy transition, we need to provide jobs,” added Lelievre whose company employs 25 people.

Currently, Pi-Pop produces 100 bikes a month. In the future, the company aims to produce a thousand bicycles per month by 2024.

Lelièvre also has European ambitions.

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“In 2025, we want to target the European market, we are currently discussing a potential fundraising,” he said.

Cracking this nut could be a great opportunity for the company as The EU imported 1.2 million e-bikes and 5.2 million non-electrics (five times the amount exported), according to the EU data agency Eurostat.