Italdesign and Ducati present the new Urban-E folding pedal-assisted bicycle, a bike combining innovative and ergonomic solutions with a particularly accurate design. Available in black or grey version, Urban-E is built around the special aluminium frame, designed by the Ducati Style Centre designers in collaboration with colleagues from Italdesign’s Industrial Design division, with an easy folding closure system that allows it to be folded in a few simple moves. The handlebar stem houses the fully integrated LCD display, which makes it possible to control all service functions, check the remaining battery charge and switch the LED lights on and off. The 378Wh battery brings the Urban-E to a range of about 70 km on one charge.
“Foldable e-bikes are becoming more and more common as a sustainable means of transport even in cities, being able to work on this project making it unique was a great challenge”, says Nicola Guelfo, Head of Industrial Design at Italdesign. “This type of bike has considerable technical constraints: our approach, common to every project we tackle, has been to bring stylistic and engineering solutions together. We have incorporated elements characteristic of Ducati style, adapting them to the structural and design requirements and the typical aims of a bike, without forgetting the needs of those who will use it”.
Designers and planners have worked to create an e-bike with a clean and linear style; the battery is integrated into the frame and itself becomes an element of style, recalling, in the typical Ducati red colour and arched shape, the tanks of the motorcycles. The LED lights are also integrated into the frame; the cushioned fork, the tyres with Kevlar anti-puncture technology, mounted on double shoulder aluminium rims and the rear mudguard, in addition to accentuating the racing style, ensure maximum comfort during riding, even on the most uneven tracks.
