Nice bike, where do you put the batteries?

Take ye olde bicycle and add a motor to it, and though it may not have quite the same sex appeal as, say, the
Segway, it does stand to set you back a lot less. A new type of electric motor currently in development by Ultra Motor, a UK start-up, hopes to revolutionize the personal transportation and clean vehicle markets by being able to offer powered bikes for as low as $150 — which is far less than you might pay for a decently tricked-out "analog" roadster in the States, besides being cheaper than the current crop of electric bikes. However, the bikes are likely going to be primarily marketed in "environmentally conscious,
bike-happy regions" which, in case you haven't looked around lately, is not here. They could make a big splash in places like the Netherlands, or in India, whose government is cultivating a positive attitude towards nonpolluting public vehicles. Ultra Motor is also working on a hopped up version of their efficient electromagnetic motor to be used in wheelchairs, motorcycles, hybrid vehicles and rickshaws. Perhaps even the mighty
tuk-tuk?