Research and Development energy conversion company WaveCrest Laboratories,
based in Dulles, near Washington DC, is working on an electric bicycle for
the US-Military. The military e-bike can be equipped with a variety of
power sources depending on the application and will offer speeds of up to
30 mph.

Besides tremendous power and good range, the military also demands stealth
and little to no heat. In other words: the motor needs to be very
efficient. The key is not to waste any valuable energy from the
battery–10 kilometers difference in range can be the difference in saving
a soldier’s life.

A test ride with the current prototype of the WaveCrest Adaptive Motor”
built into a regular military type bicycle was, indeed, quite impressive.
It is silent while carrying the rider uphill with ease, even off-road.
After a short ride the motor got warm but not hot to the touch.

Although WaveCrest is only two years old, work on the motor actually began
more than a decade ago. The story behind the motor involves Alexander
Pytnikov, a Russian neurophysiologist who wanted to create a motor based on
the principles of the human body, a Russian physicist who turned the
concept into reality and an American investor who provided $17 million
dollars to help found WaveCrest in 2000.

The company now employs 42 people from 9 nations who want to “change the
way the world moves”. This slogan already indicates that vehicles
implementing the WaveCrest Adaptive Motor” will not be limited to military
bicycles alone. Various other applications are planned for the future
including consumer electric bicycles, wheelchairs, cars, buses, mass
transportation and even generators for windmills.