If you are not familiar with hybrid bikes, they are basically part motorcycle and part bicycle. Michael Uhlarik has been working on his idea SURU and is keen on selling his electric bike invention, even though it might not attract a great crowd on either ends of the spectrum.
“Both of them will hate it,” said Uhlarik. “Bicyclists are a purist sort, generally speaking. They won’t give their bike up for anything. Motorcyclists will say, ‘What, it’s top speed is only 33 kilometres an hour? No way.”
“But that’s not who we’re zeroing in on. Someone who drives a Suru is a person who lives in a city that drives a car everywhere and sometimes pointlessly.
“In a Halifax context, if you live in the north end, there’s nowhere your Suru can’t take you. You want to see a movie in Bayers Lake, hop on your Suru and go and you’ll get there quicker than in your car.”
Photo credits: thechronicleherald.ca
Uhlarik claims that recently, times have been hard.
“The innovation comes easy, that’s what I do. Making it wasn’t a huge issue. It took less than 10 days to raise the initial money we needed.
“I have to sell it now and I have to find people who want it. For people like me who have spent their lives devoted to research and design, this is not what we were meant to do. Business development and sales, these are strange parallel universes. How do I introduce it to as many people as possible?”
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Photo credits: RideApart
Nonetheless, he did not give up. He won $50,000 at the Spark Innovation Challenge by coming out on top of a field of 136 Nova Scotia startups recently. He earned partnerships with Innovacorp and Atlantic Canada Opportunities.
“It’s basically pushed us ahead a year. But we’re gradually getting more media, building a head of steam.”
“E-bikes are the fastest growing transportation in the world. It’s a tough, stylish bike, no welding went into it at all. It’s a perfect answer to city congestion. It’s also an environmentally friendly vehicle that gives city people the ease and affordability to make local trips at a reasonable cost.”
“But ultimately I want to build something I can pass on to my kids. Build a manufacturing business in Nova Scotia. The world needs reliable, smart transportation.”