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We recently got on the phone with Dan Squiller from PowerGenix, a company which hopes to "revolutionize the battery industry" with its new nickel-zinc batteries. The firm's batteries will soon make an appearance in power tools and in lawn and garden machinery, with ebikes, scooters and consumer AA-sized units shipping shortly thereafter. Of course, the company also sees huge room for expansion in hybrid cars and has plans to sell its technology to a major manufacturing company in the near-term future.

What makes the company think its product is so good? Read on past the break for the story.

Yamaha certainly has plenty of experience making sporty two-wheeled vehicles, as riders of the firm's R6 and R1 sportbikes can certainly attest. Now, though, it seems that the Tuning Fork company has decided to branch out into human power, specifically with a new hybrid bicycle. What makes this particular machine, knows as the PAS Brace, particularly interesting is how it manages the electrical assistance. First, an eight speed rear hub is used and allows shifting at any time, even from a dead stop. Depending on what gear the bike is in, a computer controls how much electrical power to send to the motor for assistance. Once top speed is reached, the system completely shuts down.

We've seen similar machines from other manufactures on these pages before, but what makes this Yamaha stand out is the low pricing. When equipped with the standard 4.0 Ah 25.9 volt lithium ion battery, the PAS Brace will sell for just $1,150, though it will only be available in Japan to start. There's always eBay...

[Sources: Nikkei, Engadget]

We've gazed at OHM's line of electric bikes already this year, and now we find a review by an automotive writer for The Wall Street Journal. David Patton tested the entry-level machine from the company, known as the XU450. The 450 stands for Watts, which the electric motor is able to deliver for short bursts. The rear hub-mounted motor can sustain a constant 250 Watts and the lithium battery is good for up to seventy miles, depending on how much pedaling the rider is willing to endure. Interestingly, the motor won't power the bike unless the rider pedals, so there are no free rides. Still, the top setting allows the motor to provide 200% more power than the rider is offering.

While we like the idea of electric bikes, the costs are going to have to come down before mainstream acceptance is likely. The XU450, for example, retails for a heady $2,195. Higher-specification models cost even more. Plus, its fifty pounds are quite a bit to lug around, as can be seen when you watch the video pasted after the break.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]