Urtopia has outdone itself this year as it attempts to differentiate its e-bikes from the competition through heavy use of technology. It just gave a full first look at its flagship Fusion model (which it teased earlier this year) at CES 2024, and it’s fully integrated with the buzzy AI assistant ChatGPT. The Fusion follows the company’s previous high-tech Chord and original Urtopia models.
Urtopia calls the Fusion “the world’s first dual-battery, dual-motor e-bike designed by the visionary Hartmut Esslinger,” and that’s a very specific statement. It’s made from carbon fiber to save weight and uses a Shimano CUES gearbox on the regular model and Enviolo continuously variable shifters on the premium CVT version. The dual 540Wh batteries provide a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles), while the 360Wh battery extender provides a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles), enough to cross Paris from north to south about 20 times.
It can reach speeds of up to 25km/h thanks to the 95Nm mid-drive motor, and the air suspension fork has 100mm of travel. All this, combined with the relatively light weight (23kg) of wide tires and a stable frame, makes it suitable for off-road, trail and city riding.
This could be any electric bike, but the main feature of the Fusion is the technology. It connects via 4G and uses GPS tracking so you know where your bike is even if it is stolen. It also comes with motion alerts, fingerprint unlocking, route tracking, phone-free navigation, and Bluetooth music playback through the built-in speaker—all the same as past models.
What’s new is what the company calls “Jarvis” technology, which uses a smart ring (the company doesn’t reveal which one) to start the bike, play music or activate other technical features ChatGPT. You can also talk directly to ChatGPT through the built-in speaker. You might reasonably ask what ChatGPT does on an e-bike – the answer is that it helps you “explore new routes, get real-time information, and even have interesting conversations,” according to Urtopia.
We’re not sure how useful the chat assistant is when dodging traffic at 25km/h, but it can at least keep you company on lonely back roads. It’s also a pretty solid marketing gimmick that the company uses to differentiate itself from the many other e-bikes on the market. However, buyers will have to have deep pockets, as the Fusion is priced at €3,999 (approximately $4,375), while the Fusion CVT is priced at a whopping €4,999 (approximately $5,467). There’s no word yet on when it will be available or if it will come to the United States.
We will provide live coverage of CES 2024, which will be held in Las Vegas from January 6th to 12th.Get all the latest news from the show here.
This article was originally published on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/urtopias-fusion-e-bike-has-filled-integrated-chatgpt-144429572.html?src=rss
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