All over the world, electric bicycles have changed the way people move. They’re simple, practical, and just easy to use to get around. And while wide, sprawling highways in the US are undoubtedly one of the biggest hurdles to their stateside success, in other parts of the world, electric bicycles have become very much integrated into the mainstream mobility network.
That's perhaps why these new e-bikes from Yamaha may seem totally sketchy to you. Both the PAS Baby and PAS Kiss e-bikes seem to put your youngster in a rather precarious position, exposing them to all sorts of dangers on the road. For starters, the PAS Baby, which has the child seat in the rear, keeps your toddler out of sight as you pilot the two-wheeler through the urban jungle.
Surely, should an inattentive driver busy with their smartphone come hurtling towards you and your youngster, you’re in for a terrible time.
But the story isn’t much different with the PAS Kiss, either. Here, the child is strapped onto the bike’s front end, sort of like a handlebar ornament for the world to see. Should the rider need to come to a sudden stop, or should the brakes be engaged, one would think that a massive stoppie would ensure that would result in the kid being pinned underneath the bike and mommy thrown over the bars.
While all these gloomy scenarios are indeed within the realm of possibility, it’s important to remember that Yamaha’s e-bikes are designed, first and foremost, to be used in cities that already have the infrastructure for bicycle commuting.
Indeed, riding an e-bike with your toddler strapped to the front or back seems a lot safer if there aren’t any cars and trucks hurtling past you at 60 miles per hour. It also helps a whole lot if the environment in which you’re riding is clean, well-paved, and you know, actually designed for bikes. And all these are realities in many countries around the world, particularly in Europe and Asia, where governments are working towards making active mobility mainstream.
Then of course, there’s the topic of design. Yamaha has made sure that the PAS Baby and PAS Kiss are as safe as they could possibly be. To do this, the Japanese manufacturer incorporated a new compact frame which offers a lower center of gravity for improved stability. The PAS Baby’s child seat has also been redesigned. It’s called the Hug Seat Plus, and as its name suggests, it’s designed to keep your youngster tightly secured as the bike is in motion. It uses a race car-like seat complete with a harness and a halo to protect your kid at all costs.
Meanwhile, the PAS Kiss’ front-mounted seat is called the Cocoon Room Plus, and it’s essentially a shell that prevents kids from being crushed in the event of a frontal collision. The bike also gets a fairly long wheelbase for extra stability, as well as to prevent the whole over-the-bar incident I mentioned earlier.
So yeah, in the right context, Yamaha’s e-bikes for ferrying around your kids make perfect sense. But what do you think? Would you ditch your car for an electric bike for school drops and grocery runs if you could? It all seems like a fun and sustainable way forward, and one that could give your youngsters a love for the great outdoors in the process. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sources: Autoby.Jp, Yamaha Motor
