A French entrepreneur has developed an e-bike that doesn't use a lithium-ion battery, and never needs charging. Instead of a standard battery pack, the Pi-Pop bike uses a supercapacitor to store energy, and is charged while you ride.
E-bikes open up the world of cycling and bikepacking to people who'd otherwise count themselves out, but while they're much less environmentally damaging than a car, they still require cobalt and lithium. Modern batteries use less of these rare metals, but demand is soaring and shortages are looming. There's also an ethical problem: most of the world's cobalt is mined in the DRC, often by workers who are underpaid and poorly treated.
