{"id":49451,"date":"2023-05-11T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=49451"},"modified":"2023-05-11T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T14:00:00","slug":"jackrabbit-micro-electric-bike-himiway-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=49451","title":{"rendered":"This is the funky electric bike that got Himiway sued for copying its design"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the highly-competitive world of electric bike design, there are often originators<\/a> and follow-on imitators<\/a>. But when Himiway rolled out its new Pony micro e-bike a few months ago, the blurry line between imitation and inspiration seemed quite clear to JackRabbit, who alleges that Himiway ripped off the design of its popular electric micro e-bike.<\/p>\n

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JackRabbit<\/a> landed on the micromobility scene around five years ago when it debuted a novel electric two-wheeler design. <\/p>\n

Technically more of a \u201cseated scooter\u201d than a traditional e-bike due to the lack of pedals, the JackRabbit sports a bike-like seating posture on a shortened wheel-base and with a much more compact design.<\/p>\n

The 24 lb (10.9 kg) weight and high maneuverability of the $999 micro e-bike<\/a> rivals scooters, but the ride posture offers the comfort and stability of most e-bikes. And with a throttle-operated top speed of 20 mph (32 km\/h) and an airline-approved battery allowing riders to fly with the bike, the JackRabbit quickly began racking up fans around North America.<\/p>\n

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After crowdfunding success and then a subsequent second generation product release, JackRabbit has developed a large and dedicated fanbase of riders who tout the funky little ride\u2019s extreme convenience compared to both e-bikes and e-scooters.<\/p>\n

And so you can imagine their dismay when the JackRabbit team awoke to see what looked like a nearly identical copy of the JackRabbit unveiled as part of rival e-bike company Himiway\u2019s 2023 product line announcement less than two months ago.<\/a><\/p>\n

Comparing the two side by side, it\u2019s easy to see the similarities. While many e-bikes and e-scooters seem to display convergent evolution dictated by common trends in the industry, the JackRabbit went its own way with several key design features. The extremely short wheel base with truncated box tube frame, relatively large diameter wheels (for a small ride like this), folding foot pegs, and stubby handlebars all combine to create the unique look, ride and portability for which JackRabbit has become famous.<\/p>\n

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JackRabbit (left); Himiway Pony (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Based on Himiway\u2019s apparent copy of much of the design, JackRabbit announced<\/a> today that it has filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California against Himiway for patent infringement and trade dress infringement. In its complaint, JackRabbit Mobility alleges that the Himiway Pony electric bike infringes the trade dress of its JackRabbit micro ebike under 15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1125(a) and infringes JackRabbit Mobility\u2019s Design patent, No. D964,218, among other claims.<\/p>\n

In the lawsuit, the JackRabbit team explains that they have been able to \u2013 \u201cdevelop a product that, until copied by the Himiway Pony, is visually unlike any other product previously seen and that performs impressively well despite the appearance to some professionals in the bicycle industry that such a design would have performance problems. Up until now, this JackRabbit is the only vehicle that uniquely employs two 20-inch diameter wheels in a short wheelbase configuration and in which the rear wheel is electrically powered, uses fold-down foot pegs instead of operable pedals, utilizes a rectangularly shaped main frame area, and a single rear brake. Extensive ride testing and interviews occurred throughout the inventive process and for several years the JackRabbit was uniquely different from a product impression and performance standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be fair, I can attest to those claims from my own firsthand experience<\/a> using the JackRabbit. I\u2019ve even seen riders braver than I that have taken the micro e-bike off dirt jumps and performed other extreme stunts that I wouldn\u2019t have believed the bike would have been capable of without seeing it in action. <\/p>\n

Suffice it to say that the design may be unorthodox, but it has resulted in a highly capable and extremely portable little ride.<\/p>\n

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