Ryno Motors partners with WSU-Vancouver

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Portland-based Ryno Motors, creator of a one-wheeled electric-powered vehicle has teamed with Washington State University in Vancouver to test the product's endurance in its ramp-up to production.

The partnership gives Ryno a final round of safety testing before producing the flagship micro-cycle, a cross between a unicycle and a Segway. It also gives five students from Washington State University's engineering department a hands-on opportunity to improve emerging transportation technology.

"I have been exceptionally impressed by the detailed analysis, design innovation, and professionalism of this team," said Christopher Hoffmann, CEO of Ryno Motors. "We created the micro-cycle in response to concerns about growing urban density and environmental preservation, so this is not only an opportunity for these students to solve a real-world engineering problem, but to see how their work has far-reaching social impact as well."

Ryno is currently raising about $1.6 million to leap from prototype to production with the micro-cycle. It's the first commercial venture for company, which launched in 2009 with an eye on cost-competitive, energy-efficient personal transportation products.

The micro-cycle uses a unique one-wheel design to target scooter and recreational riders, motorcycle enthusiasts and the security and law enforcement community in campus-styled settings. The vehicle is considered compact enough to navigate dense urban settings, but also has a range of 30 miles. It has a top speed of 20 miles an hour and can recharge in an hour and a half.

Hoffmann said he got the idea for the product from his daughter, who saw a one-wheeled motorcycle in a video game. He thought building it could be a personal challenge, and suited his background, which includes mechanical engineering in the Detroit auto industry and forays into electronics development and invention.

"I put my head down and grunted out a bike in two months, thinking, 'I don’t want to spend any more time on this then I have to because it could fail,'" he said. "I kept looking into it and it just got better and better."

The micro-cycle design includes steering, a patent-pending auto-balancing system, and an integrated, software-controlled disc brake system, all features Hoffmann said transformed earlier, unstable prototypes into the market-ready product.

Russell Granby, an engineering undergraduate, is leading the group of students now testing the vehicle. Once they kick the micro-cycle's tire, they will collaborate with Hillsboro-based Cascade Tek Inc. to shape the micro-cycle's first production run, planned for 2011.

Hoffmann said that first run will test the size of the market with potential riders, targeting motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts, officers in campus settings and “people who want to be seen riding the next amazing, magic carpet product.”

Once in full production, the micro-cycle will retail between $1,200 and $1,800 rivaling the Segway on costs that top $5,500.

"The biggest advantage of this bike is that it's what we call transitional. It can transition from the suburbs onto a train, into downtown, get off and ride around downtown," said Hoffmann.

He thinks fans of electric vehicles will appreciate its portability, and their ability to plug it in at their apartments.

As final testing begins, the Ryno team has grown to include Tony Ozrelic, who leads electronic development, and Byron McCann who acts as investment adviser. Tony Humpage leads corporate strategy and Ryan Leverenz provides marketing direction.

Lee van der Voo, lvdvoo*at*gmail.com, is a freelance writer for Sustainable Business Oregon.