From a feature on Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bikes in Fast Company:

Before Will runs me round the factory, he leads me to their R&D department–or, rather, a tiny passage leading into the factory’s yard. Parked up there is a black Brompton with a matt metal box attached to the left handlebar. It’s a battery. On the right handlebar is what looks like a plastic sleeve with three LED-illuminated settings. “Try that for size,” says Will. “Crank your right hand and see what happens.” I set off around the estate. As I turn the corner into the next plot, I twist the plastic sleeve and almost go into the back of a Mercedes truck.

It sure is poky. Let me repeat that. There is a lot of poke in this bike. This is a prototype for Brompton’s electric bike, which should be coming out some time in 2011. This is not its final iteration, as the CEO explains to me something that sounds like the world’s first smart pedal. To sum it up, the amount of pressure you put on the pedal will determine just how much power the bike needs. Now that’s smart.