Indian American entrepreneur Rafe Husain launches Calibike, an eco-friendly e-bike designed to complement America’s high-speed rail system, promising a lightweight, high-speed solution for sustainable commuting.
Rafe Husain is the latest Indian American entrepreneur to make waves in the disruptor market. His innovation, Calibike, is an electric bike purposefully designed to complement America’s first high-speed passenger rail system. The e-bike offers a last-mile solution for commuters traveling along the 218-mile Brightline West rail line connecting Las Vegas to Southern California.
Last month, the e-bike was launched by the mayor of Corona in Southern California. The eco-friendly bike, designed to revolutionize city commuting, aligns with California’s goal of achieving zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035.
Additionally, Calibike qualifies for the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, offering financial incentives to those purchasing electric vehicles. The company has also donated e-bikes to the City of Corona Park Rangers, enhancing park patrol mobility while reducing emissions.
Born in Lucknow, India, Husain is an electrical engineer with extensive expertise in 5G base station radio design and embedded systems. His work spans the use of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and spectrum analyzers to develop and test cutting-edge technology. He has also contributed to embedded motor control for DC motors and has played a key role in designing critical components in 5G systems.
Calibike is not Husain’s first disruption of the market. He has earned several patents and has been recognized with the New Inventions Award from the University of Michigan for a device that senses ice thickness. Previously, he co-founded Sabtech Industries, a company that designs, manufactures, markets, and supports specialized data communications solutions for military and government agencies. Within four years, he grew the company to $5 million in sales before selling it.
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Husain earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Engineering from the University of Michigan (1976–81) and a Master of Science in Engineering from Wayne State University (1981–84).
In this interview with the American Bazaar, Husain shares his vision for revolutionizing the cycling experience and offers his advice for startup founders: to keep learning and continue challenging the status quo.
American Bazaar: Tell us about the conception of Calibike. As a new player in the electric bike scene, what impact do you see yourself making in the saturating sustainable market?
Rafe Husain: The thought began when I had medical issues with driving and started looking at alternatives. I bought an e-bike for myself, but it was very heavy and slow. It was then that I started experimenting with faster and lighter e-bikes. My first e-bike was 55 lb and 30 mph. My second goal was 40lb and 40 mph, but the actual build turned out to be 48 lb and 35 mph. My 3rd build was 35 lb 25 mph.
At this point, I invented something called “licensor,” which could log real-time power while I was riding my e-bike. I used it to build a 30c3 30 lb 30 mph e-bike. This gave me the comfort to sell e-bikes and the media started noticing it. It was around this time that I did a video of my e-bike racing a monster dump truck with a trailer from Los Angeles to Beverly Hills. This ride showed that my 33-mile-per-hour bike is faster than a car in urban traffic. This got featured in the media. Today, Calibike is different because it is 33 pounds (lighter than most e-bikes that can weigh over 60 pounds). It has a 48 volt 15 amp 1,500-watt battery, the kind of power you need to get an e-bike up to speeds over 30 mph.
You are believed to be the only Indian American leader in the electric bike sector. As an innovator, what would you say led to the successful conceptualization of your idea?
I started using my engineering to improve the e-bike. I would say my invention of a current sensor was a game-changer in helping me come up with what I was aiming for. Calisensor was great at measuring motor speed vs power. It senses current without placing a resistor in the circuit, is low cost, and [is] safe to use. I began logging on my ride tests on LinkedIn public pages and people began noticing. The biggest thing is discovering an optimum power speed and weight for an e-bike. I discovered that, with the right gearing, a user can still contribute power even at 30mph. This is a major discovery, but no one initially believed me. This is how I explain it — More exercise means more pedaling; more pedaling means more speed; more speed means more airflow; more airflow means less sweat. So, if you combine the equations and simplify — More exercise means less sweat! During my practice runs, I would leave home very early and get to work. But due to exercise from my bike, I was so hungry that I ate my lunch at 7 am rather than wait till lunchtime!
While the bike stands to create positive changes in the sustainability sector, talk to us about the business model or financial aspect of your innovation. How important was it for you that this innovation is also financially viable and was it a challenge to work around it?
Financially, it has been good, but I would not yet say super fantastic. My e-bike is 1,500w while most Chinese e-bikes are 250 to 750w and are speed-limited due to that. Typically, my competition is with heavy and slow but cheap alternatives. The thing that works for us is that other e-bikes can’t match our Calibike’s speed and power. Also, God has been kind!
What would you say about the scope of green mobility in the business sector?
A fast e-bike provides mobility at almost no cost. We use Metrolink trains as a range expander. Lately, I have started using Amtrak for intercity travel. Amtrak is notoriously slow and time-consuming. But it works since I ride an e-bike to Amtrak and then work remotely while traveling. Finally, I get to my destination and then back on e-bike.
What advice can you give to inventors or creators from your own experiences creating a revolutionary product?
For new innovators, they should try to minimize their expenses. If it’s a new product, try to sell it as a kit to get familiar with the market. While designing Calibike, I personally visited Chinese factories in person to understand the existing products in the market. Another thing that helped me was to build a prototype, iterate and improve. Lastly, ask God for help!