China's New Craze: E-bikes

lawrencekhoo writes "I was in Shanghai recently, and found to my surprise that bicycle crazy China is now electric bicycle crazy. Electric bikes were everywhere, and outnumbered normal bikes on the road. You could even buy them in the department stores. Basic models sell for about 1200 Yuan (about US$150), and more elaborate scooter-like models for up to 5000 Yuan. Apparently, this craze has been building up for a few years. Something like it is even happening in parts of the US. According to one user, electric bikes are popular because they're cheap, and can take you all around town on one charge. Who would have guessed that China would lead the way in green transportation?"

Comments

Re:Here ya go

[adamfranco]

As an avid cyclist, I couldn't agree more. Me on a 17lb road bike can cruise at 17mph for long distances or 25mph for short distances/passing cars (really fun in my congested little town). Plus, I get good exersize while commuting.

That said, for those not young, not in good physical shape, or just lazy, the electric bike would be great. It would also be good for those who don't work for bike-friendly employers since you can arrive at work without being all sweaty and needing to change.

On another bicycle note, I recently came accross this great short essay entitled, "In Praise of the Bicycle".

Excerpts:
...Man on his feet is thermodynamically more efficient than any motorized vehicle and most animals. For his weight, he performs more work in locomotion than rats or oxen, less than horses or sturgeon.

...The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man's metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion. Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well.

Its a nice read if you like cycling, commuting via bike, or are stuffed in your car in rush-hour traffic.

I then looked up the stats for the 2003 Tour and Lance Armstrong's winning finish of the 2129.4 mile race in 83h41'12" gives him an incredible average speed of 25.45miles/hour.

While a thoroughbred can run a mile averaging 40mph, a long distance speed record for the Karbarda breed or horses (the only one I could find data on) is 50km at 18.5 mph. Its pretty safe to say that attempting to ride a horse or just entering any animal in the Tour would kill it in a
matter of days if not less.

Go bicycles!

In my opinion, anything that gets people out of their SUVs is a good thing for the world and these things are much better than nothing.

Re:Who woulda thunk it?

[glenalec]

Point one - China is also the world leader in solar energy. (As an Australian, I hang my head in shame).

Point two - point one notwithstanding, China gets most of its eletrical power ATM off brown-coal (very high sulfur content) which is why in Beijing you really can feel the air burning the the inside of your nostrils on a bad day.

On the local (ie Chinese) news last night, big stories on several chanels about China's eletrical power shortage, with factories having to only run night shifts, cancel big orders and subsequently lay off workers because they don't have the power to operate their machinery. I don't have exact figures at hand, but I believe well over half the population is yet to be connected to the grid.

Chinese diet is becoming westernised and obesity is starting to become common in the population.

A human-powered bicycle starts to look better again. But mainland Chinese are very physical-effort adverse as breaking a sweat is considered 'workerish'. Really! (This is, of course, a gross generalisation and all of my own Chinese friends here are exceptions).

And all that hard breathing of Beijing (or Shanghai, or any city, really) air probably does more health damage than two packs a day. I doubt it is coincidence that major respitary illnesses come out of this part of the world mostly, what with the pollution, the dense population and everyone spitting like lamas everywhere!

My unit leader was saying the other day that when he was a boy there was spring and autumn (fall) in this region but there isn't anymore. And if you can see Venus on a 'clear' night, you are going well!

A bit ecclectic above, sorry, I'm in a rush to catch the university bus into the city for weekend grocery shopping.