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Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the US Next? (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the is-e-bike-the-future? dept.

Sales of electric-bike is growing in many parts of the world. Asia-Pacific region, for instance, is estimated to see 32.8M of them sell this year, and 1.6m of e-bikes are expected to be sold in Western Europe by the end of this year. In China, in particular, the ban on motorcyle has lead to massive e-bike adoption. Over the years we've seen many companies such as BG and Pedego dish out models after models, offering bikes ranging from elegant folding versions to flat-tire variants. Despite all the growth elsewhere in the world, North America and Latin America are estimated to see less than 250,000 inventories move this year. But going forward, the number is likely to see a major growth. From a Bloomberg article: Electrics "finally have legs to be able to take off in the U.S.," because cyclists are feeling safer on the roads, battery and motor technology is improving, and retail prices are dropping, says Todd Grant, president of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. However, e-bikes have been banned in some U.S. cities because of safety concerns. [...] The U.S. market could develop "way faster" than Europe's did, says Claus Fleischer, who heads Bosch's e-bike division. The German multinational began selling motors and batteries for electric bikes in 2011 and now supplies more than 60 brands, primarily in Europe. It opened a subsidiary in Irvine, Calif., in 2014 and is sponsoring e-bike expos across the U.S., including one in Portland, Ore., that ran for three days in late May.

10 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. "the ban on motorcyle (s?) " by turkeydance · · Score: 3, Insightful

    helped. a lot.

  2. E-bikes will stall for one simple reason: by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 5, Insightful

    John Forester's cult of Vehicular Cycling. Cycling in the US has been crippled for decades by a delusional group of ideologues who believe bicycles belong in the middle of regular motor vehicle lanes, even on 50mph state highways, and who will actively seek to prevent dedicated bicycle facilities from being built if it means people will ride in ways they disapprove of.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    1. Re:E-bikes will stall for one simple reason: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've always wondered why we'd rather have cyclist hit by cement trucks than pedestrians hit by cyclists..

    2. Re:E-bikes will stall for one simple reason: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because cyclists are usually smug poseurs?

    3. Re: E-bikes will stall for one simple reason: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's because they want the perks of being a vehicle and a pedestiran. Jerks.

    4. Re:E-bikes will stall for one simple reason: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      (though I have seen some poor "dedicated" lanes rejected because they were more dangerous than shared lanes since the cyclists were exposed to cars at every intersection)

      So... the shared lanes don't expose cyclists to cars at every intersection (and all points in between as well)? How does that work?

      Where I live we spend a million bucks a mile for bike lanes which are ignored by at least half the cyclists on the road who insist on "sharing" lanes with vehicles lawfully travelling at three times their speed or more. I've seen them riding three or four wide taking up both available motor vehicle lanes in one direction and not a single bike in the adjacent bike lane. Intersections? Red Lights? 4-way stops? Means nothing to our cyclists, they routinely blow right through them. Then there's the Lance Armstrong wannabees all decked out in gaudy spandex who think it's a great idea to "share" a nearby 9-mile narrow stretch of 2-lane shoulder-less ditch-abutting-the-white-stripe no-passing-zone road consisting of nothing but roller-coaster hills. While they may enjoy the challenge, it's insanely dangerous for the cyclists and motorists as well. While it's technically illegal to pass a bicycle anywhere along this stretch of double-yellow-line road, nobody wants to follow one all the way to the end because they're going at most 5 mph up the hills. But then they speed up to the 35 mph speed limit or more going down the hills, making it difficult to pass where there's maybe just enough visibility to the crest of the next hill to pass without killing anyone. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people pass cyclists going UP one of these hills as a result, and I've witnessed many near-misses as another vehicle crests the hill in the oncoming lane as the passing vehicle swerves sharply over to avoid a head-on. NOT ONCE have I seen a cyclist pull off at one of the many driveways along this road to let motor vehicle traffic pass safely.

      Speaking to "an active cycling advocate for over 20 years", here's hoping you've been advocating that your fellow cyclists share RESPONSIBILITY at least as much as you've been advocating the rest of us to share the road. Because we DEFINITELY need more cycling enthusiasts to do so.

  3. Not where I live by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Plus streets are for cars, silly.

  4. US NEXT? HAHAHAHAHHA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I've priced various electric bikes. They allow you to go slightly faster than you could on a good bike if you were in good shape, for slightly longer, and (most importantly reduce the annoyance of having to ride uphill or to a stop every few dozen feet).

    HOWEVER: Until the electric bike gets to be cheaper than a decent, used motorcycle, there's no way in fucking hell I'm buying one. Three thousand to six thousand bucks for a fucking bicycle? Are you goddmaned fucking shitting me?

    An '06 Kawasaki Ninja 250 costs what? And you want how much for that fucking bicycle?

    Ah hahahahhahahahahh FUCK YOU.

    Lower that price a WAYS, and we'll talk. More than a grand is fucking ridiculous. (I know the bike part is going to cost several hundred bucks unless it's a cheap department store piece of unridable fucking garbage, but the reality is I can ride a motorcycle for less than that bike costs, unless we're talking a Goldwing, or some shit like that.

    That reminds me... Are there any good Goldwings or other cruising bikes for sale near me on eBay?

  5. Re:Will never happen in the U.S by reboot246 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Around here when you see a grownup on a bicycle the first thought you have is that's a person who has lost his license to drive.

    Please keep your toys off the roads.

  6. Re:A few changes and the Chinese eBikes would be O by mysticgoat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    E-bikes that can exceed 20 mph need to be limited to cyclists who can pass a motorcycle license exam. At 35 mph an e-bike with its smaller tire-to-road surface area and poorer braking behavior is more dangerous than a motorcycle and requires more skill in the instantaneous risk assessment that is critical to safe driving of any vehicle. E-bikes in traffic lanes at faster than pedaling speeds are not only a threat to their riders, they are a hazard to all other drivers on the road.