In China, cars and fuel are expensive and bicycles are not as popular as they once were. I remember ten years ago when I was in Guangzhou, China, the streets were filled with bicycles and motorcycles. That scene is almost non existent now and many cities have even banned motorcycles. Electric bikes or E-bikes, are battery-powered silent bikes that emit zero emissions and are very energy efficient and can run 1.2 kWh/100 km or 1,362 mpg. They cost about $100-250 and costs only $1 to charge the bike for about 1800 km or 1118 miles. There were 19 million e-bikes produced last year and is suppose to increase by 30 percent this year. The simple design and costs involved with producing these bikes are very low so the 100-300 companies that produce these e-bikes are raking in a ton of profit. The problem with these e-bikes, however, is that the batteries used usually last about a year and last year, 400,000 tons of lead have been used. The e-bikes can also be dangerous due to the silence and speed of these bikes. Anyone can buy these e-bikes as they don’t require a license to drive and is probably the best way to get around.

E-bikes are available here in the States, but they are nowhere near as cheap as they are in China. They start at about $750 online but if they were cheaper, we may see more of them on the streets. For people who work and live in the city, this would be a good form of transportation as opposed to a scooter or motorcycle.

Here is a blog by Jonathan Xavier Weinert that has more details about the E-bike phenomenon in China.

via Reuters