Electric Bicycles

Have you seen an electric bicycle? It has an electric motor to assist the pedalling depending on the degree of the force. You do not have to struggle with it. Of course, because it is a bicycle, you do not need a licence. (Not like a motor bike which uses 100% motor power, it is to support human power with electric power; thus they are categorised as bicycles.)

In 1993, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd made the first model and other makers followed but the weight of them made them less popular from around 1998 and by 2000, the volume of shipments has dropped to 150,000 and some makers decided to discontinue production. However, electric bicycles are getting smaller and lighter lately. Not only housewives and the older generation, but lots of people swapped their cars to electric bicycles because of the high oil price. Their popularity is increasing. In fact, according to a major newspaper publisher’s survey of 1000 consumers aged between 20 and 60 about their interest on electric bicycles, 20% of them said they wanted to buy them or were thinking about buying them, which was 1 in 3 people being in favour of them. The reasons were “can easily go up a slope” (65%), “more economical than a car” (38%), “can go for a longer ride”, “their legs are getting weak”, “carry heavy stuff” and “can carry a child easily”. The top 2 reasons are definitely from the high oil price, aren’t they?

Although 70% say they would buy one if they are less than \50,000, 60% of the people who actually bought them paid between \50,000 and \100,000. Customers tend to pay more than what they are prepared for when they are actually getting one, after checking their performances and prices. Most people think they should get a good one if they are buying one.

The latest popular models need 2-3 hours of charging time, power assisted running distance of 40-50Km and weigh around 20Kg. Some excellent models even charge the lithium-ion batteries by automatically switching the motor to the generator when the brakes are used.

To be honest, I have not ridden one yet but have seen quite a few not only at bike shops but large appliance stores. I would like a test ride but I had to be in the long queue of families who actually came there to buy one, I gave up the thought of trying popular ones. Are electric bicycles sold in your country? From my image, our neighbour China, is thinking about the numbers of the bicycle users, China might have a higher demand than Japan; but what is it like in your country? If you are interested in importing one, please contact me. Although we have not done this service yet, it should not be much problem when it is a bicycle not a car. (But they may not be categorised as a bicycle in your country, so please check this first carefully under your own responsibility.)


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