From June 12th Bloomberg BusinessWeek:
Behold A Future Of Assisted Pedaling
* E-bikes manufacturers are wooing Americans
* "People in the U.S. don't even know what an electric bicycle is"
An e-bike is a bicycle with an electric motor (BH's Revo Diamond model E-bike incorporates a 250-watt motor and a lithium ion battery). A rider can pedal without using the motor or use it for a boost. The motors in the U.S. are generally limited to a maximum of 20 mph. Recreational riders and commuters can cover long distances and handle hills without breaking a sweat. Motorcycle bans have helped lead to massive e-bike adoption in China, where more than 200 million are in use.
North America is barely a blip. Only about 152,000 e-bikes will be sold in the region this year, though it expects steady growth.
2016 e-bile sales by region (Projected Data - Navigant)
Asia-Pacific 32.8 million
Western Europe 1.6 million
North America 152K
Latin America 90K
Middle East and Africa 67K
Eastern Europe 44K
The U.S. market could develop "way faster" than Europe's did, says Claus Fleischer, who heads Bosch's e-bike division. "You have to sit on the e-bike, push the pedals, and fell how the motor amplifies your own power," Fleischer says.
ProdecoTech, an e-bike manufacturer in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida opened an assembly plant in 2013 with the capacity to produce almost 300 bikes a day. It sold about 4000 e-bikes in 2015 and plans to produce 8,000 to 12,000 this year under a new distribution deal with Dick's Sporting Goods, according to Robert Provost, co-founder and CEO. 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.
Gosh, I wonder where the lithium will come from for all of those millions of lithium ion batteries needed for the coming e-bike demand in North America and the e-bike demand in the East?
LAC Long And Strong!!!
