Electric bicycles catch on in China; a nation long known for favoring two wheels despite a recent boom in car purchases. Sales of electric bicycles are growing expanentially amid skyrocketing fuel prices. The battery powered bicycles run at a top speed of 20 miles per hour.

There was a time not so long ago when people spoke of China as a nation on two wheels. Bicycles remain pretty popular in China even today although cars are catching on. The population of China owns more bikes than any other country in the world — there’s one for every three inhabitants, there are 430 million bicycles in China. And now many Chinese are fusing the modern with the old. Electric bicycles are catching on, especially as fuel prices hit the roof.

Workers pedalling to jobs are upgrading to battery-powered bikes and scooters. Even some who can afford cars are ditching them for electric two-wheelers to avoid traffic jams and expensive gasoline.

During my last visit to Shanghai while talking to a rider on Nanjing Road near Hotel Park, he said “Electric bicycle is a vehicle for the masses and pretty smooth to ride here. The E-bikes battery is good for about 30 miles after which you can still pedal. If you use the battery and pedal at the same time, you get a power assist and the battery lasts an extra 12 miles or so. The bike's time speed is about 20 miles an hour, and nobody here wears helmets.”

According to a bike store owner in Gubei area who has been selling the E-bikes from last five years or so, he reckons that China's biggest city, Shanghai, now has over 1.3 million E-bikes in use while Beijing may have around a million. Sales of E-bikes are growing every year. I think they may eventually replace regular bicycles. In Beijing, E-bikes now account for 30 or 40 percent of the total and about 60 to 70 per cent in southern China.

Another retailer said, In China, most of the E-bikes cost the equivalent of two or three hundred dollars. Charging the battery takes about four hours and costs just a RMB/yuan (Rs 7/00). He added that E-bikes are just beginning to show up in the countryside. A building maintenance worker at the shop who was getting the e-bike repaired said, he rides his ebike about 24 to 30 kms a day to his work, to drop his kid to School and many times he would take his child who is small, with him to market; and these bikes are definitely better than regular ones.

Production of electric bicycles has soared from fewer than 200,000 eight years ago to 22 million last year, mostly for the domestic market. The industry estimates about 65 million are on Chinese roads. Car sales are also booming but there are still only 24 million for civilian use, because few of the 1.3 billion population can afford them. Chinese cities still have plenty of bicycle lanes, even if some have made way for cars and buses.

In China, good electric bikes sell for 2,000 yuan to 3,500 yuan ($300 to $500). They require no helmet, number plates or driving license, same as in India, but it is always recommended to use helmet while riding a two-wheeler. And they aren’t affected by restrictions many cities impose on fuel-burning two-wheelers.

The e-bike doesn’t emit greenhouse gases, though it uses electricity from power plants that do. The larger concern is the health hazards from production, recycling and disposal of lead-acid batteries.

Although Chinese manufacturers are beginning to use nickel-meter-hydride and lithium-ion batteries, 98 percent still run on lead-acid types. A bike can use up to five of the batteries in its lifetime. A Chinese-made battery containing 10 kilograms of lead can generate nearly 7 kilograms of lead pollution

In China, owners are paid about 200 yuan ($30) to recycle old batteries but the work is often done in small, un-regulated workshops.

Because of the price competition among China’s 2,300 electric bike and scooter makers, manufacturers have been slow to embrace costlier, cleaner technology. But bigger foreign sales and demand for better batteries may speed improvements.

Some southern cities, it seems, would rather promote cars than E-bikes. Several cities in prosperous Guangdong province have banned E-bikes and fined riders. The government argues that their lead batteries pollute and that riders disobey traffic laws and cause accidents.
The trend for use of E-bikes is catching on in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Recent reports indicate that the number of e-bikes sold in the U.S. is set to grow to over 170,000 units this year as big retailers get in on the electric bicycle game. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart began selling electric bicycles and plans to sell the e-Bikes in more than 850 stores

In India, sales have risen about 15 percent a year to 130,000 units, due to Rs. 7,500 rupee Government rebate that brings the cost down of E-bike. In India and other developing countries, obstacles come from motorcycles, as well as a lack of bike lanes and other infrastructure.

In the Netherlands, the most bicycle friendly country, sales passed the 138,800 mark last year. German E-bike market grew by 62.3% in 2007 and in 2008 by 54%, however European market is estimated to grow by 33% Australians use electric bicycles in rural towns that have no bus or train service.

Will electric bicycles become widely accepted in India, or fizzle out as a short-term fad? Only time will tell, and a lot of it depends on gas prices. If gas prices rise again this year, we might just see an explosion of e-bikes on the road.

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