| Updated 2/12/2010 9:35 AM | Comments 170 | Recommend 19 |
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By Kathy Chu, USA TODAY
HONG KONG — In Xiamen,
China, Zhou Debao weaves his electric bike through the busy city
streets to pick up dried noodles and candy to sell at his family's
convenience store. His wife sometimes borrows it to run errands, and his
son, to go to work.
"Electric bikes are really popular here in
China," says Debao, who has given up riding a gas-powered moped because
he says the bike is a more environmental option. "They're all over."
Nearly 7,000 miles away, Paul Kelleher rides his
electric bike around Los Angeles to pick up hardware supplies and mail
letters, rarely seeing another electric bike on the streets. He says
that in a country where cycling is seen as recreation rather than
transportation, some people frown at motorized bikes because they see
them as another excuse for Americans not to exercise. "I don't know why I
feel guilty, but I'll ride by somebody, and I'll start pedaling," he
says. "I don't want them to know that it's an electric bike."
The contrast in Debao's and Kelleher's
experiences helps explain the promise and the challenge of electric
bikes, which come with motors and allow consumers to pedal as much, or
as little, as they want. While they're often pricier than regular bikes —
electric bikes generally sell for between $500 and $14,000 — they have
rechargeable batteries and can travel up to 20 mph.
Already, electric bikes have gained mass
acceptance in China, where 22 million are expected to sell this year,
and are taking off quickly in Europe. In the U.S., they are still
struggling to gain ground. But a growing number of analysts say the next
few years could determine whether these bikes become a part of the U.S.
cycling landscape or remain a novelty. Some promising signs:
•Electric-bike makers such as Currie Technologies
and Ultra Motor have reported a pick-up in sales since U.S. gas prices
hit record highs of more than $4 a gallon in mid-2008. "Americans are
very car-centric for transportation," says Larry Pizzi, president of
Currie Technologies. "The summer of 2008 was really the first time we
saw habits changing in a big way."
•Best Buy
began testing electric bikes and electric scooters in 19 of its stores
on the West Coast last June. Best Buy spokeswoman Kelly Groehler
declined to say how the bikes are selling, but says the aim is to see
"where technology is going next for consumers." Wal-Mart already sells electric bikes in more than 400 stores.
•The largest U.S. bike manufacturer, Trek, rolled
out a line of electric bikes late last year. Trek tested electric bikes
in the 1990s, only to pull back on them. But Trek spokesman Eric
Bjorling says that this time is different because electric motor and
battery technology has improved, and the company has so far gotten 500
of its 2,300 U.S. dealers to commit to carrying the bikes.
Gary Gardner, a senior researcher at
Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, a group that focuses on
environmental issues, says he's "bullish" on the growth of electric
bikes in the U.S. "Not that I expect them to fill the streets here like
they do in China, but I think they have a bright future," Gardner says.
According to Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports,
U.S. electric-bike sales are expected to double to 300,000 per year
from 2009 to 2010. Still, only 500,000 electric bikes have sold in the
U.S. to date, a fraction of the 120 million sold in China. "The electric
bike is the first wave of the electrification of the personal
transportation industry," says Frank Jamerson, publisher of EBWR. He believes that if electric bikes catch on, so will electric scooters and cars.
U.S. bike companies are counting on aging Baby
Boomers to provide a boost to electric-bike sales. This demographic of
79 million is the "low-hanging fruit," because they want to stay active
but may not want to overexert themselves, Bjorling says.
As consumers age, they may also forgo cars and
motorcycles, which require licenses to drive, and pick up electric
bikes, says Jonathan Galligan, analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. The
problem, he says, is that Americans "love driving cars, so getting them
to switch to electric bikes would be a big change in mind-set."
It's a difficult, but not impossible, task. Cathy
Ryan, of Hinesburg, Vt., rides her electric bike from her home to her
office. An electric bike makes the 14-mile hilly ride to work more
feasible, she says, because the motor gives her a boost on steep
terrain.
Ultimately, electric-bike makers are hoping that
riders in the U.S. will find as many reasons to be enthusiastic about
electric bikes as the Chinese.
Fred Lam, who lives in Shenzhen, a bustling city
north of Hong Kong, says an electric bike allows him to bypass traffic.
"I can slip in between cars and take back roads which are not accessible
by car," Lam says.
For Debao, an electric bike offers freedom. "In
the summer, I can feel the breeze," he says. "In the winter, when I put
on a leather jacket and ride my electric bike, I feel so connected to my
environment."
