E-bike trend in China

[george_n_texas]

http://www.economist.com/node/16117106 Pretty interesting read on the explosion of ebikes in China & globally.......China's authorities, too, seem to have been caught unawares by an industry that, like the bikes themselves, has emerged speedily and stealthily from the shadows: local output grew from a few thousand bikes a year less than a decade ago to more than 22m last year, along with millions of kits to turn ordinary bicycles into electric ones.

 

[Mike B]

No surprise to me, I've got 3 of them.

Ebikes Rock -

 

[happyvalley]

That electric bikes have taken off in a big way in China is I'm certain a valid assessment but I can't see the PRC central committee being taken unawares by much, not less the domestic consumption of goods produced there. It was the Chinese government after all that has all but banned gas bikes in the major cities, particularly targeting 2 stroke engines, and this going into effect prior to the 2008 Olympics to clean up the air there. A good friend travels to China on business a couple of times a year and he recalls noticing the change to electric scooters starting about 5 or 6 years ago. The irony is, the 2 stroke, happy time engine that is made in China is not even welcome there, lol.

 

[motortriker]

I think it will happen in the US too but it will take awhile. In the warmer parts anyway. They are too fun !

My trike goes down the road loaded with stuff on the back a lot. A road bicyclist stayed behind me and did not pass for awhile then pulled up next to the trike and asked if it had a motor.

I said yes, he smiled and said "nice".

Teens ask about it a lot and so do older people.

A friends teen daughter has a good part time job and does not want a car and won't drive a car.

He told me she said lots of the kids don't like cars and don't want one.

A bike or trike will do, I know that.

 

[george_n_texas]

Just a few facts here folks 90 percent of the Chinese population live on less than 40 percent of the land still the density is 365 people per square mile. The density of the United States is 84 people per square mile. There are 1.2 billion people in China, about 1/3 billion in the US. Now imagine 2 smokers running amuck we've all seen the smoke these HT put out (you don't think they'd be running opti-2 do ya LOL?)

China - land size: 9,326,410 sq km or 3,600,947.03 sq miles.

USA - land size: 9,161,923 sq km or 3,537,438.25 sq miles.

For the amount of people in China and the conditions there (just google China water shortage) I'd say they are one darn determined group of people.

 

[paul]

here they are building the motors http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XVHpq9vYsCs