Electric Bike Export Opportunities

Worldwide Consumers Demand Battery-Powered Bicycles

Aug 8, 2009 Daniel Workman

Environment-friendly electric bikes enable North American entrepreneurs to become world leaders in power-assisted bicycle and e-bike component manufacturing.

More than 23 million electric bicycles were sold in 2008. Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports forecasts that globally e-bike sales will more than double by 2012.

Today, one in 7 bicycles sold is battery-assisted.

An electric bicycle (e-bike) resembles a conventional bicycle but has a battery-powered electric motor. In the Canadian province of Ontario, an e-bike’s battery power must not exceed 500 watts which limits top cycling speed to about 20 miles (32 kilometers) per hour.

Cyclists can pedal an e-bike like a regular bicycle without motor assistance. The power-assist enables riders to pedal with less effort, climb hills, go farther and ride against the wind more easily.

Electric Bicycles Save Money and Environment

Retail prices for electric bikes range between US$800 to $2,500 on average. Governments around the globe are interested in e-bikes because they offer an alternative mode of transportation that is safe and environmentally friendly.

An e-bike battery can be fully charged from a regular electrical outlet in less than 4 hours, costing less than 3 cents per charge. Most batteries have a life cycle of up to 500 charges.

Because an electric motor and muscular exertion power e-bikes, they have zero emissions. In contrast, gas-powered scooters emit toxic exhaust at the same rate as larger motorcycles.

In some jurisdictions like Ontario, e-bike drivers must wear an approved bicycle helmet and be at least age 16. Many of these same jurisdictions treat e-bikes as conventional bicycles and not as motor vehicles. Thus, no driver’s license is needed to ride an e-bike.

Power-Assisted Bicycles Popular in China

More than 90% of the world’s e-bikes are made and sold in China. Currently, over a million Chinese cyclists recharge their bicycle batteries each night. Depending on the model, a fully charged e-bike can travel up to 30 miles (50 kilometers) in power-assist mode.

Alibaba, a leading international trade portal, lists over a thousand electric bike suppliers. About half of the e-bike companies are from mainland China, compared to 113 e-bike makers from the U.S. and 61 from India.

From 2008 to 2011, Chinese e-bike sales are expected to grow by 43% from 21 million to 30 million electric bicycles.

Electric Bicycle Sales Worldwide

While the vast Chinese market for e-bikes offers a robust double-digit growth rate, projected sales for battery-assisted bikes in other countries are predicted to show triple-digit gains in 2011.

• India … 700,000 e-bike sales by 2011, up 483% from 120,000 in 2008
• Europe … 2.5 million e-bike sales, up 355% from 550,000
• United States … 500,000 e-bike sales, up 194% from 170,000.

Early North American Battery-Powered Bikes

After retiring as Chrysler’s chairman, Lee Iacocca founded e-bike company EV Global Motors in 1997. That company faded away when e-bike sales in America never lived up to Mr. Iacocca’s vision of one million units per year. Lee Iacocca may have been simply ahead of his time; many analysts now agree that countries that help people become comfortable with recharging their bicycles will have an easier time convincing consumers to buy electric cars and trucks.

Up until recently, few North American car dealers were interested in selling a $1,500 e-bike. Most automobile salespeople are conditioned to compete for commissions on cars costing from $30,000 and up.

As gasoline prices go higher and protests against environmental damage caused by smog grow louder, more and more consumers are now demanding electric transportation alternatives. A battery-powered bicycle serves as an excellent example.

Magna Marque’s BionX E-Bike Systems

One of the latest e-bike players is Magna Marque, a Canadian company. Magna Marque plans to develop its branded BionX system into the world’s most advanced propulsion system for electric bikes.

BionX is comprised of a battery, electric motor and handlebar control panel controlled by sophisticated energy-management software. The BionX system adds only 3.5 pounds (8 kilograms) to a bike’s weight, light compared with most e-bikes on the global marketplace.

Many international bicycle manufacturers are now negotiating to integrate BionX systems into their bicycles. Germany’s Trek is already importing BionX units for its bicycle products. Trek USA also plans to sell e-bikes equipped with BionX systems.

While Magna Marque sold fewer than 8,000 BionX systems last year, the Canadian company expects a 400% increase to well over 100,000 electronic bike propulsion kits sold in 2009. According to Magna Marque president Manfred Gingl, sales of BionX e-bike systems will spike to a few hundred million by 2012.

Just as Intel became a global leader with “Intel Inside” on millions of personal computers, the ultimate success for BionX propulsion systems would to be recognized on bikes manufactured worldwide with the logo “Powered by BionX”.

Sources for this Article

This article presents independent insights and comments based on a review of Energy Writer Tyler Hamilton’s article ‘The BionX Man’ (Toronto Star, August 8, 2009) and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Frequently Asked Questions – Power-Assisted Bicycle (“E-Bike”) Pilot Test.

The copyright of the article Electric Bike Export Opportunities in International Trade is owned by Daniel Workman. Permission to republish Electric Bike Export Opportunities in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Electric Bicycles Are Popular Exports