Ebike

An e-bike, or electrically assisted bicycle, uses a rechargeable electric motor. Ebikes can cost from US$500 to US$3,000, use rechargeable batteries and can travel up to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h), and in some markets such as China they are overtaking conventional bikes and motorcycles in use as personal transport.There were 120 million e-bikes in China in 2010, and sales are growing in Holland. The “Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports – 2010 Update” estimates that 1,000,000 electric bicycles to be sold in Europe in 2010, and sales in the U.S. to reach roughly 300,000 units in 2010.

Currently the batteries add considerable weight and bulk, affecting design and range of the ebike. Range is determined by motor efficiency, battery capacity and charging, electronics, hill climbing, and weight of the user. An ebike's range on one battery charge is usually 10 km to 50 km depending on hills and power input. Some use regenerative braking to recycle energy from applying the brakes. The energy use of ebikes is small but batteries have a limited number of charges and have high replacement costs, depending on the battery type, such as lead-acid or NIMH. Some ebikes look like conventional mopeds with pedals attached, such as the Zipee or the Sakura electric bicycle, which its 200W motor, fairing, lights, and speedometer.

Ebikes can be a big help to the elderly, those who have to carry heavy loads, those with knee problems, or those who face obstacles such as steep hills, high winds, or journey lengths beyond their desire or ability. This can extend the practical range of bicycle journeys, but it can also result in loss of exercise and so some loss of the fitness and health benefits of cardioavascular activity when pedalling. It can also reduce the immediate repairability of the bicycle by making it dependent on an unpredictable supply chain, particularly for cheaper models with low durability and little availability of replacement parts.

E-bikes might be seen as zero-emission vehicles, as they output no on-road no combustion gases. But that does not consider the source of the battery electricity, as well as producing and disposing of consumable batteries. Replacing car usage with electrical bicycle usage is, however, an efficiency gain, and could be solar powered by using photovoltaic charging.

In many countries electric bikes are treated as bicycles rather than motor vehicles, so they are not covered by laws for motor vehicles and may have less obligations and costs to run. Electric bicycles are a specific vehicle category in some countries, and are usually subject to maximum permitted on-road speeds of 12-20 mph, or 20 -30 km/h. Most electric bicycles can be key locked with factory supplied keys, so they cannot be started, but require conventional locks to secure them, typically to a fixed object, often an insurance requirement.