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Is There an E Bike in your Future?

December 9, 2005

By George McConnell

Are electric bikes the wave of the future or will they go the way of the Hoola Hoop? According to Steve Roseman, owner of The Electric Bike Network, the Bay Area’s first and currently only electric bicycle company, we are just at the beginning of the curve.

“Electric bikes have been around since the 1970’s. They are more prevalent in Europe and in the Far East, like Japan and China where riding bicycles is more common, but their popularity is growing in the United States,” he said.

The AsiaPulse News reported in May, for example, that the Chinese Academy of Sciences is predicting that China’s domestic potential demand for electric bicycles will reach over 40 million units or about USD12 billion in value terms.

Roseman started his company in Spring 2002, after working for many years in Silicon Valley as an engineer.

His interest was sparked a few years ago when he was living in Seattle. A friend introduced him to electric bikes and he became an instant fan.

“It was a magical experience, and I decided then I wanted to be involved. I moved back to the Bay Area in 2001, drew up my business plan and opened my company,” he said.

An electric bike can be likened to a hybrid car because it combines a battery-powered motor with pedaling. The motor helps propel you along, making riding your bike ride easier and a lot more fun, according to Roseman.

“It makes getting around a lot faster, and it really helps flatten hills, which is very important in a city like San Francisco,” he said.

The website, myebike.com, states it this way: do you remember that easy pedaling after you get your bike up to speed? That’s the cruising feeling you get all the time with an electric bike.

Because they produce neither noise nor pollution, electric bicycles are considered good for the environment.

At the San Francisco Green Festival where he exhibited recently, however, some people questioned whether the battery recharging process doesn’t negate the bike’s positive environmental value. Electricity, after all, comes from pollution-producing power-generating plants.

Using an e bike in lieu of a car, however, will certainly result in less pollution, Roseman responds. Because the motors are electric, their power is gauged in watts, not horses, and they range from 250 to 750 watts. The top speed for a motorized bicycle by law is 20 mph and after that the motor shuts off automatically, according to Roseman.

And the military is beginning to catch the wave, too. The Jacksonville Daily News in North Carolina reported recently that the Marines are now using special hi-powered electric bicycles in some of their operations.

As for the legal aspects of electric bikes, by law they are treated just like ordinary bicycles, so there are absolutely no registration or insurance requirements to worry about, wrote A to B Magazine, the international electric bike magazine.

How far can an e bike go before it has to be recharged? About 20 miles, but it depends on the weight of the rider and the terrain. More power is used going up hills, for example, Roseman said.

The bikes, however, weigh between 50 to 80 pounds, so pedaling would be much more difficult without the motor-assist.

Recharging the battery is done through a standard household outlet and takes two to four hours. The cost of recharging, according to Roseman, is “just pennies”.

“Definitely much cheaper than filling your gas tank nowadays,” he said.

The batteries do not last forever, however, about three to five years, and replacements cost from $150 to $300. Motors generally last longer, but they also cost a bit more, too.

The Electric Bike Network currently offers three models and the prices range from $1300 to $2900. Electric bikes can also be purchased direct through the Internet.

“Our goal isn’t simply to move product. Our goal is to transform your world with a new form of transportation,” says Roseman.

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For more information on The Electric Bike Network, visit www.myebike.com, or call 415-642-4321.

© 2005 Mission Dispatch

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