Text. Part 1.
Get on your e-bike
Soon after electric cars and scooters, e-bikes could be the next big thing. Janet Sandford gets on her bike to see if this latest development has legs. These days, we are all much more environment-conscious and transport in all its manifestations is going electric. The automotive industry has resigned itself to the ultimate end of the internal combustion engine and electric scooters are now a common sight on the streets of many cities. However, to date, the humble bicycle has remained much the same for the past hundred years. It is no surprise then, that this modus movendi is also getting an electronic makeover.
New, Old Technology
You would be forgiven for thinking that electric-powered vehicles are very much a 21st-century phenomenon but the technology dates back to the 19th century. The first electric carriage was created by Scottish inventor and engineer Robert Anderson in the 1830s. The development of rechargeable batteries around 1859 increased the viability of electric cars although early models required charging every 50 miles. The first commercially viable model was the amusingly named Electrobat (Batman’s first car perhaps). Its inventors sold the technology to the Electric Vehicle Company, which established a fleet of 600 cabs in New York, Boston and East Coast cities, in the early 20th century, powered by batteries made by a company that would go on to become Exide. However, electric vehicles would be eclipsed a decade later with the advent of cheap mass-production petrol cars and a national network of filling stations. It is perhaps not surprising that the electric bicycle suffered a similar fate with the first patent being registered in the USA as early as 1895 but the format never gaining widespread appeal. Now, as the planets of climate-change awareness, affordable and widely available recharging and new habits in urban transportation popularize, that may all be changing.
Rebranding
The so-called pedelics have been in use for 30 years or more. These pedal-assisted bikes offer a little extra power with a maximum of 250 watts of power, when the cyclist runs out of steam on uphill stretches of road. However, while the urban electric scooter is cool enough for the hipster and image-conscious consultant to use without damaging their style, the electric bike evokes images of grandad heading off to his recreational lot. Its appeal to the older demographic section remains with the leading UK motor and bicycle accessory retailer, Halfords, reporting that 65 percent of their e-bikes are sold to over-55s. Nonetheless, e-bike sales are on the up 9, 19, and 30 percent in the Netherlands, Germany, and France respectively (Source: Bike Europe 2017). In America, according to Forbes, e-bike sales reached USD 77 mln in 2017, a huge 91 percent increase in a year, and globally, USD 21 bln in 2018, with predictions that those figures will continue to grow rapidly. The e-bike is starting to attract a younger audience and garner celebrity endorsements. These include British multiple World and Olympic Champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and his female counterpart, Victoria Pendleton. If that is still not cool enough, then mountain-biker and Red Bull Rampage winner, Wade Simmons, shows his support for the electric mountain bike (e-MTB) telling MBR Magazine, “This old dog is learning some new tricks, finding new lines on old trails, and having a great time. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here!”. As with many devices, appliances and vehicles, e-bikes have become lighter and more stylish, meaning that a rider will feel the bee’s knees.
(adapted from: Sandford, Janet. “Get on your e-bike ”in Business English Magazine. NR 87/2022 )
