Introduction
Electric-assisted bikes have been around a long time. They were being sold and used in Holland back in the 1950 and 60s. Petrol powered scooters and mopeds have of course been a feature of UK and continental cities for equally long period. They offered cheap low cost commuting and are often much quicker around cities and towns. Recently interest in electric bikes and now electric scooters has grown and my research over the internet reveals quite a few companies and dozens of models of electric bikes to choose from. Likewise electric scooters are advancing apace and are now a serious commuting option.
The purpose of this survey is to provide an overview and a resource in the form of links to useful sites where more detailed information can be found.
Recent Developments
This growth in interest in electric bikes and scooters is being fuelled by a number of factors:
• Growing environmental awareness
• Rising fuel and commuting costs
• Advances in electric drive and battery technologies
• Growth in leisure time
• Health and fitness (for electric bikes)
A quick clarification on the latter point. Swindon members might wonder how an electric-assisted bike could be said to have health benefits. The answer is that although these bikes can be ridden in electric-only mode they can equally be used in pedal-assist mode. A joint survey between Leeds University and Powabyke, www.powabyke.com found that the average user of an electric bike covered 1,200 miles per annum compared to only 120 miles for a traditional non-electric bike. In other words once they had bought them people used them far more, and they were far less likely to gather dust in the shed at the end of the garden. Interestingly 64% of all "distance travelled" was for commuting or shopping trips. The result is that owners of these bikes are using them much more frequently than they would a conventional bike, and in so far as they are used in electric-assist mode there are obviously significant health and fitness benefits. The survey makes interesting reading and the link to the 2 page summary is included below:
http://www.powabyke.com/isoFILES/support/downloads/FILE_5.pdf
Electric Bikes
There is an almost bewildering variety of electric bikes and types on offer from a variety of manufacturers with prices ranging from £350 through to £1,500.
What Is An Electric Cycle?
• A conventional bicycle with the addition of an electric motor and battery power pack.
• Can be operated in 3 modes:
• Electric only with no pedalling
• Pedal assisted (to varying degrees depending on sophistication of bike)
• Pedal only per a normal bike.
• Legally speed is restricted to 15.5mph in electric mode (although some manufacturers have turbo or boost settings for use off public roads)
• Motor limited to 200W
• Weight is restricted to 40kg excluding rider (although most are 20-29kg)
• It must have useable pedals i.e. can be used as a conventional bicycle.
Main types of Electric Cycles
The types of bikes mirror those of conventional bikes:
• Folding/Commuting bikes
• Road/touring bikes
• Hybrid bikes
• Off/road Mountain bikes
Useful Links
Powabyke is a well known and established company in this field with a wide offering of products. Prices range from £595 to £645
Below is a link to their pdf eBrochure detailing their electric bike products.
http://www.powabyke.com/isoFILES/support/downloads/FILE_14.pdf
Two local Swindon-based dealers stock its products:
Mitchells Cycles
27 Shrivenham Road
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN1 2QA
Tel : 01793 523306
Fax : 01793 514008
http://www.mitchellcycles.co.uk/
Swindon Cycles
60a Beechcroft Road
Upper Stratton
Swindon
Wiltshire
Tel : 01793 700105
50Cycles is a Loughborough-based company supplying high quality machines at the top end of the market. Prices range from £595 to £1,395. They indicate ranges of up to 30 miles on a full charge.
Independent Electric Bike Specialists are a Cambridge-based shop specialising in selling electric bikes and scooters from all the top brands. Their website is very comprehensive and they have a useful buying guide.
http://www.electricbikesales.co.uk/
Below is the link to their latest 2007 catalogue
http://www.electricbikesales.co.uk/cms_misc/media/catalogue07.1.pdf
Urban Mover is a company dedicated to producing electric vehicles including bikes and scooters. They have a very useful comparison chart for the different types of battery technology currently on offer. They produce some attractive-looking bikes.
Power Scoots stock most leading brands of electric bikes, mopeds, and scooters.
E-Motion is a local supplier of electric bicycles and scooters.
Points to Bear in Mind
• Give some thought to what you will use the bike for. Is it for daily commuting and shopping, or are you after an off-road leisure machine with a motor strong enough to climb hills?
• Make sure you do your research and test-ride the bike before you buy!
• Lithium batteries offer the best power-weight ratios but beware as earlier and cheaper lithium technology is prone to wearing out quickly and can catch fire! Lithium ion technology is intrinsically much safer and has a much longer life meaning it should last for years.
Electric Scooters
Recent advances in battery technology mean that it is now possible to buy an electric scooter with speeds which match conventional 2 stroke petrol machines, better torque and thus faster acceleration times, with useful ranges up to 50 miles. For example the Lexola G2000 pictured below has a top speed of 42mph and range of up to 50 miles.
Advantages
• Environmental benefits (especially if you get your electricity from a green tariff)
• Low running costs - the cost of an average full charge will be around 9p
• Zero rated tax
• Low insurance - per 50cc petrol machines.
• Fewer moving parts therefore less to go wrong.
• Much lower maintenance requirements.
Points to Consider
• Availability of an accessible power socket in hour house/garden, and/or a charge socket at your place of work (this effectively doubles your range)
• Batteries will need replacing 5-50,000 miles depending on manufacturer and battery type, and the cost of this needs to be factored into your cost calculations. The more expensive machines have much better batteries and can therefore work out cheaper overall.
Manufacturers
Urban Mover produces a range of affordable scooters under the Lexola brand name and the website provides a listing of UK dealers.
Vectrix has recently launched an electric scooter which is by some margin, currently the most advanced of its type in the world. It has a top speed of 62mph and a range of up to 68 miles at an average 25mph simulated urban driving conditions.
Suppliers/Stockists
The Electric Transport Shop (see previous section on electric bikes) stocks most of the reputable brands currently sold in the UK. Likewise the Powabyke website has a range of scooters for sale.
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