The Rise of the Electric Bike

In China, an estimated 120 million electric bicycles are on the streets. So why haven't they caught on in the U.S.? Reporter Alan Durning thinks its time.

1 minute read

April 25, 2010, 11:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


The aging population is one reason Durning believes e-bikes will be a growing market in the near future. Improving technology is another:

Durning writes, "Luckily for e-bike makers, advanced battery research is in its heyday, thanks to billions of dollars of investment from public and private institutions around the world. The hunt is on for better batteries not only because they're essential to electrifying transportation and getting the world off of oil but also because they're needed to harness intermittent, renewable power sources such as the sun and the wind. As battery improvements emerge, electric bikes stand to gain quickly."

Thursday, April 1, 2010 in WorldChanging

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