The Secret to Baltimore's Bikeshare Success: E-Bikes

"A month ago, Baltimore got its first bikeshare system, Bmorebikeshare, and ridership is already high," according to an article by Jeff La Noue. "Forty percent of the fleet is made up of electric bikes that make it easier to go up hills, and as the system expands people are likely to want more of those."

The system has already facilitated nearly 6,000 rides on 175 bikes spread around 22 stations. The system is unique among bikeshare systems in U.S. cities thanks to its peerless number of e-bikes. In Baltimore's case, the e-bike employs "technology known as pedal-assist-technology, or pedelec." After giving the pedelec bikes a positive review, La Noue examines the question of whether its feasible to expand the existing fleet of e-bikes. Surprisingly, the pedelec technology only adds $300 to the normal $1,000 price tag for a bikeshare bike. That reasonable cost makes it easier to imagine attracting enough new riders to make the extra cost pay for itself in the long run, according to the article.