 |
| Qoros promises the fastest ebike that can do downhills too. |
SOUTH Africans have not taken to electric bikes, mainly because one
can buy an old Toyota Conquest or a brand new scooter for the price of one of
these pedelecs (for pedal electric bike).
But the technology is rapidly getting cheaper and several
manufacturers are betting more mountainbikers will increasingly look at the
benefits of having electric torque on tap to both play and
commute with.
commute with.
The list of big names currently selling such pedelecs include BMW,
Grace, Kia, KTM, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot Qoros and smart.
BMW’s e-bike folds up to fit into the boot of the concept i3 and
can be charged in four hours using the car’s battery or from a domestic plug
socket. Like most it has a range of 25 to 40 kilometres.
Most pedelecs have a cruising speed of 35 km/h and a range of about
40 km, although premium names like Qoros claim to cruise this distance at
60 km/h.
The electric motors on offer range from 360 Watt mid-mounted motors
to help turn the chain, to 8 kW hub motors that drive the front or back wheel,
or both. The power output of the motor is only limited by the size of the
battery pack the cyclist is willing to lug around.
Designers are having a such a field day in fitting battery packs
into frames, and electronics that auto parts maker Bosch has a whole division to
supply parts to them.
 |
| If it has wheels, we ride it! The author testing the first ebikes in South Africa. |
Bosch is Europe’s market leader in pedal-assist electric bike
technology and last week opened a head office in Southern California to expand
the reach of the German business into the U.S. and Canada.
e-Bike business unit leader Claudia Wasko said American buyers
responded very well to the first Bosch-equipped e-Bikes that went on sale in the
U.S. in 2013. “We’ve seen fantastic response to our product. We’re expecting a
big year in 2015 as even more brands begin to offer e-Bikes with our
technology,” Wasko said in a statement.
The Bosch’s e-Bike System will compete head on with the Californian
branch of Golden Motors, a Chinese electric motor systems manufacturer that
currently sets the standard in pedelecs with systems that include regeneration
of battery power every time the bicycle slows down.
Like all big Chinese companies, Golden Motors exports anywhere and
is always looking for new dealers. Its website exhorts customers to “kick start
your simple profitable business safely” by becoming a Golden Motors dealer,
adding the website attracts and redirects over 5 000 potential buyers a day to
dealers worldwide, including three in South Africa.
The group also provides door-to-door global shipping services.
Readers who are interested can learn more on www.goldenmotor.com.
