*Electric Bike Report’s founder Pete Prebus contributed this interview. We’re always happy when Pete comes back to share the stories he’s covering in the e-bike world.
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Sushil Reddy and Luis Fourzan along their ~7,000-mile solar electric bike tour around the US.
Sushi and Luis were riding through Tucson, Arizona during their SunPedal Ride that is focused on raising awareness of clean energy and sustainable mobility.
And what better way to do that than riding a solar electric bike?
- The route and weather challenges
- Previous SunPedal Ride tours
- The inspiration for the tours
- How they promote solar and e-bikes
- The people they’ve met along the way
- The highlights and surprises
- How much the solar panels help & bike specs
- Comparison of the solar e-bikes to the traditional e-bikes
- Their impressions of US bike infrastructure
- Their tips for e-bikes touring
- What the future looks like for solar and e-bikes
Enjoy the interview!
It was great to meet Sushil and Luis in person as I have followed Sushil’s previous SunPedal Rides online and been inspired by his journey to raise awareness of solar and e-bikes.
They have been successful in garnering a lot of local media attention along the way and as you can see from their social media channels they have also had good connections with universities, energy groups, bike groups, and more.
Additionally, they have had many conversations with people just passing by who are curious to learn more about their tour. It’s hard to miss a solar e-bike!
Overall this is a great way to get out and spread the word about the possibilities of solar and e-bikes and I am excited to follow Sushil and Luis along with their adventures!
-Pete
Looking Back at the 2021 E-bike Year
E-BIKE BOOM CONTINUES
A couple of graphs might not seem the most exciting start to an article looking back at 2021, but the two below (presented at the recent 2021 People for Bikes E-bike Summit) nicely sum up the continued popularity of e-bikes in the US.
Both show the amazing success of e-bikes from 2020 and the continued upward direction of both units sold and dollars spent. It’s difficult to pin down the exact reasons why the trends levelled off a little in 2021 compared to 2020 but surely two main factors were pivotal.
Firstly, although the Covid pandemic was clearly far from over, many who wanted to start travelling by e-bike to avoid close contact with others and / or get some exercise had already done so. Secondly the initial boom led to ‘supply chain difficulties’, or in other words a shortage of e-bikes so that all those who wanted to buy one simply weren’t able.
It’s also interesting to note a decline in non-electric bike sales in 2021 as a backdrop to the continued rise of e-bikes – perhaps shortages again playing their part here.
If the amount of investment capital, which poured into e-bikes in 2021 in unprecedented amounts, is anything to go by then the future looks mighty rosy for e-bikes. In the US Rad Power attracted over US$300 million over the course of 2021 which they say makes them the “most funded electric bike company in the world.” The new funding will be used to expand the company’s logistics capabilities, open new distribution centers and expand its mobile service program and in-person retails stores.
This looks set to continue into the future – especially if Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation (containing tax credit proposals) and the government’s proposed Infrastructure Bill (money for more bike lanes and the like) comes into law. These are both topics EBR has looked at in 2021 and ones we will take another look at in a forthcoming article on what 2022 might bring.
Ebike News: Rad’s New RadRunner, Ride1UP’s New Cruiesr, Electra Expands Hub Motor Offering & More!
The world economy is in upheaval right now, with supply chain difficulties seemingly everywhere, the e-bike industry being no exception (although there are plenty of new e-bikes announced in spite of that). Add on to this profound worries about a changing climate and the seeming reliance of governments around the world on electric cars to solve the problem (despite warnings from some that they are only a small part of the solution) and it seems some formidable challenges lie ahead in the 2020s and beyond.
But e-bikes can surely help everyone chart a path through the turmoil. Despite the 2022 rise in e-bike prices covered in this week’s news, they are still cheaper to run than any car and better for you and the environment than many alternative ways of getting about. Whether it be straitened economic times or a climate crisis it’s clear e-bikes are a significant part of the solution. And if the ‘reshoring’ of the US e-bike industry came to pass, as we also discuss this week, it would be a further part of the solution.
In this week’s news::
- Rad Power Bikes announces RadRunner 2
- Ride1UP debuts Cafe Cruiser
- Electra’s new cruiser-style hub motor models
- Zoomo’s ‘Moped Level’ Performance E-bike
- Bronx e-bike revolution
- Rad Power announces 2022 price increases
- Could bike manufacture return to the US?
Ebike News: Addmotor’s New Commuter E-bikes, More Build Back Better E-bike Detail and Much More!
You might assume that the most popular e-bikes would be the lowest priced ones. Not so based on current trends says a Bloomberg article that we look at in detail this week. It chimes nicely with the fact that Addmotor’s new commuter models, at US$2000, are just caught within the most rapidly growing e-bike price bracket in the US market.
There’s more perhaps surprising news in our other stories too, from the mysteries of bike steering clearly unravelled by the wonderful Veritasium to future connected e-bike tech and Europe’s most successful city for sustainable electric transport (maybe not who you might think…)
In this week’s news::
- Fat tire specialist Addmotor launches middle-of-the-road commuters
- US e-bike subsidies – data shows which brands might benefit most from proposed legislation
- Volt e-bikes new courier-style and e-mtb models
- How near are we to e-bikes that will speak to cars?
- The incredible complexity of how you steer a bike
- Europe’s electric mobility capital holds lessons for US cities
State of the Industry at the People for Bikes 2021 eBike Summit
State of the Industry at the People for Bikes 2021 eBike Summit
By: Pete Prebus
After a year off due to Covid, everyone was excited to meet up in person and discuss the state of the electric bike world.
This year’s eBike summit had a good group of topics to cover which included:
- The state of the eBike boom
- Rider safety
- Advocacy
- Innovative eMTB uses
- The new eBike battery recycling program
This year’s summit was held in Tucson, Arizona in conjunction with the 38th annual El Tour de Tucson which is a road ride that drew over 6,700 cyclists for rides of 28 miles, 57 miles, and 102 miles and this year there was a new eBike route included in the event. A number of the attendees of the summit rode in El Tour. El Tour de Tucson is a ride focused on raising funds for charity and non-profit organizations while promoting health and wellness.
The eBike summit kicked off with a happy hour at a local brew pub to network and catch up with friends in the industry. There was a lot of enthusiasm to catch up after so much time away due to COVID.
The weather did not disappoint either with highs in the low 80s, many people who traveled in from colder regions were happy to enjoy some time in the sun.
The next morning there was a fun group eBike ride from the University of Arizona campus along one of the bike boulevards. I rode a Santa Cruz Heckler to start with and then swapped half way through the ride for a Moustache Samedi Xroad step-thru. There were many different styles of eBikes for the riders to try.
After the fun ride the seminar started with a look at the state of the industry with Ash Lovell, PhD from People for Bikes hosting the summit.
A hot topic was the eBike boom that happened during the pandemic as more and more people found eBikes to be a great way to get out and explore their towns, cities, and recreational areas.
Jennifer Boldry from NAXION presented sales data and as you can see from the charts above 2020 and 2021 have seen an incredible rise of eBike sales! An important note is that these numbers are from traditional bicycle retailers that provide sales data to the NPD Group. This data does not include sales data from electric bike specialty retailers, direct to consumer eBike companies, third party eCommerce stores, and used eBikes. So with that in mind, the sales numbers are actually higher but the general trend is the important part.
[Read more…] about State of the Industry at the People for Bikes 2021 eBike Summit
Ebike News: BH’s New Superlight e-MTB, E-balance bikes, Lyft Divvy and Much More!
How light can e-mtbs go? Well, at around 16kg / 35lbs the newly launched BH iLynx Trail Carbon is certainly pushing the limits of what is possible. EBR isn’t aware of any full suspension, true mid-drive e-mtb with a large 540Wh battery that comes close; the Orbea Rise with a 16.5kg / 36.4lb claimed weight is the next best we know of, with an honorable mention going to Specialized’s Levo SL at 16.95kg / 37.4lbs.
To dip under the 16kg emtb mark you have to opt for a hardtail with a Fazua drive (with a lower torque rating than the BH model’s own brand mid-drive) in the form of the 15.5kg / 34.1lb Trek E-Calibre. Is 15kg the next e-mtb benchmark weight that will be regularly broken?
In addition to all the e-MTB talk, there is more news an electric balance bikes for toddlers. Is this a trend we’re likely to see keep growing
In this week’s news::
- Groundbreakingly light full-sus e-mtb from Spain’s BH
- Would you consider an electric balance bike to help your toddler learn to ride?
- Lyft Divvy – a new and better electric share bike appears on Chicago’s streets.
- Nothng minimalist IndieGoGo-funded e-bike beats crowdfunding target
- Paris clamps down on e-scooter operator speed limits
[Read more…] about Ebike News: BH’s New Superlight e-MTB, E-balance bikes, Lyft Divvy and Much More!
Ebike News: Giant’s New High End E-MTB, Himiway’s New Fat Tire Models and Much More!
If you want proof of how fat tire style e-bikes are taking the US by storm look no further than the three new models just announced by fat tire specialist Himiway – there are extra big batteries across all three models which include a cargo bike and a full suspension model.
By contrast Giant’s new e-mtb concentrates on high tech, being their first e-mtb built on a composite frame. Innovative features include flip chip technology that lets the rider switch the frame geometry between two different settings and the new RideControl Go multi-function frame-integrated button and allied handlebar remote. All proving there are evermore ways to venture off-road by e-bike – whether it’s comfort, huge range, cargo-carrying or a high-tech adrenaline boost you want.
In this week’s news::
- Meet Giant’s lightweight superpowerful new e-mtb, the Trance X Advanced E+
- Fat tire specialist Himiway expand range with 3 new models
- Zooz brings e-BMX style bike from US to UK
- The Ultra retrofit kit uses wireless sensor tech
- Tuck’s folding-wheel folding bike technology
- Porsche to take majority stakeholding in hi-tech e-bike firm Greyp
First look: Himiway launches 3 new electric bikes
Electric bike manufacturer Himiway on Wednesday finally unveiled three new e-bike models they’ve been teasing for several months now.
Himiway rolled out the Zebra all-terrain hardtail, the Big Dog electric cargo bike and Cobra full-suspension e-bike during a November 24 YouTube livestream. The three new e-bikes join the incredibly popular Himiway Cruiser and Himiway Escape models, which earned the relatively new e-bike company a cult following due to their larger-than-average batteries and powerful rear hub motors.
The brand appears to only be capitalizing on its strengths in these three new models, giving them even larger frame-integrated batteries and, at least in one high-end version of the Cobra model, adding a 1,000W mid-drive motor. All of Himiway’s new bikes are currently available for preorder and are expected to ship in February.
Few details (and even photos) are available of the new bikes as of their launch day, but Electric Bike Report managed to get a hold of a spec sheet for each model. We do have these bikes currently in route for in-depth testing, so stay tuned for real-world impressions in the near future.
Until then, let’s dive into the details we have now.
[Read more…] about First look: Himiway launches 3 new electric bikes
Black Friday E-bike Accessory Guide
Editor’s note: While you may already be Black Friday deal hunting, it’s still too early for most e-bike brands to publish their deals and sale pricing! Bookmark this page and stay tuned — we’ll publish deals as soon as we hear about them.
You want deals? We’ve got deals.
It’s shopping season once again and though Black Friday still hasn’t quite arrived, retailers and manufacturers are already coughing up discount codes and slashing prices on gear ranging from e-bike rated bike racks to pannier bags.
We’ve collected some of the most choice Black Friday e-bike accessory deals and compiled them here. Many of these discounts are subject to change as Black Friday approaches, so keep an eye out for updates.
Also, a little word of advice: If there’s one thing the e-bike and e-bike component shortage of 2020/21 has taught us, it’s don’t sleep on a deal if it’s in stock. Stuff will go out of stock, and when it does, who knows when we’ll see availability again.
Here’s a smattering of what the Electric Bike Report staff has their eyes on this Black Friday season. Happy shopping!
Ebike News: KBO E-cargobike, PWR E-balance Bike, Battery Update and Much More!
E-bike’s are casting their net far and wide this week to include: another small-wheeled e-bike – but this time one that can carry everything but the kitchen sink, an electric balance bike for children, all that’s new in the world of battery tech, Cowboy’s new callout service for those in major cities, bike paths and new trails and finally the creation of new electric micromobility giant. That has to be one of the most varied news mixes we’ve had for a very long time.
In this week’s news::
- KBO’s small but capable e-cargobike
- PWR launches electric balance bike for kids
- Battery recycling and safe storage program for e-bike shops to roll out early 2022
- New lithium and supercapacitor tech
- Cowboy Care will come to you
- Infrastructure bill promises more bike lanes
- New York State’s Dryden Rail Trail a step closer to completion
- Tier buys Nextbike to hugely expand electric share capabilities
[Read more…] about Ebike News: KBO E-cargobike, PWR E-balance Bike, Battery Update and Much More!
