Skyrocketing gasoline prices have led to the rise of yet another alternative fuel vehicle — the electric bicycle.
The 56-year-old Bloomfield Bicycle & Repair Shop has seen sales of this relativelyBloomfield Bicycle owners Mike and Rachel Wolf standing next to one of the electric bicycles the shop sells. obscure mode of transportation take off this year. Demand is fueled by consumers’ desires to avoid pain at the pump and would-be cyclists’ desires to avoid relying solely on their legs, said co-owner Mike Wolf, who sees huge potential for growth in the industry.
“It is going through the roof,†Wolf said. “There isn’t a week that goes by where we don’t get four to eight orders for the electric bikes.â€
Through mid-May, Bloomfield Bicycle’s sales of electric bikes this year have surpassed its total sales for all of 2010.
An electric bicycle is essentially a regular bicycle with a stronger frame and a small plug-in motor. Riders have the option of pedaling on their own, using the motor to assist with pedaling or letting the motor do all the work.
Most riders use the motor when going up hills or when they are tired, Wolf said.
Bloomfield Bicycle is the top electric bicycle dealer in New England, according to the Light Electric Vehicle Association. The store, founded in 1955, stocks 15-30 electric bikes among its inventory of hundreds of self-propelled bicycles. They cost $500-$3,500.
Bloomfield Bicycle was one of four businesses inducted into the Connecticut Business Hall of Fame on May 19.
Nationwide, the sales of electric bikes are surging because of the price of gas, said Ed Benjamin, founder of the Light Electric Vehicle Association. Technological advances in electric bikes have made them more reliable and the sales of the vehicles should far exceed last year.
Beyond people avoiding the high price of gasoline, Wolf said people are buying electric bikes to get in shape. People wary of buying a regular bike — whether fitness beginners or those hampered by a medical condition — are getting the ones with the motor to get them started down a healthier road.
“We have a saying here, ‘Burn calories, not carbon,’†Wolf said.
The bicycles are also very popular with people who have lost their driver license because of a DUI, Wolf said.
Electric bike riders aren’t required to get a license, insurance or registration for their vehicles. As long as they go less than 20 mph and a motor of less than 750 watts, then they are not subject to the same licensing and registration laws as cars.
Unlike electric cars that take several hours to charge on a 220-volt outlet, the electric bicycle charges on a 110-volt outlet. Depending on the type of battery, a charge can take 3-10 hours.
On that charge, some of the more advanced electric bicycles can travel 40 miles.
The fact that Bloomfield Bicycle is having success selling the electric bike is good for the industry, Benjamin said. Wolf is considered a trendsetter in the bicycle industry and his lead will inspire more bicycle dealers to go electric.
“The whole American bicycle industry is saying ‘If Mike is selling them, when maybe we should too,’†Benjamin said.
