20 million e-bikes sold in china last year

[tomv]

Economist article is a really brief:
http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displayStory.cfm?story_id=11879821&source=features_box4

For comparison in US 15 million cars and about 12 million bicycles were sold that year. This is really huge number. E-bikes must be mass-market there.

I wonder if there are review/comparission sites for various models there?

 

[Patriot]

No wonder it's taking a while for batteries and motors to get shipped over here.

 

[dogman dan]

At the rate I'm going, I'll need about 4 to get though the year. But I live in the desert, and ride too long up a hill. I wonder if that has something to do with the numbers though.

 

[catamount]

You can find interesting stuff using Chinese characters to search with Babelfish translator, like this for example http://www.bigsolar.url.tw/fuelcellbike.htm

and this http://big5.made-in-china.com/image/2f0j01eCAQJESBkYovM/煞魔008电动车.jpg

 

[lfairban]

One part congestion and two parts pollution:

In many major cities, electric bicycles now make up 10 to 20 percent of all two-wheeled vehicles on the roads, a trend that could have an impact on the nation's rising greenhouse-gas emissions and poor air quality.

Many Chinese cities, including Shanghai, with its population of 20 million, have banned motorcycles and motor scooters as dangerous and polluting, giving a huge sales boost to what the bike trade has dubbed e-bikes.

http://postcarboncities.net/node/210

 

[John in CR]

With that kind of volume there must be higher quality stuff out there. When are they going to stop shipping the junk overseas, especially since we will pay more? Can you imagine the customer service problems in the millions if the same average quality was sold inside China? Even top of the line stuff like Crystalite has serious QC issues, and when you're talking about brushless motors where the only moving part with a contact surface is bearings, it is absolutely unacceptable. Electric motors and their controls are supposed to last for decades, not days or weeks.

Sorry about the soapbox, but with that kind of volume there has to be quality goods available, somewhere.

John

 

[Lock]

Actually, years ago Kenny at C-Lyte when asked why China was making such crap replied (paraphrasing)
"We only make that crap for export"...
The real problem is the ignorant consumer and the importers and dealers that pander to this. They are the ones that spec the vehicles at $100ea FOB Shanghai etc by the container, or watt ever they sell for these daze from Yongkang etc
tks
Lock

 

[John in CR]

Actually, years ago Kenny at C-Lyte when asked why China was making such crap replied (paraphrasing)
"We only make that crap for export"...
The real problem is the ignorant consumer and the importers and dealers that pander to this. They are the ones that spec the vehicles at $100ea FOB Shanghai etc by the container, or watt ever they sell for these daze from Yongkang etc
tks
Lock

Lock,

That's exactly what I thought. How to we get our mitts on the good stuff? They've obviously had to address wet weather and durability for 60+ million electric 2 wheelers to be put on the road in China over the past 4 years, so why should we have to reinvent the wheel for something that already exists? We must have some Chinese buddies here in the forums, so hopefully they'll step in an answer these questions. or better yet help hook us up!

John

 

[Lock]

Hi John

Just to clarify... The original question to Kenny was why when you look at pics and videos from city streets in China are no one riding the scooters they were exporting. This was about six years ago and from more recent reports and pics it appears things have changed.

Craig (DG) has reported over the years about how the Boreen/Dolphin-style scoots (classic Yongkang) have improved, although the first thing he does is mod them quite a bit <smile>

I don't doubt there have been improvements.

I also suspect that EV owners in China don't ask as much of their vehicles as North Americans... Their trips are perhaps more relaxed at "traditional" bicycle speeds. Shorter distances. Even smaller riders!

It may be that in China things like controllers and chargers with commodity pricing are treated more like disposable razors and reliable use and a long life are not expected. Dunno. If they can treat their own citizens this way then why not?

As far as sourcing the "good", can't think of a better place to get educated than online forums like ES and V4V.

Actually, come to think of it... anyone here know of a good site in the EU (English language) where power-assist ppl hang out?

ExtraEnergy.org just released testing on 28 (pedelec) designs and THEY seem to be able to source quality designs and components over there...
http://www.extraenergy.org/main.php?language=en&category=products&subcateg=66

Perhaps the mfgrs/dealers know they are dealing with a more mature (pedal) bike culture and cannot get by by pulling the same "funny stuff" as with NA...

tks
Lock

 

[Fumesucker]

I also suspect that EV owners in China don't ask as much of their vehicles as North Americans... Their trips are perhaps more relaxed at "traditional" bicycle speeds. Shorter distances. Even smaller riders!

It may be that in China things like controllers and chargers with commodity pricing are treated more like disposable razors and reliable use and a long life are not expected. Dunno. If they can treat their own citizens this way then why not?

One of the reasons Americans need speed in an ebike is due to auto traffic, where I ride there are narrow roads with no shoulders and often a near vertical dropoff for twenty to forty feet as soon as you get off the road. A two lane road with a lot of traffic is very dangerous when the drivers are totally unaccustomed to seeing bicycles on the road, if you can't flow with at least the slowest traffic you stand an excellent chance of becoming road pizza.

Also, when your income is measured in cents per hour, things like controllers and motors are far from "disposable".

ExtraEnergy.org just released testing on 28 (pedelec) designs and THEY seem to be able to source quality designs and components over there...
http://www.extraenergy.org/main.php?language=en&category=products&subcateg=66

Perhaps the mfgrs/dealers know they are dealing with a more mature (pedal) bike culture and cannot get by by pulling the same "funny stuff" as with NA...

tks
Lock

Jeebus... The prices on those things, I only saw one below a thousand Euros.

 

[tomv]

Actually article linked in fifth post here pretty much answers what kind of stuff they have. Check out for example http://www.wettsen.com.cn/ (High end manufacturer in China). Not very exciting:

Lead-Acid
Brushed Motors
85Lbs total weight
12mph speed limit (legal requirement there)
Average price of $260 (high end Wettsen bikes probably more).

Back to waiting for better batteries...

 

[SamSpeed]

Here's an older article I just found googling that's very interesting. There does not seem to be any links to it from the main page.
http://www.wildernessenergy.com/EbikesinChina.htm