on Oct 10th, 2008Interbike Expo - eBikes
Las Vegas, NV - Frankly, the phenomena of the electric bike, or so-called eBike hybrid because it can be ridden in either motor-assist mode or as a conventional bike, is completely lost on me [then again, as a bike snob the idea of the traditional hybrid, the cross between a road and a mountain bike, was lost on me]. But the numbers are hard to argue, and they are staggering.
According to the Electric Bikes Worldwide Report, 2008 Update, 20.8 million eBikes were sold worldwide in 2007, a total expected to show only modest worldwide growth in 2009 to 21.6 million units. However, eBikes represent the fastest-growing bicycle category within the U.S., Europe and a number of other regions.
For example, U.S. eBike sales are projected to hit 220,000 units in 2009, a two-year increase of 83 percent from 2007 U.S. eBike sales of 120,000 units. Projections for Europe are even more robust, with eBike sales in Europe expected to hit 750,000 units in 2009 a three-fold increase versus 2007 sales of 250,000 eBikes in Europe.
As I walked around the Interbike expo floor, it was difficult not to run into some form of an electronic powered bicycle. Established manufacturers, like Schwinn, which currently boast six models in its electric bicycle line, with the Tailwind expected to arrive in dealer stores in early 2009, and new companies specializing in eBikes were practically around every corner…
[Via www.triplecrankset.com]