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Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the U.S. Next?

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Re: Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the U.S. Next?

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1800 watts isn't nearly enough to do 80km/h. Maybe 60km/h, tops. Power goes as the cube of speed, so 80 takes more than 4 times as much power as 60. Of course, your speedometer could be lying to you.

We tested it with a car and another motorbike. It can only do that on a full charge and the bike shakes a bit too much for comfort. But traffic in Saigon rarely goes above 30km/h anyways. When I have free charge of the road, I average about 55km/h.

My ebike maxes out around 1400W -- that's an actual measurement made with a power meter -- and the fastest speed I've ever seen is 56km/h (and that was with a tailwind). And this is with relatively fast tires (not racing tires, but smooth road tires) and a big fairing!

Given the same tires and aerodynamics, the difference in top speed between 1400W and 1800W is the cube root of 1800/1400, or 1.087 -- you can go 8.7% faster. That gets you to 61km/h. And I bet your aerodynamics and tires are both worse than mine.

So something is out of whack here. My guess is it's a combination of things. Most speedometers in cars read high, many by as much as 10%. So let's say you were really doing 72km/h. Maybe with a full battery you're really getting quite a bit more than 1800W. For my bike to do 72km/h would take at least (72/56)^3 * 1400W = 2800W. It sounds a bit unlikely that you could really get that much, but who knows, it depends on your controller and motor. (You'd think they would have rated it higher, though, if it could really do that.) To really get 80km/h would take over 3800W.

Re: Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the U.S. Next?

#232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a particularly common design. The common designs are heavier looking, eg: http://119.10.46.20:9999/images/T1uxEvBXDT1RXrhCrK.jpg ... the lighter designs have less batteries and haul a lot less. Note the metal bar around the weak plastic housing, this protects it against falls and accidents. Notice also the fold-out passenger foot-rests. The seat opens to reveal covered storage space: many people use this t…

That doesn't seem to have pedals. It looks like an electric scooter, not an electric bike.

Yes, almost no electric bikes in China have pedals, and they could perhaps be better described as scooters. However, they are universally called e-bikes.

Re: Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the U.S. Next?

#233

The e-bike situation in China is very different from the US. These are people who are moving UP from human-powered bikes, or walking, to their first vehicle -- not buying them so that they can leave their car at home and feel the wind in their hair. Here's a photo of a very typical Chinese e-bike: http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00zsrEyYQIYOqo/Chinese-El... As you can see, it has a second seat in the back for a pa…

Good points about critical mass and safety. The general traffic situation in Beijing is more chaotic than in London, but I would feel less safe on a scooter in London.

Re: charging:

- some people charge them at work, by using long extension cables

- lithium batteries are getting more popular, and this cuts the weight by more than 50%

- yes, when I used to ride an electric scooter (a vespa-style one, not the type in your pic) I would lug my battery up and down 5 flights of stairs, not just for charging, but also because the lithium battery is worth more than bike

Re: Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the U.S. Next?

#234
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