Cities remain divided over e-bikes, but investors don’t care

Electric bikes are being considered a logical option for intercity transport, especially for baby-boomers. E-bikes allow a traditional bike-ride with the option of switching to a pedal-free one with the help of an electric-motor.

While bicycle riding, especially bike-share programs, may have taken off, electric bikes face resistance. New York, which already has a thriving bike-share community, bans riding electric bikes. The city is concerned that silent e-bikes won’t alert pedestrians of incoming traffic and cause accidents. Cheap Chinese imports were another safety concern for New York City.

But a ban by New York hasn’t deterred investors. Riide, a new-generation electric bike showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000. The campaign, started after the CES showing, reached its goal within a day. Based in Washington D.C., which already has an established bicycling culture, the startup is now expanding to other cities.

While New York City may have banned electric bikes, the Bay Area has embraced them. Given the hilly terrain, a bicycle with a pedal-free option is receiving support from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. City CarShare has introduced a pre-pilot test of its eBikeShare program in Berkeley to test the viability of e-bikes for its members prior to rolling out the program full-scale. 

City CarShare is testing two different e-bikes to understand its member preferences—German designed A2B and a California-based e-bike from Juiced Riders. City CarShare members can book an e-bike using the same app they use to book cars. The experience of riding the electric bikes comes at a promotional rate of just $1.50/ hour. The full scale eBikeShare program launches in spring 2014.

The response from the west coast and the fact that it’s illegal to ride e-bikes in New York City but not illegal to sell them may explain some of the investor enthusiasm. For riders who get tired of pedaling around the city, an e-bike like Riide allows travelling at speeds of up to 20 mph by just twisting the throttle. Charging the e-bike takes about two to three hours, and the bike can travel 25 miles on a single charge. At $1,800, the Riide bike weighs the same as a Citi-share bike, widely used in New York.

Even as cities decide which way to ride the electric bike wave, riders are letting experience drive their choices. Tara Goddard, a Ph.D student and former bicycle coordinator for the city of Davis, Calif., is happy with her e-bike. Goddard tweeted recently that in four-and-a-half months she rode 700 miles at an average speed of 11 mph on her e-bike.