Electric bicycles are built with batteries

The battery of an electric bicycle uses different chemical components to store energy and increase the energy provided by the rider. The most common types are: Plumbic acid, Nickel metal hydride (NiMH), Lithium ion battery (lithium)

One of the reasons for the surge in sales of electric bicycles in China is that production costs are much lower than elsewhere. INSG said that this was partly achieved through the use of cheaper and heavier lead-acid batteries. However, the recent trend is towards more refined lithium ion batteries (LIBs).

In 2016, more than 80% of all electric bicycles produced and sold worldwide used lead-acid batteries.

Since the price of lithium-ion batteries dropped sharply. It is estimated that two fifths of all electric bicycles sold worldwide will be equipped with lib.

By 2020, it is estimated that 25% of electric bicycles will be powered by lithium batteries. By 2023, this figure is estimated to reach 60%.

The lithium ion batteries produced now are used for various purposes of electric bicycles. Different models are designed for commuting, transporting goods, or mountain biking.

The price of lithium-ion battery is falling

As mentioned earlier, due to the low price of lead-acid batteries, many manufacturers (especially in the Chinese market) are using lead-acid batteries. The cost of batteries is usually expressed in dollars per kilowatt hour (kWh), so let's make a comparison.

In 2013, it is estimated that the cost of lead-acid battery is only $35/kWh, the cost of nickel metal hydride battery is about $350/kWh, and the cost of lithium ion battery is as high as $700/kWh. Therefore, lithium-ion battery is the lowest cost among the three batteries, because it is 20 times more expensive than lead-acid battery.

However, according to Statista, the price of lithium-ion battery is 156 dollars/kWh. It is estimated that by the end of 2020, it will be reduced to US $135/kWh.

Today, the average commute time for office workers is about 26 minutes. In some parts of the United States, this figure is even more depressing. In New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Atlanta, workers commute more than 32 minutes.

In the Netherlands, a quarter of Europeans prefer to commute by electric bicycle.

Health

They also measured exercise intensity, which was 51% for electric bicycles and 58% for traditional bicycles.

A Norwegian study also found that for those who own electric bicycles, the proportion of all trips completed by bicycles increased from 28% to 48%

Another study randomly selected 66 people, gave them an electric bicycle, and compared their riding level with that of the control group of 160 people. The study found that the number of times to ride a bicycle increased from 0.9 to 1.4 times a day and the distance increased from 4.8 km to 10.5 km after being equipped with an electric bicycle.

Risk

Dutch news media also reported that in the first half of 2018, 341 accidents occurred to people riding electric bikes, up 26% from 2017. From 2014 to 2018, 102 electric bike users died.

For cyclists over the age of 75, the injury risk of riding an electric bicycle is twice that of riding a traditional bicycle.

Hu et al (2014) found that the collision of electric bicycles is more serious than that of traditional bicycles.

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