I was lucky enough to spend December in Shanghai. One thing that I noticed was there was an abundance of bikes on the road. However, unlike in Indonesia and Vietnam where I traveled previously, a large portion of these bikes/scooters were electric. This was made very apparent to me as they are silent and I almost got hit by one as I went around a corner on the sidewalk.
China has over 100 million e-bikes on the road making it by far the largest e-bike market in the world. With sales of over 30 million units a year, thousands of bikes are added to the road everyday.
These e-bikes are a cheap alternative to get around the city. They can be run for just over 20 cents a day and can retail for as low as $300 US. They’re also convenient to avoid China’s terrible traffic jams.
So, sounds all good right?
Not exactly. 80% of China’s power comes from coal burning power plants. Also these batteries require frequent charging. If you’re a daily driver you’ll need to be a daily charger. This frequency makes replacement necessary in as little as a year in some cases. The batteries contain as much lead as car batteries (10-15kg), and many are not recycled. For those that are, practices are behind western standards leading to pollution. Furthermore many inexperienced riders are killed in accidents.
The most polluting smelters are starting to be closed and cleaner technology is being brought in, all in time for China’s ambition carbon reduction goals of 2015.
Very well put. I really liked how you assessed both the sustainable side of e-bikes as well as the trade-off. Perhaps the Chinese are better off without e-bikes? With the world’s largest population, even the slightest pollutants from each person’s bike could create a significant impact on the world. Thank you for sharing.
At least the bikes are electric though and don’t add emissions to the atmosphere. Their batteries might not be so green, but using bikes for commuting has to help reduce traffic. Some pros, some cons. Neat post though.