Australian Rare Earths

Australian Alternative Energy Forum


Not Really a Forum, more of my memory aid.


Comments on this forum should never be taken as investment advice.


Go Back   Alternative Energy Forums > Alternative Energy Discussion > Lithium

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-01-2010, 01:42 AM
Sparty Sparty is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,765
Default 120-million e-bikes are probably on Chinese roads

"And where is the Lithium to come from: www.australian-lithium.com has a lot of answers including who has what and where to invest."

February 27, 2010
By Joelle Garrus

Chinese commuters in their millions are turning to electric bicycles as the environmentally friendly future of personal transport in that country's teeming cities.

As many as 120-million e-bikes are probably on Chinese roads and that makes them the top alternative to cars and public transport, according to figures published by local media.

"This is the future - it's practical, it's clean and it's economical," said manufacturer Shi Zhongdong, whose company also exports battery bikes to Asia and Europe from his factory in Tanjin.

They have been hailed as an ecologically sound alternative in a country which is the world's most prolific producer of "greenhouse" gases; their rechargeable batteries create a smaller carbon footprint than cars but some are concerned about the pollution created by cheap lead/acid batteriesAs many as 2000 small factories are assembling battery bikes
.

A need is seen for better recycling and a quick shift to cleaner, though more expensive, lithium-ion battery technology.

More than 1000 companies are already in the e-bike business in China, many of them in coastal provinces such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang close to Shanghai.


Another 1000 are producing e-bikes on an ad hoc basis, Shi told AFP during a visit to his Hanma Electric Bicycles factory in the port city of Tianjin, about 120km north of Beijing.

"The business has exploded since 2006," Shi said, but he admitted his company took a hit in 2009 due to the financial crisisJust Shi's business produces around 75 000 a year
.

Some e-bikes can reach 35km/h and a few manufacturers say their models can run for 50km on a battery charge. They are connected to home power sockets. And most have normal pedals.

Shi was an electrical engineer who worked for a state-owned firm for most of his life but, as he turned 55 and retirement was beckoning, he founded Hanma in 1999 with the equivalent of about $75 000 of his own money.

He was reluctant to give exact production figures but Hanma is assembling between 50 000 and 100 000 e-bikes a year.



Several models are lined up in his company's icy, old-fashioned workshops, including some with "green" lithium-ion batteries (for export) and others that look like small scooters.

'TRAFFIC JAMS ARE EASY'

They are everywhere in the streets of Beijing - no licence plates or driving licence needed. Enthusiasts say they are a godsend in a city where the number of scooter and motorcycle drivers is restricted.

"I get around traffic jams so easily," said one Beijinger before speeding off from an intersection in the capital, where more than four-million vehicles are clogging the roads and polluting the already thick air.

Yet not everybody is on the e-bike bandwagon - "real" cyclists have complained bitterly that their once peaceful lanes are now clogged with irresponsible, uncontrollable speeders.

In December the authorities tried to re-impose a maximum speed limit of 20km/h on e-bikes, along with licence rules, but the plan caused such a public and industry uproar that it was suspended.

"The rules will never go through. Hundreds of factories would be forced to shut down. And what would those who already own e-bikes do?" Shi says.

THIRD OF PRODUCTION FOR EXPORT



A report by the Asian Development Bank said e-bikes could become "perhaps the most environmentally sustainable motorised mode available" in China but called for an end to lead-acid batteries and better regulations on load and speed.

Shi said nearly a third of his production was exported to Asia, notably India, and to Europe and the US.

"There is a big future for electric bikes in Europe, where people are very concerned about saving the environment," he said.
He sells the export models for $400, as opposed to $240 for those sold in China, but they retail for as much as $1200 in France and Germany. - AFP

Link Provided: www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5370898&fS...

And where is the Lithium to come from: www.australian-lithium.com has a lot of answers including who has what and where to invest.

 

Disclaimer: The author of this post, may or may not be a shareholder of any of the companies mentioned in this column. No company mentioned has sponsored or paid for this content. Comments on this forum should never be taken as investment advice.

Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:50 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.