The term electric bicycle used to sound as Seussian as a cat in a hat. Now it is an idea whose time has arrived, albeit silently and at speeds near 20 miles an hour.
One small businessman in Rockland County believes he will have an increasingly profitable ride with his line of electric bicycles, which he calls simply the best available for Americans.   Â
“Electric bicycles are still a niche industry, but it is quickly getting bigger,” said Andy Koblick, founder CEO and President of Electrik Motion, based in New City, which sells the Rayos full-suspension electric bicycle for $1,199. An eight-speed electric bike with a 600 watt motor powered by a 14-amp, 24-volt motor, it can go for 20 miles on a single charge and uses a simple plug-in charger to power the motor.
Koblick founded the company eight years ago and says it was initially a recreation option for people who couldn”™t peddle long distances unassisted or up hill due to knee injuries or other factors. But recently, he said commuters are viewing the electric bike as an option.
“Since March, I”™d say that mix of recreational or commuter is going toward commuter as things get worse with gas prices,” Koblick said. “There”™s a direct correlation with gas prices and bike sales.”
Given that gas has exceeded $4 a gallon in recent months and may be expected to return north of that line again, it is not surprising Koblick said that sales of his Rayos electric bike have risen 50 percent in each of the last few years. He now sells about 750 a year, and said he his ramping up production with the factory in Taiwan that makes his bicycles to keep up with the rapidly rising demand.
Not surprisingly, Electrik Motion is facing competition from some of the biggest players in the bicycle market. But the big boys still have some bugs to work out while Koblick said, his Rayos is “the best electric bicycle.”
Schwinn, for example, has just introduced electric bikes that have a battery hidden in the carry rack and electronic works concealed in the frame. The Schwinn models retail range from $1,900 to $2,500.
Koblick said Rayos bikes are designed to be sturdier than most electric bikes sold in America. “I sell a bike that climbs hills and goes through mud and performs great,” he said, adding it is sized for Americans, who are often heftier than Asian and European consumers who make up the bulk of the electric bicycle market globally.
A reporter riding a Rayos on the hills around New City found it was simplicity itself to ride and climb hills by pressing a button and depressing a lever to kick in the motor. It was also easy to simply peddle as one would an ordinary bicycle. Whenever desired, say if one is running late to catch a train, a rider can combine peddle power and electric power and move along easily at 20 mph or more downhill. Koblick said the motor will last for 15-20 miles, depending how much peddling a rider does, and the recharger unit is easily removed and plugged in to charge for a return trip.
Such commuting is the norm in China where electric bikes outnumber cars on the road. Throughout Europe, where gasoline has cost more than $5 a gallon for the better part of a decade, there are 40 electric bicycles sold to every one sold in America. Part of the reason electric bike sales lagged in this country, Koblick believes, was the cheap price of gas. But part of it was the awkward appearance and small frame of many electric bikes.
The Rayos is among the first bikes available specifically designed for Americans, with a higher and heavier frame and large adjustable seat, and of course a stronger motor. While motor size for electric bikes is limited to 250 watts in Europe and Australia and 500 watts in Canada, in the US, a motorized bike is legally considered a bicycle at up to 750 watts.
That”™s plenty of get up and go to make it up a hill, said Koblick.
“Right now, Americans are used to our way of living and the excess that goes with it,” Koblick said. “Maybe we need 10 years of gasoline at $5 a gallon before we adjust. Maybe we are adjusting slowly. But people will adjust over time.”               Â
To learn more about the Rayos electric bicycle: www.electrikmotion.com. Â
