Despite rapid economic growth in China over the past decade and rise in personal car ownership, most Chinese still rely on two-wheeled vehicles (2WV) or public transport for commuting. The majority of these 2WVs are bicycles. In recent years, concern about poor air quality in urban areas and rising energy costs have caused cities to ban gasoline-powered scooters in city centers. Simultaneously, a new 2WV mode emerged to fill the void: the electric bike (e-bike).

This shift from bicycles to e-bikes is occurring at rapid pace throughout China, especially in large cities. E-bike sales reached 10 million/yr in 2005 as more bike and public transit users shifted to this mode. City planners and policy makers are undecided however on how to plan for and regulate e-bikes because it is not yet clear what effect they will have on travel behavior, public transportation use, and safety. In order to determine these effects, the authors have thus surveyed bike and e-bike users in Shijiazhuang (SJZ), a city with particularly high two-wheeled vehicle (2WV) use, to identify differences in travel characteristics and attitudes.

We conclude the following: (partial list)

* E-bikes are enabling people to commute longer distances. This will likely result in more employment opportunities and the further expansion of cities. * People under-served by public transportation are shifting to e-bike. * Women feel safer crossing intersections on an e-bike compared to regular bike, however they have strong reservations about e-bike speed.

Despite rapid economic growth in China during the past decade and the rise in personal car ownership, most Chinese still rely on two-wheeled vehicles (2WVs) or public transport for commuting. The majority of these 2WVs are bicycles. In recent years, concern about poor air quality in urban areas and rising energy costs have caused cities to ban gasolinepowered scooters in city centers. Simultaneously, a new 2WV mode emerged to fill the void: the electric bike (e-bike). This shift to e-bikes is occurring rapidly throughout China, especially in its cities. E-bike sales reached 10 million per year in 2005 as more bike and public transit users shifted to this mode. City planners and policy makers are undecided on how to plan for and regulate e-bikes because it is not yet clear what effect they will have on travel behavior, public transportation use, and safety. To begin to understand these effects, bike and e-bike users were surveyed in Shijiazhuang, a medium-size city with particularly high 2WV use, to identify differences in travel characteristics and attitudes. The following conclusions were reached (partial list): (a) e-bikes are enabling people to commute longer distances, with important implications for energy use, accessibility, and urban expansion of cities; (b) people underserved by public transportation are shifting to e-bikes; and (c) women feel safer crossing intersections on an e-bike compared with a regular bike, but they have strong reservations about increasing e-bike speed capability.

Electric two-wheelers have become a significant mode of transportation in China in the past decade. Though marketed and publicized by some as zero-emission vehicles, little past research has been done to quantify the environmental impacts of electric two-wheelers in China. This paper quantifies some of the environmental impacts of the production processes and use phase of electric two-wheelers and compares them to the environmental impacts of competing modes, including bicycles, buses, motorcycles and cars. The use phase emissions are quantified geographically with significantly higher emissions in coal rich regions, compared to regions relying more on hydropower. The results show that electric two-wheelers emit several times lower pollution per kilometer than motorcycles and cars, have comparable emission rates to buses and higher emission rates than bicycles. Lead is one pollutant on which electric two-wheelers perform poorly, because of their use of lead acid batteries.