Electric bikes seen replacing bicycles
View(s):Electric bikes could replace bicycles, the popular mode of transport of the common man, with the entry of automotive companies committed for environmental conservation.
E lanka Automotive Pvt Ltd has stepped in to sell a range of electric bikes as Sri Lanka’s future automobile sector is seen shifting towards a green-focused market.
The company plans to import more electric bikes due to its increasing demand in urban and rural areas, a spokesman of the company said. Each cycle costs Rs 145,000.
Soon riding an electric bike would also require a licence and compulsory wearing of helmet in city roads under motor traffic regulations, Motor Traffic Department sources said.
It will come under the motor cycle and scooter category and there is no need to introduce new regulation to differentiate bicycles and electric bikes, a senior official of the department told Business Times. The department will introduce permissible power limits to e-bike engines, he revealed.
E lanka is now popularising electric bikes countrywide with the aim of promoting clean renewable sources of energy. A company official said that the e-bike will be a solution to air pollution as the city of Colombo and suburban areas have been polluted by thousands of smoke-emitting vehicles.
The company is selling e-bikes that could be fully charged by using main electric current at a cost of Rs. 55 and it is sufficient to travel 90 kilometres.