Currently, lead-acid batteries dominate the electric bicycle battery market. Lead-acid batteries, with their low manufacturing cost, secured a large share of the electric vehicle battery market early on in my country's electric vehicle development. However, at the very beginning of my country's electric vehicle industry, a group of electric bicycle manufacturers went against the grain, choosing not to participate in the fierce competition of the domestic market. Instead, they focused on lithium battery electric bicycles, pioneering the export market for lithium battery electric-assist bicycles.
In 1993, the world's first lithium-ion electric bicycle was launched in Japan. As the birthplace of the electric-assist bicycle, Japan has long enjoyed considerable popularity, becoming one of the most widely used modes of transportation in daily life. Europe, as the world's center of bicycle culture, once saw bicycles become incredibly popular, but in recent years, bicycle sales in Europe have declined year by year, while electric-assist bicycles have bucked the trend and increased. In 2015, imports of electric-assist bicycles in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain increased by 46.8% compared to 2014, and this trend is accelerating.
There are currently various brands of lithium battery electric vehicles, such as Suzhou Bafang (equipment manufacturer), Tianjin Baodao, and Taicang Bofili Lithium Electric Bicycles. Lithium battery electric bicycles are no different in terms of power from traditional lead-acid battery-powered electric bicycles. Lithium batteries take approximately 6-8 hours to charge, and depending on the battery capacity, the range is around 30-45 kilometers, while the weight is less than 1/5 of that of lead-acid batteries. Of course, lithium batteries also have some drawbacks. Compared to lead-acid batteries, their ability to withstand fluctuations during high-current charging and discharging is much worse, which is why high-powered vehicles cannot effectively use lithium batteries at present. However, without considering cost, lithium batteries, with their small size and long lifespan, are more suitable for use in low-powered electric bicycles.
Even before 2006, a number of vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers had quietly emerged in China, primarily producing lithium-ion battery-powered electric bicycles. Initially, lithium-ion battery-powered electric bicycles were incomparable to lead-acid battery electric bicycles in terms of price, cost, and market demand. A typical customer order was only a few, at most a few dozen. In stark contrast to the booming domestic market for lead-acid battery electric bicycles, the situation was rather bleak, with some companies even struggling to survive!
However, market changes are always unpredictable. The demand for lithium-ion electric bicycles in the European export market seemed to explode for some reason, and the lithium-ion electric bicycle market was slowly becoming prosperous! At that time, a small electric bicycle controller company in Lishui received more than 300,000 orders for lithium-ion electric bicycle controllers in a single year.
In 2014, a lithium-ion electric bicycle exported to Europe cost €2,500. The average price of a single 6-tube sine wave controller was between 150 and 300 yuan. Today, the same 6-tube sine wave controller sold domestically costs only 28 to 33 yuan, making the price of a 6-tube sine wave controller for exported electric bicycles almost four times that of domestic products!
While the domestic electric vehicle market is booming, the sheer price competition has created a chaotic and unhealthy environment, and its former prosperity is gone. Meanwhile, the market demand for exported lithium-ion electric bicycles continues to expand year by year, maintaining its prosperity!
Although the price of lithium battery electric bicycles is currently high, with my country's urbanization and consumption upgrade, bicycles, which were once one of the three major household items in my country, have returned to people's attention. However, the development and potential market of electric-assisted bicycles in China are also highly anticipated.
