Today, the market for electric bicycles is
not inferior to the segment of its senior counterparts - electric cars. In 2016
alone, slightly less than 35 million electric bicycles
were sold worldwide - 93% were in the Asia-Pacific region. However, their popularity is growing not only in Asia, but throughout the world - for example, in the United States last year they recorded a twofold increase in sales. According
to experts, the Russian market is rather modest - about 10 thousand electric bicycles are sold a year - but it is also actively developing.
Electric bicycles are already being replaced by government services around the world: for example, Wisconsin policemen followed the
example of their Malaysian colleagues and
patrolled the city in a new vehicle. Urban services for rentals like “Velobike”
appear , but already for electric bicycles - these are bicycle rental networks that can be found in many large cities all over the world. They allow you to rent an electric bike at one station and leave it in another part of the city so that someone else can use it.
Moreover, there are proposals to
include electric bikes in the classification of the European Cycling Union (UEC) and to add new disciplines to the usual races and competitions in mountain biking.
Let's try a little “rewind back” and find out how the electric bike has traveled from an experimental invention to a popular attribute of life in a big city. Today we will tell:
- who first upgraded the classic bike;
- why electric bikes have been forgotten for almost 30 years;
- and what helped them come back and become popular urban transport.
/ photo AIRWHEEL R8Bicycle: start
The invention of the bicycle in a form known to us and equipping it with a kind of electric traction occurred during one century. However, this was preceded by almost 400 years of attempts to assemble a vehicle powered without any additional help.
According to the International Bicycle Foundation (IBF), in 1418, an Italian engineer Giovanni Fontana built a device with four wheels, which were set in motion by a rope connected to them by a gear wheel.
/ photo Giovanni Fontana PDThere is also the myth of a certain Leonardo da Vinci drawing, which depicts a practically modern bicycle. However, studies
prove that the sketches unexpectedly found in 1974 are fake.
Another hoax is the French invention, which was a rocking toy with wheels. A prototype of a bicycle with a steering without pedals was allegedly assembled by Comte Mede de Sivrac in 1791. However, as it turned out much later, this story was a legend invented by a journalist. Count-inventor of the bike with the same name never existed.
The first such device, the existence of which is confirmed by the patent, is the “running machine” by the authorship of Baron Carl von Dres. It is believed that the eruption of the Tambor volcano in Indonesia in 1815 led to its appearance. Because of the ash cloud, the harvest in the adjacent territories perished, and behind it from starvation - and the horse. There was no one to fill in the wagons, which led the Baron to the idea of individual transport, driven by man.
At its core, the invention was closer to a two-wheeled scooter and the Count de Sivrak's bicycle that had never existed. One of the device names, “Draisienne,” is given to him in honor of the inventor von Dres. By the way, the trolley, which is still used to move on rails, also bears the name of Baron.
/ photo Gun Powder Ma CCThe idea of a wooden two-wheeled transport was picked up by enthusiasts from around the world. In the following decades, dozens of complaints from people who tried to "reinvent the bicycle" or offered modifications to the original concept came to the patent services. Among the patents of that time, which significantly affected the device of a regular bicycle, it is worth noting
ball bearings and
pedal mechanism - until 1839, the “running machines” did not have pedals. Scotsman Kirkpatrick MacMillan added pedals to Dreza's bicycle, which set the rear wheel in motion with metal rods and connecting rods.
In the following decades, the inventors modified the prototype of the bicycle, adding well-known parts today: spoked wheels, chain system, rubber tires, braking system. At some point, the leaders in the market were the so-called "
penny-farthing " - bicycles with a large front wheel.
/ photo Unknown Author CCAt the same time began the history of motorcycle. The past of the electric bike and motorcycle is closely related - it goes back to the need to automate the movement of the bike. The first patents for internal combustion engines
were registered in the second half of the 19th century — prototypes of the future motorcycle were then used by steam engines.
In the 1860s, Sylvester H. Roper from the United States, who is
considered the “father of the motorcycle industry,” was
looking for a new use for the steam engine. As a result of these searches, he created the first two-cylinder steam bike. The water tank was under the saddle, and the boiler was in place of the pedals. According to the surviving data, the model suffered from a number of flaws - noise, unpleasant smell and heavy weight.
In 1884, Roper began work on a second version of his bicycle. She was able to reach a maximum speed of 64 km / h with a range of 12 km. In 1896, at the age of 72, Sylvester died, demonstrating how quickly his steam bike could accelerate on the track.
/ photo Boston Daily Globe CCIn 2015, Roper's steam bike was sold at auction in Las Vegas for $ 425,000.
In 1884, Edward Butler (Edward Butler)
invented the "gasoline bike" - actually a modern motorcycle. Interestingly, this happened two years before the invention of the first car by Karl Benz.
The invention of the electric bike
Meanwhile, in 1886, Frank Julian Sprague (Frank Julian Sprague)
develops the first working electric motor. Based on it, he creates the first electric trolley and electric elevator system.
Electrification was generally a popular topic in the industry of the time - just like bicycles. The 1890s
are considered the “golden age” in the history of bicycles: the first major manufacturers appeared, the market expanded.
At the same time the first
patent was filed for a bike with electric drive. Its author in 1895 was Ogden Bolton from the USA. The patent
suggested the installation of an electric motor on the hub of the rear wheel of a bicycle. The power source was a 10-volt battery mounted on the frame of the frame. Judging by the documents, the invention had neither a gear system nor pedals.
If the Bolton bike and the first electric motors remained documented, then the existence of the electric tricycle is known only from the
drawings . According to unconfirmed reports in 1881, the French inventor Gustave Trouvé equipped the British tricycle with a lever mechanism electrically operated. Little detail was kept of this transport, but according to some sources, the Truve mechanism was compact and removable.
Equally little information is preserved about the electric bike with four massive-looking power sources. It was demonstrated at the
Stenley Show in 1897.
It is alleged that the bike was designed by the British company Humber.
/ photo Jules Beau CCAnd the patent of the first full-fledged electric bike definitely
belongs to Hosea W. Libbey from Boston. His invention is two years younger than the Bolton electric drive. Libby's electric bike
was equipped with two engines, two batteries and two wheels. Only one battery worked on a flat road, and the second one was connected when lifting. Libby's main idea was to save energy in a complex landscape.
The invention of an additional wheel
Speaking of wheels. A flurry of patents did not lead to the emergence of a serial e-bike, but indirectly inspired other designers to invent an “extra wheel” for automating an ordinary bicycle. This device — the Auto-Wheel — was attached to the rear wheel. The first model was introduced in 1909.
Auto-Wheel produced until the late 1920s. The wheel allowed to accelerate to 25 km / h and actually made a regular bike a motorcycle. By this principle, mopeds were later created - bicycles were equipped with compact internal combustion engines. By the way, and Auto-Wheel was set in motion by an internal combustion engine. So talking about it in the context of electric bikes is not entirely correct.
The modern successor of this idea can be considered
Electron Wheel - “electric wheel” with a battery and sensors that transmit data on the speed and state of charge of the battery to the application for the smartphone.
The first electric bicycles on the market
Let's return to the main topic. In 1920, the German company Heinzmann began mass production of electric motors for bicycles. The first was installed on a pair bike. By the way, electric bikes under this brand
are still being produced, and in 2020 Heinzmann will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
At this time, the French competitor Heinzmann launched the production of "
electrocyclists ". Such transport could accelerate to 25 km / h and drive on a single charge of 30 km. His weak point was weight - 75 kg.
During the 1930s, the number of companies producing electric bicycles expanded. They were joined by Philips with models of Simplex, Juncker and Gazelle. The first appeared when Philips teamed up with a manufacturer of conventional bicycles (it is known that this model had a 12-volt battery).
Juncker weighed 50 kg without battery. It took a full day for its full charge, but it was enough to travel up to 40 km at a speed of 18 km / h. For the release of Gazelle, Philips has teamed up with another manufacturer who is also
still in the ranks.
/ photo Unknown photographer CCThe Second World War temporarily stopped the development of the industry. But at the same time, the fuel crisis caused an increased interest in electric vehicles as an alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. During this crisis, inventor Argyris Stefanos (Argyris Stefanos)
filed a patent that contained noticeable improvements to the existing technology: paired batteries were located on both sides of the rear wheel - this improved the lateral balance.
Another important milestone in the history of all bicycles, which also affects the development of electric bicycles, is the development of a gear selector by Italian cyclist Tullio Campagnolo. He
presented the invention at the Milan exhibition in 1949. Device prototypes have been developed since the early 1900s, but they were too complex and inefficient.
/ photo Brooklyn Museum CCIn 1946, Benjamin Bowden (Benjamin Bowden), who was involved in designing car designs, presented a prototype of the “bicycle of the future” at a fair in London. In the spirit of the times, he was electrically operated.
This model
was called the Classic. Her device allowed to accumulate energy when driving on a slope and connect the drive to use it when driving uphill. The batteries were hidden inside a wide frame.
However, it was just a prototype, and the UK did not allocate money for the project. In the 1950s, Bowden moved to Michigan. Here he managed to attract the necessary funds, but he nevertheless refused the electric drive.
To ensure the commercial success of his invention, Bowden retained the futuristic design and gave the project a “space” name Spacelander - this was in keeping with the spirit of the “space race” that was burning at the time.
The model turned out to be one of the most expensive on the US market and, moreover, impractical - the frame was fragile and quickly broke. As a result, production was halted, and Bowden managed to sell only a few hundred Spacelanders.
Later, the issue rights were redeemed to reprint the legendary bike, but this has nothing to do with the history of electric bicycles.
Asian miracle
Interest in electric drives weakened soon after the end of the fuel crisis, and for 30 years, electric bikes remained in the shadows.
Everything has changed, with the involvement of Japanese technology in this area. In 1970, Panasonic released its first electric bike. The founder of the company personally presented this model. It was followed by several more developments, but they did not become serial. The problem was too heavy batteries. Until the next breakthrough had to wait almost 20 years.
An important milestone for the development of electric bicycles was the fact that the Chinese authorities
paid attention to it. This happened back in the 1960s, and already in the 70s
an order was received for the first batch of electric bicycles - outwardly they looked like French electrocycles.
In the next decade, the first local manufacturers began to appear in large cities - Shanghai and Tianjin. However, the annual production of electric bikes was less than 20 thousand units per year per billion inhabitants. The surge of interest lasted only a few years, and then faded away for several reasons. First, the batteries still could not meet the demands of consumers: they were heavy and did not anticipate traveling long distances without recharging. Secondly, the price of electric bicycles was quite high compared to gasoline scooters.
The situation has changed the technological breakthrough, but in the West. In 1989, the European Michael Kutter (Michael Kutter) has developed a system of assisting pedaling. The sensor of the system reacted to the speed of movement of the pedals and automatically turned on the motor-wheel of the electric bicycle at the start of rotation. This technology
is used in modern electric bikes.
Then, in 1989, another innovation emerged - the Sanyo Enacle was the first electric bike with a nickel-cadmium battery. The technology was developed with the release of
Sinclair Zike . It was a super-compact electric bike, but it “failed” because of a contractor who could not cope with the planned production volume. And in 1991, Sony and Asahi Kasei
released the first commercial lithium-ion battery. It was smaller and lighter than other power sources.
The desire of the Chinese government to use new sources of energy and improve the environmental situation in the country gave impetus to the flourishing of the industry. By 1999, companies in Shanghai, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hebei and other provinces had received licenses for the production of electric bicycles. With the support of the government, in less than 10 years
, 480 local manufacturers have
appeared in the country.
At the same time, the government
introduced a classification of electric bicycles - they recognized two-wheeled electric vehicles that weigh less than 40 kg and have a maximum speed of 20 km / h. So, electric bikes became full participants in the movement, and no documents and certificates were required to manage them.
Residents of China began to actively change to a new type of transport and
brought the country into the world leaders in the production of electric bicycles.
Back to the West
In Europe and the United States, interest in electric bicycles has declined since the days of “Classic” Benjamin Bowden. Nevertheless, even during the years of calm, their stars “shone” here. For example, the leader of the German market in the 70s was the
Solo Electra - the first serial electric bike, released in 1973. It was a Bosch engine, and on one charge it was possible to drive up to 37 km.
If we talk about the modern period of development of the industry, it is the Asian market and the popularity of electric bicycles in China and prompted European and American companies to think about updating their lineup. We will tell about this and already modern electric bikes in our next material on the topic.
PS We also bring to your attention several reviews on vehicles from our blog: the Airwheel X8 monowheel and the AirWheel Z5 electric scooter .