The electric bike market has been vivid in 2008 and ExtraEnergy was among its main driving forces. Read on for a roundup of the highlights that will have a major impact on the further development of this emerging market.
 

 
LEV Conference 2008: a threefold success
The LEV Conference 2008 in Taiwan was hosted by ExtraEnergy to provide the industry with information and to assist the exchange of knowledge and expertise. LEVs not only crossed borders, the meeting was held in Taiwan, China and Germany, but went multilingual. In Taiwan one could converse in English, in Chinese in Shanghai and in Cologne, speaking German was most helpful.
Additionally, several courses for dealers have been taken place, arranged by ExtraEnergy on behalf of the VSF and companies including Hartje, Derby-Cycle, BICO and Kettler.
More at: LEVconference.org

BATSO certificates to come
ExtraEnergy saw a breakthrough in battery security. After 6 years of fundamental research and perennial negotiations with the project associates UL, TÜV Rheinland and ITRI, BATSO 01, the first standard of battery security, has been published in March 2008. It took numerous proceedings with laboratories all over the world for the adaption of this standard. Finally, four laboratories in Europe and Asia are expected to implement BATSO tests in 2009. A formula for the certification and an institution for the allocation of BATSO certificates will be established this year.

At present, this certification is not available. Nevertheless, the Hong Kong based company AEE Energy seems to ignore this fact. They are misleadingly using a BATSO signet to prove the security of their batteries.
More at. BATSO.org

New renting models in Germany guide to the future
ExtraEnergy, in cooperation with Gepida, HitechEnergy, UltraMotor and the city of Stuttgart, was promoting innovative concepts on public LEV renting and battery exchange already in June 2008 at Stuttgart´s city center. Recently, the initiative spread throughout Europe by applying for the EU’s EVARIM Project which was accepted by the EU in December. The project currently consists of an association of European regions and cities that plan to further promote LEV´s. Yet another innovation consecutive of the project of Stuttgart is the new Gepida-Pedelec. It features a system optimised towards an interchangeable battery rooted in the German experiences.
More about the Stuttgart plans

Attention on electric bike tests reaches new high
ExtraEnergy carried out its testing series in 2008 and introduced it to a wider audience than ever. The test results of 28 pedelecs and e-bikes obtained a high profile when published online and in numerous print media this summer. The special edition of the trade journal “Aktiv Radfahren” contained the total of 90,000 copies. ExtraEnergy fully financed this special to provide uncommitted and unbiased information to as many consumers as possible.
Go to the Pedelec/E-Bike Special 2008

ExtraEnergy is growing as the market rises
ExtraEnergy moved into its new and impressive home in Koskauer Straße 100, Tanna. The organization took over the estate of the former local construction company. With this acquisition the possibilities of storage and space for exhibitions doubles. There is lots of room for further growth in 2009.
ExtraEnergy contact

Trade shows 2008 – Big run on electric bikes
Over 13 years, ExtraEnergy has organized the LEV support program for the Eurobike and the IFMA. In 2008 we were able to reap the fruit of years of promotional activities.
More about Eurobike 2008
More about IFMA 2008

Millions of electric bikes , not only in China
ExtraEnergy, together with numerous correspondents, journalists and experts, carried out an investigation of the 15 most important LEV markets. The check-up lasted about 6 months and was undertaken on request of a customer of the industry. Based on the survey, three scenarios were developed and projected onto the 15 leading markets for the upcoming 10 years.
The result: In most markets we expect strong growth, even if in the future, circumstances will not be improved.

EnergyBus on the move
Our EnergyBus has set milestones in introducing and establishing standards for communication and connectors. During the annual general meeting, held in November 2008, EnergyBus welcomed the 10th company member that obeys the standards. For 2009 the team is expecting further obligations of around 30 more members of the industry. The energybus.org website was revised and now gives you deep insight into the development, employment and benefits of the standard and the objective of this organisation for the industry.
More at: EnergyBus.org

Industrial designers work their minds on pedelecs
The industry catches up with the future. At the University of Graz a whole workshop was held for industrial designers on future forms of LEVs. Directed by Lutz Kucher and Alex Thusbass, 16 students worked for 6 months in teams to create concepts and scenarios on how electric mobility could look like in the future. The results will be presented to the public in 2009.

2008 marks a turnabout
Pedelecs, once belittled as “Granny bikes” are now the bike of choice for modern and eco-conscious people and are selling better than ever. The high attention of mass media, rising oil prices and the dawn of the financial crisis seem to have led to a rethink of mobility.
Read on
 

By Hannes Neupert and Susanne Bruesch
Translation: Nora Manthey


February 21, 2009