VeloRUSH VeloPOINT Motorsports Magazine Fall 2013 | Page 60

And finally eMoto, provides a variety of European inspired looks to suit anyone’s needs. And with prices from US$899 to US$1,799, these electric bikes can appeal to any demographic. Although the baby boomer group appears to currently have the most buying power when it comes to e-bikes, there are several other niche categories that are beginning to emerge. Why? Because these market groups have the potential to grow exponentially over the next 10 years. Some are already vastly successful elsewhere in the world and some are still surfacing, but all have the promise to be extremely successful. Prodeco Technologies is a newer company to this industry and one of the first to produce high-quality products at extremely reasonable prices. There really aren’t many competitors for Prodeco at their MSRP price point of $999 - US$1,099. And they still manage to pull a decent margin for their dealers, which is a good spot for them to be in at this time. The Hanebrink Electric All-Terrain bike is geared toward off-road, rugged riding. This product could be considered a replacement for an ATV or UTV, which is a huge potential market. (And we’ve already seen Polaris enter the market, so they must see the potential. The Aerobic Cruiser Hybrid Cycle targets people who want to live healthy lives by focusing on endurance and exercise in riding. This electric bike touts the ability for a user to customize their workout by controlling the human/electric power ratio. Conscious Commuter intends to produce an electric bike solely focused on the needs of the urban commuter. As gas prices continue to rise, the commuter market for e-bikes will only grow. And, then there are the Thrust Eco-Delivery electric bikes which are engineered specifically for food delivery fleets. Any company that offers delivery services is a prospect for electric bikes. This is not only a growing market in the US, but worldwide and has huge potential for the entire LEV industry. Niche markets within the electric bike segment have developed and grown over the years due to consumer demand as well as companies realizing they have to differentiate themselves to get noticed in a sea of Asian imports. BAD REPUTATION That being said, it’s not all about looks or finding a niche in this business. Performance will always be a key factor for US consumers when considering the purchase of an ebike. Unfortunately, e-bikes in the USA have had a notoriously bad reputation for poor function. Good ones are available now, but they are mixed in with products that are still under performing and unreliable. The problem has been that the US consumer’s (and bike brand buyer’s) demand for a low, low price continues to pull junk into the e-bike market. And there’s not much to be done about that. There will always be a market for a cheap, poorly made products (as it is with virtually every other product on the market). The good news is however, there are plenty of well-made, good-performing e-bikes to choose from and plenty of ways for consumers to find them. The “peer review” has grown into a huge phenomenon in the US. Product reviews are accessible to anyone for anything now. No one purchases a product without researching what everyone else thinks of it first. The same is true for e-bikes. There are several places a discerning consumer can read reviews for different e-bike brands sold in the US and can very easily determine the good quality products from the sub-par ones. Peer reviews, though helpful aren’t the only way to compare electric bike brands. There are also a handful of non-biased e-bike enthusiasts out there who provide information 6 § Ve l o p o i n t Q u a r t e r l y Vo l . 1 I s s u e 1 e B i k e S u p p l e m e n t