E-bike tech innovation important for mega cities

How much you love your city depends a lot on how you get around it. Feeling close to local businesses and services is a major factor for many people. Commuting with an intimate and visually vivid knowledge of your surroundings is another.

Being able to do so without experiencing pollution is another big plus. China's growing electric bike market is testament to the country's adoption of green technologies to fight climate change, and to improve urban interconnectivity. Among other technical areas, Chinese lithium ion battery research has improved drastically to meet standards required by popular shared electric bike initiatives, raising the quality of green, efficient transport in cities at home and abroad.

At the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic, public transport in the majority of Chinese cities ground to a halt, with countless shared bike initiatives across the country facing a particularly ruthless shutdown. Fears of contaminated bike handlebars and saddles have now largely retreated, given the country's current COVID-19 status, and the operational volume and demand of e-bikes have increased exponentially. This is a trend that is expected to continue to grow, and as it does, so too must the ability of technology to meet this demand.

At a fundamental level, the key to sustaining the e-bike boom is battery performance. Batteries with a feeble power output, low capacity, or short lifespan all restrict the longevity of millions of commutes every day. Therefore, investment in intelligent charging systems, double-shelled sturdiness designs, and anti-abuse systems are all important parts of this journey. Many electric car companies, including Tesla, are now also turning their eyes toward e-bikes, keen to contribute their knowledge of efficient car batteries to what could be the future of smart city transport.

A future where electric bike batteries are even more powerful, lightweight and durable than they are today could fundamentally change how large cities operate.

According to the United Nations, in 2018 there were 33 so-called megacities, typically defined as ones that hold more than 10 million people. In such large cities, circulation within a labyrinth of concrete blood vessels is essential, especially in small low-speed side roads separate from main car traffic. A considerable number of these cities being Chinese, the country has a unique opportunity to demonstrate to the world that efficient e-bike initiatives can stop sprawling urban jungles choking on their own commuting emissions.

The possibilities for large cities do not just end with more compact, cheaper and cleaner commutes. Already, gig economy workers internationally are increasingly found delivering fast food takeaways, with electric bikes their preferred mode of transport. As technology improves, courier and mailing companies may also soon adopt. As batteries improve, the viability for many businesses to utilize electric bike fleets will start to emerge in a variety of applications.

In the future, local businesses may become much more efficient, as local and frequent deliveries become pragmatic. Drone deliveries are another promising field of development, however being able to support China's huge digital gig economy workforce no doubt means that e-bikes are here to stay.

When energy storage capacity increases sufficiently to enable mainstream adoption, governments would be well advised to introduce subsidized initiatives to alert city dwellers to the possibilities of e-bikes. Lower-income families, students, and couriers would be a good place to start demographically.

What is starting to be dubbed as the dawn of "micro-mobility", life in megacities could not only become faster and more interconnected, but also happier, too. Surveys carried out by the London Cycling Campaign show the benefits of being exposed to the outdoors and nature, a luxury not provided by being stuck inside a metal car.

Barry He is a London-based columnist for China Daily.