Electric powered bicycles are helping people commute, but the technology is finally seeing a major shift in the development of the lithium battery industry, reports BusinessInsider. This addresses one of the dirty little secrets of the so-called green technology of electric bikes. At present, a fact which is widely reported, is that the majority of bicycles in the developing world rely on the route are dirty sealed lead acid batteries, rather than the cleaner – and more environmentally friendly – lithium batteries.
According to a recent report from Pike Research, the global market for electric bicycles will climb at an estimated compound annual growth rate of more than seven percent over the next six years, and annual sales of electric bikes will pass 47 million by 2018.
Currently lithium battery technology is used in 65 percent of operating electric bicycles in Western Europe, compared with North America at 56 percent and Asia at just 4 percent. The demand for electric bicycles in Western Europe is expected to climb at an annual rate of 11.8 percent over the next six years.
Most concerning at present, is the fact that the majority of electric bikes sold and used in China rely on lead acid batteries, however the good news is that the global penetration of lithium batteries is expected to grow from 6% this year to 12% over the next six years. There is been increased cost pressures in Asia on sealed lead acid batteries, and Pike suggests that once manufacturing efficiencies have driven down the cost of lithium battery technology the market will see a decline in sealed lead batteries as the choice of electric bikes.
This will in turn further help make bicycling a green alternative form of transportation, even in the Asian market.
[Via BusinessInsider: Electric Bicycles Power Growth of Lithium Battery Technology]