STACK #202 Aug 2021

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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C ast your mind back to the beginning of 2020. As January passed into February, news of a global pandemic began filling nightly TV bulletins and thickening column inches on websites and newspapers. By the time its invasive tendrils had ground the world to a lockdown halt, exponential

WHEN WAS THE FIRST ELECTRIC BIKE CONCEIVED? 20, 30, 40 years? Try around 130. Yes, the first US patent for electric bikes stretches back to 1895 and several different designs from the US and France were submitted over the next five years. However, many of them would remain blue lines on the drafting table and a feverish ambition, as the focus turned to the emerging fixation with automobiles.

electric bicycles were enjoying a continual upward trend in popularity, with the industry worth over $US15 billion in 2019. And that has only increased over the last 18 months in the frenetic clamour for anything with two wheels. However, the electric bike (e-bike) isn’t the new kid on the block. Commercial models

demand had grown for puzzles, homemade sourdough recipes to showcase on social media platforms, and the humble bicycle. Yes, a reluctance

first started appearing in the late ‘90s, but cost and performance were major inhibitors. Affordable lithium batteries and better performing high torque motors

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to use public transport and the desire to get some exercise when the nation’s gyms pulled down the shutters pushed many towards the purchase of a bike. This resulted in a shortage that stretched right across the planet. New bicycles, like toilet paper, had become a rare and coveted commodity. That surge in interest wasn’t just reserved for traditional bikes. Even before the pandemic,

led to cheaper production costs, paving the way for greater accessibility. If you've spent any time in a major city in Australia lately, you would've noticed a

can download a proprietary app that will collate your trip history, track stats, offer challenges and digitally lock your bike to prevent it from being stolen.

significant uplift in the number of food delivery drivers and couriers

using e-bikes to navigate the busy streets. All around the world, e-bikes form ride-share schemes and in Germany, posties use them on their rounds. Several counties in the UK have even kitted out the local

48 AUGUST 2021

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