French automaker Peugeot offers folding electric bicycle to fit in auto trunk

Driving a car through the central parts of large cities is becoming more of a problem with difficulties parking, traffic jams, noise and pollution.

Peugeot the French auto maker offers one solution in that you can drive in to the outskirts, park your car, open the trunk and take out the eF01 an electrically assisted folding bicycle that will fit in most auto trunks. The bike features disk brakes on both the front and rear so that one should have no difficulty braking. The electrically assisted bicycle has a lithium-ion battery that has a range of up to 30km. but can go further depending on your willingness to pedal. Some vehicles such as the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 have outlets in the trunk and the e-bike can recharge in two and a half hours when the car is running. There is a special app that allows you to see how far the bike can go on the charge that is left. The eF01 can reach a speed of 20 km/hour. The use of the e-bike is an eco-friendly way of getting around the city and saves money on parking and gas while the rider gets some exercise.

However the bike is not cheap. In France it costs 1,999 euros or over $2300 US. One could save even more money by using a non-electric folding bike. The bike has the battery hidden in the frame. It folds easily and weighs just 37 lbs. The bike can be connected to a smartphone and use the Mypeugeot app to see what the current battery level and range is. It has small 16 inch wheels. There is also a patented memory system in the seat that helps you adjust to the most satisfactory height quickly.

Peugeot has other new e-bikes released this year including the e-Kick electrically-assisted scooter and the eCO1 which is an electrically assisted bicycle with an automatic transmission. They also introduced the high speed eU01s. Given the high cost one might wonder whether buying an e-bicycle is worth it. It seems that many people must think they are as sales world wide are growing.

In 2016 there were 210 million electric bikes used daily throughout the world. In China alone it is estimated that in 2010 there were 120 million e-bikes. Even in Europe a total of 700,000 e-bikes were sold in 2010 whereas only 200,000 were sold in 2007 and 500,000 in 2009. China is the largest producer of e-bikes. Even back in 2004 Chinese manufacturers sold 7.5 million bikes nationally. This had risen to 16 to 18 million in 2006.

E-bikes have a long history. In the United States patents for e-bikes were taken out as early as the 1890's. There are a bewildering variety of e-bikes. Those that simply assist in pedaling are often called pedelecs. In Europe more powerful versions are called Spedelecs and allow riders to go faster. Spedelecs may be classified as mopeds or motorcycles rather than pedelecs which often don't require licenses at least of the types of motorcycles, nor does one require a drivers licence of some sort. Other e-bikes even more powerful that can drive the bike without pedaling ,although one can pedal as well, are often called electric motorbikes or e-motorbikes and can travel up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour). They are operated through a throttle, usually on the handle bars.