'Kingdom of bicycles' in the electric age (2)

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'Kingdom of bicycles' in the electric age (2)

(Xinhua) 20:02, August 21, 2013

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At 6 a.m. stores on Zhonghua Road, which usually open at 9 a.m., were already busy.

"The e-donkeys in my store do not meet the national standards, and it is the last chance to buy one today," said a salesman among large crowds of shoppers, adding that more than 90 percent of the electric bicycles on the market did not meet the national standards and those that do have hardly sold.

As earlier as July 17, some bike shops in Nanning closed for one day to protest against the new regulation, saying that it will be a fatal blow to their business.

"The standard products have no market. Substandard products on the market are acceptable to consumers," said Zhu Zhixian, an official of the local Kaideli electric bicycle company.

There has been almost no supervision of manufacturers with regard to the standard and this has let the industry grow unchecked. Electric bicycles on the market today almost all weigh more than 40 kg, with speeds of up to 60 kmph.

Li Dehua, president with the Guangxi Electric Bicycle Association, said that if the national standard was strictly followed, there would be almost no electric bicycles on the Guangxi market.

In 2011, Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province,implemented similar registration for electric bicycles following the national standards. Stores closed for three months as a result of poor sales. Many consumers went to nearby cities to buy electric bicycles and some still ride them on the road without licensed plates.

The limits on the speed and weight fail to meet current demand, said Zhou Yan, secretary-general of Guangxi Electric Bicycle Association.

"I don' t think the weight limit is scientific," said Zhou. "If producers are forced to produce bicycles to the standard, they might select low-quality steel and other accessories. That would be hazardous for riders.

Insiders said that a new national standard for the electric bicycle could be introduced soon, taking the industry's health and people's concerns into consideration.