Korean electric bicycle market flourishes with help of office workers

Bikes are more than just a good way to break a sweat…, for some, it’s the main mode of transportation when punching in for work.
For any office worker suffering from quadriceps strain after tackling steep slopes in their daily pedalling, electric bicycle is a godsend.
Cho sung min explains further why it’s becoming one of the hottest items in the nation.
Korea’s e-bike or electric bicycle market,…is growing at a fast pace, with this year’s 1st quarter sales volume of e-bikes increasing at least 15 percent from last year…according to the Korea Transport Institute.

One of the factors that is contributing to this growth is the growing number of workers who commute by bike, with electric motors attached to bicycles covering up to 1 hundred kilometers in one charge..

Take Kim Min-jun as an example,…who resides in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
He rides a combined of 40 kilometers going back and forth to his office, located in Pangyo, south of Seoul.

“I used to arrive at the office physically exhausted. But now, I am less tired thanks to the e-bike, and I still get a healthy amount of exercise by riding it.”

Battery manufacturers are using this uprising trend of e-bikes as an opportunity to boost their sales as well.
Some companies are even providing customized batteries.

“Lithium batteries that are compatible with e-bikes are half the size and possess a life-expectancy that is three times longer than conventional batteries.”

Starting March of next year, e-bikes will also be allowed on conventional bike lanes, and this is expected to further increase the number of people choosing this convenient means to commute every day.