E-bikes were the big hit at the recent New York International Auto Show, with the arrival of a plethora of start-ups offering more accessible, safer, and child- and cargo-friendly rides.
E-scooter assists for manual wheelchairs, motors that rev like gas engines to warn pedestrians, turn signals, and e-bikes purpose built for kids and cargo were all on show at one of America’s largest car expos, reports Canary Media.
One showcase exhibitor was Radio Flyer, the maker of the iconic red wagon, which “recently launched a line of heavy-duty bikes for adults that are designed to comfortably carry one or two children in rear bike seats,” the news story states. Other vendors focused on making the e-bike itself easy to carry and store in tight spaces, with models that fold into a smallish cube.
The interest in e-bikes bodes well for efforts to cut transport emissions, Canary Media writes, citing data from micro-mobility firm Electric Avenue. “Roughly half of U.S. car trips are five miles or less and taken by a single person, contributing about a quarter of urban transport-related carbon emissions.”