Shanghai, March 5 (Gasgoo.com) Great Wall Motor CEO Wang Fengying recently proposed that China's government agencies and institutions should buy more low-emission cars as part of the government's effort to boost the market demand for small-engine cars.

"According to the auto industry stimulus plan newly outlined by the government, passenger cars with the engine size below 1.5 liters should have 40% market share and those below 1.0 liters are to have 15 market share, but these goals are not easy to reach," Wang said, as "the sales tax cuts for small cars, effective on Jan. 20, will last only until the end of this year and are not a sustained support for low-emission cars."

As further measures to boost the market demand for small-engine vehicles, she proposed that the government agencies and institutions should buy more low-emission cars than the high-emission ones to set a good example for auto consumers, and that the government should reduce or scrap the sales taxes, road tolls, parking fees, annual inspection fees and other charges levied on small cars.

The CEO of Great Wall Motor said that the government itself should buy more Chinese-brand vehicles and the government's auto-purchase bids should be opened to all carmakers. The stimulus plans also says that Chinese-brand vehicles should have larger market share.

Government officials in China have been using big-engine cars as one of their privileges or as a symbol of status. And most of these official vehicles are imported luxury cars that consume much more money and fuel.

 

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BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The growth of Chinese machinery industrial production would slow to 15 percent in 2009, according to an estimate by the China Machinery Industry Federation (CMIF) here on Friday.

    The value of production has gained 23.43 percent to 9.07 trillion yuan (about 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2008 despite the impact of natural disasters and global financial crisis, marking the sixth consecutive year of more than 20 percent growth in the industry, said CMIF vice-chairman Cai Weici while reporting the industrial performance in 2008.

    For the first 11 months last year, the industry made a profit of 460.5 billion yuan, up 16.42 percent, said Cai. But the fourth quarter, especially December, saw a steep drop in production and exports in the industry.

    China's machinery industry is expected to make 10-percent gains in profit and exports in 2009, said Cai.

Entrepreneurs have always analysed the world through a different looking glass' goes an old adage. Starting up a business from ground zero is not an easy task, especially not in the cutthroat world of the plastics machinery industry. However, as a first generation entrepreneur, S V Kabra, chairman and managing director, Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd (KET) had a clear vision of how he would pave his way towards becoming the largest manufacturer of plastics extrusion machinery in India with the establishment of Kolsite in 1963, when plastics industry itself was at a nascent stage. An economics graduate from Mumbai University, Kabra believed in not only doing different things, but in doing things differently. Today, with more than four decades of expertise, Kabra is revered by the industry as one of the stalwarts in plastics extrusion. In an exclusive conversation with Sundeep Nadkarni, Kabra speaks at length about the various facets of the plastics extrusion industry in India and abroad, while highlighting KET's plans for the near future (especially Plastindia). Excerpts…

Current scenario of plastics machinery industry…

The market for the plastics machinery worldwide is about $ 1.5 billion, of which injection moulding constitutes a major chunk in terms of number and value. This is followed by extrusion, blow moulding, rotational moulding and other processes, in that particular order. But in terms of processing raw materials (in terms of tonnage), extrusion comprises about 60 per cent of plastics processing, with its main usage being films that are used in packaging, pipes, profiles, raffia, etc.  The tonnage used in these application areas is very high. For example, pipes are not only used in agriculture but also in construction, infrastructure and telecommunications, among others. This implies that there is a huge market for the extrusion industry, be it for PVC, HDPE, LLDPE, or even PP. The total consumption of plastics in packaging (films) is around 28-30 per cent of the total plastics consumption.

Indian extrusion industry and Kabra Extrusiontechnik (KET)…

In India, the market for extrusion in the organised sector is about Rs 500 crore, and another Rs 1,000 crore if the unorganised sector is taken into consideration. KET has been leading the market with a total share of about 31 per cent, and a share of 65 per cent in the pipes & profiles market.
We specialise in extrusion machinery and today, our focus is mainly on two sectors in this regard - all kinds of blown films (mono-layer & multilayer – up to five layers) and all kinds of pipes. Profiles is another segment that we are focussing on right now, as it is a relatively untapped segment in India and has a huge growth potential. The main factor is that profiles help in energy conservation.

Joint ventures with world leaders…

In the field of pipes and profiles, we have joint ventures (JVs) with Battenfeld and American Maplan Corporation, both of whom are global leaders in terms of market size. In extrusion, they have almost a 35 per cent share in the global market for pipes and profiles.

Unlike most companies, our JVs are not just limited to technology transfer, rather these are our JV partners. Though they are open in terms of providing technologies it is for us to determine whether it is feasible enough for the Indian market or not. Global companies might come out with plants that have outputs of about 2 tonne/hr, but it is for us to realise if it is relevant to the Indian market today. If the technology does not suit the Indian market, we would not try to develop it in India. We adapt foreign technologies to the Indian market. The basic designs including parameters like screw designs, horsepower, barrel, heating capacity, etc, need not be adapted. But, on some occasions, the entire machine is computerised and this might not be required for the Indian market.  For a computerised line, the increase in price would be more than 50 per cent and this would not be suitable for the Indian market. However, this has nothing to do with compromising on the quality of the core machine.

In simple words, one can say that we customise machines to our market, while the core machine remains the same. These are always going to be customer-centric machines and not core technology-centric machines, along with customisation of our market requirements.

Shanghai, March 16 (Gasgoo.com) After overtaking the United States in January auto sales, China extended its lead as the world's largest auto market in the second straight month this year, xinhuanet.com said today.

In February, China sold a total of 827,600 vehicles, up 24.72% year on year (y/y) and up 12.43% month on month (m/m), according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). Vehicle output increased 23.08% y/y to 807,900 units. Passenger car sales in February rose 24.23% from a year earlier to 607,300 units, the CAAM said.

Last month, the auto sales in the United States stood at 689,000 units, down 41.3% from a year earlier, the biggest fall in six months, according to industry tracker Autodata. That means China exceeded the U.S. again to be the world's largest auto market in February.

The January auto sales in China hit 735,000 units, which surpassed the 656,976 vehicles sold in the U.S. the same month. While car sales also slowed in China, but less dramatically, amid the economic downturn, U.S. sales tumbled 37% in January to a 26-year low.

Passenger cars accounted for more than 73% of the total 827,600 vehicles sold in China in February. And passenger cars with engines under 1.6 liters accounted for 70% of the passenger vehicle market, so the bounce of small-engine cars played a critical role in the revival.

Shanghai, March 16 (Gasgoo.com) Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group Co (GAC) has set up an overall framework with Fiat SpA on forming a 50:50 joint venture to produce and distribute Fiat small cars, Beijing Times reported Monday, citing an informed insider.

Major executives have been selected for the JV, according to the source. Jiang Ping, former deputy general manager of Guangzhou Honda Co and active deputy general manager of GAC, would take charge of the planned venture. Yan Jianming, vice marketing director at Guangzhou Honda, would possibly become new marketing director of the new company.

No executives from Fiat has been decided, said the report. Fiat China said they have nothing to announce at present. 

GAC general manager Zeng Qinghong told reporters last week that a Guangzhou-Fiat joint venture is quite possible.

The Linea and Grande Punto that are now sold in China as imported Fiat models, as well as the Palio that was previously made in Nanjing Fiat, are reported to be produced in the planned venture at the early stage.

Fiat had an initial agreement with Chery Automobile Co to set up a joint venture in the world's second-largest car market, but no further progress has been made.

U.S. research firm Freedonia Group is forecasting a 4.7 percent annual rise in global demand for plastics processing machinery, taking the market value to US$24.9 billion (170.3 billion yuan) in 2012. In 2007, demand stood at US$19.8 billion (150.8 billion yuan), it estimated.

China is expected to increase plastics processing equipment demand by more than US$1.6 billion (10.9 billion yuan) from 2007 to 2012. By then, China will account for nearly one-quarter of the global market.

The Asia-Pacific market, including China, is expected to grow at a 5.5 percent annual rate from US$8.99 billion (68.5 billion yuan) in 2007 to $11.8 billion (80.7 billion yuan) in 2012. Much slower market growth is predicted for the North American and European markets.

Plastics processing machinery demand in North America was US$3 billion (22.9 billion yuan) in 2007 and will rise by 2.8 percent per year to US$3.45 billion (23.5 billion yuan) in 2012, according to Freedonia.

In Europe, demand will increase at only 2.2 percent per year from US$4.16 billion (31.7 billion yuan) in 2007 to US$4.64 billion (31.7 billion yuan) in 2012.

 

Shanghai, February 11 (Gasgoo.com) Data from local customs authorities show that Fujian province of southeast China exported and imported $840 million worth of auto parts in 2008, up 27.1% from a year earlier.

The export generated $710 million yuan, up 35.8%, slower than the 64.5% growth of 2007; the import value hit $130 million yuan, down 4.2%, compared with the 89.5% growth of the previous year.

In the January to August period, Fujian's auto-parts export value grew rapidly, with the peak occurring in March when the export earned $100 million, up 2.9% year on year. But in September the export growth slowed down to 7.5% amid the global financial crisis, and in October-December the export saw negative growth.

The province's import of auto parts grew in the February-August period, with April as the peak when the import value hit $20 million, up 81.3% year on year. In September, the import began to fall.

Last year, the general trade contributed $640 million, or 90.4%, to the total auto-parts export value of Fujian province, up 37.9% y/y, and the import value reached $130 million by general trade, falling by 8.2% from 2007 and accounting for 92% of the total imports.

Foreign-invested enterprises exported $260 million worth of the province's auto parts in 2008, rising by 45.7% y/y. Exports by private companies generated $260 million, up 37.2% y/y. Exports by state-run enterprises hit $170 million yuan, up 23.2%.

The imports of foreign-invested companies reached $120 million yuan, falling by 3.7% from 2007 and accounting for 86.8% of the total imports in 2008. Imports of private enterprises hit $20 million, down 1%.

The major destinations of the exports were the ASEAN ($200 mln, +24.9%), U.S. ($80 mln, +11.8%) and EU ($70 mln, +9.9%). The three markets account for 49.5% of the total value of Fujian's auto parts exports in 2008.

Meanwhile, the three major origins of the imports were Japan ($70 mln, +5.4%), U.S. ($20 mln, +6.9%) and Taiwan ($20 mln, -49.1%). The imports from Japan accounted for 52.7% of the total import value.

TOKYO, Feb 9 - Core Japanese machinery orders fell 1.7 percent in December, far less than expected, although economists say corporate capital spending remains very weak as the global economic crisis shows no sign of letting up.

The nation's banks, less damaged than their western peers from the market turmoil, increased their lending by the most on record in January, as companies turn to their bankers in the face of a seized up credit market.

Japan, along with the United States and the euro zone, are in recession as the global financial crisis cuts exports, triggering cuts in production and jobs. Japan's current account surplus slid 92 percent in December from a year earlier.

While the fall in machinery orders was only one-fifth that expected by the market, analysts took little joy from it, saying there were one-off factors in the steel sector that would not be sustained.

The cash value of orders was at its lowest since 1987.

"Although the headline figure was better than expected, we cannot be optimistic given the sharp deterioration of the previous month and two straight quarters two-digit falls," said Yoshiki Shinke, senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

"Japan's capital expenditure will be significantly weaker in 2009 largely due to a deterioration of external demand.

Japan's Nikkei average rose 1.3 percent on Monday, buoyed by exporters such as Honda Motor Co on a weaker yen and amid hopes for economic stimulus measures by the U.S. government to bolster the economy.

Shares of machinery makers such as Komatsu Ltd rose, helped in part by the less-than-expected fall in machinery orders.

The fall in core private-sector machinery orders, a leading indicator for corporate capital spending, was much smaller than the median forecast from economists for an 8.8 percent fall.

In October-December, core orders, which exclude those for ships and machinery at electric power firms, fell 16.7 percent, the sharpest quarterly fall on record.

Many companies including Toyota Motors, which had been expanding production capacity to take advantage of robust growth in emerging markets until several months ago, have been forced to cut production as they face unprecedented losses.

That has led to a sharp drop in industrial output. Data due next week is expected to show that Japan's economy likely shrank at its fastest pace since 1974 in the final three months of 2008, a Reuters poll shows.

With much of the developed world seen contracting at least until the next quarter, many economists expect the Japanese economy to only start a slow recovery later this year.

"The economy may start growing in the latter half of this year but we can't expect it to achieve its potential growth rate, probably until the year after next," said Hiroshi Shiraishi, an economist at BNP Paribas.

"If the economy is still contracting later this year, it may be falling into a deflationary spiral."

The mounting gloom over the economy has been putting strains on financial markets, widening credit spreads sharply and making it difficult for companies with low credit ratings to issue debts in markets.

That led bank lending to rise 3.7 percent in January from a year earlier, Bank of Japan data showed.

Following a slight downward revision in December data, January's increase from a year earlier was the largest since the Bank of Japan started publishing the data in 2000.

The outstanding balance of commercial paper held by banks fell 10.1 percent in January from a year earlier after a 15.0 percent drop in December, reflecting the problems in credit markets.

The pace of fall slowed from the past few months after the BOJ said it would buy 3 trillion yen ($32.6 billion) of commercial paper by the end of March.

Wary of mounting woes for Japan's economy, the BOJ has nudged interest rates near zero and decided to buy commercial paper, corporate bonds and shares held by banks to ease credit strains.

Senior BOJ officials, including board member Atsushi Mizuno, has signalled that the central bank was ready to examine further steps to support the economy and ensure financial stability.

 

The most important thing is to make sure that the seat you choose is suitable for your child and for your car. If you use the child seat in more than one car, follow the advice below for each car.

Before You Buy
Don't rush the decision. Look through the manufacturer's catalogues, or on their websites or in shops that sell child seats to assess a range of seats.

Think about how you will use the seat. For example, if you will be constantly taking it in and out of the car, a lighter weight seat might be preferable. Or, if you do a lot of long journeys, a seat that reclines may be more comfortable for your child and help him or her sleep.

Choose a seat that is suitable for your child's weight and height.

Babies should be in rearward-facing baby seats. Do not move your child to a forward-facing seat until they weigh at least 9 kgs and can sit up unaided, but keep them in a rearward-facing seat for as long as possible. Once your child is above the maximum weight for a rearward-facing seat or the top of their head is above the top of the seat , they should be moved into a forward-facing seat. It is not important if their knees are bent in the seat, provided they are still within the seat's weight range.

Contact the child seat manufacturer to check if the seat will fit your car. If you are considering a Britax seat, you can enter the details of the seat and your car on their "Fit Finder" website if it fits your car and the best position.

When Buying
Ask the retailer if the child seat is suitable for your child and car. Try to find a retailer who will let you (or even better, help you) try the seat in your car before you buy it.

If this is not possible, make sure that you can return the seat if it is not suitable, and replace it or get a refund.

Avoid buying a child seat by mail order, unless you are sure that it will fit your car.

Check that the seat meets the United Nations standard Regulation 44.03 or 44.04 - look for the 'E' mark.

Do not buy a second-hand seat, you cannot be certain of its history (it may have been involved in an accident and been seriously weakened - the damage may not be visible) and often the instructions are missing. Second-hand seats are likely to be older and not designed to current standards.

Only accept a child seat from a family member or friend, if you are absolutely certain that you know its history, it comes with the original instructions and it is not too old.
 

Why choose an electric bike?

1. Hill Climbing
That may sound obvious, but it's the primary advantage. A good electric bike effectively flattens hills, increasing your average speed and eliminating the 'groan' factor when a gradient comes into view. Provided you supply a reasonable amount of effort, you can expect to climb hills of 1 in 10 (10%) on an electric bike with ease, and clear a maximum gradient of 1 in 7 (14%), or much more. In hilly country, the effect is nothing short of miraculous.

2. Safety
It sounds unlikely, doesn't it? But the mathematics is compelling. Think of a steep and busy road, with cars climbing at 30mph. If you previously slogged up the hill at 6mph, but can tackle the same gradient at 12mph with an electric bike, you will see 33% fewer cars, and they will pass you at 18mph rather than 24mph. Or at least, we think that's correct. Whatever the figures, there's no doubt that an electric bike helps to keep you out of danger. The same general principle applies to road junctions - the faster your acceleration, the sooner you can get out of trouble. And with no need to rush the hills, you won't be tempted to ride downhill at breakneck speed... another useful safety feature.

3. Running Costs
Purchase cost is a little more than a conventional bike, mechanical wear and tear is about the same, and electricity is so cheap as to be largely irrelevant, but there is an extra expense in terms of battery depreciation. Consequently, an electric bike costs more to run - typically 5 - 8 pence per mile against 4.2 pence per mile for a non-assisted bike (a).
However, electric bike running costs should really be compared with those of a moped, or a car, when the electric bike replaces car mileage. With cars costing 50 - 80 pence per mile, an electric bike can save a great deal of money.

4. Personal Fitness
Surely a conventional bike will keep you fitter? That, of course, depends how much - if at all - you use it. Research (b) has found that 46% of conventional bikes are used only once or twice a week, with a further 30% being used once a fortnight or even less. By contrast, a recent survey of electric bicycle owners reveals that a third ride their bike at least once a day and 81% use the bike at least once a week (c). The figures confirm our experience that an electric bike typically gets used at least twice as often as a conventional machine.
Because riding an electric bike is a great deal more enjoyable in hilly country, into strong winds, or when carrying heavy loads, users tend to make better use of them. The motor provides up to half the effort, but more regular use means more exercise for the rider.

5. No Sweat!
Sweat may not be a serious issue when you're out for a leisure ride, but it's more important if you're cycling to work. Although some employers are rather grudgingly providing showers and other facilities for cyclists, the great majority have no intention of doing so. An electric bike eliminates the problem at source. Oddly enough, you won't sweat on an electric bike, even if you put in the same amount of effort as you do on an ordinary bike. This is because you will be going faster, and the 'wind chill' effect is greater, keeping you cool. In hot weather, it's possible to maintain a normal schedule by transferring a bit more load to the electric motor. In colder weather - or if you feel in need of exercise - just throttle back, or turn the motor off.

6. Clean & Green
Electric bikes obviously consume energy, where a conventional bikes does not (provided we ignore the environmental cost of growing and processing food - see below). However, the amount of energy used is very small compared to a moped, motorcycle or car. Besides fuel, the only consumables are the batteries, and these can normally be recycled when life-expired. As for energy use, electric bikes typically consume fuel at an average rate of 100 to 150 watts of electrical energy, against 15,000 or so for a car (admittedly travelling faster, out of town at least). In terms of fuel consumption, an electric bike achieves about 800-2,000mpg (280 - 700 km/litre) (d). No other commercially available vehicle can match figures of this kind.
If it's hard to place these numbers in your own lifestyle, think of a 100 watt electric light bulb burning for an evening - that's enough energy to propel an electrically-assisted bike for 20 to 40 miles...

7. Genuinely Sustainable
There's a lot of nonsense talked about sustainability in transport, but an electric bicycle can be made genuinely sustainable. Purchase electricity from a 'green' supplier, or generate your own with a roof-mounted windmill or solar panel array, and the vehicles' fossil fuel consumption will be zero. Surely a conventional bike does that already? Only if you grow the food you consume whilst riding it. Unfortunately, most modern food production and distribution is so fuel-intensive that the consumption of a typical cyclist is not terribly good. To see this in practise, take a look at our Climate Change pages.

8. Faster Travel
In theory a car can average a high speed, but in practise speed often falls below 10mph in cities. The problem is congestion - motorcycles get around this to some extent, but they're still confined to the road network. An electric bike can maintain a higher average speed than a bicycle but take advantage of the same network of cycle facilities, giving access to routes that cars and motorcycles cannot reach. The result is often a faster door-to-door journey time than any other mode. And by taking advantage of the uncongested cycle network, but eliminating hills and headwinds, electric bikes are often the most consistent mode of travel.

 

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9. High Resale Value
Electric bikes are new technology, and these are early days, but the evidence points to a much better resale value than a conventional bike. True, a typical electric bike costs more to buy, at £400-£1,000, but it seems you'll get most of that back if you sell the machine on.

10. Motorised, but no Red Tape!
You know how it is... MOT due, log book missing, insurance costs rising year on year. Electric bikes are treated just like ordinary bicycles for legislative purposes, so there's absolutely no registration or legislation to worry about. You are of course free to insure the machine if you wish, but there's no compulsion to do anything but enjoy yourself!

 

If you use the child seat in more than one car, follow the advice below for each car.

It's safer to fit child seats in the rear of the car, but if necessary they can be fitted in the front. But, NEVER fit a rearward-facing baby seat in the front if there is an airbag on the passenger side of the car. If the airbag went off it would strike the seat with considerable force.

 

Read and follow the manufacturer's instructions for fitting the seat. If you have lost the instructions, contact the child seat manufacturer to check if they can provide a copy. Click here for contact addresses.

Make sure the seatbelt passes through all the correct guides on the child seat. Some seats have an alternative routing if the seat belt is too short to go around the main route.

Push your weight into the child seat as you tighten the seat belt to make sure the child seat is securely held. There should be no slack in the seat belt.

 
The child seat should rest firmly on the car seat, with hardly any forwards or sideways movement. Check that the seatbelt buckle is not resting on the child seat frame (this is known as 'buckle crunch').

Keep the fitting instructions with the child seat in the car.

If you are unsure about anything, seek advice and if possible get someone to check the fitting of child seat for you. Click here for contact addresses. If you have a Britax seat, you can enter the details of the seat and your car on their "Fit Finder" website for advice on the best position to fit it.

Never modify the seat or adult seatbelt to make it fit.

If you are fitting a forward-facing child seat in the front of a car, make sure the car seat is as far back as it will go, so the child is as far as possible from the dashboard. This reduces the possibility of head or chest injuries in a crash.

If you take the child seat out of the car, make sure you fit it properly every time you put it back in. If it stays in the car permanently, check it regularly to make sure it is still securely held

What is VOLTAGE and which Voltage is best?
Voltage can be thought of as the pressure or strength of electric power. All things being equal (see AMPS below), the higher the voltage the better, because high voltages pass more efficiently through wires and motors. Very high voltages (100+ volts) can give you a nasty shock because they also travel through people rather well, but the sort of voltages found on electric bicycles (12 - 36 volts) are quite safe. As a rule, a 12 volt system is fine for low-powered motors, but more powerful machines work better with 24 or 36 volts.

What are AMPS?
Amps can be thought of as the volume or quantity of electric power. To aid this analogy, the flow of amps is called the current, as in the flow of a river. Unlike a river, though, the speed of the current is fixed - only the volume varies.
The maximum flow of amps in a bicycle drive system can vary from 10 to 60 or more. A current of 60 amps requires thick wiring and quite substantial switchgear.

What are WATTS?
Once we know the voltage (or pressure) and current (or volume), we can calculate the power, or wattage by multiplying the two figures together. The number of watts in a system is the most important figure of all, because it defines the power output. A few examples:
The Zap motor draws 20 Amps x 12 Volts = 240 Watts
The Giant Twist Lite draws 15 Amps x 24 Volts = 360 Watts
The Powabyke draws 20 Amps x 36 Volts = 720 Watts
The Curry Drive draws 40 Amps x 24 Volts = 960 Watts
Despite having a fairly low voltage, the Curry is the most powerful motor, followed by the Powabyke and the Twist, with the Zap coming in last. It's impossible to calculate the power without knowing both the number of amps and volts. Large machines, like cars, trains and trucks have their power measured in the same way - usually as kilowatts, or units of 1,000 watts. The old-fashioned 'horsepower' unit is the equivalent of about 750 watts.

I thought the legal limit was 250 Watts in the UK?
Well, yes and no. The legal limit refers to the continuous power output, whereas the figures above are for absolute maximum power. Most motors can give maximum output for a minute or two, but they'd melt if asked to do it all day - just like a cyclist. Obviously, maximum power is more useful than continuous power as a guide to the way a bicycle will climb a hill. Look at the spec of bikes on sale and you may see 200 watts, 250 watts or (illegally) 400 watts. These figures are only a rough guide to the true maximum power output.

How many watts do I need?
As a general rule, a cyclist can produce several hundred watts briefly, and one hundred watts for a reasonable length of time. To be really useful, a motor needs to produce another 100 Watts on a continuous basis, with peak power of at least 400 watts. Just to confuse things, our measurements are of power consumption - losses in the motor and drive system mean that the power output to the wheel can be much lower.
If you expect the motor to do most of the work, especially in a hilly area, you'll want a peak consumption of 600 watts or more. On the other hand, if you prefer gentle assistance, a peak of 200 watts may be enough.

How big a battery do I need?
The capacity of the battery is usually measured as the amount of current it can supply over time (defined as amp/hours). However, this is useless on its own, because you'll need to know the voltage too. By multiplying the two figures together, we get watt/hours - a measure of the energy content of the battery. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple... but you didn't think it would be, did you? In practise, you're unlikely to get results that match the stated capacity of a battery, because battery capacity varies according to the temperature, battery condition, and the rate that current is taken from it.
Lead/acid batteries are tested at the '20-Hour' rate. This is the number of amps that can be continuously drawn from the battery over a period of 20 hours. However, an electric bicycle will usually exhaust its battery in an hour or two, and at this higher load, the battery will be much less efficient. So the figures for lead/acid batteries tend to look optimistic.
On the other hand, Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries are rated at a 1-Hour discharge rate, so although the stated capacity of a NiCd battery might only be half that of a lead/acid battery, performance on an electric bicycle will be much the same. Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries (NiMH) are measured at the 5-Hour rate, so their performance tends to be somewhere between the two.
The capacities of typical bicycle batteries vary from Powabyke's 504 watt/hour giant (36 volts x 14 amp/hours) to the tiny 84 watt/hour pack on the early SRAM Sparc kit.
It's best to choose a package that will provide twice your normal daily mileage. It's difficult to guess the mileage from the watt/hour capacity, because actual performance depends on the bicycle and motor efficiency, battery type, road conditions, and your weight and level of fitness.

How can I measure the efficiency of an electric bike?
We measure overall efficiency by dividing the watt/hours used by the battery charger by the mileage achieved, giving a figure of watt/hours per mile. This varies according to the terrain, the weight and riding style of the rider and the type of battery and charger, but our figures are measured in exactly the same way for each test, so they should be comparable, bike against bike. The best we've seen is 8 watt/hours per mile, and the worst is 32... Typically, an electric bicycle will consume 10 - 20 watt/hours per mile. So a big battery like the Powabyke's will give a range of between 15 miles (doing all the work in quite hilly terrain) and 50 miles (a joint effort in flat terrain). This is fine for most uses, although it's a big, heavy battery. As a general rule, medium-sized NiMH batteries on lightweight bikes give the best results: the Giant Twist runs for more than 20 miles on a 156Wh battery, and the faster Ezee Sprint more than 25 miles on a 324Wh battery. Small units, such as the Panasonic WiLL, give a maximum range of 5 - 10 miles.

Do electric bicycles recharge when you coast downhill?
With the exception of the Canadian BionX, the answer is generally NO. Taking into account wind-resistance, road friction and so on, there's surprisingly little energy left over for recharging the battery, even before generator and battery losses are taken into account. In most systems the motor coasts when you ride downhill, but those that don't (mainly electric scooters) are capable of putting back only 15% of the power absorbed climbing the hill. Regenerative systems do have their advantages though - mainly in reducing brake wear and over-heating.

Which battery type is best?
Lead-acid batteries are cheap and easily recycled, but they are sensitive to maltreatment and have a limited life. Weight for weight, Nickel-Cadmium gives more capacity, but it's expensive and the cadmium is a nasty pollutant and difficult to recycle when the battery fails. The life is greater, which tends to compensate, but disposal problems mean that Nickel-Cadmium is being phased out. NiMh is theoretically more efficient still, but these batteries can be expensive, and because the capacity is measured at the more generous 5-Hour rate, the advantage is not what it appears to be. Our experience is that NiMH offers little, if any, improvement in range. They are, however, easier and safer to dispose of when they eventually fail.
Most modern lightweight bikes come with Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. These are more weight-efficient than the other types, and are supposed to have a longer life, but can do some odd things. Charging and discharging must be carefully controlled to prevent the cells going into terminal meltdown, so chargers are packed with electronics, as are the batteries. Costs are coming down rapidly and fires are now rare(!), so Li-ion looks destined to become the default battery. Lithium-ion Polymer (usually called Li-pol) doesn't really offer any performance advantage in terms of weight or range of Li-ion, but it's safer, and promises to become even cheaper once the technology becomes mainstream. Very few bikes offer these batteries yet, and no-one really knows what the life of the batteries will be.

Which charger is best?
Swings and roundabouts here. Batteries do not take kindly to fast charging, although NiCd and NiMH are more tolerant than lead-acid, which can start fast, but prefers a long tapering charge thereafter. A fast (sub four hour) charger makes a great difference to the flexibility of an electric machine. You can, for instance, travel for the full range in the morning, recharge while visiting a friend, and run home in the afternoon. No lead-acid charger can do this, although the best NiCd, NiMH and Li-ion chargers will. For basic commuting, an overnight charger is safest and kindest to the battery, but if you expect to push a high daily mileage, you'll need something faster.

Should I choose a brushless motor?
Broadly speaking, there are two types of electric motor -
Direct Current motors - simple but comparatively heavy and inefficient, and
Alternating Current motors - smaller, lighter and more efficient over a broader speed range

Generally speaking, Direct Current motors have brushes to transfer power into the rotating bit and Alternating Current motors do not. However, most of the brushless motors fitted to electric bicycles are a hybrid of the two types, often called 'Hall Effect'. These are not quite as clever as a full Alternating Current motor, but do away with the brushes, so they should be more efficient and more reliable than the straight Direct Current type. Hall Effect motors are now almost universal on electric bikes, so don't concern yourself too much with these categories. But don't rule out Direct Curent brushed motors! They may have mechanical brushes, but they're mercifully short of complex electronics.

What should I look for?
We've put together an electric bike specification wish-list below. At the present time, there are no machines that win in every category, but the closer yours gets the better. If the salesman is unable to provide all the answers, or starts blustering or attempting to blind you with science, we'd recommend looking elsewhere. A good shop should be able to provide most of the figures in a straightforward and honest manner, but some are quite incompentent:

Weight Less than 30kg (66lb)
Price Less than £600
Maximum assisted speed Not less than 15mph (legal maximum)
Peak power More than 300 watts
Power consumption Less than 10 watt/hours per mile
Range** More than 20 miles
Battery type NiMH or Li-ion (Nickel-Metal Hydride or Lithium-ion)
Replacement battery price Less than £100

** You'll need to verify this for yourself - manufacturers figures are universally dubious

 A few other pointers: If you are expecting to tackle very steep hills (in excess of 17%, or 1 in 6), we'd recommend a Crank Drive motor. This type puts power through the rear gear system and can be fine-tuned to suit almost any environment. It's the best system if you can afford it. The more common Hub Motor effectively has only one gear, and although some are very powerful, it will prove less efficient in a really hilly area. For most other purposes a hub motor is fine, but avoid Friction Drive unless you intend to make light use of the bike. The roller and/or the tyre tend to wear out in a few hundred miles.

 

Hope you got some great car seat safety tips for your toddlers and kids of all ages this week in Daily Buzz -- and we'll be announcing the winners of our 4 car seat giveaways soon.

Meantime, you asked some great questions, and here are some answers from Lindsay Lebresco, a blogger at Graco's Heart to Heart and a certified child passenger seat technician.

How do you clean a car seat?

Every manufacturer has different instructions and suggestions, so there isn't one clear answer. Read what the manual says. Most of them do allow for machine washing a removable seat pad and hand-washing the straps.

Why do seats expire?

Car seats expire for a number of reasons like changes in legislation, automobiles and technology, as well as the stress of long-time, repeated use. Graco recommends replacing a car seat between 6 to 7 years (an "expiry date" is now imprinted on the bottom of most seats).

How can you tell whether a seat fits in your particular car BEFORE you buy the seat?

This is a tough one -- every car is just a little different and even car seats are a little different. That's why some retailers allow you to take the floor model out to your car and test it out (sometimes they even help you!). Certainly ask if you can do this.

Can you keep a rear facing toddler rear facing even though he's just a few pounds over the weight limit?

It is absolutely recommended to follow the weight limit of a car seat. If you want your child to remain rear-facing, you should purchase a different seat that allows for the weight limit of your child. It is not safe and certainly not recommended to go over that weight limit even if it's just a few pounds.

If you have three seats in the back of the car, is it safer to put the infant in the middle?

The best configuration of three seats in the back seat of a car is the one that fits/accommodates the car seats the best. If the configuration is too tight, it could interfere with the installation and your ability to get your child safely in the seat.

Also consider if you are putting an infant seat in the center and you are using a carrier that clicks into a base, that the seats on either side don't interfere with that carrier getting properly locked into the base. This is something you would have to be conscious of each and every time you put your child in the car.

How much "wiggle room" are  you allowed in a seat?

There really shouldn't be much wiggle room at all for the installation or the child.  A car seat that is installed tightly enough is one that doesn't move more than 1 inch side to side at the belt path. You should check this as often as possible when putting your child in and out of the seat.

As for the harness, it should be tight enough where you can't pinch any of the strap between your fingers. In other words, make sure it fits nice and snug and that the chest clip is placed at armpit level (as opposed to the stomach).

Is there any type of after market accessory that's okay to use with a car seat?

It's always recommended to use the car seat accessories that are sold with the seat. After market accessories usually aren't crash-tested so there's no guarantee how they will react in the event of a crash.

Another reason certain after-market accessories aren't recommended is because there is a potential that they could interfere with the correct use of the seat. For instance, harness covers/strap pads. You need to make sure they aren't too long, especially for infants, in which case they would cause the chest clip to be too low on the child's body (the harness pads would force the chest clip to be placed on a child's belly instead of across the chest where it should be).

This feels very strange.

I'm riding down an alley in San Francisco, pedaling as you would on any bicycle. Each time I put my foot down, the bike presses on a little further. It's all very normal.

But then, with the flick of a switch on the bike's handlebars, it shoots forward with a strong, smooth, motorized thrust. Quickly, I've hit 20 miles an hour.

This isn't normal anymore.

This is Ultra Motor's A2B, a $2,500, zero-emissions scooter that just happens to also be an electric bike.

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Thanks,
The CNET TV TeamThe A2B looks very much like a regular bicycle, except that it has some very heavy-duty looking components, and a wide center stem in which its lithium-ion battery is enclosed.

But in fact, the Ultra Motor folks surely don't want the A2B called a scooter because one of their chief marketing points is that it doesn't require any kind of license or special permit, as does a motorcycle or scooter. And that means that a new buyer could jump on it and get going without any kind of bureaucratic runaround.

The A2B is expected to be available, most likely from bicycle, scooter, and motorcycle dealerships, in September. At $2,500, it seems somewhat expensive, but Amy Robinson, Ultra Motor USA's vice president of marketing, points out that the company is positioning the A2B against high-end bicycles--which can easily run two grand--as well as against gas-powered commuter vehicles like cars, motorcycles, and mopeds.

I also told CEO Chris Deyo that I thought the bike might cost too much to appeal to a large number of buyers, but he said that if you compare the one-time price of the A2B to the ongoing costs of commuting by car, moped or motorcycle--given the cost of gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, and parking tickets--it's not so steep. "We found, in talking to folks, that (at) $2,500, it's a considered purchase, but it's of value to them," Deyo said.

Ultra Motor is expecting the bike to appeal to urban commuters in their 30s and 40s who want an alternative to their car or any other form of transportation that requires them to find parking or buy gas.

"We call it the Mini Cooper of electric bikes," Robinson said. "It's sturdy and solid, but nimble like a bicycle. And it's a great alternative to getting in (a) car."

Plus, she added, the company hopes to attract commuters who like the idea of riding a bike to work, but who hate the idea of being sweaty on arrival. And the A2B's smooth, lively motor lets them do just that.

The A2B's battery is stored inside the main stem of the bike. It is a lithium-ion battery capable of running for more than 700 charges. The A2B is expected to retail for around $2,500.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)
Even on hills, which require a bit of pedaling to ascend, it's not really anything like the kind of sweat-inducing power pumping required on a regular bike. Rather, it's more like pedaling that regular bike on flat surfaces. And that, combined with the power of the motor, gets the A2B up a hill rather nicely.

Doing so is very strange. As a longtime bike rider from San Francisco, I'm very familiar with what it's like to pedal up hills: painful, slow, and grueling. Yet when I took the A2B up a hill near CNET's offices Monday, I had the odd sensation of pedaling normally and smoothly, as if I were on the flats, yet zipping up the hill way faster than I should have been.

Pedaling the A2B has a secondary benefit: it reduced load on the battery, allowing for a longer range. And with an auxiliary battery that's available, the bike's range can be stretched to 40 miles, Robinson said.

Of course, there are other electric bikes on the market. Among them are some that cost less than the A2B and which offer similar specifications. Some, like the iZip Express, from Currie Technologies, can go up to 25 miles an hour.

Robinson said that the A2B stands out because, "there's no other electric bike today built from the ground up as a commuting solution."

Perhaps. It's hard for me to say how the A2B's competition stacks up to it because I haven't ridden them.

I do know, however, that the A2B is a show stopper.

"One of the main attractions," said Robinson of the A2B, "is the reaction when people see it and experience it when they ride it."

Ultra Motor is counting on word of mouth and viral interest in the A2B, and it seems to work: as CEO Chris Deyo was showing how the bike worked, a crowd gathered and peppered him with questions.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)
Indeed, as Ultra Motor USA CEO Chris Deyo was straddling an A2B outside CNET's headquarters, a crowd gathered around him and began peppering him with questions about the bike. He hadn't even started riding it.

And, while I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical of the bike before I got to my meeting with the Ultra Motor folks, seeing the crowd clustered around Deyo and the A2B, and then riding it myself made me think that maybe this whole electric bike thing is a good idea after all. I even started to feel like I might really want one.

Of course, like another passion of mine that I can't afford, the Segway, the A2B is a substitute for driving a gas-powered vehicle that offers little more in the way of exercise.

On the other hand, because it does have pedals, it is possible to ride it like a regular bicycle, and Robinson said that, based on feedback the company had gotten, some A2B buyers might well choose to do that on their way home from work when arriving sweaty isn't a problem.

Ultra Motor is ramping up to the September launch of the A2B. So far, Deyo told me, the company has taken paid orders for the entire pre-production run of the bikes--a number in the hundreds, he said. But he wouldn't tell me how many A2Bs the company plans to have ready at launch.

As for me, the A2B did indeed generate a new round of techno-lust. But at that price, I'm just going to have to sublimate it and keep on taking my morning bus to work.