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Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the U.S. Next?

E-bike manufacturers are wooing Americans.
BH’s Revo Diamond incorporates a 250-watt motor and a lithium ion battery.

BH’s Revo Diamond incorporates a 250-watt motor and a lithium ion battery.

Source: BH Bikes

The vibe is buoyant at the headquarters of BH Bikes in Vitoria, a city in Spain’s Basque region. Founded in 1909 as an arms manufacturer, the company switched to bikes after World War I and introduced its first electric model in 2008. Today there are more than 60, ranging in price from about $1,300 to $5,200. “Growth has been tremendous,” says Mikel Quintana, head of the e-bike division, who expects to sell 20,000 this year, up 20 percent from 2015.

Across the Atlantic, Don DiCostanzo, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Pedego Electric Bikes, is also pumped. He anticipates his 30-employee company, based in Fountain Valley, Calif., will sell 10,000 of the brightly colored two-wheelers, which start at about $2,300, this year. “What’s critical is we built a distribution system with branded stores, just like Apple,” he says, referring to the company’s network of 83 Pedego dealerships.