The goal of this talk is to present some findings related to the ongoing project "Low Carbon Innovation in China", specifically to the prospects of the e-bike use as a form of urban mobility in China. E-bikes in China are the most visible form of electric vehicles used for individual transportation. However the use of e-bikes in some big cities and their central districts (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen) has been strictly regulated or banned. E-bikes nevertheless remain a popular mode of mobility even in these cities: when used as private transport, when used for hire for short trips (e-bike rickshaws) and used as specialized delivery vehicles. In Shenzhen the ban of e-bikes has much to do with the city's and central government attempts to construct the image of Shenzhen as a high-tech innovation hub, where e-bikes are not associated with innovation and thus should be invisible. In Beijing the e-bike users are seen by the car-drivers as transportation for people with "low quality". The talk will discuss various "bads" and "goods" of e-mobility as seen primarily by e-bike users and opponents to its use in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing.

--

ebikes, urban mobility, urban transport, China, regulation