Case Study 5.3 e-Bikes in China

High levels of air pollution and carbon emissions, as well as a perceived energy shortage, are all cited as reasons why electric vehicles will surely become a major factor in the global e-bike industry going forward. An electric bicycle is a two-wheel vehicle run off a battery powered motor. There are a few different kinds of e-bikes in China: some still have pedals attached and can be operated in conjunction with human power, some look like mini-scooters and are 100 per cent battery powered, and others look just like mopeds and go just about as fast. Chinese law generally separates an e-bike from an electric

moped by weight: an electric bicycle weights under 40 lbs. But, for all practical purposes, they are vir-tually the same vehicle the latter just goes a little faster and requires a licence to operate. These can attain speeds of up to 48km per hour and can travel up to 100km on a full charge. Typically, the max speed of e-bikes is capped by various municipalities in China at 20km per hour, but many manufacturers often make it easy for customers to remove the gov-ernor and make their bikes go much faster than this. The cheapest e-bikes can be purchased for a cou-ple hundred dollars, while more expensive models retail at five or six hundred bucks. In all, e-bikes are thought of as being a cheap form of urban transport. By the end of 2018, there were over 140 million e-bikes on the streets of China which is double the amount of automobiles in the country. These electric bicycles are literally everywhere.

Questions

1. Which market research method would you use to estimate the yearly demand for batteries regarding e-bikes in China? What would be your estimate?

2.Which market research method would you use to estimate the e-bike mar-ket in India? What would be your estimate?