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Electric bicycle set to hit UAE market next month

DUBAI — The first electric bicycle to enter the UAE market will be sold by the Al Yousuf Group next month.

The company’s venture into the electric vehicle (EV) industry after taking over Phoenix Motors in the US has led to three environment-friendly modes of transport — the sports utility truck (SUT), motorbike and bicycle — that the company is planning to market around the world.

With the aim of gradually sensitising customers to the new green technology, Eqbal Al Yousuf, president of Al Yousuf, said the company will start selling 500 units of the Phoenix electric bicycle in the UAE first.

Yousuf admits that the car and motorbike that the company wants to mass manufacture have not received much support in the UAE.

“We would love to bring the electric SUT here but it is not feasible right now from the cost and infrastructural point of view,” he said. “They aren’t too many environment lovers here as we would see in a country like the US. We know the customer is not ready for it.”

Electric vehicles, especially electric bikes, are becoming a common feature on the roads across the world.

According to Colorado-based market research firm, Pike Research, more than 466 million electric bicycles and motorcycles will be sold worldwide between 2010 and 2016. In China, more than 120 million electric bikes seen on the road makes them more popular than cars and public transport.

A market study by Al Yousuf in the UAE revealed that the electric bicycle will have a number of takers, more so among women.

“The bicycle is 100 per cent electrical and one does not need to peddle at all,” he said.

It is made to suit the diverse requirements of cyclists.

“We call it the hybrid — the human electric bicycle,” he said about the new offering that will come with a peddle option.

While the cost of an electric car at about $75,000 contributes to hampering its popularity, the bicycle that will be sold at Al Yousuf showrooms for about Dh3,000 ($800) could be an efficient replacement for motorbikes.

“The bicycle cost should not be an issue because if you compare it to a motorbike, you do not get one for less than Dh3,000 as well as the added costs of getting a licence, Salik and parking issues,” Yousuf pointed out. On a four-hour charge, the bicycle can run for 30km at a speed of around 20kph, enough for an average journey undertaken for delivery purposes or a ride within the community.

Most people are deterred by the energy required to pedal a bicycle and Yousuf said that is where the EV cycle gains points.

“Also, the environment is not that harsh and one can easily use it for eight to nine months in a year.”

Al Yousuf Motors entered the EV industry in 2006 with the aim of building its own product.

“Creating combustion engine cars was not possible because nobody would allow us to manufacture or assemble it with their engine,” he said.

“We wanted to build on our strengths and I saw an opportunity to create our own vehicle that would be a lot easier.”

Al Yousuf has no plans to sell the fleet vehicle, which is being manufactured in California, in the UAE any time soon, but 150-200 SUTs will be available for the US market by next year.

A fully functional prototype at the Al Yousuf Motors on Shaikh Zayed Road depicts visual similarities to a regular car but the difference arises in its internal parts and configuration that make the vehicle fuel independent.

Alexander Lee, managing director of Al Yousuf, said initial promotions of the car that took three years to build have got more than 5,000 enquiries in the US.

“We are looking at government type passengers for an application at airports and seaports,” he said.

Though the initial cost is high, Lee said the long-term costs are less in comparison to a fuel-dependant car. Mass production in the future will also drive the price down.

“The total cost of ownership is much lower and maintenance is much simpler,” he said. Giving an example, he said it would prove beneficial to use such vehicles for security and cruising activities by officials to cut the cost on transmission while driving at around 10 miles an hour.

“EVs do not have transmission as there is only one gear that allows the car to function.”

An entire trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi can be made at a vehicle battery charge of Dh10, according to makers. “It’s a value proposition,” Yousuf, said.

One of the oldest auto-distributors in the UAE hopes the customers will give them a chance to introduce their new technology into the market.

“We need the backing of the government and support through subsidies for such technology to catch on with the public or else selling it will not be feasible.”

After testing the bicycle in the UAE market this year, Al Yousuf Motors plans to sell it all over the world.

afshan@khaleejtimes.com