The electric bicycle market has become bustling with high purchasing power these days, since the government requires compulsory helmets for motorbike drivers...
 |
| Compulsory helmet decision gives electric bicycle sales a jolt. |
The electric bicycle market has become bustling with high purchasing power these days, since the government requires compulsory helmets for motorbike drivers.
Bicycle shops in busy streets in Nha Trang city such as Thong Nhat and Phan Boi Chau receive a large number of customers these days. Purchasing power of electric bicycles now has increased three or four times compared to August. At the same time, its price also goes up by 200,000 – 300,000 VND a unit.
Electric bicycles are also now the favourite choice of not only pupils, students but also adults, who do not like wearing helmets. Looking happy when owning an electric bicycle, Dinh Van Toan, an officer in Cam Ranh township said, “An electric bicycle is small and comfortable for my wife to travel in a short distance such as going to work and going to market without wearing helmets or she also can turn off the engine and pedal the bicycle as an exercise. Moreover, it’s very economical when travelling by electric bicycle. Specifically, it costs about 12,000VND for a litre of fuel to travel 50km by motorbike while with 50km travelling by electric bicycle only 500-1000 VND will be taken to buy electricity”.
Because of the increasing demand, electric bicycles become rare. The owner of Dung shop on Thong Nhat street said that he had been out of electric bicycles and promised to order for us later. He also revealed that the supply was very short in the whole country because the manufacturers didn’t have enough products to satisfy the demand.
Other bicycle shops in Nha Trang also have very few electric bicycles left. Even Hong Linh shop, specializing in selling electric bicycles only have two electric bicycles with brand-name of MN Robo to sell.
The domestic bicycle market offers many models of products under different brand names. Reportedly, models of electric bicycles imported from China are the most favourite in some big cities in the country owing to their good designs, 3-6 month warranty and soft prices (3.5 – 5 million/unit). In Nha Trang, products of Asama, Plasma and MN Robo, which are Vietnam-Japan joint-ventures, are best-selling. According to some consumers, despite their high prices (5-6 million/unit), products under above brand-names have good engine, 1 year warranty and it’s possible to travel 40-60km at a speed of 30-35km/h with a full battery. It only takes 5 or 6 hours to charge a battery.
If petrol price continues increasing and traffic safety measures are strict like now, the consumption and price of electric bicycle surely will keep rising.
T.T
