program at Kaiser.
E-bikes are here to stay. We don’t have sales figures for Portland, but my hunch (based on how many I see around town) is that there popularity is increasing. Beyond more people buying them, Portland happens to be a hotbed of e-bike innovation and industry (surprise, surprise). On that note, check out a few bits of e-bike news that have landed in the newsroom in the past few weeks…
Local bike retailer Bike N’ Hike has teamed up with the non-profit Drive Oregon to supply 32 Currie IZIP E3 compact e-bikes to employees of Kaiser Permanente. 180 employees are part of the program and the bikes will be placed at three designated sites at local Kaiser campuses. The bikes and how they’re used will be monitored and analyzed by the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), which is based at Portland State University.
According to Electric Bike Report, “Drive Oregon will acquire, deploy and study how one hundred and eighty Kaiser employees use the IZIP electric assist bicycles at three designated work sites.The idea is to ascertain whether such transportation options will encourage more people to use the bikes, which are both pedaled and propelled by electric motors when needed, when commuting to public transportation sites. Drive Oregon plans to use the results to “create a replicable model for deployment” for other companies.”
OTREC at PSU has long been at the forefront of e-bike research. Tomorrow, OTREC’s Sustainable Transportation Program Manager John MacArthur will host a seminar titled, E-Bikes in the United States. MacArthur will share his analysis from a recent study of e-bike users that sought to answer questions about why the bikes have potential with certain segments of the bicycle market. The seminar starts at noon tomorrow on the PSU campus. More info here.
As we shared in August, The eBike Store has moved to a new location at the corner of N Albina and Rosa Parks Way in the Piedmont Neighborhood. It took a lot of renovation work and permitting delays, but owner Wake Gregg is finally officially open for business. Gregg has transformed the corner lot from its previous use as an illegal auto chop shop. His new store features a large showroom and service area, as well as a retail space for accessories and parts. Whether you’re looking for a complete bike or a conversion kit to electrify your existing rig, Wake and his staff are eager to get you set up]. Head on over and check out the new shop!