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Are the Green Electric Bikes on Their Way Out?

Claire L. Squire ShanghaiWOWeng 2018-11-30

As we all know, the ‘sharing economy’ in Shanghai and across great swathes of China has been booming recently; with high points like MoBike and OFO and low points like Rent A Sex Doll and umbrella sharing (they were all stolen).



A product that seems to be causing much controversy right now is the shared electric bike called Xiang Qi, often referred to by expats as the ‘green bikes' which were originally launched in December 2016. You can rent these for a slightly higher fee than a classic MoBike and zip around the city at pretty nifty rates. That is, if you can find one with enough battery to get you about.



The Hangzhou government this year announced that they would be banning all electric bikes. They have said the main reason for doing this is safety because anyone who isn't competent or familiar with traffic laws can use them. While this is the same for people using MoBike, the China Electric Vehicle Network has pointed out that these electric bikes go much faster than scooters. Hangzhou is well known for terrible and dangerous traffic, so even though it might be annoying for a few, their decision does make sense. Whilst the ban is coming into effect as we speak, you can still find and use electric bikes around Hangzhou.



We have to wonder: if these bikes are being banned in Hangzhou now, how long for them to be banned in Shanghai? If you have signed up for them you might want to start thinking about getting your deposit back.





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