There are many reasons why someone would choose an eZee electric bicycle. Below are a few of the most popular *:

No license or registration required

eZee electric bikes are treated just like ordinary bicycles for legislative purposes, so there's absolutely no registration or legislation to worry about.

Environmentally friendly

Electric bicycles are currently the most energy efficient means of transport available to man. They emit 30 times less CO2 than a small car and emit zero emissions in cities while in actual use. They are also quiet. A 100 000 electric bicycle users would save SA 12000 tons of CO2 per month**.

Clears traffic congestion

With more people using electric bicycles as a means of transport, roads will be less congested.

Hill Climbing

A good electric bike effectively flattens hills, increasing your average speed and eliminating the 'groan' factor when a gradient comes into view. Provided you supply a reasonable amount of effort, you can expect to climb hills of 1 in 10 (10%) on an electric bike with ease, and clear a maximum gradient of 1 in 7 (14%), or much more. In hilly country, the effect is nothing short of miraculous.

Safety

It sounds unlikely, doesn't it? But the mathematics is compelling. Think of a steep and busy road, with cars climbing at 50 km/h. If you previously slogged up the hill at 10 km/h, but can tackle the same gradient at 20km/h with an electric bike, you will see 33% fewer cars, and they will pass you slower.

Whatever the figures, there's no doubt that an electric bike helps to keep you out of danger. The same general principle applies to road junctions - the faster your acceleration, the sooner you can get out of trouble. And with no need to rush the hills, you won't be tempted to ride downhill at breakneck speed... another useful safety feature.

Personal Fitness

Surely a conventional bike will keep you fitter? That, of course, depends how much - if at all - you use it. Research has found that 46% of conventional bikes are used only once or twice a week, with a further 30% being used once a fortnight or even less. By contrast, a recent survey of electric bicycle owners reveals that a third ride their bike at least once a day and 81% use the bike at least once a week. The figures confirm our experience that an electric bike typically gets used at least twice as often as a conventional machine. Because riding an electric bike is a great deal more enjoyable in hilly country, into strong winds, or when carrying heavy loads, users tend to make better use of them. The motor provides up to half the effort, but more regular use means more exercise for the rider.

No Sweat!

Sweat may not be a serious issue when you're out for a leisure ride, but it's more important if you're cycling to work. Although some employers are rather grudgingly providing showers and other facilities for cyclists, the great majority have no intention of doing so. An electric bike eliminates the problem at source. In hot weather, it's possible to maintain a normal schedule by transferring a bit more load to the electric motor. In colder weather - or if you feel in need of exercise - just throttle back, or turn the motor off.

Genuinely Sustainable

There's a lot of nonsense talked about sustainability in transport, but an electric bicycle can be made genuinely sustainable. Purchase electricity from a 'green' supplier, or generate your own with a roof-mounted windmill or solar panel array, and the vehicles' fossil fuel consumption will be zero.

Faster travel

In theory a car can average a high speed, but in practice speed often falls below 20km/h in cities. The problem is congestion - motorcycles get around this to some extent, but they're still confined to the road network. An electric bike can maintain a higher average speed than a bicycle but take advantage of the same network of cycle facilities, giving access to routes that cars and motorcycles cannot reach. The result is often a faster door-to-door journey time than any other mode. And by taking advantage of the uncongested cycle network, but eliminating hills and headwinds, electric bikes are often the most consistent mode of travel.

High Resale Value

Electric bikes are new technology, and it's early days yet, but the evidence points to a much better resale value than a conventional bike.

* Some information courtesy A to B Magazine, UK; ** Dr. Ian de Vries, The potential of Electric Bicycles