Liliana Ginanneschi rode an electric bicycle
to her wedding at City Hall here recently to avoid getting snarled in traffic,
and rented out the bikes for her guests, too, so they wouldn't miss her vows.
"When the wedding ceremony ended we jumped on our bikes and headed to the reception," the film director says. "Two guests liked it so much that they later bought electric bikes.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles."
Rome's notorious traffic, the high cost of gasoline, shortage of parking, limited metro system and frequent transportation strikes are prompting Italians to explore different ways of getting around. Electric bikes, with rechargeable battery-powered motors that aid pedaling, are gaining popularity.
No official figures are available, but Diego Porta, deputy head of Rome's municipal police, says electric-bike use is growing in the nation's capital, even among the police force, which has eight of them. "It seems like a natural response to combat higher costs of living, such as gasoline," he says.
Italian gasoline prices rose to more than 2 a liter ($2.60 a liter, or $9.85 a gallon) this summer due to higher oil prices and new Italian gas taxes. Prices today are at about 1.80 a liter.
Sales of electric bikes have climbed across Europe during the economic slowdown,Find detailed product information for Sinotruk howo truck. says Kevin Mayne of the European Cyclists' Federation in Brussels. Italian car sales, meanwhile, have dipped. New-car registrations in September fell 26% on the year, falling to 1970s levels. Motorcycle sales have also skidded.
However, sales of electric bikes, which unlike motorcycles and scooters don't require insurance, road taxes or gasoline,This document provides a guide to using the ventilation system in your house to provide adequate fresh air to residents. are rising. Italy's bicycle and motor association ANCA expects electric bike sales to grow at least 10% next year.
"Interest has been phenomenal,Allows you to securely organize any group of cable ties or wires. and potential buyers were lining up to check out the bikes," says Franca Camplone, head of renewable energy company Enel Green Power SpA's EGPW.MI -2.02% retail sales, who expects 50,000 electric bicycles to be sold overall in Italy this year, compared with practically none five years ago.We specialize in howo concrete mixer, The company began selling the bikes in September and has launched a campaign to promote e-bikes as Christmas gifts.
"We are speechless over the number of people who have showed up at our store buying or inquiring about a bike," said Valerio Verrino, owner of Ecovia, an electric bicycle shop near the Colosseum.
Mr. Verrino says the price of an electric bike with gears ranges between 950 and 2,000—about a third less than a small scooter and less than half of a motorcycle's cost.
Despite Italy's top standing in professional cycling, conventional bikes haven't taken off as a mode of transportation in Rome due to its hilly terrain and reckless drivers. A 2011 Eurobarometer report said 4.7% of Italians use bicycles as their main vehicle, below the European Union average of 7.4% and far short of the Netherlands's 31.2%.
Roman authorities hope to change that, in September announcing plans to build 1,650 kilometers (1,025 miles) of cycling lanes in Rome and surrounding areas, from almost none now.
The public transport system is patchy. Rome's metro lines don't reach key destinations because underground ancient ruins limit its scope. The city is often beset by transportation strikes.
Rome is Europe's third most congested city, alongside Brussels and after Warsaw and Marseille, according to the July congestion index put out by navigation company TomTom.
"One evening I was so fed up with not finding a parking space for my car near a club where I had arranged to meet friends that I drove back home in frustration," said Anna Paulis, a 42-year old psychiatrist who bought an electric bike about 18 months ago. "I now ride my bike almost daily everywhere."
Enel Green Power calculates that Italian car drivers spend an average of 3,600 a year for their average daily usage of 14 kilometers. The same commute costs 10 in electricity for electric bike users, the company said.
Electric bike fans also say the two-wheeled contraptions provide a solution to stylish Rome's long-standing cycling dilemma: how to zip around without arriving sweaty and exhausted.
On a conventional bike, "You'd be unpresentable if you cycled to a romantic dinner with your girlfriend," says Tommaso Giacchetti, a 28-year old engineering Ph.D. student at the city's Roma Tre university. "Appearance is important."
"When the wedding ceremony ended we jumped on our bikes and headed to the reception," the film director says. "Two guests liked it so much that they later bought electric bikes.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles."
Rome's notorious traffic, the high cost of gasoline, shortage of parking, limited metro system and frequent transportation strikes are prompting Italians to explore different ways of getting around. Electric bikes, with rechargeable battery-powered motors that aid pedaling, are gaining popularity.
No official figures are available, but Diego Porta, deputy head of Rome's municipal police, says electric-bike use is growing in the nation's capital, even among the police force, which has eight of them. "It seems like a natural response to combat higher costs of living, such as gasoline," he says.
Italian gasoline prices rose to more than 2 a liter ($2.60 a liter, or $9.85 a gallon) this summer due to higher oil prices and new Italian gas taxes. Prices today are at about 1.80 a liter.
Sales of electric bikes have climbed across Europe during the economic slowdown,Find detailed product information for Sinotruk howo truck. says Kevin Mayne of the European Cyclists' Federation in Brussels. Italian car sales, meanwhile, have dipped. New-car registrations in September fell 26% on the year, falling to 1970s levels. Motorcycle sales have also skidded.
However, sales of electric bikes, which unlike motorcycles and scooters don't require insurance, road taxes or gasoline,This document provides a guide to using the ventilation system in your house to provide adequate fresh air to residents. are rising. Italy's bicycle and motor association ANCA expects electric bike sales to grow at least 10% next year.
"Interest has been phenomenal,Allows you to securely organize any group of cable ties or wires. and potential buyers were lining up to check out the bikes," says Franca Camplone, head of renewable energy company Enel Green Power SpA's EGPW.MI -2.02% retail sales, who expects 50,000 electric bicycles to be sold overall in Italy this year, compared with practically none five years ago.We specialize in howo concrete mixer, The company began selling the bikes in September and has launched a campaign to promote e-bikes as Christmas gifts.
"We are speechless over the number of people who have showed up at our store buying or inquiring about a bike," said Valerio Verrino, owner of Ecovia, an electric bicycle shop near the Colosseum.
Mr. Verrino says the price of an electric bike with gears ranges between 950 and 2,000—about a third less than a small scooter and less than half of a motorcycle's cost.
Despite Italy's top standing in professional cycling, conventional bikes haven't taken off as a mode of transportation in Rome due to its hilly terrain and reckless drivers. A 2011 Eurobarometer report said 4.7% of Italians use bicycles as their main vehicle, below the European Union average of 7.4% and far short of the Netherlands's 31.2%.
Roman authorities hope to change that, in September announcing plans to build 1,650 kilometers (1,025 miles) of cycling lanes in Rome and surrounding areas, from almost none now.
The public transport system is patchy. Rome's metro lines don't reach key destinations because underground ancient ruins limit its scope. The city is often beset by transportation strikes.
Rome is Europe's third most congested city, alongside Brussels and after Warsaw and Marseille, according to the July congestion index put out by navigation company TomTom.
"One evening I was so fed up with not finding a parking space for my car near a club where I had arranged to meet friends that I drove back home in frustration," said Anna Paulis, a 42-year old psychiatrist who bought an electric bike about 18 months ago. "I now ride my bike almost daily everywhere."
Enel Green Power calculates that Italian car drivers spend an average of 3,600 a year for their average daily usage of 14 kilometers. The same commute costs 10 in electricity for electric bike users, the company said.
Electric bike fans also say the two-wheeled contraptions provide a solution to stylish Rome's long-standing cycling dilemma: how to zip around without arriving sweaty and exhausted.
On a conventional bike, "You'd be unpresentable if you cycled to a romantic dinner with your girlfriend," says Tommaso Giacchetti, a 28-year old engineering Ph.D. student at the city's Roma Tre university. "Appearance is important."
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