Excerpt:

The surging cost of gasoline and a desire for a greener commute are
turning more people to electric bikes as an unconventional form of
transportation. They function like a typical two-wheeler but with a
battery-powered assist, and bike dealers, riders and experts say they are
flying off the racks.

Official sales figures are hard to pin down, but the Gluskin-Townley
Group, which does market research for the National Bicycle Dealers
Association, estimates 10,000 electric bikes were sold in the U.S. in
2007, up from 6,000 in 2006.

Bert Cebular, who owns the electric bike and scooter dealership NYCeWheels
in New York, said his sales are up about 50 percent so far this year over
last. Amazon.com Inc. says sales of electric bikes surged more than 6,000
percent in July from a year earlier, in part because of its expanded
offerings.

"The electric bikes are the next big thing," said Frank Jamerson, a former
General Motors Corp. executive turned electric vehicle guru.

They're even more popular in Europe, where Sophie Nenner, who opened a
Paris bike store in 2005, says motorists boxed in by traffic jams are
looking for an alternative for short journeys that doesn't involve
navigating overcrowded transport systems.

Industry associations estimate 89,000 electric bikes were sold in the
Netherlands last year, while 60,000 power-assisted bikes were sold in
Germany.

The principle behind electric bikes is akin to that behind hybrid cars:
Combine the conventional technology - in this case, old-fashioned pedaling
- with a battery-powered motor.

AP (via The Seattle Times): Electric bikes selling briskly as gas prices
climb
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008115589_apelectricbi\
kes.html