Electric bicycle cost calculation models and analysis based on the social perspective in China

Electric bicycles (EBs) are increasingly popular around the world. In April 2014, EB ownership in China reached 181 million. While some aspects of the impact of EBs have been studied, most of the literature analyzing the cost of EBs has been conducted from the buyer's point of view and the perspective of social cost has not been covered, which is therefore the focus of this paper. From the consumer's point of view, only the costs paid from purchase until retirement are included in the cost of EBs, i.e., the EB acquisition cost, battery replacement cost, charging cost, and repair and maintenance cost are included. Considered from the perspective of the social cost (including impact on the environment), costs that are not paid directly by consumers should also be included in the cost of EBs, i.e., the lead-acid battery scrap processing cost, the cost of pollution caused by wastewater, and the traffic-related costs. Data are obtained from secondary sources and surveys, and calculations demonstrate that in the life cycle of an EB, the consumer cost is 6386.2 CNY, the social cost is 10,771.2 CNY, and the ratio of consumer to social cost is 1:1.69. By comparison, the ratio for motor vehicles is 1:1.06, so that the share of the life cycle cost of EBs that is not borne by the consumer is much higher than that for motor vehicles, which needs to be addressed.