Vietnam scientists take on Ford with rival electric bike
HANOI - A group of Vietnamese engineers from the state-run Vietnam
Material Sciences Institute are taking on the mighty US Ford Motor Company with
a rival electric-powered bicycle.
Just a month after they first exhibited it at a trade fair, the scientists have
already won 50 orders for their new "Green Bike" which is in direct competition
with Ford Vietnam's e-go, institute member Nguyen Duong Dan told AFP Thursday.
"Our product can surely compete as the Ford product retails at between 550 and
600 dollars whereas ours costs just 175 dollars, which is a more affordable
price for the average Vietnamese," Dan said.
The Vietnamese-designed bike has a 36-volt electric motor which can power it at
up to 25 kilometres (15.6 miles) an hour and a battery that can last up to 30
kilometres.
But Dan acknowledged that the 10 hours it took to recharge remained an obstacle
to bigger sales in this nation where pushbikes and motorcycles remain the main
form of transport.
"If we want to win the market, first we need to improve the quality of the
battery," he said.
Agence France Presse - October 4, 2000.
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