VeloRUSH VeloPOINT Motorsports Magazine Fall 2013 | Page 64

10 QUESTIONS WITH ED BENJAMIN O F L E VA
(Light Electric Vehicle Association) • HAT WAS YOUR FIRST W EXPERIENCE WITH AN EBIKE? I used to own several bicycle shops in Florida. We would occasionally have a request for an electric motor kit that was installed on adult trikes, often for older people to enjoy around the neighborhood. The first time I saw one was probably 1983. It was crude, but fun. In 1994, I was introduced to the Sinclair electric bike that Ted Kutrumbos was showing bike dealers. In 1994 I test rode an EV Warrior at a bicycle dealer camp in Colorado. In 1994-95 I bought a Zap electric bike kit. By 1996 I was sure these sorts of bikes would be very important and that was about the time that Chinese cities started announcing future bans of gasoline motor scooters and motorcycles. • S THE EBIKE A I NATURAL EVOLUTION, OR A RADICAL SHIFT, IN PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION? Evolution. A good comparison is to a typewriter. We used to regard a manual type writer as the standard, and obvious