Here’s a quote from a related article: “…97% of all rare earth elements (REEs), including neodymium and scandium, are produced in China.” reference: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14903904

It’s also just not that Chinese labor is cheaper in this case, they are way ahead of the curve on electric bike adoption.

I wonder how this bike, or a clone of it, will sell in the China vs the US.

It doesn’t surprise me that most of our bike frames come from outside North America. Probably most of the components on any given bike come from elsewhere as well.

But as far as I know, the ODK bike is the only electric cargo bike that is manufactured soup to nuts in China. Or at least, Juiced Riders is the only company that is being so open about that.

For now, I take solace in the fact that the bike is still designed and marketed by an American company. But if you want to make the country of origin a criterion in your purchasing decision, I agree that the choices aren’t clear. That ship has sailed, and we’ll have to let price, features, and quality be the determining factors. No candidate for president would ever say it, but the global economy is the harbinger of fading twilight for nationalism, and maybe that’s as it should be.

What do you think?

Unfortunately, the bigger component of our energy use is natural gas, because we use gas for our furnace, hot water heater, clothes dryer, fireplaces, and stovetop. While I can see our total gas usage on our utility bill at the end of the month, I can’t monitor our use on a daily or hourly basis. Without the immediate feedback, we have less incentive to lower the thermostat or take shorter showers. I’m hoping we will have that capability someday.