Could electric-assisted bicycles be on their way to Durham?

If pedaling up steep hills or shifting through multiple gears on a bicycle is keeping you from hopping on one of Durham’s new dockless and shareable bikes, then a solution might be on the way.

Both LimeBike and Spin, which have been operating on the streets of Durham since late last year, have recently unveiled new electric-assisted bicycles that can travel up to 15 miles per hour.

The electric-assisted LimeBikes will cost $1 per 10 minutes of ride time and will have a 62-mile maximum range. The electric-assisted Spin bikes will cost $1.50 per 15 minutes and will have a range of 50 miles, according to Techcrunch.

The standard fare for both LimeBike and Spin’s non-electric bike is $1 per 30 minutes of use.

The electric LimeBikes are launching in existing markets this month – though it is unclear when they would be coming to the Durham area. A spokeswoman for LimeBike didn’t have any specifics to share on the roll out of the new bikes.

“If Durham is interested in having e-bikes, we'd be happy to start a conversation with the city to discuss the possibility of bringing them there,” said Mary Caroline Pruitt, a spokeswoman for LimeBike. “We see Lime-E, along with our existing fleet, as an integral part in solving that first and last mile transportation challenge.”

It is unclear when the release of Spin’s electric bikes will be. Efforts to reach the company were unsuccessful.

The Durham Transportation Department said that it would begin conversations about bringing both Spin and LimeBike’s electric-assisted bikes to the Bull City.

“We also just recently learned that LimeBike (and Spin) were launching an e-bike option,” Bryan Poole, a bicycle and pedestrian planner for Durham, said in an email.

“We will be discussing the possibility of bringing these to Durham with both of the companies. E-bikes have the same rules/rights as other bicycles as long as they are less than 750 watts and cannot go more than 20mph powered solely by the motor.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Could electric-assisted bicycles be on their way to Durham?."