Electric bikes in the UK

SHOTLIST 1. Director of Sakura Battery Company Dan Hornby (right of picture) and Harley Davidson motorbike owner come out of store. 2. Various close ups of Harley Davidson and a Sakura Mustang electric bike. 3. Harley and Sakura Mustang head off down road 4. Various of Hornby riding a Sakura Mustang electric bike 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dan Hornby, Director, Sakura Battery Company: ''Every where that we go with the bike we get crowds of people stop and look at it...." 6. Person plugging in electric bike 7. Opening a typical re-chargeable battery pack for an electric bike 8. Hand turns electric bike accelerator 9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nick Wilkins, Owner, Wilkins and Sons Cycles: ''I see sales really taking off in the next few years..." 10. Wilkins and Son lift an electric bike onto shelf 11. Tilt-up and various Sakura Mustang outside shop 12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dan Hornby, Director, Sakura Battery Company: 13. Various woman riding a Sakura Mustang electric bike SUGGESTED LEADIN: With the constant threat of fuel price rises, many organisations and individuals have looked for ways to cut their transport costs. Electric bikes were introduced into the mainstream in the UK around five years ago, but up until now they have been regarded as functional rather than fashionable, aimed mainly at senior citizens or at those with a disability. A British firm is now hoping to change all that with a range of new eco-friendly, but very trendy, electric bikes, aimed at the hip and upwardly mobile. SUGGESTED SCRIPT There is a new bike on the block which is vying for street credibility. It may not quite match the prestige, speed or indeed the noise of a Harley Davidson, but this could be the big attraction. The Sakura Mustang is an eco-friendly 'Easy Rider', which its owner Dan Hornby hopes will help revolutionise the way people look at electric bikes. With its chrome handle bars, fat tyres and candy-apple red paint job the Mustang can travel at speeds of up to 15mph (25 kph). And what's more - on a fully charged battery the bike will travel for around 20 miles (30kms) for as little as 10 pence (17 US cents). Six weeks after its release, the Sakura Mustang has already been in hot demand with pre-sales and interest from around the world. SOUNDBITE: (English) ''Everywhere that we go with the bike we get crowds of people stop and look at it. That's what it's all about. This is making a statement, this isn't just a bike, it makes a statement about the person who is riding it. This isn't for an introvert, this is for somebody who wants to be seen.'' SUPER CAPTION: Dan Hornby, Director Sakura Battery Company Nick Wilkins' family cycle business on the outskirts of Reading, west of London, has seen all the trends and fads in cycles for over 50 years, and now electric bikes are becoming his best sellers. Most electric bikes are similar in build, running on a rechargeable battery. And they all have the advantage of getting their passengers from A to B without having to pay any road tax, registration or insurance, with the added attraction of being friendly on the environment. Nick has been dealing in electric bikes for around five years now and although he has only seen a modest yearly increase in sales, he believes with powered bikes becoming more reliable and with more trendy designs, a boom in the market is looming. SOUNDBITE: (English) ''I see sales really taking off in the next few years, when there are more about and the more people get to know about them and will probably want one. I guess as a shop we used to sell one a month, now we sell about two a week.'' SUPER CAPTION: Nick Wilkins, Owner Wilkins and Sons Cycles SOUNDBITE: (English) You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a6f208592c04f1a0547e3ed965fc2387 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork