BTW

Japan Plugs In to Cycling

Hurt by high driving expenses and an aging population, Japan's domestic car and truck sales sank to a 25-year low last year. But business is booming for another mode of transport: plug-in bicycles. Domestic shipments of the electric bikes—which can be pedaled—may reach a record 300,000 this year, up 40% from 2003. That's good news for makers like Panasonic, Bridgestone, and Sanyo (which offers a $1,200 three-speed with a charge life of 42 hours). "Electric bikes used to be targeting middle-aged people short on physical strength," says Koichi Kodakari, a manager at Tokyo's Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute. "Now they're becoming more fashionable."
—Ian Rowley ..