Maybe surprisingly, 'electric assisted' bikes were first conceived and manufactured at the end of the nineteenth century. However, the battery and electric motor technology of the time made for very heavy, unmanageable and expensive machines and petrol engine assisted bikes, like the velo solex, were more commonly seen. The latter 20th century, led by the increasing use of portable electric devices, has seen huge improvements in battery and motor technology and the dream of a lightweight, electrically assisted affordable pedal bike has become reality. In a society looking for environmentally clean personal transportation, the electric bicycle or electrically assisted bicycle has never been more relevant than it is today.