How the market for bicycles is changing

If you make your way around most towns and cities you will see a rapid increase in the number of people using E-bikes. The market for E-bikes started to grow significantly in recent years with the global E-bike market currently valued at over $50 billion and it is expected to reach $90 billion by 2028. 

The most popular type of E-bike is the pedelec which is a pedal-assisted electric E-bike where an electric motor fitted to the bike is regulated by pedalling which gives them a top speed of 25 km/h. There are more powerful versions of E-bikes which are throttle controlled but these are classed as mopeds.

There are numerous reasons for the growth in the E-bike market. More and more people are frustrated by traffic congestion in towns and cities and E-bikes are a solution for people trying to move around urban settings. The advantage of E-bikes over conventional cycling is less effort is required which is particularly useful in undulating environments. E-bikes offer a popular alternative to cycling in countryside environments where electric power assistance allows people to travel further and this opens up cycling to older users. E-bikes are an environmentally sustainable alternative to car travel and this is attractive to E-bike consumers.

E-bikes themselves have improved in quality and have fallen in price and this is certainly a reason for their increase in popularity. It is also important to mention the improvements in cycling infrastructure particularly in towns and cities. Take Copenhagen as an example, over 60 per cent of Copenhageners’ commuting trips are by bike on 240 miles of dedicated cycle highways. In addition to using your own bike, there is also a growing number of rental businesses offering E-bikes such as Uber where you can book and pay to use their bikes through the Uber App.

The growth of E-bikes does bring challenges. Although the speed of E-bikes is limited there is evidence that E-bikes account for more accidents than conventional bicycles. A Dutch study found that e-bike riders were 60 per cent more likely to have an accident that ended in hospital treatment than regular bike users. There is also an increasing risk of fires caused while charging the batteries of E-bikes. This year in New York there have been 108 fires directly attributable to the charging of E-bikes.

Possible question to discuss with a class

1. What factors might account for an increase in the demand for E-bikes?

2. What impact have improvements in the technology used in the production of E-bikes had on the supply for them?

3. Why might the increased use of E-bikes be considered a sustainable method of transport?

4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the increased use of E-bikes.