Electric bike sales are surging as more people are embracing pedal-assisted bicycling. With their newfound popularity and no indication that the upward trend is stopping or slowing down, it is appropriate to ask if e-bikes are just a fad or the future of personal transportation.
In this article, we discuss the reasons e-bikes are the future of personal transportation.
Trends show serious growth
Data from around the world shows e-bike sales are booming. Take, for example, the UK. During the first ten months of 2020, a total of 125,317 units were sold. This was during the height of the pandemic when most business sectors slowed down. The previous year, 2019, a total of 101,362 bikes were sold, while the figure for 2018 was just 67,300. This indicates growth.
In the US, an estimated half a million e-bikes were sold in 2020, which was about double the number of electric vehicles. Deloitte projects 130 million units would be sold globally between 2020 and 2023.
Environmental consciousness is growing
More people are trying to reduce their carbon footprints to help the environment. One of the most natural choices, when they abandon their cars, is an electric bike. Data from Norway, for example, shows that automobile usage dropped significantly among e-bike owners.
There is growing support for electric bikes
In the past, electric bikes were the overlooked siblings. They didn’t benefit from any incentive from the government meant for electric vehicles. However, that is changing as the authorities recognize the role of e-bikes in weaning people of internal combustion engine automobiles. In the US, for example, the new EV incentive passing through Congress has provisions for e-bikes, and similar arrangements are already existing in France.
Ride-sharing companies are also offering e-bikes, making them available for riders that do not want to purchase their own.
More bike brands are making e-bikes
Just like in the automobile sector, there has been an onslaught of e-bike makers. Traditional brands have had to respond to the efforts of e-bike startups like Ride1Up, Rad Power Bikes, Charge Bikes, Rambo Bikes, etc. With more production and marketing, more people will embrace e-bikes.
There is more focus on personal mobility
Personal mobility has received more focus with the pandemic as people tried to limit contact with others in public to protect their health. As a result, individual means of transportation like e-bikes are getting more attention.
