July 19, 2020 - According to the latest market report from CONEBI, ECF’s partners in the bicycle industry, e-bikes remain strong drivers of growth in an otherwise stable EU bicycle market. For the first time, more than 3 million electric bikes were sold in 2019, a substantial increase of 23% compared to the year before. The share of e-bikes in total bicycle sales reached 17%.
Chances are that this growth will continue over the next few years: Bike component giant Shimano’s recent “State of the Nation Report” on attitudes towards e-bike use in Europe found that 17% of respondents in 11 countries across the continent are likely or very likely to buy an e-bike, while 8% are using one already. The report and other research show that e-bikes have a huge potential to open up cycling to new, more diverse groups of the population, such as medium-distance commuters or the elderly.
The report also identified the cost of e-bike to be the biggest barrier to their further uptake by far. Therefore, ECF will continue to advocate together with its partners in the bicycle industry for targeted purchase premium schemes across the EU to make electric bicycles accessible to everyone.
Strong growth in EU e-bike sales, production, and jobs
In 2019, the sales of e-bikes have continued their spectacular growth in Europe: According to the latest market report from CONEBI, one of ECF’s partners in the bicycle industry, more than 3 million electric bikes were sold in the EU, a substantial increase of 23% compared to the year before. Total bicycle sales stood stable at around 20 million units in 2019.
Regarding European bicycle production and jobs, the e-bike boom also created a strong positive effect: After a slight increase in the production of bicycles and e-bikes from 2017 to 2018 (+0.7%) this trend continued much more strongly in 2019 with a growth of 11%. This is due in particular to the fact that the production of pedal assist e-bikes in Europe was growing at fast pace: from 2018 to 2019 the surge in units produced amounted to almost 60%, after growing already by 66% the year before. Alongside the boost in production, also the number of direct jobs in the EU increased in 2019 to a total of more than 60,000, with another 60,000 indirect jobs created upstream and downstream, for a total of around 120,000 jobs. Here as well, the growth rates are impressive: 14.4% job growth in comparison with 2018, and 32% in comparison with 2017.
“2019 has been a positive year for the EU Bicycle Industry thanks to the continuous boom of e-bikes as well as the increasing production of bicycle parts and accessories in Europe”
Erhard Büchel, CONEBI President
Shimano attitudes survey shows huge growth potential for electric cycling in Europe
The huge growth potential of electric cycling in Europe was also highlighted in another recent publication, bike component producer Shimano’s “State of the Nation Report” on attitudes towards e-bike use in Europe, for which over 13,000 Europeans in 11 countries were interviewed about their motivations or hesitations towards using e-bikes for commuting, leisure and transportation. According to this study, 17% of Europeans are much more or more likely to buy or use an e-bike this year than the year before. Interestingly enough, in Italy, which has recently introduced a purchase incentive for electric bikes in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, this share goes up to 30%, showing the huge potential both for increasing e-bike sales and for a transformation of the mobility system. It is also interesting to take a closer look at the motivations for riding e-bikes: A third (32%) of respondents stated that they would buy or use an e-bike this year to conquer longer distances or steeper climbs, and many would use one to improve their physical (30%) and mental (22%) health. There is also a nod to environmental reasons for using an e-bike – one in five (18%) adults in the countries surveyed said they are likely to start using an e-bike because they are concerned about the environmental impact of their travel. With young adults (18-24), this rises to over a quarter (26%).
In her contribution to the report, ECF’s co-CEO Jill Warren stated:
The use of e-bikes is an important part of active mobility in Europe. E-bike sales continue to grow rapidly and e-bikes are fast becoming the option of choice for millions of commuters, travellers and recreational cyclists. The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) actively promotes the increased adoption of e-bikes not only as a sustainable and healthy means of transport and leisure, but as a viable alternative to trips by car.”
Jill Warren, ECF co-CEO
Research confirms potential of e-bikes to open up cycling for new, more diverse groups
The results of the report also confirm previous research showing that e-bikes open up cycling to new, more diverse groups that maybe did not consider cycling as a viable mobility option before, such as commuters or the elderly, a point that was also taken up by the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans in his reaction to the recent Benelux Political Declaration on Cycling Promotion, when he stated that “e-bikes democratised cycling for social groups that were far from cycling, such as elderly people”.
This is evidenced for example in a Dutch study carried out by insurance company Univé, showing that the e-bike has made seniors significantly more mobile in recent years. According to the Dutch cycling statistics analysed in the study, over-65s started cycling as much as 13,4 percent faster during between 2010 and 2017, while the speed of cyclists has hardly increased until the age of 50. In addition, cyclists aged 75 and over have travelled an average of 33% more kilometres. This is also confirmed by a French survey among recipients of a government subsidy for the purchase of e-bikes, where almost 70% of the respondents were 55 years or older. However, the same survey also showed that among the professionally active recipients, almost 60% bought an electric bike for trips to work, proving the potential of e-bikes for making commuting greener and healthier. At the same time, more than 60% of respondents stated that the e-bike trips replaced motorised modes.
ECF advocating for purchase premium schemes to reduce cost barriers to e-bike uptake
The Shimano report clearly identified the cost of e-bikes to be the biggest barrier to their further uptake by far, with 40% of respondents citing this as an issue. In order to fully exploit the potential of e-bikes in Europe for a sustainable and healthy change in mobility patterns, ECF will therefore continue to advocate with its partners in the bicycle industry for targeted purchase premium schemes that would help to make electric bicycles more affordable, especially also in countries where there has not been a big uptake yet. Most recently, we have been calling for a centralised EU E-bike Access Fund to support purchase premiums or bike sharing, rental and leasing schemes to be included in the EU’s Green Recovery funds.
