How e-bikes make life better

Why the electric bike evolution is here to stay

In the near future, the only way automobile manufacturers will be able to sell cars is, if they guarantee mobility. One way to do so is, if you are stuck in traffic in your luxury sedan, you simply pop the boot and pull out your electric bike. This is one of the reasons so many vehicle manufacturers have released their own branded versions of e-bikes. If you think this idea may be far fetched, remember the 10-day long traffic jam in China back in 2010, or the 3-day long queue on the Nairobi to Mombasa highway in 2015. Other examples of multiple traffic jams may be found in LA. Jakarta or NY. But Istanbul is currently the world’s most congested city where the average commuter lost 142 hours last year in traffic, according to Tom Tom the satnav provider. The big world cities of Moscow, Bogota, Mumbai and Delhi are not far behind in terms of wasted hours spent in traffic.

Smart city planners are investing in tech that promotes the health and well-being of their citizens. Urban mobility is one of the areas they are focused on and e-bikes offer low-impact exercise making them a viable option for all ages and fitness levels, even for individuals with injuries. Cutting edge designs and digitalization makes them cool to ride. Through smart phone apps you can compete against others on your daily commute. Route planning apps give you the option of the fastest, shortest or most scenic routes and some manufactures are even able to track your bike if stolen and will return it to you.  

Paris is just one city of many that is prioritizing its citizens and its environment. Reducing traffic is critical to their approach. As such, they have banned diesel vehicles from 2024. A petrol car ban from the city will follow by 2030. The city of Copenhagen has set itself the target of becoming the world’s best cycle city as part of its plan to become the world’s first carbon neutral city by 2025. Cycling has already become the most favored mode of transport and City officials have noticed that residents who cycle request 1.1million fewer sick days. This is set to accelerate given the success they have achieved hosting part of the Tour de France and a Dane, Jonas Vingegaard winning the Tour this year.

The City of Hamburg encouraged commuters to cycle to work over 3 weeks during September. During the course of the 3 weeks those that did, logged their mileage which amounted to over 2.7 million kilometers, much of which was done on ebikes.

Motorbike taxis in Africa are also getting a makeover. AfricroozE are designed in Germany, built in India and are already on the road in East Africa.

At a mere cost of €600 they are easily financed by micro finance and have spawned a new eager wave of entrepreneurs.

Electric bikes already outsell electric cars by a factor of 4 and this difference will continue to grow as more commuters discover that biking is the only mode of transport where you are never stuck in traffic. E-bike sales figures for 2021 in Germany alone amounted to 2 million bikes. Electric bikes may outsell cars by the end of the decade.

Logistics firms love e-bikes for use in cities as they are never stuck in congestion and are able to run deliveries using the swift flowing dedicated bike lanes. This is especially true for last mile deliveries from their distribution hubs.

But its not just commuters and logistics companies benefitting from e-bikes but mountain-bikers too. It has opened up another market segment in recreationional use. Not only are older folks re-discovering the joys of biking but stage races now offer eMTB categories as well. A friend of mine was still able to compete the Wine 2 Wales stage race shortly after having a knee operation. Unthinkable if he were to have ridden so soon on a normal MTB.