Status quo e-bike – Germany retools

The add-on-powered bicycle as an e-bike or e-bike is becoming increasingly popular – its market development and that of the infrastructure in the last five years is in fact a prime example of the potential triumph of electromobility. On the one hand, this fits in quite well with the growing importance of the bicycle and fuels it as well. On the other hand, you also have to learn to rethink.

In terms of numbers, e-bikes are delivering on Chancellor Merkel’s promise of electric automobility: 1 million e-cars are to be on the road in Germany by 2020, compared with just 30,000 in 2015, at a friendly estimate. E-bikes, however, were sold more than half a million times last year alone. That’s about 12.5 percent of all new bikes – without any subsidies from the industry. In this context, e-bikes fill an obvious gap in individual mobility, because in many cases they replace not the bicycle but the second car.

Advantages of the bicycle with auxiliary drive

It is noticeable that the e-bike has increasingly shed its rehab image in recent years. Of course, seniors also like to use the bikes because they are easier to ride than non-motorized bikes. But the average age of e-bike buyers is dropping every year – more and more families and commuters are getting on them, too. Because depending on your riding style, you can either get there faster with the same amount of effort – or get there in the same amount of time without breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, the action radius of everyday cyclists increases immensely, namely by a factor of 3, as reported by ElektroBike magazine. E-bikes are ideal in mountainous regions, of course – no wonder they account for a full 17 percent of all bikes in Switzerland. But they are also popular in the far north, as the only effective answer to the eternal headwind.

Thinking further than just “bicycle

E-bikes cost about two and a half times as much as a comparable bicycle. A suitable everyday bike, for example, is not available for less than 600 euros, while an e-bike starts at around 1,500 euros. The battery alone costs 500 – 800 euros, other components are the motor itself, the control unit on the handlebars and the wiring harness that connects everything. Furthermore, more stable components are needed, such as hydraulic brakes. Like any good bike, an e-bike should also be taken to the workshop once a year. Checking and possible repair of the electronics are then added to the bill. E-bikes are also heavier. You won’t notice this when riding – the gain in power is significantly higher – but a ground-level parking space such as a (bicycle) garage is advisable.
E-bikes are still often frowned upon among athletes. But here, similar to the extra weight, the fun wins! Once you get involved, you’re guaranteed to come back from the test drive with a smile.

Impact on industry and infrastructure

E-bikes are changing the cycling world permanently: bicycle manufacturers are becoming vehicle manufacturers; the companies have to deal with new technologies and also different financial volumes. More important for the general public, however, are the changes in the cityscape and the individual perception of road users. After all, e-cyclists not only travel faster than cyclists in some cases, they are often in addition to cyclists on the road, as they motivate car and public transport users to switch to two wheels. Their rising numbers thus represent quite directly the growth of cycling as a whole. This calls strongly for changes in the basic prerequisite, i.e. the infrastructure.