LEVA-EU at Eurobike 2026
Comments Off on LEVA-EU at Eurobike 2026LEVA-EU was in Frankfurt last week to take part in Eurobike for the ninth time. The number of exhibitors and visitors was visibly lower than in previous years. Even so, for LEVA-EU it was just as busy as at earlier editions: we had only just enough chairs and sandwiches for our information session, and just as many companies came to the stand to ask about LEVA-EU membership. And yet this year in Frankfurt a major shift took place — a revolution that clearly shows China is leading the way while Europe falls further and further behind.
The two big standouts were, of course, Avinox and Gobao. While a large part of the European industry loses itself entirely in pointless, empty debates about power output and the question of where a bicycle stops being a bicycle, the Chinese simply keep developing. And it was not only the component news: other Chinese exhibitors showed a broad and diverse range of mobility solutions, including autonomous delivery vehicles.
China is not pulling ahead because it builds better bicycles; it is pulling ahead because it is building well beyond the bicycle — across the full spectrum of light electric mobility — while much of Europe remains locked in a narrow argument about what does and does not still count as a bike. That argument is not a neutral technicality. It reflects, and is reinforced by, a legal framework that tries to force every light electric vehicle back into the shape of a bicycle. As long as that is the frame, European companies have little room to develop the very categories — e-scooters, cargo LEVs, micro-cars, autonomous delivery vehicles — in which the Chinese are now visibly ahead.
What we saw at Eurobike this year therefore strengthens our conviction that the show must evolve from a purely bicycle fair into a light-mobility fair that includes bicycles. Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs) have enormous potential on many fronts, including the reduction of transport emissions. LEV4Climate, the DLR report commissioned by LEVA-EU, shows that more than three quarters of all car trips could be made with light electric vehicles, which would reduce CO₂eq transport emissions by 44%.
That transition cannot be achieved with bicycles alone. It requires a very wide range of LEVs, from e-scooters to micro-cars, so that the maximum number of use cases is covered and the maximum number of users reached. And here lies the opportunity Europe is currently missing. The same broadening of scope that the transition demands is also what would allow European companies to innovate, compete, and grow rather than continue to fall behind.
For that, however, we need new technical legislation written specifically for light electric vehicles — a framework that gives these categories room to exist in their own right. Legislation built around the premise that “a bicycle must remain a bicycle” does the opposite: it constrains the sector to a single, narrow product, cedes the fastest-growing segments to manufacturers outside Europe, and can only lead to the gradual demise of the wider industry. In that case, none of the four trade shows announced for September/October next year will survive.
The urgency could hardly be clearer. During Eurobike, the temperature in Frankfurt climbed to an unprecedented 42°C, a sharp reminder that the shift to clean, efficient mobility is no longer optional. Light electric vehicles are one of the most immediate and affordable tools available to bring transport emissions down, and a legal framework that lets them flourish is therefore not only an industrial opportunity for Europe but a climate necessity.
Here, our sector can set an example. Let us trade the griping about power, gears, and mid- versus hub motors for a meaningful debate about how, together, we can drive a fundamental change in mobility — one that European companies help lead rather than watch from behind. In LEVA-EU’s view, this is also the path Eurobike should take.
For that reason, Eurobike should continue its evolution beyond a purely bicycle-focused event and embrace the wider LEV sector. A broader focus on mobility solutions could also attract new groups of professional visitors. Cities and local authorities, logistics and delivery companies, fleet operators, public-transport providers, real-estate developers, last-mile delivery specialists, and corporate mobility managers all have growing interest in light electric mobility. Their involvement would expand the show’s reach and strengthen its relevance across the wider mobility ecosystem.
LEVA-EU will continue to attend Eurobike, as it remains the only European event offering a comprehensive opportunity to meet and engage with a broad international audience.
At LEVA-EU we are convinced the market can grow substantially if the industry focuses on advancing light, sustainable mobility. Both bicycles and LEVs have significant potential to help individuals and businesses shift toward cleaner transport.
Rather than withdrawing, the sector should concentrate on realising that potential. Eurobike provides a valuable platform for that effort. It should not be abandoned, but developed further in a way that prioritises quality, inclusiveness, and future-oriented mobility solutions.
Photos: EUROBIKE Frankfurt



