Tag Archive: market report

1. E-bikes get more Dutch commuters into the saddle – KiM

   03/10/2022 13:14 Comments Off on E-bikes get more Dutch commuters into the saddle – KiM

   Source: fietsberaad

   Increasing amounts of Dutch people are investing in electric bikes to travel to and from their place of work. Researchers at the Knowledge Institute for Mobility Policy (KiM) expect this trend to continue, though it is noted that e-bikes primarily replace traditional bicycles.

   Due to the possibility of faster travel with less effort, the number of new electric bicycles has been on the rise since 2018, overtaking the sales of regular touring and city bicycles. In 2021, approximately 52% of the 923,000 new bicycles sold were e-bikes. The number of electric bicycle owners, estimated at 3.6 million in 2021, will continue to grow in the coming years, conclude the KiM researchers in their report on the purchase and use of e-bikes.

   More than 1 in 5 Dutch citizens that do not yet own an e-bike plan to purchase one within the next 5 years, including a large group that plans to use the technology for their home-work journey.

   With working Dutch people willing, on average, to travel up to half an hour via e-bike, approx. 10km, about 60% of all commutes could be replaced by this transport type. Included in this group are those who would be unable to cycle without electrical assistance, opening up a whole new segment of two-wheeled commuters that can now enjoy active travel.

   Due to the growth in e-bike ownership, KiM expects that e-bike use will grow by approximately 45-70% over a period of 5 years, from 2019 to 2024. Part of that growth is at the expense of traditional bicycle use. The total distance traveled by bicycle is expected to increase by 6-8% as a result of an increase in e-bike ownership. This does not take into account other factors influencing use, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or economic and demographic developments.

   The researchers believe – partly on the basis of previous research – that increased e-bike ownership will probably lead to a decrease in car use, but they cannot determine with certainty to what extent.

   

2. Electric bicycle maintenance market reaches €200 million

   16/05/2022 17:23 Comments Off on Electric bicycle maintenance market reaches €200 million

   Source: nederlandelektrisch, Els Stultiens

   When we think of electric bicycles, we consider the forward-thinking technology behind this increasing market.  A growing number of cyclists are choosing the electric range over more conventional bicycles, but with this choice comes a maintenance cost.  However, the expenditure is perhaps not as daunting as we might expect.

   The research

   According to Multiscope’s E-bike Monitor study among 3,200 Dutch cyclists, the annual maintenance for electric city bicycles and speed pedelecs averages at a mere 41 euros.  Only slightly more expensive are the maintenance costs for mountain bikes and hybrid bicycles, averaging at 44 euros.  As one might expect, due to their more complex designs, electric folding bicycles, cargo bicycles and tricycles break the 50 euros quota, but only just.  This category has a mean annual cost of 54 euros.

   Bearing distinct similarities to brands in all markets, maintenance costs varied according to the manufacturers.  Focusing on the five largest e-bike brands, Giant’s Electric City Bike range averaged at only 30 euros per annum.  Most expensive were Sparta’s range at an average of 56 euros, with Batavus (35 euros), Gazelle (38 euros) and Stella (46 euros) filling the gap.

   Good news for bike shops

   Multiscope’s study also included data on where the aforementioned maintenance takes place.  Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) chose bikes shops for upkeep duties on their electric bicycles, while 14 percent preferred to consult the manufacturers.  Owners of electric bicycles and private individuals accounted for 9 percent of this study and in 7 percent of cases, no maintenance was required.

   The research showcases the annual value of the Dutch electric bicycle maintenance market, now worth 200 million euros.  With this increasingly-popular two-wheeled trend set to continue, bike shops are gearing up for busy schedules and accountable costs.

   

3. The German cargo bike boom: 2021 market report

   25/04/2022 17:14 Comments Off on The German cargo bike boom: 2021 market report

   Source: cargobike.jetzt

   The nationwide German Bike Monitor 2021 survey, which occurs every two years, has highlighted shifting attitudes towards cargo bikes within the population

   The definition for a cargo bike used in the survey is as follows: “The cargo bike is a bicycle that is used to transport loads or people. Depending on the intended use, the basket/box is in the rider’s field of vision or in the rear area of ​​the bike. Depending on the design, these bikes are equipped with two or three wheels.”

   From this, participants were quizzed on various aspects of the cargo bike market. The representative survey now estimates over eight million potential cargo bike buyers in Germany alone, with double that figure showing interest in cargo bike-sharing services.

   Awareness of cargo models has risen from 38% in 2017 to 63% in 2021, clearly indicating the growing market. Additionally, 2% of the population now use a cargo bike in their lives (1.2 million individuals).

   An interesting question, newly added this year, regarded second-hand bikes. The cargo bike garnered the most interest of all bike models in this case. 35% of those interested in a cargo bike would prefer to buy pre-owned; for comparison, this figure falls to 14% when averaged between all bike types.

   The final and particularly insightful section of the data explores the arguments against interest in cargo bikes; the reasoning for such disinterest was found to cover a range of issues. At 61 percent, having your own car will remain the most important argument against buying a cargo bike in 2021, this was followed by the bikes being ‘too bulky and unwieldy’ (36%), lack of parking/storage space (29%), skepticism about effectiveness (27%), and finally, the high price tag at 24%.

   Read the full German Bicycle Monitor 2021 here.

   

4. Dutch e-Bike and Bicycle market falls 15.9% in 2021

   14/03/2022 16:07 Comments Off on Dutch e-Bike and Bicycle market falls 15.9% in 2021

   Source: Bike Europe

   The newly published industry association RAI market research report shows only 923,000 bicycles and e-bikes sold in the Netherlands during 2021. In comparison, the 2020 figure stood at 1,098,000, equating to a 15.9% market shrink in 2021. This drop is attributed to current supply chain issues having a direct impact on product availability, triggering the record high drop in sales volume.

   

5. European Shared Mobility Index – 2021 year in review now available

   07/03/2022 16:48 Comments Off on European Shared Mobility Index – 2021 year in review now available

   Get access to the full review here.

   The latest European Shared Mobility Index has been released, providing market-by-market fleet breakdowns, ridership & per capita trip data, modal snapshots, industry highlights, and more.

   Alongside the year in review, full reports are available for each quarter of 2021, tracking the shared mobility boom across 100 European cities.

   The report is compiled by fluctuo Mobility Intelligence, one of Europe’s leading aggregators of data on shared mobility services (bikes, scooters, mopeds, cars). They combine data collection methods, algorithms, and a team of mobility experts to produce exhaustive, accurate data. This includes daily data on more than 200 shared mobility services in 100 European cities.

   

6. The Netherlands has nearly 5 million e-bikes

   21/02/2022 13:07 Comments Off on The Netherlands has nearly 5 million e-bikes

   The Netherlands currently has 4.9 million e-bikes. Together, these e-bikes have a market value of €9.5 billion. The electric city bike has the largest share in this.

   Source: Fietsberaad

   This is apparent from the E-bike Monitor, a study by Multiscope among more than 3,200 Dutch people. (Multiscope reports some summary results from that research, for the other figures one has to purchase the report.)

   One in three Dutch people owns one or more e-bikes. This amounts to 4.6 million Dutch people who together own more than 4.9 million e-bikes.
   
   According to Multiscope, there is a clear profile for the electric cyclist: owners are often older than fifty and have an average, to twice-the-average, income.

   The total e-bike market was worth €9.5 billion in 2021. (Not attributable to a specific period, but based on the total number of e-bikes in the Netherlands.) A year earlier, this value was €8.4 billion. The market value has therefore increased by €1.1 billion.

   Electric city bike achieves the largest share of turnover (75%). Hybrid bicycles also have a large share at 17%. Speed ​​pedelecs (2%), cargo bikes (2%), mountain bikes (2%), folding bikes (1%) and tricycles (1%).

   In addition, more and more e-bikes are being leased. In most cases, the e-bike is privately owned (96%). The remaining 4% is leased through the employer, your own company or through private lease. In total this amounts to about 200,000 e-bikes. In 2020, 2% of e-bikes were leased. So there is an increase of 2 percentage points.

   

7. Italian and Swiss Electric Cycle Markets: 2020 Boom

   29/03/2021 12:49 Comments Off on Italian and Swiss Electric Cycle Markets: 2020 Boom

   New data on the electric cycle markets in taly and Switzerland are now available for 2020. Both markets followed the European trend of substantial growth.

   ---

   Italy

   Just like all other European markets, the Italian electric cycle market is booming.  In 2020, a record number of 280,000 vehicles have been sold. Compared to the year before, when 195,000 pieces went over the counter, this is a growth of almost 44%. For comparison, in 2015 sales were just over 55,000 electric cycles, so five years later sales are more than 5 times higher.

   The Italian Motorcycle and Cycle Manufacturer Association (ANCMA) also published data on production, import and export of electric cycles. Production made a leap of almost 30% from 213,000 to 275,000. Of these, 115,000 were exported, which was a 28% rise. Average value of exported e-cycles was surprisingly low at € 695, still almost 8% up from the year before. 120,000 electric cycles were imported in 2020 with an average value of € 983. So while the import volume grew with almost 67%, average value decreased by 12.6%

   Source: ANCMA.

   Switzerland

   Velosuisse published new data on the Swiss electric cycle market in 2020. A total of 171,132 electric cycles found a new owner, once again a record with a growth of 28.6% compared to 2019. The two biggest categories of electric cycles are the electric city cycles max 25 km/h with 77,903 pieces and electric MTB max. 25 km/h with 65,363 pieces.

   Nevertheless, speed pedelecs and electric cargo cycles also proved to be popular. Almost 20,000 speed pedelecs were sold in 2020, a year-on-year growth of nearly 20%. According to Velosuisse, that is a comparable to the number of BEVs sold in Switzerland and shows that the speed pedelec is becoming more and more an attractive solution for commuters.

   Furthermore, a total of 1,613 cargo cycles with a maximum speed of 25 km/h were sold in 2020, a growth of almost 26% compared to the year before. The 45 km/h cargo cycles increased to 326 pieces in 2020, a growth of just under 60%.

   Source: Velosuisse.

8. New French E-scooter Rules

   31/10/2019 14:02 Leave a Comment

   Since 25 October, France has introduced new rules for non-type-approved personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs). According to a spokesperson of the French Ministry of Transport, driving forces behind this revision was the lack of a well-designed legal status for these vehicles and safety concerns on public roads.

   Focus of the revision are rules for e-scooters, however they will also apply to hoverboards, monowheels and self-balancing vehicles. As a result, these vehicles now have a legal status in the French highway code (Décret n° 2019-1082, art. 10). This status results in rules on place on the road, parking, technical requirements and sanctions in case of infringement.

   The following rules apply since 25 October 2019.

   • A minimum age of 12 years for using these vehicles
   • A maximum design speed of 25 km/h when used on public roads
   • Only one rider per device
   • Using a mobile phone and/or headphones while driving is forbidden
   • Driving on pavements is forbidden, however parking is allowed
   • PLEVs in urban areas can go either on cycle paths or on the road, provided the maximum speed is no more than 50 km/h. Outside urban areas, they must go on cycle paths.
   • Using a helmet is recommended but not obligatory.
   • Riders must wear reflective clothing during the day in case of reduced visibility and at night
   • Individual owners of PLEVs must undertake an insurance. Owners of a free-floating sharing system must underwrite an insurance for their customers.

   Furthermore, some technical requirements come into force on 1 July 2020. From that date on, every e-scooter needs to comply with the following requirements:

   • Front- and rear lights
   • Rear & side retro reflection
   • A bell
   • A braking system

   Disobeying the new rules could results in a fine of up to €1,500 if your e-scooter has a design speed of more than 25 km/h. More than one person on your e-scooter results in a fine of €35 or €135 in case of driving on pavements.

   The link to the legal revision is here: link to Official Journal of France.

   Sources: Link to Official Journal of France & Overview of the revision & BBC

   Photo credits: pixabay