The fifth annual GfK E-Bike Monitor report has been published, based on the feedback of 2,000 respondents from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and Italy.
According to the report, the main reasons for buying an e-bike are for recreational use and commuting. Although the overall majority of respondents prefer to buy an e-bike at a brick-and-mortar store, this trend shifts dramatically when looking at the younger 18-24 age bracket, where 60% have bought an e-bike online.
Within this demographic, the survey indicates that growing numbers are choosing to make the journeys to and from school or college by e-bike, which increases the overall average use per week. No less than 45% of e-bike purchasers indicate that they use the e-bike at least once a day.
The GfK report also explored what aspects e-bike buyers considered most important in making their decision to purchase. The 18-24 demographic focused mainly on the e-bike’s top speed, and technical features such as GPS tracking and smart connectivity, as well as battery life. For the average e-bike purchaser, battery performance is of even greater importance, as well as factors such as the motor’s range and location.
Physical stores still dominate, with 75% of respondents preferring those that carry several brands, and over 90% of those visiting a store taking a test drive. However, the share of online sales is growing, thanks in part to the increasing number of purchases by the 18-24 age bracket.
Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) would review and adjust the speed of e-bikes and speed-pedelecs in line with local limits
The concept of Intelligent Speed Adaption (ISA) is not new, having been tested in cars for many years – however, thus far it has seen little real-world application. In Amsterdam, T-Mobile and Townmaking are now running experiments for the technology in regard to two-wheelers; routes such as that between Amsterdam and Schiphol are being monitored for potential application.
How could this work? Speed could be reduced through geofencing, that is, if a bicycle enters a certain area or approaches a certain location, the speed is automatically reduced. Such technology is already used in some rental e-scooter fleets such as Voi in the UK, where ‘slow speed zones’ automatically reduce a vehicle’s maximum speed.
In the latest experimentation by T-Mobile, an app was tested that turns the screen of the rider’s smartphone red when entering an area with a speed limit. To prevent too much distraction, other warning methods are also being considered, such as a vibration signal via the handlebar. Technology would eventually be made available to bicycle manufacturers and road authorities to implement their own preventative measures.
A crucial element for the success of the new technology is the speed with which the system reacts and modulates the bicycle to a safer speed. This so-called latency (deceleration factor) can make the difference in whether or not a cyclist brakes in time in an unsafe situation. Thanks to modern 4G and 5G networks, T-Mobile says very low latency connectivity can be achieved in 10 milliseconds or less.
Citizens have shown their interest in mobility as a service (MaaS), or shared mobility, in an online study by the Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport.
The survey received 3,000 respondents, representative of the population of Belgium, with researchers collecting data on both the current use of mobility apps and future interest in them. The key findings were as follows:
The younger the participant, the more likely the use of mobility apps. Route finders were the most commonly used application.
Over 40% of smartphone users had no mobility apps.
There is huge unexplored potential for MaaS in Belgium. 6 out of 10 respondents stated interest (majority higher employed, educated, male)
80% stated they would use MaaS for recreational trips, and 60% stated they would use MaaS for utilitarian trips.
4 of 10 respondents anticipate that MaaS usage will impact their travel behavior. This is closely linked to the current transport type.
MaaS Alliance’s Conclusions:
This first survey conducted on the Belgian population indicates that there is a strong interest in MaaS applications among all age groups. There remains a huge untapped potential for MaaS, shown by the discrepancy between the interest and the actual usage of MaaS applications. Important to note is that a strong share of all participants considers to change their travel behavior thanks to MaaS, mainly in favour of public transport. This seems to imply that MaaS solutions will result into a modal shift.
The capital of cycling is going electric! Almost 30% of riders in the Netherlands now use an electric bike, with older age groups showing an even higher uptake near 50%
New research from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has revealed the growing use of e-bikes amongst the Netherlands’ population (n = 7,000). Almost a quarter of cyclists (23%) exclusively use e-bikes, with an additional 6% using both an electric bicycle and a non-electric bicycle.
Of participants, the primary reason for making the shift to assisted riding was ‘to make cycling easier’ (70%). In particular, older individuals, individuals with a disability, and individuals who do not live an active lifestyle gave this answer. In the age bracket of 12-17, 60% of respondents gave an alternate answer, the desire to ‘cycle faster!’
Both the electric bicycle and the non-electric bicycle are most often used for visiting shops, friends or other destinations. Followed by ‘bicycle rides’, ‘commuting’, ‘sports’ and ‘cycling to and from school’. Of these rides, e-bikes are more often used for longer-distance rides (10-20km).
The Digital Europe Program, which brings digital technologies to businesses, citizens, and public administrations has released calls for proposals under the categories “deployment of the data space for mobility” and “deployment of the data space for smart communities“
The Programme is pleased to share the deployment call for the common European mobility data space. Funded under the Digital Europe Programme, the call has a budget of €8 million. Its primary focus lies in identifying and supporting the deployment of mobility data-sharing use cases in the area of urban mobility, based on data space building blocks. This will allow the deployment of an operational data space enabling participants to make available and share data in a controlled, simple and secure way.
With a budget of €8 million, this call seeks to pilot and apply the principles of the data space for smart communities on a large scale and with a large geographical coverage, to build EU capacity for connecting data from all relevant domains. The call will fund a consortium of relevant supply and demand-side stakeholders to foster innovation among many European cities and communities.
Especially relevant is that the call focuses, among other things, on predictive traffic management and sustainable mobility planning. It will exploit synergies with the common European mobility data space and with the data available on transport National Access Points, and make use of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators (SUMI).
The latest draft Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) guide aims to provide guidance to urban mobility practitioners, policymakers, school management, and both public and private employers who wish to implement mobility management measures in their jurisdictions.
The latest SUMP guide from Eltis is currently in draft form and will focus on five main areas where transport planning can better include mobility management: urban developments, public authorities, companies, the education sector, as well as the tourism and leisure sectors. Each sector will be fully explored, outlining key recommendations, and examples of excellent practice from across Europe.
“The first draft of the Topic Guide has been developed by the Policy Support Group of the CIVITAS ELEVATE Coordination and Support Action, which consists of experts from five organisations (European Platform on Mobility Management, Klimaaktiv mobil, Tisséo Collectivités, Alba Iulia Municipality, Gdansk Municipality), the CIVITAS Policy Advisory Committee, TRT (Trasporti e Territorio), and a group of stakeholders from the mobility management sector.
The public is warmly invited to participate in the consultation process. Public consultation is an important step of the process, as it allows stakeholders to contribute to the development of the Guide, as well as ensure that it is relevant to all urban mobility actors.”
To contribute to the SUMP Guide’s public consultation, visit the Eltis website, here. The window for feedback is open until Tuesday 13 December 2022.
The new research aims to quantify the differences in energy expenditure, perceptions of difficulty, and acceleration between regular bikes and e-bikes in a bike-share system. Following a fitness evaluation, the 15 participants took two near-identical bike rides; once with an e-bike, and once with a regular bike. During the course of the ride, heart rate and speed were continuously measured, and participants shared their own perceptions of exertion and enjoyment.
The study’s key results were as follows:
Individuals expended about 13% less energy on e-bicycles compared to conventional bicycles on a steady-state ride.
E-bikes and conventional bicycles provided moderate intensity physical activity.
Individuals reported higher enjoyment on the e-bike.
Individuals reported less exertion and difficulty on the e-bike.
Most participants reported preferring the e-bike for commute travel.
Of course, results from any research with such a small sample size (n=15) should be considered with caution.
The usage of shared micromobility services has increased in recent years, particularly in urban areas. But can shared e-scooters and e-bikes contribute to the sustainability of cities and their transportation systems? To answer these and other questions, Fraunhofer ISI conducted a new study on behalf of the micromobility provider Lime by fusing mode shift survey data with lifecycle emissions data in six cities around the world. The study also sets out what implications these findings have for industry and practice.
Most recently, CO2 emissions in the global mobility and transport sector have increased by 8% in 2021 they are supposed to decrease by 20% by 2030 to meet international climate targets. To achieve these extremely challenging goals, a broad range of measures are necessary, including rapid electrification of road vehicles, an expansion of public transport and a better transport system network. New forms of shared micromobility have emerged over the past decade, especially in urban areas, complementing existing mobility offers with the promise to reduce urban transport’s carbon footprint.
However, it is currently heavily debated whether and, if so, to what extent shared e-scooters and e-bikes actually contribute to the goal of reducing CO2 emissions. Previous studies have primarily focused either on comparing single modes of transport through life cycle assessments (LCA) or on who uses these new modes for which purposes. Research on the overall consequences of micromobility usage for respective emissions of the transportation system, however, is limited. To increase the knowledge about the effects, Fraunhofer ISI has conducted a new study that aims to present a snapshot of case studies in six cities around the globe (Berlin, Dusseldorf, Paris, Stockholm, Melbourne and Seattle) and collects the data of shared micromobility users with a total sample size of 4,167 individuals. The data was provided by the shared micromobility provider Lime. To calculate the emission impact of the individual’s behaviour, existing LCA data was combined with the latest generation shared Lime e-scooters and e-bikes by Anthesis on behalf of Lime, and both were adjusted to the characteristics of the cities in question.
Shared e-scooters and e-bikes can help to reduce carbon emissions The study’s findings show that the latest generation of shared e-scooters and e-bikes can reduce net carbon emissions. These are defined as the differences between the life cycle assessment emissions per passenger kilometre (pkm) of the shared micromobility mode and the modes people would have used if shared e-scooters or e-bikes would not have been available. This analysis was carried out for transportation systems in the six surveyed cities: The largest effects for shared e-scooters are observed in Melbourne (-42.4 g/pkm) and Seattle (-37.7 g/pkm) which can be explained by a considerably higher CO2 intensity of electricity used for public transport and electric cars compared to the European cities. But also Dusseldorf (-22.1 g/pkm), Paris and Stockholm (-20.7 g/pkm) show effects of reduced emissions while e-scooters in Berlin show smaller reductions (-14.8 g/pkm). In all cities, the net carbon impact of shared e-bikes is less beneficial than shared e-scooters. Large emission reductions are estimated for Dusseldorf (-20.4 g/pkm), Paris (-15.4 g/pkm), Seattle (-15.2 g/pkm), and Melbourne (-13.7 g/pkm), while the estimated emissions for Berlin increase (+13.0 g/pkm). This can be explained due to smaller shares of shared e-bike trips replacing individual motorized modes and by their lower usage intensity compared to shared e-scooters.
A deeper analysis at the transportation mode level helps to further explain the effects observed at the city scale for all locally available Lime services. For this task, the study estimated total emissions by upscaling the survey assessment with usage patterns for the study period (May and June 2022) provided by Lime. In fact, the largest differences in net emissions by replaced modes originate from ride-hailing or taxi services (-679.3 and -541.0 g CO2 equivalents per trip for shared e-bikes and e-scooters respectively) and personal combustion cars (-334.6 and -272.9 g). When shifting from these highly emitting modes to shared micromobility, the net emissions reduction is quite substantial. On the other hand, shared micromobility can also lead to increased emissions when for example personal e-bike usage (+126.3 and +18.8 g) and walking (+109.9 and +39.4 g) is replaced by using a shared e-scooter or shared e-bike, or when a trip that would not have taken place before is now undertaken with a shared e-scooter or e-bike (+65.6 and +199.3 g). However, the increase in emissions tends to be smaller than the reduced emissions of the previous mode shifts.
Konstantin Krauss, a mobility researcher at Fraunhofer ISI and co-author of the study, states: “Our results show that the crucial factor for the net impacts of shared micromobility is the number of trips replacing the highest-emitting transportation modes such as ride-hailing and trips with combustion cars in comparison to induced, active mode, and public transport trips. For all results, however, we need to consider uncertainty in the stated – not observed – responses of the participants and a range of uncertainties of +/-25% in LCA numbers: The applied LCA numbers are estimates also based on assumptions for factors such as vehicle lifetimes or operations. For the responses of the riders, we use the stated preferences of the respondents only, so we did not observe their real mode shift behaviour. Moreover, the question of how the currently progressing electrification of car, bus, taxi and ride-hailing fleets will decrease the impact of micromobility to net climate impacts remains open.“
Recommendations for industry, micromobility providers, and city planners But what can be done to further enhance the sustainability benefits of shared micromobility? Dr Claus Doll, Fraunhofer ISI mobility expert and co-author of the study, has the following recommendations for industry, micromobility providers, and city planners: “On the one hand, the industry should further extend vehicle lifespans, continue to decarbonize manufacturing by contributing to a circular economy, and use partnerships to induce favourable mode shift from taxi, ride-hailing and personal cars. And on the other hand, providers and city planners should jointly work towards a better connection of micromobility and public transport by for instance establishing mobility hubs and reliable intermodal travel planning tools for seamless transfers.” He adds that the shift effects from public transport and walking to shared micromobility should be kept at a minimum.
Andrew Savage, Vice President for Sustainability at Lime, underlines the strides Lime and the industry have made in decarbonizing their service over a short timespan: “The examples of the six cities show that shared e-scooters and shared e-bikes can help to make cities more sustainable and liveable by reducing emissions and expanding the mobility offer. The findings underscore the important work we must continue to decarbonize our supply chain, operations and facilities so that shared micromobility will continue to reduce the carbon footprint of urban mobility.“
The new White Paper sees sustainable mobility network Autonomy partner with Capgemini Invent to present a report on Sustainable Corporate Mobility
The report covers a range of topics, including organization-specific actions, regional initiatives, real-world obstacles, and potential solutions. The full summary, provided by Autonomy, can be read below:
How companies have a strong opportunity to impact employees’ mobility choices: Studies suggest that commuting constitutes as much as 98% of an employee’s work-related emissions. Employers have a responsibility to help their employees in reducing their emissions and there are many recent examples of companies rolling out initiatives to promote sustainable commuting habits. Examples of such initiatives from companies such as IKEA are explored throughout the white paper.
The origin and current state of corporate mobility regulations in France and other countries: Two and a half years after the Mobility Orientation Law came into force in France, 38% of private sector employers have responded, saying they have deployed a Company Mobility Plan (or FMD, Forfait de Mobilités Durables) within their organization. This is an increase of 12 points compared to 2021. Today, nearly 80% of employers are aware of this system, and 40% of organizations are considering deploying it. While this paper focuses on France as a use case, it also looks into other countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium.
The obstacles companies are facing in developing real corporate mobility strategies: There are a number of barriers to implementing corporate mobility strategies. For instance, regulations do not directly help companies to develop a corporate mobility strategy. In the case of France, while the LOM offers new features like the FMD (Company Mobility Plan) and the Crédit Mobilité (Mobility Credit), both these features do not directly translate into a majority of companies developing a strategy for corporate mobility. There is a problem with the legislation not sufficiently incentivizing companies to take action quickly.
Impactful solutions according to different companies’ constraints: To address more diverse commuting patterns and incentivize employees to use greener transportation modes, companies usually start by improving their infrastructure, by offering secured parking spots for bikes and installing electric charging stations. In addition to this, companies can also provide subsidized costs to employees to use public transportation. While the current legislative framework is slowly encouraging companies to act on corporate mobility, a solid corporate mobility strategy needs the right governance and mobility solutions developed at the local level, accounting for each site’s characteristics. Lastly, there is an increasing availability of different tools that are available to companies to ease their relationship with third-party providers and change the way they provide corporate mobility plans.
Download the full report via the Autonomy website, here.
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