Sales of traditional pedal-powered bikes have declined since their recent peak during the pandemic. But e–bikes continue their ascent. One in four bicycles sold in Europe last year was electric, according to data released by the European Confederation of the Cycle Industry.
The pandemic brought bumper years for bike manufacturers and stockists. 488 bikes were bought every minute worldwide in 2021, adding up to more than three times as many bikes as cars sold (Statista).
However, sales of ‘normal’ bikes in the EU and the UK fell off by 9.1% last year compared to 2021 stats, report Belga News Agency. Meanwhile, sales of electric assist bicycles or ‘EABS’ climbed by 8.6%.
In raw numbers, even though fewer traditional bikes sold last year than the year before, they still left the shelves in greater numbers than e-bikes. 14.7 million newly-purchased push-bikes hit the streets last year, compared to just 5.5 million electric bikes.
1. Record figures
Nonetheless, those 5.5 million electric units represent a record figure for the e-bike industry and mean that a quarter of all bikes bought last year were EABs. Germany, France and the Netherlands experienced particularly strong demand.
In addition, the costly purchase price of e-bikes has helped to pump up takings despite a drop in overall transactions since 2021. As a whole, the bike industry’s revenue grew by 7.4% on the previous year, hitting €21.2 billion, thanks to the boost from e-bike sales.
2. What’s driving the e-bike revolution?
Growth forecasts by Forbes have indicated the number of e-bikes sold each year in Europe could go from 3.7 million in 2019 to 17 million by 2030. So far, that prediction looks spot on. By then, twice as many bikes as cars will be registered per year in the European Union, according to the World Economic Forum.
Travel Tomorrow reported on customer sentiment surveys by Shimano at the end of 2022. These showed that reasons for switching to e-bikes ranged from cost-of-living (47%) to environmental concern (33%). Protecting the environment was cited more often as a reason to switch to e-bikes in responses from European countries with hot climates, such as Italy and Spain.
The percentage of people wanting to use an e-bike to avoid public transport due to the risk of Covid-19 transmission had fallen by more than half by the end of last year.
A significant factor influencing people’s cycling decisions is infrastructure quality, with 31% of Shimano’s respondents identifying bike-friendly roads and paths as a key factor in choosing to get in the saddle.
