A weekly rundown of stories on ebike adoption, ebike growth and worldwide legislative efforts to improve bike infrastructure and reduce the world’s dependence on carbon based fuels.
VanMoof Van Makin It
We’ve heard a lot about the meteoric rise of Rad Power Bikes this year but they’re not the only ebike company that’s broken loose in 2020.
According to their press release, Amsterdam based VanMoof just reported selling more bikes in the first four months of this year than in the past two combined. Bike sales have increased by 200%, doubling the company’s annual revenue compared to 2019. US sales alone have increased year over year by 120%.
With the acceleration of urban planning initiatives and policy developments focused on improving bike infrastructure worldwide, Van Moof co-founder believes we’ve reached a tipping point.
“This was a breakthrough year for e-bikes. And we’ve started to see the benefits of less congested streets, cleaner air, and healthier commutes. We have every reason to believe this behavioral shift is here to stay now that people have adopted a smarter, greener alternative to the status quo”
Ties Carlier, co-founder VanMoof.
EU bike sales forecasted to reach 30M per year by 2030
Three powerful European cycling federations, representing all facets of the cycling industry, released an updated forecast predicting that by 2030 Europeans are expected to purchase an extra 10 million bikes per year. That’s 47% more bikes than were purchased in 2019. What was the main driver of that growth you ask? Ebikes of course, which are predicted to grow from 3.7M bikes purchases last year to over 17M in 2030, an expected increase of 360%!
“Cycling is one of Europe’s most dynamic industries right now. With these new numbers we are able to show the EU, national governments and the world-wide cycling sector that the European cycling market is the place to invest, to deliver the EU Green Deal, COVID recovery and new green jobs.”
Kevin Mayne, CEO of Cycling Industries Europe
This continued growth in the bike sector is no accident. According to data being tracked by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), Europe has invested 1 billion euros on cycling infrastructure just since the beginning of the pandemic in early March. These industry associations are working hard to convince policy experts of an essential truth about cycling. If you build bike lanes people may actually want to buy bikes!
Santa’s supply chain
Remember that one time at bandcamp when all the Chinese factories shut down in March and April because of Covid? The industry has mostly recovered since then but the disruption in the ebike supply chain is definitely starting to rear its ugly head. With unprecedented demand for basically any kind of bike, this is already leading to empty floors in bike shops and online backorders galore. UK based, Raleigh Managing Director Lee Kidger warns about the potential for a “Christmas crisis” for the bike industry,
“As consumers begin ticking off their Christmas shopping lists, there will likely be a shortage of bikes leading up to Christmas,”
Lee Kidger, Raleigh UK Managing Director
As of today most of Rad’s bike inventory was out of stock, including the RadRover, the RadWagon and the RadCity. Ride1Up and Juiced Bikes still have the majority of their models in stock but I don’t see that lasting too much longer. Get those bike orders in!
US Cities and counties going IN on ebikes
Good news if you live in the Bay Area. The East Bay to be specific. Contra Costa County, in Northern California has instituted an ebike rebate program to residents of Orinda, Walnut Creek and other cities in its jurisdiction. The standard rebate is $150 but lower income residents who apply can apply to receive $300 off their ebike purchase. Rebates are offered on a first come, first served basis and any ebike purchased after Oct 1, 2020 can qualify provided you are 18 years or older.
California is one of the most aggressive states when it comes to passing green legislation yet they are still behind the eight ball when it comes to offering rebates for ebike purchases. If you want to help change that click here to sign a petition letting California legislators that you support AB-2667, a bill to fund the first statewide ebike rebate program.
Cargo bikes deployed in Portlandia
What’s cooler than city employees riding segue ways? City employees riding ebikes of course. Portland, OR is piloting a program that replaces gas powered vehicles with battery-electric, pedal-assist cargo bikes. These bikes are specifically designed with the city employee in mind and are meant for transporting landscaping equipment or yard waste. In addition to the obvious benefit of reducing carbon emissions city wide, proponents of the program anticipate more job opportunities for non-drivers which will reduce employment barriers connected to not having a valid driver’s license.
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