At this year's Eurobike it was impossible to miss the growth of e-bikes. Far from being an inconsequential niche, a fad, they had their own hall, the demo area hummed with electric motors and business was brisk. But what's driving this growth and how far will it continue? We spoke to some of the brands to ask what they thought.
First though, some numbers. In many markets, e-bike sales are growing much faster than any other type of bike. Granted they're starting off from a low base, but in Germany for instance, e-bike sales grew 11% in 2015, with around 535,000 units sold.
And in the Netherlands, they grew a spectacular 24% to reach 276,000 e-bikes sold. In all, the global market saw 35 million e-bikes sold in 2015, according to the updated Electric Bike World Report, with much of this demand coming from China.
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German firm Bosch, which makes e-bike drivetrain systems, predicts that European acceptance of e-bikes is growing so fast that in the medium term, one in every three bikes sold on the continent will be an electric model.
Most people agree that it will be a much tougher sell in North America, where e-bikes suffer from an underwhelming introduction that took place a decade ago to undercooked technology, and the legitimate concerns of many mountain bikers that they'll be abused on MTB trails and lead to loss of access rights. Plus, of course, the historically low price of gasoline in North America, which is also believed to suppress e-bike sales.
1. E-bikes can be ridden by everyone, irrespective of age, health or fitness
2. In big cities, motor traffic's getting worse and worse
3. E-MTBs can give you more riding time
4. Bike companies see a new revenue opportunity
5. The bikes themselves are getting better, and more attractive
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