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Half of pedal bikes sold in Europe will have an engine by 2025, highlighting the pandemic-accelerated rapid transportation changes, predicts one of the region’s largest suppliers of electric bicycle parts.
Claus Fleischer, chief executive of Bosch eBike Systems, said electric bike sales increased during the pandemic as consumers found new ways to spend extra money and time.
With stronger growth in cities, it also reflects the desire of travelers to avoid public transport and cars in an effort to get away from congestion and traffic, while using a more environmentally friendly way to travel.
“According to our forecast, in the next three or four years, every second bicycle in European core markets should be an e-bike,” said the head of the private group’s division that supplies batteries, motors and display systems to bicycle manufacturers.
The head of Bosch’s division predicted that annual growth rates in electric bicycle sales would return to pre-pandemic levels of 20-25%, which would be reduced from annual increases of more than 40% in many European countries by 2020.
It advances the expected growth for two-wheeled motor-assisted on the continent, especially for people who want to get around without having to sweat like they can with a pedal bike.
“We have all the excuses for not cycling. If you make excuses, people like to cycle more and more, ”said Fleischer, whose main markets include Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland.
Vehicles are also relatively inexpensive compared to a car, and the costs of an electric bike range from 2,000 euros for an entry-level model to 10,000 euros for the higher-end units that Bosch supplies. .
After urban travel, mountain biking and cycling for hiking were the second most popular category among electric bikes.
Last year, 4.5 million electric bicycles were sold in Europe, 34% more than in 2019 or a fifth of total bicycle sales, according to the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (Conebi), a industry body.
“The e-bike is by far the best-selling electric vehicle on the European market,” said Manuel Marsilio, CEO of Conebi.
The value of bicycle parts and accessories produced in Europe reached 3 billion euros in 2020, but is expected to double in 2025, Conebi said.
Fleischer said bicycle supply chains were being relocated to Europe from Asian countries such as Taiwan, China and Vietnam. About 80 percent of e-bikes sold in Europe last year were manufactured on the continent.
However, he warned that the sustained growth of e-bikes was based on regulations and infrastructure. Electronic bikes are considered equivalent to normal push bikes in Europe, so they can use bike lanes, but the industry is wary that regulators will reduce the maximum speed at which the engine is cut.
“We have all the rights and duties of bicycles,” he added. “This is the greatest value we have. We will not allow any political leader to change that. “
Fleischer said the shortage of electronic components had yet to disrupt production, though he would not rule out it affecting manufacturing later in the year.
This contrasts with the scarcity of mechanical components that have altered bicycle manufacturing globally.
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