The concept of an electric bike (E bike) may be not so familiar, however it has existed for a long time with first models of the E bike dating back to the late 19th century. In Asian countries like Taipei and European countries such as Netherlands, E bikes are more popular than traditional bikes. In the Netherlands, E bikes make up 68% of the total sales of all bikes, compared with only 4% in the US. E bikes are more attractive than ever, in fact predictions go as far as saying that E bikes would outsell electronic cars within the next decade.

Stats on Electric Bikes

Although it may seem a bold claim, the probability is much higher than perceived. A recent study by the UK Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) found that electric cars aren’t the best transportation solution in urban traffic. The research believes that as technology for electric cars become more assessable and with electronic cars being more environmentally friendly, more people will purchase electric cars making roads more congested due to higher quantity of vehicles in the roads. As a result, the research suggested that active forms of transportation such as E bikes would be better for urban transportation. E bikes are much smaller in size, meaning roads will be less congested. Also, E bikes on average will consume less energy compared with electronic cars.

Advantages of Electric Bikes

Another advantage of the E bike is its lower barrier of entry compared with traditional bikes. The motor of E bikes allows users to exert less energy but still able to go up slopes and travel long distances. This is especially enticing for children and the elderly as they may not have the physical ability to travel long distances and over steep terrain using normal bikes. E bikes are a great mode of transport for the elderly, they may not have the ability to travel using cars yet traveling on foot might be too taxing, E bikes would be the perfect mode of transport that allows the elderly to travel the distances they require. In European nations, the elderly already uses a form of the E bikes as a mode of travel, in many European nations such as the UK and the Netherlands the elderly use scooters to travel around. Therefore, using E bikes is not that abstract after all.

Summing up on Electric Bikes

Global economic growth offers people with more opportunities to live in urban areas, with that comes higher levels of congestion due to more cars on the road. There will come a point where roads are simply too congested for traveling in cars to be efficient, making E bikes the ideal substitute. E bikes allows high level of usage on roads with more space on roads, furthermore it offers a choice for those who don’t have the physical ability to control a car or ride a traditional bike to travel long distances. E bikes without a doubt have great potential and is likely to be the most popular electronic vehicle in the next decade.