The boom in electric bikes continues unabated. The industry expects them to account for more than half of the bicycle market this year. E-bikes are becoming faster and lighter – and there are more and more accidents.
The two-wheeler industry is complaining that business is no longer as brilliant as it was during the Corona period. However, high sales are still booked. At a press conference today to mark the start of the Eurobike trade fair in Frankfurt am Main, there was talk of the normalization of the market.
City dwellers in particular buy e-bikes and cargo bikes with great enthusiasm. The demand for simple bicycles without a motor continues to crumble. According to estimates by the two-wheeler industry association, more e-bikes will be sold than conventional bikes for the first time this year. This means good business for manufacturers and dealers. Because while a conventional bike brings the retail trade an average turnover of 714 euros, an e-bike costs five times as much at 3570 euros, reports the Zweirad trade association.
On average, more than two bikes per household
Until well into the post-war period, bicycles were common means of transport for the rural population and for workers to get to the factory. Children and young people used their bikes for everyday transportation needs. Today, bicycles are very often used as sports equipment by high-income members of the middle class and in the economic upper class.
The older the drivers, the more they drive with the support of electric motors. In the upscale neighborhoods of German cities, cargo bikes are driven, which increasingly have additional electric drives. The managing directors of the Hessian manufacturer Riese and Müller say their customers often see expensive cargo bikes as an alternative to buying a two-car.
The “current economic calculation” of the Federal Statistical Office shows that four out of five German households have had bicycles for years – an average of 2.3 bicycles. In view of the high number of small households in Germany, this means that there is a considerable number of cyclists who use several bikes at the same time: a mountain bike for the forest, a racing bike for road tours and an “urban bike” for shopping.
High-budget customers courted
The family company Coboc from Heidelberg is planning a light e-mountain bike that can also be used on streets and in the city. Only a display model using 3D printing technology will be shown at the trade fair – but the goal is clear: people who use bicycles extensively, have a high budget and have little space should be won over as customers.
At the Eurobike, which runs until next Sunday in Frankfurt am Main, hundreds of exhibitors fill four large exhibition halls. Cycling is described as a contribution to the traffic turnaround. “Responsibility in terms of sustainability” promises the former cyclist Marcel Kittel, whose newly founded company Kids Bike Revolution in Erfurt develops children’s bikes with frames that are supposed to be recyclable.
“Our idea can be recycled,” agrees Patrick Steinwand from H+B Hightech in Baden-Württemberg. The automotive supplier presents a new gear shift. And “E Bike Advanced Technologies” from Frankfurt am Main says their frames are “100 percent recyclable”. Advanced offers a brochure online with information about their ecologically advantageous production. But here as well as there, evidence and concrete information on how the glass-fibre-coated silicone fabrics, carbon fibers coated with polyamide and injection-moulded plastics are to be recycled are rare.
“Almost motorcycles”
E-bikes are becoming faster and lighter, making them easier to use, even for inexperienced users. “We support up to 45 kilometers per hour,” says Dirk Menze from the gearbox manufacturer Pinion in Denkendorf near Stuttgart. “It’s almost a motorcycle,” says Sebastian Fessen-Fallsehr from Busch and Müller in the Sauerland, commenting on a demonstration bike. His company has equipped the e-bike with indicators, high beam and brake light – which is not yet permitted on the road. E-bikes are sold under the motorcycle brands Ducati, KTM and Yamaha.
Fast e-bikes need a license plate that proves the insurance. Anyone who uses them must have a driver’s license. The bicycle industry association calls for political support. In contrast to other consumer goods, their customers “are not able to use our products without restrictions”.
More than 200 fatalities in accidents
The organizers of “Eurobike”, the industry associations and the advertising agency “Pressedienst Fahrrad” will be presenting new bikes, gears, motors, lamps, bags and seats at the trade fair. Hardly any mention of helmets. Drivers without head protection are advertised – for example by Deutsche Bahn (“Call a Bike”).
An evaluation by the Federal Statistical Office shows that the number of accidents involving e-bikes is increasing drastically. Last year 22,000 people were injured and 206 died; the year before there were still 17,000 injured and 131 dead. The fact that other road users are often not involved indicates that the e-bikes are often not controlled.