Ebikes Are Becoming More Popular and Cheaper

The United Kingdom is experiencing an electric bike (ebike) boom. Halfords, a UK-based cycling and motoring retailer has used some current market data to project a truly robust and astonishing rate of growth in the e-bike industry over the next 30 years.

Halfords ships around 50,000 - 60,000 units per year of these alternative electric vehicles. According to their industry-leading blog, Halfords say they can use market data from the Office for National Statistics and Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders, as well as Google Trends, to calculate the degree of growth ebike retailers can expect to see over the next 30 years. 

Before we start looking at these statistics, let’s know what exactly is an ebike and why are they becoming so popular in the UK.

Electric bikes come in all shapes and sizes. For the most part, they look exactly like traditional bikes. If you look closely, the distinguishing features of an ebike are its motor, usually found within the rear hub at the center of the rear wheel and a battery mounted on the frame or rear rack. 

The most popular electric bike styles in the UK are ones for leisure riding and commuting. These are sometimes called “step-through ebikes,” because their frame doesn’t have a top tube, so you don’t have to swing your leg over the bicycle to mount or dismount it.

They have an electric motor and a battery that can assist the pedaling to generate forward propulsion, or you can propel the bicycle entirely on its own while using the throttle, thus no pedaling is required. This allows you to tackle hills, headwinds, and heavier loads from shops far easier than a traditional bicycle.

Unlike a moped or scooter, you can ride an ebike like a regular conventional bike with the motor turned off, giving you the myriad of health benefits from bike riding, as well as reducing your carbon footprint at much lower operating costs of commuting with an automobile. 

Even though the UK doesn’t have the infrastructure of famous cycling countries like the Netherlands, there are still parts of the country that are adapting more and more to accommodate cyclists – especially in traffic-heavy cities.

Whether you’re talking about pressure for dedicated bike lanes or ebike rental schemes popping up in the capital and Manchester, the pressure for a more cycling-friendly Britain is well underway. 

Many of the UK’s most populous cities are falling way behind in acceptable air quality statistics, which is leading more people to try and reduce carbon emissions for their cities, their lungs, and the planet by getting out of their cars and onto an ebike. 

The top 10 cities in the UK for ebike sales and cycling infrastructure are unsurprisingly cities mentioned earlier, like London, Manchester, and Bristol. However, Belfast, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Leeds are experiencing growth in ebike sales. Residents of these cities are predicted to continue buying electric commuter bikes in ever expanding numbers. 

Halfords expect major increases in ebike sales in 2020. Their blog makes no claims of intuitive market speculation, but rather it is their examination of the sales growth over the last few years coupled with the returns in 2019 that lead them to feel strongly that a 30% increase in sales of ebikes across the UK is well within the realm of possibility. 

Between now and 2030, there are a number of powerful public and private sector forces moving the UK towards becoming a greater purchaser of electric bicycles. 

Electric bikes typically come with both a pedal assist system (PAS) and a throttle, so they can be a perfect tool for those looking to improve their quality of health, especially those who are limited by physical injuries or impairments from doing things like running or lifting weights. This is because the electric pedal assistance allows you to always be able to ride and pedal comfortably without too much exertion; whether you’re going uphill or across uneven ground. Bike riding is one of the best low-impact exercises you can do, and having a motor onboard makes it even better.

--- Along with the greater emphasis on the development of dedicated cycling lanes, there is a massive factor that supports Halfords’ claim: the government’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

This move towards complete electrification will no doubt see a lot of people choosing electric bikes over other forms of transportation.

Another reason why this move towards electrification will boost the sales of ebikes, and not just electric cars, is that as the whole transportation sector begins to develop, the corresponding ten years of technological advancement in electric motors and batteries will likely cause the price of ebikes to drop. 

Ebikes models range from cool fat tire electric bikes to mechanical and technological marvels and the prices can vary from 1000 pounds all the way up to 6 grand. A drop in prices would make ebikes a much more realistic choice of transport for all kinds of people. 

If you want to buy an ebike, the best time is now. We are in an ebike renaissance, with attractive electric bike finance options available and prices are dropping every month.

Remember when flat screen televisions first came out? They cost four-thousand pounds and needed two people to lift them. Since then, market competition and technological innovation has dramatically reduced the price, and weight of flat screen televisions. The same is true for ebikes, which are now safer, easier to use, and cheaper than ever before.

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