The United States discovers e-bikes: a boom in sales and bikes in cities
Mobility — di Andrea Indiano
Electric e-bikes are conquering the American scene, with a 269 per cent increase in sales between 2019 and 2022.
The United States discovers e-bikes: a boom in sales and bikes in cities
Electric e-bikes are conquering the American scene, with a 269 per cent increase in sales between 2019 and 2022.
- The growth of e-bikes in the US is fuelled by road closures during the pandemic and by administrations' efforts to reduce pollution, creating a push towards more sustainable transport options.
- While there is no federal support comparable to that for electric cars, more than 100 incentives at local level are promoting the adoption of electric bikes in the United States, with New York leading the way.
- The boom in pedal-assist bikes is promoting a paradigm shift in mobility in the United States, one of the countries with the highest car usage in the world.
After becoming a common presence on Italian and European roads – above all because they are widely used by delivery riders – e-bikes are finally making their way into the mobility options of citizens of the United States of America. The surge in electric bicycle sales is driven by the desire to reduce pollution and improve transport alternatives in American cities and states, where the car has been the most widely used means of getting around for decades. According to John MacArthur, a transport researcher at Portland State University, 2024 could be declared the year of the e-bike.
The e-bike sales boom in the US
MacArthur, interviewed by the newspaper Guardian, explains that sales rose impressively by 269 per cent between 2019 and 2022 in the United States, with a market size estimated at around 2 billion euros in 2023. The absence of cars during the pandemic period and growing attention towards sustainable mobility convinced many Americans to try electric bikes. "All these converging trends mean this is an important moment. E-bikes are fashionable, people are talking about them. They are inclusive for everyone," the expert said. Now, on the boulevards of New York, Los Angeles and other American metropolises, it is not uncommon to see citizens getting around on two electric wheels.
2024 could be considered “the year of the ebike”, as our sustainable transportation program manager @johnmacpdx told the @guardian. After several years of false starts, electric bikes are finally entering the American mainstream: theguardian.com/environment/20…
At a global level, there are around 280 million electric mopeds, bicycles and scooters which, combined, are already reducing oil demand by around one million barrels a day. As well as contributing to the fight against climate change and the use of sustainable transport, the rise of e-bikes has broader connotations, as MacArthur highlights. Pedal-assist bikes can be used by people with varying levels of physical ability and can encourage the choice of a more eco-friendly means of transport for short journeys: research shows that half of all trips made by Americans cover distances of less than 5 kilometres.
Incentives in New York
At a national level across the United States, President Biden's administration has focused on the transition from petrol cars to electric cars, offering tax credits of up to 7,500 dollars to those who opt for an electric vehicle. However, there is no comparable federal support for the purchase of e-bikes, despite sales now exceeding those of electric cars and many experts highlighting their greater benefits beyond those already well known: from lower emissions caused by tyre wear, to their contribution to reducing road accidents. By way of compensation, more than 100 city- and state-level incentives to promote the adoption of e-bikes in the United States are worth noting, according to a database compiled by MacArthur. One of the most significant support packages could soon be implemented in New York, with the state senate having passed a bill that offsets 50 per cent of the purchase of a new e-bike or electric scooter, guaranteeing an incentive of up to 1,100 dollars.
Jabari Brisport, a Democratic senator for the state of New York, has said that despite a delay he is optimistic that the bill will be passed by the New York assembly and signed by the governor. "I haven't heard any opposition to the bill. There is a lot of attention on pushing people to replace their cars with more efficient models, but other modes of transport, such as e-bikes, should also be given greater consideration. They are an ideal low-emission form of transport for getting around cities on short journeys," Brisport said. Thanks to the positive trend from the United States, the use of electric bikes could soon spread even further, encouraging the adoption of a sustainable and enjoyable means of transport.