Originally Posted by
briwasson
E-assist bikes are hugely popular for touring in Germany right now, and there is impressive infrastructure in certain areas to support it. In the Black Forest region, for example, there is a network of charging points (restaurants, cafes, museums, retail stores, etc.) that offer free charging points. These are noted on trailside signs as well as maps you can get from the tourist offices. Tourist officials and tour providers realize the potential of a huge market for people who might not otherwise try bike touring, and are investing in making it viable.
Here's an example:
• E-Bike Region - Touristikgemeinschaft Hohenlohe e.V.
And in Austria:
E-Biking in Austria and especially
E-BikeWelt - Kitzbüheler Alpen - Kaisergebirge with a network of 1000km of trails in Tirol.
Also, now that there are well-designed E-mountain bikes, I'm seeing them now being used in the Alps for guided tours and also rentals. Expensive bikes, though, around 2500-3000 euro.
Interesting info; restaurants have an incentive to add charging points--diners can linger longer, buy an extra glass of Riesling or whatnot. But doesn't it take 5+ hours to fully charge avg battery? & doesn't riding in hilly areas cut range heavily? I scan some pages about Euro E-bike touring...many of the hosted and/or planned tours go short daily distances like 50 km. 90 km range seems to be more for experienced cyclists.
I'm not a strong rider but on tours if weather or hills slows planned pace down I have enough steam left to still finish. With E-bikes it seems that one needs to play it safe on planned range.