Originally Posted by
InTheRain
I have an e-bike that I use as a commuter. I absolutely love riding it. It really makes my commute enjoyable and easy. I'm always wondering what it is that keeps people from going the e-bike route - especially for commuting. I read an interesting article the other day about e-bikes and the growth in the Netherlands. E-bike sales accounted for 47 percent of the revenue from bike sales.
Dutch bike over 1,000 km per year as e-bike sales soar - NL Times
Is it the initial cost of an e-bike that makes bicycle commuters in North America shy away from an e-bike? If you could afford an e-bike as a commuter, would it be your first choice. Why.. or why not? The Dutch seem to be going the way of the e-bike. They seem to be the world leaders in using bicycles for transportation. I present these questions in the commuting forum because I believe that is the best use for an e-bike. I see a lot of threads in the forum about making a bike lighter for speed or better hill climbing. I see other threads that discuss how to carry a load, or reduce a load, for a commute. It seems that an e-bike solves these commute related problems and issues.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
While e-bikes represented 47% of revenue from bike sales, they only accounted for 25% of new bike sales. Of course, the majority of Dutch cyclists didn't buy new bikes last year so e-bikes still are well in the minority.
25% is nothing to sneeze at, but we should be clear on what we are talking about.
For me a large part of the appeal of riding a bike is the human powered aspect of it, so for the most part I'm not terribly interested in e-bikes. However, winter in these parts creates huge problems for bicycle commuters. Many of us tough it out anyway but frankly two wheeled machines that leave you exposed to the elements aren't exactly ideal winter transportation.
Add a third wheel for stability and an enclosure of some type then you'd have something that would appeal to more commuters. However, pushing two wheels through snow is difficult enough, 3 would be even harder. Plus now you'd have the added weight of an enclosure. In my mind some sort of pedal assist would be required to make something like that workable.
Of course, once you add an enclosure, a motor, a 3rd wheel, and maybe some extra cargo space, it might be more of a micro-motor vehicle than a bike.