Electric Bikes: The real electric transport revolution
They are making less noise in the press than their four wheeled
counterparts and yet they are taking the personal transport world by
storm.
The e-bike market is booming: in the past year, the
Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV) [two-wheeled industry association] has
reported an increase in the market volume in Germany of a very healthy
50 per cent. And in the Netherlands, one in eight newly purchased
bicycles now has electric pedal power support.
The price trend for e-bikes is currently a hotly discussed
subject (average buying price in Holland per E bike is €2300). A
relatively high price
acceptance for e-bikes has established itself amongst consumers and
there is a good reason for this: an e-bike is a long-term investment
with a high utility value. Making savings at the wrong end may well be
a source of frustration after a year or two as cheaper batteries fail before their time and a replacement is not cheap.