Will electric bikes really catch on?
Posted: January 22, 2010 at 10:38 amAfter the buzz around the Sanyo’s Eneloop and other advances in e-bikes, lots of folks think that the technology has reached a point where it will really catch one. This NY Times article provides a good overview about the state of the e-bike.
I don’t think that it’s the technology itself which is the make or break factor for the widespread acceptance here. What I think will be the largest hurdle is getting over the social stigma many see in riding a bike. When people find out I ride a bike exclusively they come to one of two conclusions:
- I can’t afford a car.
- I lost my license because of a DUI
To be clear, I can afford a car and I’ve never had a DUI. This of course leads to the final conclusion… that I’m a weirdo hippie (this part might be true).
While making bikes easier to ride will certainly get some people in the saddle, I don’t think we will see an explosion of riders until the perception of biking is changed. Cars are just too entrenched into our culture no matter what technology makes bikes more accessible. But that’s just my option.
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What is driving electric bike sales right now is the baby boomer market. They remember how much fun it was riding a bike as a kid but they just do not want to fight the hills or headwinds anymore. They are not buying them for transportation, for fitness or to be eco friendly. They are buying them because they are having fun! Do they start using them for transportation? Yes because it is more fun running to the store, post office, bank, etc on a bike. Do they get exercise? Absolutely since nearly everyone still pedals the bike even when using the motor. Are they being eco friendly? Better than driving their cars to the market. There are 75 million baby boomers out there who will be driving this trend because they all want to have fun and be a kid again. The great thing is most baby boomers don’t care what others think. They are old enough to have learned that.