E-Bikes Will Take Over Cars In The Future?
The VanMoof Dutch company is banking on e-bikes as the transportation of the future with big cities like New York, Paris, and Berlin investing tons of money into urban development and making their city streets more bike friendly.
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The United States is probably one of the least bike-friendly counties in the world. We have our cities so spread out from the epicenter that we invented a word for them–the suburbs. If you live in the ‘burbs, you can ride a bike 30-plus miles to your job in the city every day. You could, but it’d be a bit of a sweaty time suck. The same would be true even if you rode an e-bike.
But, the US is trying. For those who live close to where they work, they are enticed to use alternative transportation like bicycling. However, most cities are not planned to be super friendly to those traveling on two wheels. And e-bikes are still considered a bit of an oddity.
However, a Dutch company is looking to make a change in that. According to the NY Times, Worldwide, in other bike-friendly cities in Europe, many people abandoned mass transit altogether due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distance made traveling by train a bit impossible. So, the people looked to the burgeoning e-bike market that could make traveling longer distances comfortable.
The VanMoof Dutch company and creators of e-bikes seized the moment and have been able to raise $150M from venture capitalists. The number is virtually heard of when it comes to the bicycle market. But with its sleek Apple-esque design, and impeccable timing, the company is set out to see if cities can begin to be designed around e-bikes.
As cities in the US look to begin implementing legislation banning the sale of gas-powered cars, electric vehicles and e-bikes will start to increase in production and sales. And as this happens, cities will begin to accommodate the electric lifestyle a bit more–at least that is the hope.
The biggest challenge the Dutch company had when it started upping its game was to see if it could help conquer hills that primarily surround Amsterdam. The city is flat and wide, but if you live outside of city lines, you’re going to have to contend with hills. When you have an e-bike, it lessens the burden of pedaling.
Paris, Berlin, and New York City are beginning to make major changes to urban development. Although the VanMoof company did not begin with e-bikes, it started experimenting with them at just the right time. The bikes will start at $3,500 and are meant to attract primarily those who are careless and enjoy city living for commuting.
But, the question remains, will e-bikes continue to catch on as a primary method of transportation for those in the US? With powerhouse brand Harley Davidson taking on e-bikes, the outlook for eclectic vehicles is looking good for the US.
However, growth will only continue if two things occur: 1) fossil fuel cars become less available and 2) more folks remain in the city. Both things are indeed occurring and the outlook looks rosy for e-bikes.
56% of the world’s inhabitants reside in the city. And the trend is that the urban population will more than double its current size by 2050. At that time, about 7 of 10 people will live in cities. Hopefully driving e-bikes.
