E-bikes: Charging Toward Compact Cycling Cities
About
Electric bikes, or e-bikes, are close substitutes for cars and two-wheelers because they cover longer distances with less effort. Thus, e-bikes will play a key role in shifting passenger and freight trips away from high-polluting private vehicles and generating fewer emissions if used at scale. While vehicle electrification has focused primarily on large, high-polluting vehicles like buses, trucks, and cars, electrification of bicycles has been largely overlooked as a critical and promising climate and mobility strategy.
As a result, many countries and cities have not yet clearly defined what e-bikes are, what quality standards they must meet, and where they can be used safely and efficiently. This report, developed with support from the Climateworks Foundation, aims to define ‘e-bikes’ and evaluate how and where they are being used, the benefits and challenges to widespread adoption, and the ways in which governments can respond to their growing popularity.
The key recommendations offered in this report highlight the need for governments to recognize e-bikes as an important piece of a sustainable transport network, and to take steps to ensure e-bikes are made affordable, safe, and accessible. This includes:
- Designing infrastructure that separates people on e-bikes and bicycles from higher-speed vehicle traffic;
- Integrating e-bikes into public bikeshare programs to lower the barrier to entry; and
- Providing incentives to make e-bikes more affordable to purchase, similar to those provided for electric cars.
The recommendations also encourage more national level action, including integrating e-bikes into broader climate and electrification plans, and establishing quality standards for e-bikes and their components.
Stay up-to-date on this report and additional resources by subscribing to the Sustainable Transport Bulletin. Interested in learning more about this research or have a press inquiry? Email us at mobility@itdp.org.
Learn More
- Read More on the ITDP Blog →
- Read ITDP’s e-bikes opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle →
- Download the “Making the Economic Case for Cycling” report →
- Download the “Protected Bicycle Lanes Protect the Climate” report →
- Register for ITDP’s “Mastering the Cycling City” Course →
- Learn more about the Cycling Cities Campaign →
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