The Hottest New Car on the Market Is an E-Bike

Many Americans are turning to electric bikes over gas, or even electric cars, for transport needs

On the road to our electrified-transportation future, many other Americans are traveling by e-bike. Last year, in fact, Americans bought nearly double the amount of motorized two-wheelers than they did fully electric cars.

Overall, e-bike sales more than tripled between 2019 and 2021. And while sales of conventional bikes have fallen significantly in 2022 as pandemic-fueled demand wanes, sales of electric bikes remain relatively strong.

The prices for e-bikes have diverged, with base models dropping below $1,000, midrange options up to about $3,000, and luxury models—like a $10,000 one from Porsche—going for much more. But the cost of electricity for charging an e-bike is vanishingly small: between about $30 and $50 a year, depending on the cost of electricity, where you live and how much you use the bike.

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A decade ago, electric bikes were far less capable. They tended to have short range and sluggish motors that topped out at speeds below 20 miles an hour on the motor alone. Now, e-bikes have improved.

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Manufacturers targeted a different demographic than they do now, largely baby boomers who opted for brands like Pedego, which at the time focused on beach cruiser-style bikes for those who might not be comfortable moving a bicycle solely under their own power.

J.L. Sousa/Napa Valley Register/Zuma

Along with perception and awareness of electric bikes, “the other thing that’s changed dramatically is the technology,” says Don DiCostanzo, chief executive of Pedego, which has 232 stores in 47 states and was founded in 2008. “Every component on a bike now is just so much better,” he adds.

The changes in the underlying tech in e-bikes, plus addition of bells and whistles like GPS antitheft systems, have given rise to a huge variety of designs, with many manufacturers investing heavily and focusing on creating e-bikes that include everything a commuter might need in order to replace a car.

FattE-Bikes of Denver is one of the few U.S.-based assemblers of e-bikes, and exemplifies this trend. “I tell people it’s not a heavy bike, it’s a light electric vehicle,” says Kenny Fischer, co-founder of the company.

Employee Kyle Tripp puts the finishing touches on an e-bike.

The company’s bikes include many carlike features, such as rear view mirrors, tail and brake lights, long-range batteries, a throttle for optional pedal-free riding, and puncture-resistant, oversized “fat” tires that are better able to handle potholes and bad weather.

Can you ditch your car?

While e-bike sales are strong in the U.S., they are dwarfed by what’s happening elsewhere. In Europe, 5 million e-bikes were sold in 2021, and in China, annual sales of e-bikes consistently top 30 million. Part of this is cultural, but it’s also due to the significantly more bicycle-and-pedestrian friendly design of many non-U.S. cities.

“E-bikes to me are the indicator species of a healthy transportation system,” says Rachel Hultin, director of sustainable transportation at bicycle advocacy group Bicycle Colorado.

In other words, when people feel safe opting for an electric bicycle or other car alternative, it’s an indication that their home is a place where they feel they can get around using whatever means of transport they prefer.

(Photo: Stephen Shaver/Zuma)

Even in Colorado’s relatively bicycle-friendly cities like Boulder and Denver, changing roadways so that they accommodate more than just ever-larger vehicles operated at maximum speed is challenging and takes a lot of time.

David Zalubowski/AP

Making even basic bike lanes a priority can mean contending with drivers—electric vehicles or otherwise—who are loath to see roads lose a lane or parking spots.

Matt Roth for The Wall Street Journal

Advocates of EVs didn’t generally anticipate that driving down prices of battery packs would make them more accessible for other uses—enabling non-car modes of transportation that hadn’t really existed before, such as electric scooters and e-bikes capable of the dependability, speed and range that have made them a sometimes-viable alternative to motor vehicles.

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Produced by Matthew Riva

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