E-Bikes defeat the Crisis
AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - The electric bicycle was the driving force for the Dutch bike market in 2008. In the other main European bike market, Germany, electric bikes are now gaining momentum while also in other markets in Europe electric bicycles are beating the financial crisis with ongoing sales growth.
According to the Dutch industry organizations RAI and BOVAG, the number of e-Bikes sold in 2008 has again risen beyond all expectations; to about 140,000 units. In Germany 2008 sales totalled at 100,000 units. For 2009 this number is expected to grow with about 25 to 30%, says the German ZIV association.
According to industry associations,sales it is said to grow to about 400,000 on the expectations for Europe’s 2009. This number again seems at the low end of the scale given the fact that in Europe’s main markets, Germany and the Netherlands, the public interest in e-Bikes even folding electric bikes is at a high level.
The e-Bike business in china remained strong last year which is the world biggest e-Bike market. Total sales of electric bicycles in 2008 stood at 21 million. According to officials at the China Bicycle Association (CBA), the ebike business of China is strong, with only a modest 4% reduction in export of complete e-Bikes due to economic crises last year.
China’s 2008 exports exported to 170 different countries which stood at 580,000 complete e-Bikes. The very large numbers of CKD and SKD electric bikes that are exported to India and the EU are not included in the CBA figures. Sales will become more larger than the export number suggest with them included.
The recently founded Light Electric Vehicle Association says on the dynamic growth in the last year in India, many smaller markets, as well as the EU and USA that: “Even in the difficult year, it is easy to see that electric bicycles are a very important vehicle category that is becoming one of the top 5 vehicle categories used by humans worldwide.”