Relatively few electric bicycles are bought in Britain, but last year over 30 million battery-boosted bikes sold around the world and Ford this week became the latest car manufacturer to unveil its own design.
Ford has no plans to sell its E-Bike, which looks every inch the elegantly-styled concept bike, but it does grace the company’s stand at this week’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “If Ford was to apply the philosophy that lay behind the Model T to the electric bike, the company might revolutionise personal transport for the second time in 100 years.”
Could electric bicycles change the way the world travels?
It sounds like a tall order, but global market for electric bicycles is growing at an impressive rate. Following a back-to-back test of electric cars, electric motorcycles and an electric bicycle last year, we concluded that the bicycle represented the best application of the technology and that in terms of price, range and usability the bicycle is the most practical option for those who want the benefits of an electric vehicle today.
Electric vehicles of every description are currently in development, from aircraft to jet skis, but batteries remain expensive and heavy. Bicycles are light enough to make do with a small battery and can be carried into a house to be re-charged.
Furthermore, the electrically-assisted bicycle is the ultimate hybrid; if the battery runs flat, the rider can switch to leg power in an instant.
Who needs an electric bicycle?
There will be those who will scoff at the idea of an electric bicycle, but for many more the bikes will be a revelation. Electric bicycles are at their most efficient when the rider works in tandem with the motor; electrically-assisted bikes can make a 30-mile round-trip commute a realistic option for even a novice cyclist. They also make cycling more accessible for the elderly or disabled.
Our vedict: Don’t knock electric bicycles until you have tried a good one. Over the next twenty years, electric bicycles are likely to have a greater impact on the way we travel than electric cars.
Cycle insurance
Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old, cover for accidental damage, third party insurance, personal accident cover and if you breakdown, we will even come out and recover you and your bike. Electric bicycles are covered by ETA cycle insurance.
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