Are Pedelecs the new cool in low-carbon transport? The EU Commission thinks so. Photo (c) Belgium CycleChic

What's the most exciting innovation in low-carbon transport ? Pedelecs, says the EU Commission. For the first time, a study mandated by the Commission's DG Climate confirms that electric bikes are an excellent zero-emission transport choice.

The authors of the “Emerging technology trends and innovation processes for the low carbon economy” report, authored by environmental consultancy Ricardo-AEA for the EU Commision's DG climate, were free to choose which technology to study. It could have been electric cars - but they still struggle to gain significant market share, and their future remains uncertain. Pedelecs, on the other hand, are a mature technology and have much bigger potential to be widely used.

The message of the report is clear: Pedelecs are one of the most promising innovative transport solutions and an excellent opportunity for the European bike industry to broaden their customer base. The study underlines Pedelecs are emission-free and solve congestion problems while offering enormous health savings. They also convince a growing number of people to switch to cycling instead of driving a car.

Cycling advocacy playing a key role

ECF played a key role in the Commission study. "ECF was an important source of knowledge and information about Pedelecs, the industry, the legislation, and the related politics," says Duncan Kay, who lead the study at Ricardo-AEA. " Without their background material and insights, the study would have been much less conclusive."

Ricardo-AEA estimates that the market for Pedelecs might see annual growth at up to 14% until 2020, a rate any sector could only dream of. The study further suggests that because Pedelecs are more labour-intensive to assemble, service and sell than regular bicycles, there might be significant potential for new employment from the sector as well.

Regulation is crucial

The emerging technology report helpfully identifies some barriers that the EU and national authorities need to address to expand the pedelec market including standardisation, road safety and price. But strikingly they warn that “in many countries, comprehensive legislation and regulation is not yet in place governing the sale and use of ETWs. Equally unclear or inappropriate regulation and lack of enforcement can result in manufacturers and consumers deliberately exploiting loopholes. This can potentially lead to safety concerns.”

Kevin Mayne says ECF thinks this matches growing concerns with speed pedelecs. "Yes, they may be a valuable resource moving people to the two wheeled sector but the risks are far from understood and the industry is apparently not prepared for the public backlash if the speed pedelec damages the safe reputation of the bicycle." He adds that the EU recognising the risk and building it into its research and policy advice is a welcome move that ECF supports.

Government subsidies 

Safety and regulation concerns aside, Ricardo-AEA also says that much more could be done to promote Pedelecs and to facilitate their uptake by consumers. Most notably, the authors say that government support is needed to help bringing down their price, and make them more accessible as a product. They say it would be a good idea to offer subsidies to consumers and the bike industry alike, as Spain has recently done. 

Finally, the study says more research and knowledge sharing could boost the Pedelec business. The Horizon 2020 programme for innovation and research, recently launched by the European Commission, could play an important role in this respect. 

Once more, cycling advocacy organizations are well placed at the interface between the industry, policy makers and public officials.