Dreary weather was to blame for a 5.5% drop in shipment volume to bike dealers in Germany last year. This is according to Bike Europe, reporting on a presentation of 2013’s market statistics from the country’s bike industry association. Long winter months and a rainy summer saw a drop to 3.75 million total units shipped to the country’s bike dealers last year.
This was in stark contrast to an impressive 7.9% increase in electric bikes in the country for the same period however. Total sales of electric bikes were 410,000 in 2013, representing an 11% share of the overall market for the first time.
The figures come from Germany’s bicycle industry association, the ‘Zweirad Industrie Verband’ (ZIV), who credit the rise in electric bike sales to developments in technology as well as a broadening appeal of e-bikes. The industry notes that the e-bike is no longer just the territory of the over 50s but, increasingly, younger people living in urban areas in addition.
Such people, the industry suggests, are discovering the “many opportunities and possibilities of e-bikes in everyday mobility”. According to other studies citied by the organisation, a cultural shift has seen the younger generation embracing the idea of using e-bikes for commuting and shopping. The industry estimates there are now just over 1.6 million e-bikes in Germany.
The market share for electric bikes in Germany is expected to grow to 15% in the medium term, according to ZIV, who add that the “largest markets for e-bikes in Europe are the Netherlands and Germany, combining to account for more than 50 percent of the total European market.”
