Electric bikes boom, 31 million units sold worldwide in 2013 alone

Le electric bikes are experiencing unprecedented success. It will be the fault of the crisis or the cost of petrol which continues to rise globally, but more and more people have chosen to equip themselves with one pedal-assisted velocipede, which in principle allows you to travel much longer stretches of road with the same amount of effort and at an undoubtedly higher speed. According to the most recent market estimates, 31 million electric bicycles were sold in 2013 alone. We are talking about a turnover that can be quantified in almost 11 billion dollars.

However, we need to be extremely clear: the diffusion of electric bicycles is not experiencing a homogeneous diffusion, but rather a patchy one. China, quite expectedly, is the absolute leader in sales: the famous Chinese bicycle culture would bring 9 vehicles out of 10 to be sold in the immense Asian country, where for many citizens this becomes the main means of transport, even superior to the car.

The Chinese boom, however, could bring undeniable advantages for us Europeans too. In fact, the continued appreciation of this type of medium in China would lead to the creation of increasingly efficient batteries and long-lasting compared to now, not to mention high demand could lead to a progressive reduction of costs. For now, even in Italy we can find electric bicycles for all tastes, from the cheapest ones to premium ones such as the Smart ebike (which we will soon test on the road), and shops are starting to open almost everywhere. They may not allow you to do the same exercise as normal bikes, but they can very well replace a scooter on numerous occasions.