Czechs increasingly fond of e-bikes
Czechs are growing increasingly fond of electric bikes, Czech Radio reported on Thursday. According to one of the country’s biggest e-bike sellers, Ekolo.cz, sales have grown by one-third compared to the previous year.
One of the factors behind the growing sale of e-bikes is the coronavirus outbreak. People are holidaying at home and are also using bicycles to avoid public transport.
One of the new e-bike enthusiasts, 71-year old Pavel, bought his first electric bicycle in May this year:
“I bought an electric bike, because with increasing age I have become increasingly lazy. Also, pedalling in the Krkonoše mountains is a real disaster. I decided to get a bike with a strong battery and a smaller frame, which is easy to mount.”
Jakub Dittrich from the company Ekolo.cz told Czech Radio that the sudden increase in e-bike sales was mainly caused by the fact that shops had been closed due to the coronavirus lockdown.
“However, we will see the effect of the coronavirus crisis again in the autumn. First of all, the weather is expected to stay warm until mid-November. And second, people will probably have to start wearing face masks on public transport again.”
According to Radim Brož from another e-bike seller, the company 4EVER, Czech customers are willing to spend relatively large amounts on electric bikes compared to their wages, on average some CZK 50,000.
While some e-bike models have already been sold out this season, there are still plenty in stock. However, their price is likely to increase in the future, says Jakub Dittrich:
“As of 2019, all electric bikes have to be assembled in Europe, due to the antidumping law, which prevent the import of e-bikes from China,” Mr. Dittrich told Czech Radio.
“That means the price of e-bikes will be roughly 15 to 30 percent higher than this year.”
According to a recent study carried out by the consultancy company Deloitte, the number of e-bikes will continue to increase in the coming years, especially in large cities.
“We expect that between 2020 and 2030, the global sale sales will rise by 130 million. At the moment, the largest sales in e-bikes are recorded in Europe and North America.”
