If the Covid-19 crisis has had one virtue, it is to accelerate environmental awareness and to inflate the rise of electromobility. While they went from 38,000 to 102,083 between 2010 and 2015, sales of electrically assisted bicycles (VAE) soared in the second half of the decade.
514 672 VAE were acquired by the French in 2020, an increase of 29% compared to 2019, already a record year. In total, according to the Cycle Observatory, the electric bicycle represented more than 1 billion euros in turnover in France over the last year.
On its own, it generates a third of cycle market revenue. Logic: it is sold on average at 2,079 euros, against 394 euros for a classic bike. This, excluding bonus awarded for example by the Ile-de-France Region of 500 euros (or 50% of the price) for a classic bike or 600 euros (or 50% of the price) for a cargo bike. Prices mainly due to the battery which, if it represents 10 to 20% of the weight of an e-bike, contributes 25 to 65% of the final amount.
In this buoyant market, the city bike type electric bicycle is performing well in 2020 with 40% of sales, followed by mountain biking at 27% and VTC at 21%, the latter technically suitable for mixed city use and country walks.
Because it is in urban areas that the madness of the VAE asserts itself the strongest. Normal, this is where it is best suited. “The main interest of the electric bicycle is to flatten the ribs. It offers perfect assistance on the way up and makes it possible not to arrive sweaty at work or a meeting”, comments Bertrand Lambert, presenter of “Parigo”, every Saturday at 12:05 on France 3 Paris-Ile-de- France.
In addition, after the first deconfinement, the City of Paris set up “coronapistes” who run along the routes of the metro lines. Originally provisional, these cycle paths are called upon to be perpetuated and transformed to offer real safety to cyclists. Because the electric bike is fast… In town, it is even faster than the car. The average speed of movement of a Parisian VAE is 19 km / h, against 14 km / h for a car.
The trend will accelerate further
At this speed, if the helmet is not yet mandatory, it is highly recommended. Bike sales jumped, but so did traffic accidents. Over the whole of 2020, according to figures from the Paris police headquarters, there were 919 cyclists victims of a road accident, against 680 in 2019. Among them, 8 died. Wearing a helmet, gloves, suitable shoes, and a reflective vest is more relevant than ever.
In addition, if no decision of global obligation has yet been taken by the public authorities, they have already legislated in the direction of protection against theft. Since January 1, “registration” of new bicycles, electric or not, is compulsory for purchase. It is a marking of the frame with ten unalterable alphanumeric characters. The number is written on the purchase invoice and recorded in a national file with the owner’s contact details, the description of the machine (color, make, model), and possibly its serial number as well as that of the battery.
“The problem is that if the law obliges you to mark your bike, nothing has been organized for that. There are no well-defined rules and we remain in the dark. Above all, if this will perhaps allow the police to find stolen bikes, it will be by chance. They will not launch specific searches. It’s not like a car,” comments a salesperson from the cycle department at Decathlon, not very convinced.
While the measure will not deter thieves, it will not hold back buyers either. The madness of the VAE is well and truly set to last. The Cycle Observatory estimates that the trend towards purchasing electrified bicycles will further accelerate in the years to come. While it took five years to reach the 500,000 units sold in one year, industry professionals believe that the milestone of one million electrified bikes sold will be crossed in 2024.
The ultimate proof that the phenomenon will continue and grow: since 2018, a battery recycling sector has been set up under state approval, Corépile. In two years, it has already recycled more than 100,000 pieces of light electric vehicle equipment (bicycles, but not only) aged between five and ten years. The process takes place in five stages: collection, disassembly, the partition of cells, separation of metals, and, finally, reuse or disposal. The responsible economy has taken the wheel of pedelecs.