Bike country No 1': Dutch go electric in record numbers
E-bikes now outsell standard bicycles in Netherlands, with quality prized more than price
Daniel Boffey
Fri 1 Mar 2019 17.56 GMTLast modified on Fri 1 Mar 2019 18.15 GMT
Shares
732
A cyclist travels through Grote Markt in Groningen. E-bikes accounted for €823m of €1.2bn in bicycle sales in the Netherlands in 2018. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
In what was already a long-running purple patch for the Dutch cycle industry, domestic sales records have been broken in the last 12 months despite spiralling prices, as technological developments push the standard push-bike into the annals of history.
The Dutch love affair with the bicycle is well chronicled – there are 22.5m of them in a country of 17 million people – but has moved up a level, according to a study by the RAI Vereniging, an organisation representing the automotive and cycling sector.
More than 1m bicycles were sold last year in the Netherlands, up 5.7% on 2017, and at the same time Dutch consumers appear willing to spend big on their bicycles, particularly on e-bikes, statistics show.
Advertisement
E-bikes accounted for €823m of €1.2bn in bicycle sales in 2018. It was the first year that overall sales past €1bn and the first time more e-bikes were sold than standard bicycles. In terms of units, 409,400 e-bikes were sold, up 40% on 2017. As a result the average price of a bicycle in the Netherlands rose by about €200 to €1,207. In 2011 the average was €734.
Asked whether rising prices would begin to put the Dutch public off the two-wheeled mode of transport, RAI’s Floris Liebrand said: “Not in the Netherlands. It is in our culture, in our blood.
“We are bike country No 1 in the world so we are used to investing in innovative bikes so there is difference there compared with other countries, including the UK.
“For us it quite normal to spend €1,000 on a bike. An average for an e-bike is over €2,000 but that is in our culture. We believe in the quality of our products. There are e-bikes of €700 or €900 but they are from south-east Asia and the quality is lower.”
The buoyant sales are partly being put down to the good weather of the summer of 2018.
But Liebrand said there had been a change in the Dutch mindset as electric bikes have moved on from being seen as the choice of older people. “In the future we will not talk about e-bikes, but just bikes,” he said. “E-bikes will be the new normal, I think, within 10 to 15 years. We think that all bikes will be supported by small engines.
“In the Netherlands, 60% of those who work live within 15km [9.3 miles] of their work and that is perfect for an e-bike.
“There are consequences. We have fewer traffic deaths but an increase in severe injuries because people cycle more and [are also doing so] when they are older. People cycle when they are 80.”
The RAI Vereniging is pushing for an increase in investment before provincial elections on 20 March.
- Forums
- ASX - By Stock
- Lithium, Batteries and TEch and anything electric
Bike country No 1': Dutch go electric in record numbers E-bikes...
-
- There are more pages in this discussion • 350 more messages in this thread...
You’re viewing a single post only. To view the entire thread just sign in or Join Now (FREE)
Featured News
Add AGY (ASX) to my watchlist
(20min delay)
|
|||||
Last
4.2¢ |
Change
-0.001(2.33%) |
Mkt cap ! $61.14M |
Open | High | Low | Value | Volume |
4.1¢ | 4.3¢ | 4.1¢ | $14.82K | 354.7K |
Buyers (Bids)
No. | Vol. | Price($) |
---|---|---|
7 | 1377270 | 4.1¢ |
Sellers (Offers)
Price($) | Vol. | No. |
---|---|---|
4.2¢ | 141862 | 1 |
View Market Depth
No. | Vol. | Price($) |
---|---|---|
7 | 1377270 | 0.041 |
20 | 2528976 | 0.040 |
11 | 2999266 | 0.039 |
13 | 608231 | 0.038 |
5 | 850000 | 0.037 |
Price($) | Vol. | No. |
---|---|---|
0.042 | 141862 | 1 |
0.043 | 875641 | 4 |
0.044 | 520342 | 4 |
0.045 | 115909 | 4 |
0.046 | 200000 | 1 |
Last trade - 16.10pm 17/09/2024 (20 minute delay) ? |
Featured News
AGY (ASX) Chart |