‘30 - 40% of bikes sold will carry electrics in future' says Bosch
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Bosch has revealed that they expect between 30 and 40% of bikes to carry some form of electric assistance in the future.
Speaking to CyclingIndustry.News , the firm said that the rapid evolution of the market presents huge opportunity for the bicycle retailer, manufacturer, logistics and tourism sectors.
"In just a few years we've gone from 40 to over 60 bicycle brand and as such believe we're growing at a rate ahead of the market at the present time. Some markets are currently growing up to 30% - 40% annually. In the mid-term we expect that there will be countries with saturated markets and growth rates around 10% - 15%," says Tamara Winograd, head of marketing and communications Bosch eBike Systems. "Our range has been well accepted by the bicycle market and we certainly regard ourselves as an important driver in the eBike market.
"One Bike Exchange statistic that stood out for me recently was that 45% of searches related to electric mountain bikes," says Winograd. "With our specific off-road drive systems (Performance Line CX) a good chunk of these will be Bosch users. A quarter of our sales are for CX drive systems, so in my opinion this is not a short term trend, but a sustainable movement whereby people are considering their options."
Indeed, Winograd says that the trend doesn't mirror smart technology trends and that's why there's such excitement.
"A few years ago the demographic was the older generation, but that's coming down rapidly, the complete opposite to any other tech trend we know. The customers looking at these bikes are now in their 30s and the use is more versatile. Just a few years ago the attitude was very much, ‘I don't need this', but now it's often ‘what could I use this for above and beyond my pedal bicycle'. The attitude has shifted and it's become a plus one purchase, a training tool, or a bike for those late evening rides where time is limited."
With this evolution new demands have come on Bosch's engineers. Performance demands have driven the market toward mid-motor and low centre of gravity designs that handle much like a normal bike. But what challenges has this presented the firm?
"Just a few years ago more than 60% of our PowerPack batteries were housed in the rack, but now frame batteries are becoming a ubiquitous request," says Winograd. "Housing all of this centrally has been the key obstacle. You must also strike a balance on efficiency and where this stems from. Does it make sense to go for a bigger battery, or would time be better spent making things lighter? We have very specific user demographics appearing and the emergence of differing uses on the road, from sportive riders to cargo and daily use - there are new challenges for each. We've moved from an era of electric, into one of automation at the present time. In the near future, cross product connection and integration will be key."
At the present time, European business has grown by 25% year-on-year. There's another key differential that will secure a positive trajectory going forwards, believes Winograd.
"The electric bike has demonstrated that it is less of a weather dependent purchase for the cyclist, so that's great news for the bike industry. These are very often planned purchases, particularly if you're a commuter or business, so there's a lot less dropout when the weather turns bad. We expect cargo to become a big part of city-based trade as we move toward a new age in urban mobility. Tourism too can help drive fleet sales. Once people experience the ‘e-bike smile' they generally embrace the potential change it could have on their lives and that can only be a good thing for the bicycle trade."
Cytech technical e-bike
To give the cycle trade the knowledge needed to cater for this booming e-bike market, Cytech has introduced the brand new Technical e-bike course to provide the skills and confidence needed to set up, repair and sell a broad spectrum of electric bicycles along with an understanding of the specific standards and legal aspects that apply to them.
Suitable for those who are looking to stock and repair e-bikes, the Cytech technical e-bike course is available to those who already hold a Cytech technical two qualification or as a guide, 3-4 years industry knowledge.
Book a course
The
four day Cytech technical e-bike course is currently only available at
ATG Training. Visit cytech.training or contact ATG Training on 01296 737 800 to find out more and book your place on the course.
ACT members benefit from a 10% discount on all Cytech training.