Report: E-bike sales go off the charts

Plus, Uber eats Postmates, Vanmoof ad causes “a climate of fear,” and Bird denies it took a bailout.

July 07, 2020

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Founder Shield has lined up a stacked panel for Wednesday, July 15th at 1pm ET  / 10am PT with some of the leading companies in the ride-share and peer-to-peer vehicle lending space. They’ll be hosting Getaround, Via, HyreCar, and ibott @ Apollo for a roundtable discussion.

They’ll be discussing what is most important to sustainability and continued growth, as well as what the transportation needs of the people may look like in the future.

Report: E-bike Sales Go Gangbusters Amid Pandemic

As lockdowns stretch into summer, the e-bike boom that accompanied COVID-19’s arrival shows no signs of slowing down, according to new sales figures from some of the world’s most popular manufacturers. 

During the early days of the pandemic, anxiety over the coronavirus powered the largest spike in bike sales since the 1970s oil crisis, as commuters’ search for socially distanced alternatives to buses, trains, and ride-hail emptied bike shops all around the world. Meanwhile, in global cities like Bogota, Seattle, Milan, Montreal, and Paris, officials were busy expanding cycling infrastructure to encourage residents to emerge from lockdown on two wheels instead of behind the wheel of a car.

Riding these tailwinds, the e-bike emerged as a popular choice for new buyers looking for comfort, speed, and convenience. According to market research from N.P.D. Group, in March, US retail sales of e-bikes jumped 85% from a year earlier. 

As the pandemic drags on, that initial burst of enthusiasm has morphed into a months-long hot streak for the e-bike industry. “We’ve never experienced anything like this,” say Brett Thurber, owner of the Bay Area e-bike shop The New Wheel.

E-bike companies’ sales data confirms what retailers are seeing on the ground. 

California-based manufacturer Aventon experienced staggering growth in Q2, with global retail and DTC orders rising 324% compared to the same period in 2019.

The Dutch e-bike company VanMoof saw an incredible 379% spike in global demand in Q2 compared to the same period last year, fueled by pre-orders for its new S3 and X3 models. The company also made significant in-roads in the US market, where its year-over-year sales grew 91% in the first half of 2020.

What you need to know this week

  • Uber has agreed to buy Postmates, the fourth-largest US food-delivery service, for $2.65 billion in stock.

  • Bird denied receiving a US bailout after its name appeared on the federal government’s list of companies that took PPP loans.

  • Like outdoor dining, cloud kitchens will probably figure prominently into the restaurant business’s recovery.

  • Vanmoof’s first TV ad, which features scenes of traffic jams, vehicle accidents, and tailpipe emissions, was banned in France because it “discredit[s] the automobile sector [...] while creating a climate of anxiety.” The Dutch e-bike maker responded to the ban by questioning the French advertising regulatory authority’s impartiality on the matter.

  • It’s time for Los Angeles to adopt congestion pricing.

  • Electric scooter rentals are finally allowed in the UK as of this past weekend, with official trials expected to commence soon. Personal scooters, however, remain illegal.

  • Uber rival Bolt launched a dockless e-bike service in Europe, starting with Paris.

  • Bolt couldn’t have chosen a better time or place to deploy. Ever since Jump paused service last month, there have been no dockless e-bikes in Paris. The only bike-share player still standing is the city’s station-based system, Velib, which has been shattering ridership records week after week in the absence of private competition.

  • For cities, pedestrianizing streets and building bike lanes is not only a smart tactic to promote social distancing, it’s also a great way to lure tourists back once shelter-in-place orders end. Conde Nast Traveler rounds up 10 cities around the world that have become more walkable since the pandemic started.

  • Citymapper plans to be available in 100 cities by the end of the year.

  • Lime has returned Jump bikes to London.

  • In May, China exported 4.6 million bikes, up 11.4% from a year earlier. The surge is being driven in large part by orders from the US.

Pod people

How are bike incumbents adapting to the COVID-19 cultural moment? On a new episode of the podcast, Ian Kenny and Chris Yu of Specialized talk with Oliver Bruce about how the legacy player is crossing the chasm from pedal to electric, analog to smart, and fitness to transportation. 

Jobs to be done

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