E-bike and e-motorcycle manufacturers set to triple sales in 2020.
While the pandemic unfortunately decimated parts of the global economy, it also created unique economic drivers in others. One of the “winners” in the new world we live in has been electric two-wheelers like e-bikes and e-motorcycles, which commuters have turned to in huge numbers.
Earlier this year OGN reviewed the UK market, noting that the inflection point for e-bikes had just arrived courtesy of everyone's fear of public transport, and we focused in on the superb VanMoof S3 as the game changing bike du jour. One reader even phoned up to 'complain' that he tried to order one and was told he'd have to join the queue. For 6 months!
Most electric bicycle and electric motorcycle companies are fairly tight-lipped about their sales numbers. With the huge demand spawned by consumers switching to two-wheeled EVs lately, several major manufacturers have opened up their books and revealed just how much they’ve grown over the past year. It's clear that it's not just the UK seeing explosive growth.
Major Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer Energica recently shared that the first eight months of 2020 have seen an order volume of over 200% of its entire 2019 sales, with over €4.3M in revenue so far this year. That puts Energica currently on track to triple its 2019 sales by the end of this year.
The largest electric bicycle manufacturer in the US, Rad Power Bikes, is also on track to more than triple its 2019 sales this year. That puts Rad Power Bikes at a projected $250 million in revenue for 2020, no doubt buoyed by successful launches of budget-minded e-bikes like the $1,199 RadRunner and $999 RadMission electric bikes, in addition to their longtime favorites such as the $1,499 RadRover electric fat tire bike.
A major driving force behind this steep spike in sales has been the shift toward personal electric mobility driven by commuters seeking to avoid crowded public transportation. And Rad Power Bikes’ CEO Mike Radenbaugh reckons this isn't a temporary spike, and likely to be part of the new normal.
Rad Power Bikes isn’t the only e-bike company showing impressive growth. Lectric E-Bikes doesn’t have the many years of operations to build on like Rad Power Bikes, but the electric bicycle startup has still shown explosive growth after beginning sales last summer. In barely more than a year, the success of the company’s $899 Lectric XP e-bike has rocketed the manufacturer from a garage startup to around $25M in revenue, making them a major player in the electric bicycle industry.
Lectric E-Bikes even recently unveiled their second $899 e-bike model in barely a year, further demonstrating how quickly the company has grown.
And these are just the manufacturers that have agreed to share their sales figures with us. Considering the hundreds of companies all vying for a piece of the pie, the actual growth of the industry is hard to definitively quantify. But any which way you slice it, the trend is clear: electric two-wheeler adoption is growing rapidly and shows no signs of slowing anytime soon.
Game Changing eBike: In the post-lockdown world, commuting by bike, and e-bike, is set to boom. Could the VanMoof S3 be the most desirable ride of 2020?
e-Bike of the Future: Bosch’s sleek new concept e-bike shows what electric bikes could look like in the near future, integrating the electric motor and full suspension directly into the carbon frame and, most definitely, looks pretty damn cool.
e-Bike Conversion Kit: Electrify your existing bike in a matter of minutes.