How E-Bikes Won Over Europe
Battery-powered bicycles now outsell pedal-only ones across several European countries. A transportation researcher explains the policies behind the boom.
In European cities like Madrid, e-bikes are hot this summer.
Photographer: Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Image
If you think electric bicycles are a hit in the US, check out what’s happening across the Atlantic.
Battery-boosted models now comprise a majority of bike sales in several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and they’re rapidly gaining share in others such as France and Switzerland. North Americans vacationing in Europe this summer can expect to see pelotons of e-bikes being used to commute to the office, ferry children to school or hit the trails.