On behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), Ecoplan AG and the Institute for Marketing and Business Management at the University of Bern investigated the distribution, use and energy impact of e-bikes in Switzerland. The data was based on an online survey of e-bike owners and users. Members of FEDRO, Pro Velo, Newride and the e-bike manufacturer Biketec were represented in an advisory group for the final report. The SFOE is now presenting the report "Distribution and impact of e-bikes in Switzerland".

Here is a summary of all the SFOE's findings, here is the 160+ page report, below are the key facts taken directly from the SFOE's report:

Who is the average e-biker?
The average e-bike owner is male and 53.5 years old, i.e. of working age (with pensioners making up almost a quarter of e-bike owners). He bought the e-bike in 2012 or 2013 and has a medium income. Their level of education is slightly above the Swiss average and they live in a two-person household or in a family with children in a village or urban area. They tend to be sporty, lead a healthy lifestyle and own at least one other bike in addition to their e-bike.

What are the reasons for buying
? The main reasons for buying an e-bike are the enjoyment of riding, maintaining and/or improving physical health and the advantages of the e-bike (less effort when riding, covering distances faster, greater comfort, covering greater distances). The most important deciding factors for choosing a particular e-bike are the range, the services and the battery system (integrated or removable battery).

What is the e-bike used for?
For 80% of e-bike owners, the e-bike is the most important or second most important means of transportation for everyday mobility. On average, they cover around 2,600 km per year on an e-bike. By comparison, the average distance traveled by car per person per year is around 10,000 km.

People of working age use the e-bike most frequently for commuting to work. For people over 65, the focus is clearly on using them for bike tours. In addition to this main purpose, the e-bike is used by both user groups primarily for shopping trips and for rides to leisure activities (e.g. to visit friends or the gym). People over 65 use the e-bike less often in bad weather conditions than people up to 65 years of age.The relationship between car and electric bike
Over 90% of e-bike owners have access to a car. A good 60% of people who own a car state that they use their car "much less often" or "less often". The use of public transport and journeys made on foot have changed less for most of the people surveyed. Only a good third of e-bike owners use public transport less frequently or walk less often than before buying an e-bike.

What potential does the e-bike have?
The report provides a rough estimate of the potential of future e-bike owners, which is between 2.8 and 7.9 times higher than the current prevalence of e-bikes in Switzerland:

Among the working population, a potential of 450,000 to 1,400,000 future e-bike owners can be assumed, depending on the scenario. Among pensioners, the potential is between 182,000 and 364,000 people.

What are the benefits of e-bikes for transportation?
In addition to the energy effect, e-bike use also has an impact on the strain on the transport infrastructure. The vast majority of e-bike owners surveyed travel to and from work during peak times in the morning and evening, i.e. during the same daily commutes as when using other means of transport. Because they take up less space, e-bikes can therefore help to relieve the pressure on road and rail infrastructure during peak times. This is all the more important because e-bikes would be suitable for around 60% of journeys to work due to the length of the route. There is a great deal of untapped potential here.How can the potential be further exploited?
The biggest obstacles (agreed by more than 50% of respondents) to more frequent use of e-bikes are the lack of road safety, the lack of range of the e-bike and the lack of steep inclines that would have to be mastered to justify using an e-bike. Other major obstacles (agreed by more than 25% of respondents) are the lack of theft protection, the excessive weight of the e-bike and the excessive distance to the place of work.

BFE provides recommendations for action
Based on the results, the report also lists recommendations for action for manufacturers, road infrastructure operators and the promotion of e-bikes in general:

Manufacturers: Offer good services, focus on reducing the weight and increasing the range of e-bikes

Road infrastructure operators: Increase road safety for two-wheelers, make cycle corridors as direct, safe and easy to "read" as possible, improve winter road maintenance on sections of road used by two-wheelers.

Promotion strategies: Improve road safety for e-bike owners through an expanded range of training events, special incentives to use e-bikes in bad weather and in winter (e.g. information on good rainwear), provide public charging stations, cooperation with companies to promote the use of e-bikes for commuting.

Source: SFOE press release