E-bikes are becoming increasingly popular in Germany.

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E-bikes are enjoying great popularity and, along with e-scooters and e-cars, are an important component of e-mobility. This is reflected in statistics across Europe. While sales of e-bikes in the EU were still at 173 thousand per year in 2007, they reached 1.9 million in 2017. The trend seems to be particularly significant in Germany. According to a Sinus survey, about 15% of all German households already have at least one e-bike or pedelec. The spread of electric bikes has a strong upward trend: in 2019, over 1.3 million e-bikes were sold in Germany alone. This means that over 30% of the bikes sold had electric assistance.

The pandemic is further intensifying the boom.

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Especially at the beginning of the Corona pandemic, many people switched to bicycles to avoid the use of local transport. The Two-Wheeler Industry Association has projected a 15.8% increase in sales for the 1st half of 2020 - even though bike shops in parts of Germany had to close during the lockdown. With production stops already occurring in China at the start of 2020, customers sometimes experienced difficulty getting an e-bike at all during the summer.

There are dangers to riding an e-bike.

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E-bikes can make life a lot easier. The route to work, for example, can be mastered more quickly and with less effort, and older people in particular have the opportunity to remain mobile. However, compared to normal bicycles, accidents are also more frequent. E-bikes  move quickly and high speeds can also be reached without much effort. This is often underestimated not only by e-bike users, but also by other road users.

Not all e-bikes are environmentally friendly.

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E-bikes usually have mobile batteries that can be disconnected from the bike for charging. This allows the battery to be conveniently charged at home. So whether riding an e-bike is really environmentally friendly depends largely on the electricity provider at home. Unfortunately, according to the Fraunhofer Institute, about half of the electricity generated in Germany still comes from sources that are harmful to the climate.

For those who want to do something not only for their fitness, but also for the environment, it is therefore recommended to switch to a green electricity provider. In this way, the pressure on energy producers to promote the expansion of renewable energy is growing. When you switch to Ostrom, you're actively contributing to the energy transition. The more people support our mission, the faster the energy transition will become reality. With us, you get 100% green electricity including a certificate of origin.

And it doesn't have to be more expensive - calculate your savings compared to the basic supplier in our rate calculator.

Image Source Unsplash by Wolfram Bölte