Research Shows Electric Bikes Make People Cycle Longer and More Often – Especially Women

A study out of Norway shows that electric bikes cause people to cycle longer and more often. The effect was strongest on women. In a time when we really need to find viable and sustainable transportation alternatives, decrease traffic congestion, and get more exercise, this is really good news.

Maggie (Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist) finds sheer joy riding her electric bike - she doesn't have to drive or use transit, but she can still get around with a combination of muscle and electricity — Maggie (Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist) finds sheer joy riding her electric bike – she doesn’t have to drive or use transit, but she can still get around with a combination of muscle and electricity

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Aslak Fyhri at the Institute of Transport Economics summarized:

“People travel twice as much on the electric bike [as on a regular bike], both in terms of kilometres, amount of trips, and as part of the total transportation. The effect of having an electric bike was particularly strong among women. They did far more trips with their e-bikes than men did. Men, on the other hand, often went for longer trips once they were out cycling.”

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Try telling this dad that he is not getting any exercise because he is "cheating" by getting some assistance from his electric bike! — Try telling this dad that he is not getting any exercise because he is “cheating” by getting some assistance from his electric bike!

The researchers randomly selected participants and divided them into two groups. The experimental group of 66 people were given unlimited access to an electric bike, while the control group of 160 people had to use their own regular bike.

Dramatic Increases in Cycling

The experimental group had been cyclists before, but with the electric bikes they increased their daily cycling trips from an average of 0.9 to 1.4 trips per day. They doubled the average length of their trips from 4.8 to 10.3 kilometres (3 to 6.4 miles).

With the electric bikes, they were meeting almost half of their transport needs with bikes. Considering that at the moment, only 5% of all travel in Norway is done on bikes, this shows the massive potential of electric bikes to transform transportation.

Research shows clearly that owning an electric bike causes people to cycle more - and the effect is more pronounced in women — Research shows clearly that owning an electric bike causes people to cycle more – and the effect is more pronounced in women

In the control group, the amount of cycling stayed the same.

The electric bikes removed a lot of the practical obstacles to cycling

Researcher Fyhri says:

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“In order to cycle to work every day you have to prepare, take care of logistics and perhaps change and shower when you arrive. To many people it is too much of a project. With an electric bike you reach greater distances in less time, and you may wear your ordinary clothes or a suit jacket since you don’t sweat. Many of the shorter trips done by car today may potentially be done by e-bike.”