PeopleForBikes, a national bicycling advocacy nonprofit and the bicycle industry’s trade association, is committing more staff and resources to support the use of and access to electric bicycles across the United States.
Industry analysts estimate more than 12 million electric bikes will be sold in the United States between 2020 and 2030. According to NPD Group data, the 2020 electric bicycle retail market in the United States was estimated to be $547 million, more than double the 2019 market. For 2021, electric bicycle sales aren’t slowing down — in the first half of 2021, sales of electric bicycles were up 64 percent compared to January-June of 2020.
Looking ahead, PeopleForBikes sees electric bicycles playing a key role in helping solve many of the issues facing America today. The organization stands firm in its belief that electric bikes can help improve health, connect communities, boost the economy, strengthen the nation and protect the planet.
PeopleForBikes recently hired Ash Lovell, Ph.D., as its new electric bicycle policy and campaign director and are in the process of hiring an eMTB policy and program manager. This new, first-of-its-kind position will focus on trail access, land management opportunities and concerns and develop new PeopleForBikes eMTB programming.
In addition to expanding the number of states adopting model electric bicycle legislation, PeopleForBikes also is working to build a coalition of bipartisan support for the E-BIKE Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, as well as the Bicycle Commuter Act. If signed into law, the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act would provide consumers a 30 percent tax credit on the purchase of a qualifying new electric bicycle, and the Bicycle Commuter Act could put nearly $1,000 back in the pockets of employees who choose to bike to work, either by personal bicycle, electric bicycle or bike share.
PeopleForBikes is helping the bike industry design an electric bicycle battery recycling program with nonprofit battery collection and recycling experts Call2Recycle. Call2Recycle is sharing its expertise with PeopleForBikes and 20 bike industry companies on a battery recycling task force to provide the crucial connection from rider to recycling and help resolve the logistical challenges and regulatory intricacies in safely and compliantly delivering batteries for recycling. The new industrywide program will work with suppliers, retailers and riders to make sure electric bicycle batteries are recycled properly. Furthermore, PeopleForBikes’ policy team is working on a variety of additional local and state-level purchase incentives and programs to help make electric bikes more accessible and affordable.
Finally, PeopleForBikes is working with leaders from its industry Electric Bicycle Subcommittee to design and host an in-person Electric Bicycle Summit this fall. The event will take place Nov. 19 in concert with the Tour de Tucson in Arizona, and is open to all who are interested in the future of electric bicycles. More details will be announced soon.
