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Recent years have seen ever-larger and more consistent growth for the German e-bike market, but 2020 has set all kinds of records for volume expansion and revenue growth.
“Zweirad-Industrie-Verband”, or ZIV, German Industry Association, noted in statistics that sales of e-bikes increased by 43% to 2 million units.
Total market volume (muscle bikes + e-bikes) increased by 17%: from 4.3 million in 2019 to just over 5 million in 2020.
E-bikes then represent the largest part of this growth, increasing the value of the 61% market to 6.44 billion euros.
By combining the sale of e-bikes with accessories and components, the total sales volume reaches almost 10 billion euros across all channels.
The average unit price has also changed: in fact, in 2020, it was €1,279, thus recording a +38% compared to the previous year.
“2020 was an exceptional year for the German and international bicycle industry, said Ernst Brust, CEO of Zweirad-Industrie-Verband, “The challenges were unprecedented. The fact that cycling is more relevant than ever has been made clear once again, especially during the pandemic. Both bicycles and e-bikes have proven to be an indispensable means of transportation. Not only today as a safe alternative for public transport, but also for exercise and as an environmentally friendly means of mobility “.
Brust also addressed the issue of the difficulty in dealing with the closures of manufacturing companies with consequent interruption of the supply chain, the closure of shops and the constant growth in demand.
Problems that absolutely cannot be ignored, underlining the limited availability of many components and the stress on OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to find and receive spare parts in time to meet schedules and deliveries.
Despite this, for ZIV the biggest problems will be those concerning logistics, essentially caused by the shortage of containers which is leading and will lead to a significant increase in shipping prices, between 10 and 20%.
E-bikes currently represent the best-selling category in Germany, with 38.7%, compared to 31.5% the previous year and ZIV has predicted that a market share of 40% will be achieved and, in the long term, it will reach also to 50%.
As regards the models, the type of e-bike that has penetrated the market best is trekking with 692,000 units, followed by MTBs with 585,000 units and city bikes with 546,000 units.
Another important slice of the market is that of electrified cargo bikes, which has a total market volume of 103,000 units.
Production and exports are also experiencing great expansion: the production, in fact, of e-bikes increased by 27.9%, equal to 1.3 million units, while that of muscle bicycles decreased by 8%, which recorded a decline in sales compared to pedal-assisted bicycles.
Mind-boggling numbers, therefore, which lead us to imagine a great growth in our beautiful country too, especially given the state measures to encourage the use of bicycles both with the Mobility Bonus but also in terms of new infrastructures capable of welcoming cyclists in complete safety and freedom.