Results from the North American E-bike Owner Survey TRB Emerging Vehicles for Low Speed Transportation Subcommittee January 2018 John MacArthur Research Associate Portland State University
UNITED STATES E-BIKE USER SURVEY
U.S. e-bike Survey
Survey Methodology Adapted from 2013 survey The survey was distributed through industry distribution channels, e-bike blogs & forums, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, & retailers. May June 2017 1,790 e-bike U.S. owners responded to the survey
DEMOGRAPHICS & PURCHASING DECISIONS
Geography of survey respondents
Demographics 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 70% Male American Indian or Black or African American Hispanic or Latino/Latina Other Prefer not to say Asian White or Caucasian Gender Race 1% 1% 3% 3% 4% 4% 29% Female 85% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 18 to 24 25-34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 or older Age 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Income 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% Less than $15,000 $15,000 - $24,999 $25,000 - $34,999 $35,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $99,999 $100,000 - $149,999 $150,000+ I prefer not to answer
Demographic summary 28% indicated that they have a physical condition that makes riding a standard bike difficult (n=1502) 93% did cycle as an adult with a standard bicycle 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 16% How would you describe your general state of health? 37% 34% 10% 2% 1% Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor I prefer not to answer n=1501
Percentage % Purchase Decisions 80% purchased an e-bike, while 20% converted a standard bike to electric-assist. Of the converted bicycles, 60% were newly purchased. What type of e-bike did you have? 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Standard bike Mountain bike Step-thru Cargo Trike Folding Other n=1790
In which year did you purchase your e- bike/conversion kit? 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 2005 or before 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 80%
How familiar were you with e-bikes before you purchased yours? 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Very familiar Somewhat familiar Somewhat unfamiliar % Very unfamiliar
How satisfied are you with your e-bike? 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Very satisfied Satisfied Neutral Unsatisfied Very unsatisfied
E-BIKE USE
Barriers that Limited Cycling Before Purchasing an E-bike Difficulty storing or securing bicycles Other people relied on me to take my car Concern for my safety Other (Please specify) Weather conditions I couldn't carry the things I needed (cargo or Biking was too slow I didn't like to arrive sweaty to my destination Not physically able I biked enough already Distances to places I wanted to go were too far Hills made cycling difficult 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Top Ranked Choice Top 3 Choices
Motivations for Purchasing an E-bike To avoid parking hassles in my car To be able to keep up with friends/family To avoid traffic in my car For environmental reasons Other It's a cost effective from of transportation T0 start cycling or to cycle more often To carry cargo or kids To ride longer distances to places I To increase fitness To ride with less effort To replace car trips A medical condition reduced my ability For recreation purposes Because I live or work in a hilly area 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Top Ranked Choice Top 3 Choices
Percent of Respondents Bike Ridership Rates 60 50 49.2 40 35.6 42.3 30 30.3 25.1 20 10 0 4.3 19.3 18.2 6.2 6.3 0.9 1.8 14.7 12.4 5.8 19.3 8.3 Rode Standard Bicycle before Owning an E-bike Ride Standard Bicycle Now Ride E-Bike now
Percent of Respondents Mode Used for Various Trip Types Made by Respondents 60 50 48.8 44.5 40 30 34.0 28.2 29.1 35.6 31.4 29.1 34.0 29.6 20 18.4 16.4 10 0 5.9 3.0 8.6 5.3 4.9 4.9 Commuting Personal Errands Visiting Family Entertainment Exercise or Recreation Walk Bicycle* E-bike* Drive alone* Carpool/passenger/drive with someone else* Public Transit Taxi/Uber/Lyft Bike share Car share (e.g. Car2Go, ZipCar) Other I do not partake in this activity 5.5 3.4
Last three times you used an e-bike how did you use it? 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Commute (work or school) Entertainment, dining out, or socializing Personal errands To visit family and friends Exercise or recreation Other Ride 1 Ride 2 Ride 3 All Respondents
Last three times you used an e-bike...how would have you gotten there instead 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Walk Drive Alone Bike Carpool/passenger/Drive with Public Transit Taxi/Uber/Lyft Bike Share Car share (e.g. Car2Go, ZipCar) Other I would not have taken this trip Ride 1 Ride 2 Ride 3 All Respondents
If They Didn t Have an E-bike: Trips Replaced by E-bike Percent of Trips by Mode that Would Have Been Used Instead of E-bike Active Transportation and Transit* Automobile** Would not Have Taken this Trip Other*** Commute (Work or School) 40 46 1 36 Entertainment 8 9 4 6 Recreation or Exercise 29 9 89 39 Personal Errands 19 30 3 12 Visit Friends/Family 3 5 1 1 Other 1 1 2 6 Number of trips 1063 1778 987 69 Mileage/Trip 9 9 14 11 * Includes walk, standard bicycle, and transit ** Includes Drive Alone, Carpool and Taxi *** Includes Other or not specified
Attitudes of E-bike Users It is important to reduce the amount of car trips I take or fuel I use 11 22 67 I would rather cycle than drive a car I ride my e-bike more than a standard bicycle because it is fun to ride I enjoy my overall riding experience on my e-bike 6.2 10 2 1.6 18.7 12.9 96.4 75.1 77.1 I consciously conserve battery power when riding my e-bike. 20 16.1 63.9 To ride the same trip by a standard bicycle, I would need to shower at my destination. 16.1 24.8 59.1 My e-bike allows me to keep up with friends or family on bicycle rides. My e-bike allows me to go farther than a standard bicycle. 14.1 9.4 8.1 37.6 82.6 48.3 An e-bike's speed and acceleration is exciting. 5.9 16.9 77.2 0 20 40 60 80 100 Disagree or Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree or Strongly Agree
Do you agree with the following statements? On average, I ride faster than I would on a standard bicycle. On my e-bike, I feel like I go faster than other cyclists On my e-bike, other road users misjudge my speed. I feel safe riding a standard bicycle. I feel safe riding an e-bike. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree All Respondents
What are the benefits of riding an e-bike?
What are the issues you have with an e-bike?
LEVER is a consortium of academia, industry, government and non-government organizations aimed to address collective research needs of e-bikes and other LEVs. LEVER is lead by researchers at University of Tennessee and Portland State University http://levresearch.com Research Thrust Areas: 1. Market and User Behavior 2. Sustainability and Safety System Impacts 3. Health 4. Urban Freight 5. Shared LEVs
Contact Information John MacArthur Portland State University macarthur@pdx.edu Christopher R. Cherry University of Tennessee cherry@utk.edu For more information & reports: http://levresearch.com @LEVresearch
Questions