“E-bikes will soon make up 80 percent of the bicycle market”

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Switzerland has been experiencing a bicycle boom for a while. The e-bike division is playing an increasingly large role in this. According to Frank Simon Aeschbacher (57), CEO of Swiss E-Mobility Group (SEMG), the Swiss bicycle market currently has a turnover of 2.3 billion francs per year. “About 600,000 bicycles are sold in Switzerland each year, of which 230,000 to 250,000 are e-bikes,” the US-Swiss dual citizen tells Blick in a broad Bernese dialect. According to him, 15 percent of the Swiss population already owns an e-bike.

50 percent of bicycles sold in Germany are e-bikes. Aeschbacher expects e-bikes to make up the majority of bikes sold in Switzerland “from 2024 or 2025”. It is realistic that e-bikes will make up 80 percent of the entire bicycle market in the medium term.

What is the appeal of e-bikes?

“We’re meeting a basic need for individual mobility,” says Aeschbacher. E-bikes make it possible to do several kilometers without a car, especially when going uphill, where you would not be able to ride a conventional bike before.

There are two basic types of e-bikes for different needs. A “normal” e-bike rider with a motor up to 25 km/h. This is ideal for distances up to 15 km. If you want to cover a wider radius, it’s better to go with the “45er”: an e-bike that can reach speeds of up to 45 km/h with pedal assistance. The latter is called “S Pedelec” and, unlike regular e-bikes, requires an official license plate and is subject to a helmet wearing requirement. From 2024 there will also be a speedometer requirement.

In general, an e-bike has a good range of 100km, depending on the level of support chosen and inclines. It takes an average of three hours to charge the battery.

But are e-bikes also “cool” or just a thing for old people? “I think e-bikes are an absolutely sexy product,” says Aeschbacher. The range of designs is increasing, the design and engines are becoming more sophisticated and require less maintenance. Aeschbacher wants to “really cool” the models of its own designs that have been somewhat outdated recently, such as the Cilo in the sports segment, the Simpel for city bikes or the Allegro for everyone.

Fun has a price

However, e-bikes are not cheap. There have been significant price increases during the corona years, at least due to delivery bottlenecks buffered by the strong Swiss franc. “But prices are slowly coming down again,” says Aeschbacher. Only battery prices remain high.

CHF 100 is considered the starting price for an e-bike. “Good models” in the field of city bikes start at 2,500 francs. The prices of cargo bikes, which can be used to carry loads or children, range from 3,000 to 7,000 francs. You should budget 4,000 to 7,000 CHF for a sporty e-mountain bike.

At M-Way – SEMG took over the market leader in the Swiss e-bike business from Migros in 2019 – regular city bikes and mountain bikes each account for around 30 percent of sales, the rest being trekking bikes, S pedelecs. cargo bikes and children’s bikes. The latter is not electric: riding an e-bike is only allowed from the age of 14.

The service life of an e-bike is seven to eight years, “but many buy a more modern model like a cell phone after two to three years,” Aeschbacher says. M-Way offers trade-ins for it. The following applies: The better the engine – models from Bosch, Shimano or Bafang are at the top here – the higher the (resale) price.

tough market

Given the huge growth forecasts, the e-bike market is highly competitive. With a market share of almost 20 percent, the market leader is M-Way, part of SEMG, which is owned by the Indian TVS group. The chain has 33 locations, will already have 40 by the end of the year and is expanding into Austria and Germany.

But retailers are also increasingly turning to e-bikes. Migros operates in this segment, as do SportXX and BikeWorld, as well as Ochsner Sport, and Coop subsidiaries Jumbo and Landi also engage in sales activities in the entry-level segment.

Source :Blick