Bicycle specialist Franz Tepe is calling for infrastructure to be adapted to the massive surge in electric bicycle sales. In an interview with RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland, he also discusses why the boom in e-bikes will continue even after the pandemic and why electric bicycles offer particular opportunities in urban areas.
RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland: Mr. Tepe, will the boom in the e-bike sector come to an end once the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control and the curve flattens?
Franz Tepe: No, the pandemic has further fueled the already high demand. Many people wanted to avoid the risk of infection and the crowding on public transportation, so they switched to biking. But this trend will continue even after the pandemic.
What is the basis for your optimism?
Even before the pandemic, the e-bike market was already experiencing tremendous growth. In 2018, approximately 980,000 e-bikes were sold in Germany. In 2019, that number rose to over 1.35 million. In 2020, about two million e-bikes were sold in Germany. This trend will continue at a high level. After all, as we see almost constantly, anyone who rides an e-bike for the first time has a great time. The central essence of the e-bike phenomenon is simply this: it’s fun.
Less enjoyable is the lack of infrastructure for cyclists, especially in urban areas. What are you calling on policymakers to do?
It is essential that policymakers work to expand and improve infrastructure. Some bike lanes need to be widened. We must adapt to the realities of the ever-growing number of users. I’m not speaking out against cars here—I’m an avid driver myself. But I’m talking about a new, modern form of connected mobility that’s all about getting from A to B quickly and safely. In urban areas, a car is often not the right solution. The e-bike will be a central component of the mobility transition.
E-bikes instead of cars—could that actually become a realistic scenario in urban areas?
As I mentioned earlier, I’m an avid driver. But what matters is what makes sense where. Eighty percent of car trips are just seven kilometers long, and commutes to work are up to 15 kilometers. These are perfect distances for an e-bike. There’s enormous potential here. The city of Berlin, for example, has announced its goal of becoming car-free as quickly as possible. After all, the available space isn’t getting any bigger. More and more people are moving to urban areas and want to be mobile. But the space available for mobility remains the same. Should a car sit unused on the street for 23 hours a day within that space? That doesn’t make sense.
About the Person: Franz Tepe (60) is the Head of Marketing and Advertising at the Zweirad-Einkaufsgenossenschaft (ZEG), headquartered in Cologne. Over 1,000 bicycle dealers are members of the ZEG. Founded in 1966, the ZEG is the largest association of bicycle dealers in Europe and has also been manufacturing its own bicycle brands since 1983.
The current delivery times for bicycles—which are sometimes extremely long, even exceeding a year—are frustrating. This is also because many components are manufactured in Asia. Will this situation improve in the medium term, or will it just keep getting worse?
So far, delivery times haven’t slowed down demand. However, frame manufacturers and other companies in our industry are now setting up operations in Europe again. At ZEG, for example, we manufacture a great deal in Germany and Switzerland. Our Kettler plant in Hanweiler, Saarland, is undergoing a massive expansion. Incidentally, this problem isn’t limited to the bicycle industry.
E-bikes now incorporate an enormous amount of technology. Does this pose a latent risk of overwhelming repair shops?
90 percent of e-bike customers place a very high value on top-quality service. That’s why we regularly bring dealers together at our ZEG Academy to bring them up to speed on the latest technology. This is absolutely essential. We also have our dealers certified by TÜV Nord. These inspections are held in high regard. Back in 2014, we developed a workshop quality program in which we secretly send bikes with ten defects to the workshops. This is how we determine who meets our quality standards.
Which brings us to the very important issue of safety.
Companies that want to provide their employees with bikes through leasing and salary deduction programs are the first to ask: How can you ensure that my employees are riding safe bikes? In the e-bike sector, it’s just like with rental cars: Customers expect a vehicle that’s in top condition. Legally, the employer is responsible for the technical safety of the e-bikes it provides through a leasing program.
They are equipping Deutsche Post with bicycles, and local governments are also embracing the bike-leasing model for their employees. How crucial are these initiatives to a successful transportation transition?
We’re seeing high demand and strong growth. More than 10,000 companies are now participating in our Eurorad company bike program. With the Bike-Rate payroll deduction plan, the bike costs the user only about 60 percent of the regular price—and that includes insurance against theft and damage. In short, it’s comprehensive, all-around protection that covers all wear and tear from day one. In my opinion, cities also need to involve their businesses and ask themselves: What should our city stand for? Quality of life and a zest for life? If so, pay-per-use mobility options are an essential part of that.
Will health remain a key factor in e-bike use even after the pandemic?
Health is a very important issue. More than 80 percent of people are interested in health. And, on average, people are living longer and longer. Staying fit as we age is a key aspect. We therefore conducted a study in collaboration with the Institute for Sports Medicine at MHH, the Hannover Medical School. For this study, 50 female and 50 male employees from a company were each equipped with an e-bike and a non-electric bike for half a year. The results were interesting. This was a preliminary study that subsequently led the Federal Ministry of Health to launch a robust study involving 2,400 participants. The results were comparable.
What was the result?
On average, e-bike users were physically active five to six times as much as users of non-electric bikes. All e-bike users consistently exceeded 150 minutes of so-called moderate physical activity per week. These 150 minutes serve as the benchmark.
Why?
The World Health Organization (WHO) states and emphasizes that 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week is the ideal amount of time and level of activity for staying healthy, recovering from illness, and maintaining or improving fitness. Professor Uwe Tegtbur, director of the Institute for Sports Medicine at the University of Hannover, says that e-bikes help more patients—including cancer patients—recover their health faster than any other device in the world. The findings of the world’s largest study on e-bikes and health—conducted by the MHH in collaboration with the ZEG for the Ministry of Health—conclude that e-bikes get people moving who have not been active for years.
Click here to read the original interview on Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
