Electric ‘cargo bikes’ are taking over Germany
German companies are using electric cargo bikes to transport and deliver products across cities. Throughout Germany, specifically in Berlin and Frankfurt, electric cargo bikes have become a more popular green alternative than electric cars. In 2018, only 36,000 electric cars were purchased, according to motor vehicle authority KBA, and 40,000 cargo bikes were sold, according to The Two-Wheel Industry Association (ZIV), double the amount than in 2017. The cargo bikes are equipped with a motor, which helps assist pedalling, and have a large cargo crate attached.
A German postman on a bike meets a German parcel delivery service courier with an E-Cargobike in Berlin (Reuters)

Germany, that well-known powerhouse of the automotive industry, is apparently falling very much in love with electric bikes.

Specifically, electric ‘cargo bikes’ that are being used by companies to transport goods around cities and deliver them to customers.

The reason is simple enough: using an electric bike to ferry your goods around has a much lower carbon footprint than cars, vans or trucks.

Climate change is the top concern for Germans, opinion polls show, but government subsidies to boost sales of electric cars have not gained traction. Only 36,000 electric cars were sold in Germany last year, compared with 25,000 in 2017, according to motor vehicle authority KBA.

The picture is much rosier for these cargo bikes, three-wheeled vehicles that have a motor to help with pedalling and a large cargo basket that can fit kids, pets and shopping and so make them popular with parents.

A German parcel delivery service courier rides an E-Cargobike in Berlin (Reuters)

The Two-Wheel Industry Association (ZIV) keeps data on the machines and says 40,000 were sold last year, almost twice as many as in 2017.

‘I think Germans have realised, especially in cities like Berlin and Frankfurt that a cargo bike can replace a second car,’ said ZIV head Siegfried Neuberger.

‘You can use it to go shopping, you can take the kids to daycare and so it’s very practical, environment-friendly, sustainable and healthy, which makes it very attractive to Germans,’ he added.