Micromobility is booming with 130 million new e-bikes coming

In April 2021 Bikeep published its overview of the first quarter, and Äripäev's business technology site Äritehnoloogia reported on it. The headline figure came from Deloitte, which forecast that more than 130 million e-bikes would be sold worldwide between 2020 and 2023.

A boom that needs infrastructure

The pandemic changed how people moved. Many cities saw cycling take off as people avoided crowded public transport, and Deloitte projected tens of billions of extra bike trips a year in 2021 and 2022 compared with 2019. Every one of those bikes needs somewhere safe to park, and every e-bike needs somewhere to charge.

"Bike culture is more than infrastructure. It is cultural, sociological and psychological." Kristjan Lind, CEO of Bikeep

Bikeep's quarter

• 11 countries. In the first quarter of 2021 Bikeep shipped products to 11 countries.
• Over €1 million in orders. In the previous 12 months Bikeep signed orders worth more than €1 million.
• Denmark. A large project with municipalities was testing how to combine bike and train travel.
• New Zealand. Stations went into city centres with local authorities, free for riders and funded by advertising.
• United States. Solar-powered stations opened at a BART rail station in San Francisco and outside Fitness SF gyms.

Bigger than parking

The overview placed Bikeep's work in a wider shift in cities, pointing to Paris, where Mayor Anne Hidalgo made the centre bike-friendly.

"We are actually solving a much bigger question in society." Kristjan Lind

Bikeep was also developing a smart city concept with international partners and had long-term cooperation with Ülemiste City and the City of Tallinn.

Read the original report in Estonian. More on secure parking with charging is on the e-bike charging page.