Electric bicycles, next generation low carbon transport systems: A survey

Electrical assisted bicycles (e-Bikes) represent an emerging sustainable mode of transport for future smart cities. Several designs issues impact policy in several countries such as the UK, Europe and the USA. As e-bike usage continues to grow, so too will the need for further research, in order to provide the necessary data to inform industrialists what cycling features matters for a wider, diverse and sustainable adoption of this mode of transport. This investigation discusses results from a survey on end-user preferences for future e-Bikes that will be developed in the coming years. User preferences related to safety and convenience were defined using market reviews and responses gathered from 638 potential users mainly from Europe and North America. Data were analysed to rank the importance of desired functionality to improve the uptake of cycling within urban environments. In general, the results indicate that safety and convenience features were equally valued across the whole sample size. ‘Gradient Climb Assist’ and ‘Break Lights & Indicators’ were respectively the most preferred convenience and safety feature. This survey showed how respondents expressed a desire for a more intelligent, secure and adaptive e-Bikes.