Germany, land of the car, develops taste for electric cargo bikes
An employee works on an electric bicycle at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
BERLIN (Reuters) - Think tricycles for the age of global warming: A rising number of environmentally conscious Germans are buying electric cargo bikes, which last year outsold electric cars in a country known for its love of the combustion engine.
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 electric cargo bikes, three-wheeled vehicles that have a motor to help with pedaling and a large cargo basket that can fit kids, pets and shopping and so make them popular with parents.
An employee works on an electric bicycle at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
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 realized, 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.
An employee works on an electric cargo bicycle at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
It was such attributes that prompted Karen Lebek, a water security researcher at the Humboldt University who lives with her husband and two daughters on a leafy street in southwest Berlin to buy an electric cargo bike.
"It makes everything easy," said Lebek, carefully placing a bag of apples from a street fruit vendor next to her 4-year-old daughter in the basket.
"You can go wherever you want without having to worry about parking," she added. "The kids love it because they can just hop in and out and they can bring friends along because the cargo basket fits four children."
The headquarters of electric bicycle manufacturer Riese & Mueller is pictured in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
Lebek and her husband now plan to sell their seven-seater car and will rely on the electric bike, bought for 2,500 euros ($2,786), for their transport.
(Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Frances Kerry)
The headquarters of electric bicycle manufacturer Riese & Mueller is pictured in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiMarkus Riese is pictured at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiA employee of electric bicycle manufacturer Riese & Mueller drives an elctric cargo bike in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiMarkus Riese (R) speaks with an employee at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiEmployees work on electric cargo bicycles at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiEmployees work on electric bicycles at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiEmployees work on electric bicycles at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiAn employee works on an electric bicycle at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiAn employee works on an electric cargo bicycle at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiEmployees work on electric bicycles at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiAn employee of Riese & Mueller pushes an electric bicycle at the production plant in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiEmployees work on electric bicycles at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiEmployees work on electric bicycles at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiA German parcel delivery service courier rides an E-Cargobike in Berlin, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Annegret HilseAn employee work on a new production line at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph OrlowskiAn employee works on an electric bicycle at the production plant of e-bike manufacturer Riese & Mueller in Muehltal near Darmstadt, Germany, August 30, 2019. Picture taken August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
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