Research profiles people who adopted this non-polluting mode of transport as a means of transport
In the spirit of multimodality, The Electric Bicycle has gained people's favor as an alternative to the car to go to work — especially in São Paulo (SP). So much so that sales of this type of skinny product have grown, on average, by 30% per year, according to Bike Alliance (Brazilian Bicycle Sector Association).
In 2020, the association made a search to find out more about the profile and habits of those who buy these electric bikes. The majority are men (76%), white (74%) and live in the Southeast of the country (74%), notably in São Paulo (61%). Most of these people have a family income between five and 10 minimum wages (27%) and are aged between 40 and 49 years old (35%).
The use of electric bicycles is recent for these cyclists: 80% bought or rented this non-polluting mode from 2018. For the majority, the biggest motivation was to reduce pedaling effort: 32% said they prefer the electric bike because it is less tiring and 23% to face hills more easily.
And the new adopters are not on the go: 59% of those interviewed say they use an electric bicycle to get to their main place of work — and 51% do so at least five days a week. For the absolute majority (93%), this is an option to not use the car.
This does not mean, however, that the car is no longer a mobility option. Although most of these people (67%) say they stopped using it when they started cycling, 81% still have at least one car at home. By 2020, 18% had sold their automobile by adopting the electric bicycle.
Cycling and quality of life
Among those who use an electric bike every day, the distance traveled varies greatly. In general, the routes are long: the most mentioned are six to 10 kilometers (29%), 16 to 20 kilometers (21%) and 11 to 15 kilometers (17%). The slice that travels over 21 kilometers per day corresponds to 19%.
The habit of cycling with the help of the engine brought a better quality of life in the opinion of 87% of those interviewed, and 78% said that their relationship with the city improved. There were even people (37%) who stated that they use the electric bike as a way to overcome stress, anxiety and other concerns.
Overall, anyone who rides an electric bike is satisfied: the average rating users gave to the mode was 9.3. But there are still points that, according to them, can be improved. For half of those interviewed, a factor that discourages use is not having enough cycle paths and cycle lanes; for 43%, what matters is not having suitable places in cities to lock or leave the bike.
