PeopleForBikes staff are amplifying the many environmental and social solutions e-bikes offer at several events this fall.

As individuals, companies and cities alike search for solutions for the climate crisis, electric bicycles (e-bikes) are increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in the climate mitigation toolbox. PeopleforBikes is helping raise awareness of the powerful solutions that e-bikes offer by engaging in a variety of educational and informational events.

During National Drive Electric Week, Ash Lovell, Ph.D., PeopleForBikes’ electric bicycle policy and campaign director, moderated a conversation titled, “Cars are Overrated: e-Bikes, Buses, and Box Trucks, Oh My!” During the conversation, bike industry leaders and electric bicycle advocates shared the benefits of transitioning transportation habits away from vehicles and towards electric bicycles. During the conversation, participants discussed how replacing car trips with bike rides can serve as a tangible climate solution that individuals can practice every day. Research shows that if 10% of the population were to replace one car trip a day with a bike ride, overall carbon emissions from transportation would drop 10%. With the transportation sector accounting for the largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S., this shift in daily habits could help move the needle toward a more sustainable future.

Whether individuals own or lease an electric bicycle, every time they ride, they are reducing carbon emissions and decongesting urban streets. During a recent CycleBackNYC webinar, Lovell and Noa Banayan, PeopleForBikes’ director of federal affairs, helped organizers explore how bicycle leasing could benefit New York City residents and businesses. As cycling is increasingly embraced as an option for commuting, New York City is interested in building on this momentum by introducing electric bicycle leasing as an affordable alternative for New Yorkers to obtain e-bikes.

As electric bicycles gain popularity worldwide, industry leaders are keen to innovate and adapt e-bikes to future needs and trends. During the E-Bike Future Conference, industry leaders discussed trends and shared innovative ideas for how to adapt electric bicycles for the changing needs of consumers, businesses and municipalities across the globe. Lovell kicked off the virtual conference with a conversation about how electric bikes can help improve our health, connect communities and protect the planet. 

In the U.S., some communities are going big for electric bicycles and incorporating them into planning for the future. At the upcoming NWA Tech Summit, Banayan will outline movement on pro-e-bike policies PeopleForBikes is working towards, including updating electric bicycle definitions and laying the foundation for new incentives for e-bikes. With electric bicycle sales and ridership continuing to grow, the session will explore how individuals, businesses and policymakers can embrace the technology of a low-speed electric motor to increase accessibility to the outdoors, enhance efficiency in the workplace and bring more people into the world of biking. 

A common theme connecting all of these educational events is that electric bicycles offer a variety of solutions for the environmental and social challenges we face today. PeopleForBikes will continue to share how electric bicycles can help individuals, companies and communities tackle these challenges and explore how we can incentivize electric bicycles so they are more accessible for everyone.