ebike

eBike at sunset. (Source: Adobe Stock) As the world shifts to more sustainable modes of transportation, one of the most intriguing products available for commuters is the electric bike (eBike). Alongside electric cars, the eBike represents one of the most viable solutions for the challenges of congestion and environmental damage in urban areas. Consumers agree, the North American eBike market was valued at $1.2bn in 2022 with over 900,000 eBikes sold, showing that the demand for this mode of transportation is rapidly increasing. It is worth noting that eBikes outsold any other type of electric vehicle by volume in 2021 and 2022. However, despite this early momentum, eBikes are in the beginning stages of their product development cycle, and there is room for improving the overall riding experience. In this article, we’re going to explore the current state of eBikes, what features are missing, and how we can move closer to a riding experience that can rival and improve on more traditional and entrenched means of transportation. The Current State of the eBike In recent years we’ve seen eBikes become much more prevalent in urban environments as the quality has improved. There has been a lot of time, effort, and resources spent in improving the underlying components, wheels, and motor performance. However, it is interesting to note that there has been limited innovation in terms of the actual riding experience itself. Despite the UX/UI revolution that we’ve seen play out for combustion and electric cars, we haven’t yet seen a viable solution for integrating advanced technology into an eBike to enhance the user experience. There are companies that have tried to do this with ‘smart eBikes’ that come with some modern features built in - but this model hasn’t really worked for a range of different reasons. To put it into perspective, the average eBike in North America costs $2,199 CAD, and their smart alternatives can range anywhere between $3,000 - $6,000 CAD. A better approach is to retrofit an existing eBike with additional technology so riders can buy an affordable eBike that fits their needs perfectly and add hardware that enhances the eBike’s functionality without breaking the bank. The issue for riders is that adding additional technology to your eBike is easy to do but doesn’t always communicate together and often creates a cluttered and distracting riding experience. (See the above photo for reference). We at CYKEL believe there is a better way, and that’s exactly what we’ve been developing. We believe our approach represents the best opportunity for the eBike industry to transform itself and embrace the wide range of additional features and possibilities. What Features Will We See on Future eBikes? We’ve spoken to hundreds of new and existing eBike riders about the features that they would want to see on their eBike, as you might expect, there is a long list. These features can be organized into the following categories: safety, security, and the user interface. Safety Additionally, riders seem to be frustrated with slow customer service from eBike retailers when it comes to troubleshooting, maintenance and warranty claims. Based on our research, riders want more reliable support when needed so that the riding experience is as safe and convenient as possible. The eBike of the future should be able to evaluate its performance in real-time in order to predict and prevent problems that could cause crashes. Ideally, ride data being collected in real-time could allow for anomalies and known concerns to be picked up early so that they can be reported back to the eBike retailers or local repair shops for a quicker turnaround time. This simple step could go a long way to vastly improving safety while also helping to improve customer satisfaction. In a more acute scenario, the eBike of the future should also make use of simple sensors that can detect a crash to immediately alert emergency personnel along with sending accurate location data at the time of an accident for a quicker response time. We believe this feature should be standard of every new eBike as every second matters in these scenarios. Security Another key advancement in the eBike of the future is advanced location tracking which can give a rider some recourse in the event their eBike is lost or stolen. Additionally, businesses can take advantage of this feature to track loaned out or test ridden eBikes. These security features not only provide peace of mind, but also disincentivize criminal activity within busy urban environments. This functionality could also act as the catalyst for additional services surrounding the eBike purchase including insurance, recovery and active security response. In the same way that we think about the car industry, eBikes would definitely benefit from a range of auxiliary services that enhance the experience and protect the investment being made by the person purchasing the vehicle. Usage The last, and potentially most important feature that should be a part of the eBike of the future, is a more intuitive user interface that combines a powerful software component with the eBike hardware itself. Typically, this has not been something that manufacturers have focused on, instead sticking with very simple and limited LCD screens that do not display much information at all and are often hard to read. Today’s technology allows us to go so much further, collating more types of data points together, allowing us to craft a better user display offering valuable insights, navigational information, and extend the bike’s utility beyond what is typically possible with a regular eBike. If we can pull these three components together then we can elevate the experience for existing eBike riders and build confidence for new riders. Additional features like the ones discussed in this article, transform the average eBike into a transportation giant that supports our city’s efforts in reducing both congestion and harmful emissions. How Do We Get There? We’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what we can do to drag eBikes closer toward the ideal product experience that we would want as riders. Through months