Motivations and Barriers for Using Speed Pedelecs for Daily Commuting

Abstract

Speed pedelecs, electric bicycles that can provide pedal assistance up to 45 km/h, have seen rapid uptake over the past ten years in Flanders, Belgium, yet perceptions around motivators and barriers have not been studied and understood in detail. This paper reports on the qualitative experiences of 100 participants from 10 Flemish companies who replaced their commuting vehicle by a speed pedelec for up to three weeks. Focus groups provided data in the identification of the motivators and the barriers towards speed pedelecs in comparison to those for bicycles and pedelecs classified in nine categories. The results from the focus groups show notable differences in motivators for using speed pedelecs compared to bicycles and pedelecs—the higher available speed and range within a given timeframe, which provides the possibility of better time management. The mental benefits and the competitive aspect of commuting with a speed pedelec were identified as new motivators. The purchase cost and the perception of safety as barriers remain, with reliability, flexibility, and planning identified as new barriers.

Built environment and micro-mobility: A systematic review of international literature

“…Waitt et al (2022) report that shared speed and performance of the travel modes play a critical role in asserting a right to the road stabilizing the spatial order of public space. Van den Steen et al (2019) report that due to the unfamiliarity with traffic regulations for speed pedelecs (fast e-bikes that could reach 45 km/h), their users are often confused about whether they should use the bike path or the motorized vehicle path. Users perceive it dangerous to share the bike path with slow mode users or to share the motorized vehicle path with cars due to possible conflicts.…”

Are fast e-bikes an alternative to motorised individual transport? An exploratory study in Lausanne, Switzerland

“…The motivations for purchasing pedelecs are linked to exercise, health and a desire to reduce car use (Buffat et al, 2014;Rérat 2021). Purchase motivations for s-pedelecs are similar and include environmental aspects, pleasure (6T, 2019), health, exercise (Van den Steen et al, 2019), speed (Van der Salm et al, 2022 and the possibility to travel longer distances (Plazier et al, 2017). The main difference between both types of e-bikes may lie in which other modes of transport they are compared to.…”

A scoping review of the design and characteristics of e-bike financial incentives

“…Numerous barriers to riding conventional bikes or e-bikes have been documented, including issues like insufficient high-quality infrastructure (Aono & Bigazzi, 2019)-especially infrastructure separating bike riders from motorized transport-and concerns about rider safety. However, notably, numerous studies have pointed out that the elevated cost of ebikes stands out as a major hindrance to their widespread uptake (Djokic et al, 2023;Jones et al, 2016;MacArthur et al, 2014;Ton & Duives, 2021;Van den Steen et al, 2019).…”