Electric bicycle sellers are anticipating a “big increase” in demand as fuel prices continue to rise, writes Colm McGuirk.
But the crisis could add around €90 onto the price of an e-bike if shipping costs spike as they did during the Covid pandemic, one seller has warned.
With petrol and diesel reaching €2 and €2.30 per litre respectively, commuters have been among the first to feel the economic pinch of the US and Israel’s attack on Iran.
The appeal of paying around €1 a week instead to charge an electric bike is obvious.
Darren Walsh, owner of Cyclebike in Dublin, said he started working in bicycle shops in the 1980s, just after the energy crisis of the 1970s.
He said: “When that happens again, everything that you have will be sold out.
“I don’t know if it’s ever going to get to that level again, but certainly we would anticipate in the cycle trade that there’ll be a big increase in demand.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said this week the latest supply shock is “probably the worst ever, much more severe than even the 1970s”.
Mr Walsh added: “You’ll see things like child seats [for bicycles being sold], you’ll see bikes being pulled out of sheds and sent in for repairs.
“And you’ll see e-bikes will be a big part of that, because you have people in different age demographics that would be used to driving who wouldn’t necessarily feel like they want to get back onto a standard push bike.”
The spike in profits will be “short lived” for bicycle shops, Mr Walsh added.
He said: “During Covid, there was a five-fold increase in the price of shipping. So instead of dividing five grand [shipping cost] across 300 [bicycles in a container], you’re dividing 25 or 30 grand across 300, so it’s substantial. It could add $100 (€87) onto the price of a bike, before you pay any VAT or duties.”
Eamon Barrett, who owns Altitude bike shop in Waterford city, said he expected a surge in sales.
“We’re trying to be balanced about it, because we don’t want to be jumping on a scare bandwagon of trying to frighten people into buying e-bikes. It’s meant to be a positive experience.”
Mr Barrett said a switch to an e-bike makes sense for someone with a “relatively easy commute”, with the added incentive of the Government’s Cycle to Work Scheme, “which would make the price very palatable for people”.
He said even the biggest e-bikes batteries are less than one kilowatt, “so if you were clever and charging it on the overnight rate, you’re probably only talking as little as a euro for a full charge”.
“Even the smallest battery size now would be about 90 or 100 kilometers of range.
“So if you take an average commute for a lot of people, they would only be charging the bike once a week.”
Darren Walsh is expecting a big increase in e-bike sales
Maciej Gasowski in EV Sales Navan/Castlebar said that interest in e-bikes has been growing steadily thanks to improved infrastructure, such as greenways.
He added: “People have to think about their journey – sitting in traffic in the car for half an hour versus ten minutes on the bike.”
