Repairs Cause Difficulties for E-Bike Brands & Owners
Published 14 August 2023
2 min read
E-bike manufacturers are benefiting from a bicycle boom, and the global market is expected to be worth $73.8bn in 2027, up from $38.4bn in 2021 (Statista, 2023). However, Dutch e-bike maker VanMoof’s bankruptcy last month raises concerns over the industry’s longevity, and the risks to consumers. We explore the main industry perils and emerging solutions.
- The Maintenance Accessibility Pitfall: As e-bike manufacturers upgrade their tech to increase safety, comfort and security measures (see The Micromobility Shift), patents become an obstacle to repairs. Independent maintenance shops often don’t have access to the proprietary software that big brands use for features like automatic gear shifting and locking, while branded repair shops may not be available locally, or have long lead times.
Worn out batteries are e-cyclists’ main worry, since they can be hard (sometimes impossible) and expensive to replace due to brands’ patented software (see the Brief for insight into battery-swapping for electric vehicles). Cost can also be a hurdle for brands themselves – for VanMoof, manufacturing and repair costs outpaced profits.
- Cowboy’s Support: Following VanMoof’s bankruptcy, customers relying on smartphone locking features cited concerns over accessing their bikes, being nervous about the company’s servers being taken down. In response, Belgian competitor Cowboy released a free app called Bikey, which allows VanMoof owners to generate a digital key, ensuring they can continue riding their e-bikes. Meanwhile, servers for VanMoof’s app will stay online (though it's unclear for how long).
- Standardisation as the End Goal: Countering new innovative applications, chief marketing officer of Estonian Ampler Bikes, Tuuli Jevstignejev, pleads for the standardisation of e-bikes to ensure they can be repaired and accessed at all times.