For health and wealth we should subsidise electric bikes not electric cars

Electric bikes (e-bikes) promote an active lifestyle and can help reduce traffic issues. However they can be seen as expensive to purchase. An extended trial scheme could help combat this issue by allowing people to see how an e-bike could transform their lives. E-bikes deserve at least as much attention from government as electric cars.

E-bikes reduce effort for the user

Politicians are keen that Wales does not get left behind in terms of electric car charge points. The rational is that the market’s failure to deliver points means that the government should step in. Perhaps this is true, however an environmentally and economically sustainable transport hierarchy places promotion of private vehicles down at the bottom.

Where street space is at a premium charging points actually take space away from other users.

While electric cars go some way to address air pollution issues, they do not reduce the amount of traffic on the roads, and neither do they address poor health due to inactivity.

Cycling without electrical assistance offers the most benefits to the user and society. However for many people the idea of struggling up a hill after a long day at work is just not desirable. Arriving sweaty at the office in the morning just doesn’t appeal. This is where e-bikes come in.

Modern e-bikes deliver powerful assistance over many miles, and with built in lights and built in mudguards overcome many convienience issues. No more struggling up hills, no danger of arriving tired or sweaty. While at the same time, being as e-bike assistance level can be varied, users can benefit from being active.

An extended trial scheme would allow users to experience the benefit to their lives

There is only one problem. Compared to an un-assisted bicycle, they appear to be very expensive. Many governments around Europe already offer e-bike subsidies. The UK government also recently considered it.

I believe that the Welsh government should focus spend on cycling infrastructure. But they, or perhaps the NHS could look to spend a small amount of money on an e-bike subsidy. For the NHS this would be money well spent if looking to target those people who are currently least active. If a subsidy is out of the question, then maybe a trial scheme could be useful.

Demos are great, but finding out whether a bike is worth the investment in a short demo is difficult.

Many e-bike shops offer a 48 hour trial for a fee redeemable against a purchase. This fee can be quite hefty. Also to test whether an ebike can really fit with your lifestyle, a trial over a few weeks would be far more useful.

The market is failing to deliver trials that would allow users to see how an e-bike could transform their lives.

So an alternative to a direct subsidy could be setting up a national hire/trial scheme so that people can give an e-bike a good go before committing to a purchase.

As we dash for electric, let’s not forget the humble bicycle and all of the benefits it can offer to individuals and society.