E-Bikes Play Key Role in Slashing Oil Demand (so Let’s Keep Riding!)

Electric two- and three-wheelers such as mopeds and e-bikes displace four times the demand for oil as electric 4-wheelers, making them an ideal eco-friendly alternative to the expensive and polluting traditional car.

Last year, there were more than 20 million electric cars and 1.3 million commercial EVs – like buses, delivery vans, and trucks – on the road, while there were 280 million electric two- and three-wheelers – including electric bikes, mopeds, scooters and motorcycles.

Since these forms of transportation are widely popular – in China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, mopeds are a typical vehicle – they slash four times as much demand for oil as all the world’s electric cars. Perfect for short trips, electric bikes or mopeds – also known as part of the electric micromobility – are cheaper to buy and run than EVs. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, since the surge of forms of micromobility, one million barrels of oil a day – about 1% of the world’s total oil demand – has been cut. The International Energy Agency has estimated that global oil demand is projected to peak in 2028 at 105.7 million barrels a day, then start to fall. EVs could be crucial in cutting oil demand, and electric micromobility could cut demand faster. From commuting on an e-bike 20 km a day, five days a week, charging costs would be around $20… annually.