eBikeLabs
We aim at reducing CO2 emission by promoting ebikes.
ID: 618254636683-33
Lobbying Activity
Response to Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy
29 Jul 2020
eBikeLabs supports the EU initiative towards a more sustainable and smart mobility, reducing environmental impacts and improving our communities.
Sustainable mobility starts with vehicles that last long. eBikeLabs makes durable e-bike sharing a flourishing reality, with a software platform that transforms affordable e-bikes into theft resistant, easy to maintain, and safe fleet vehicles, along with a top notch user experience.
eBikeLabs believes more cycling is the most effective measure to fast-track a 90% reduction in EU transport emissions. In the period to 2030, cycling is the only mode that will deliver a fast start to the EU Green Deal, building on the rapid transition to cycling seen during the COVID19 recovery.
eBikeLabs believes cycling, and especially e-bikes, and the role of cycling businesses are completely aligned with the EU Strategy for a Sustainable and Smart Mobility Roadmap because:
1. (e)-Cycling has a number of scientifically proven advantages: improved health and reduced risk of diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, better air quality, smoother traffic flow, shorter travel time, as well as economic efficiency.
2. (e)-Cycling businesses help repair the short-term damage from the crisis in a way that invests in the long-term future of mobility
3. Compared with other electric vehicles, e-bikes are unique in that they improve user health (physical exercise, neither e-scooters nor e-cars provide that), reduce congestion (e-cars occupy the same space as regular cars in cities), provide a safe way to commute (e-bikes are 6 times safer than e-scooters and are typically ridden for distances up to 3x longer), are energy efficient (most of the energy used by an e-car is to carry its own weight).
4. e-Bikes enable the transition to sustainable mobility because they can easily cover the majority of our urban journeys. Shared e-bike fleets make e-bikes more accessible to more people. The biggest obstacles to e-bike adoption are their purchase price, risk of theft, and battery management. e-Bike sharing fleets solve these impediments right away for users.
5. New technologies help to increase the lifespan of e-bikes and achieve sustainable, efficient, seamless, smart and safe mobility.
The European Strategy for a Sustainable and Smart Mobility needs to commit to cycling with ambitious targets, effective policies and substantial funding for investments in safe, high quality cycling infrastructure throughout Europe and to address barriers to uptake of cycling including affordability of new technologies, especially in EU countries with low (e-)bike uptake.
We call for an EU Cycling Strategy to unite all EU actions on cycling, and to implement the following measures:
1. Funding at least €6bn in investments in, high quality cycling infrastructure in the 2021-27 MFF;
2. Improving the EU Urban Mobility policy framework by making access to EU funding for safe and attractive transport infrastructure conditional on the implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and the collection of urban mobility data;
3. a centralised €5.5 bn EU e-Bike Access Fund that will make e-bikes more accessible for sale or in bike sharing schemes in all countries in the EU;
4. Ensure that the success of e-bikes is maintained across the single market by maintaining the current regulations that give most e-bikes exactly the same treatment as bicycles, including no insurance requirement, exclusion from type approval and equal VAT status; as well as ensure that regulations specify the intent as opposed to the how, so that innovation can occur.
5. In all EU funding relating to road transport cycling must be treated as an equal part of the system with the automotive, freight and public transport sectors, with no exclusion of cycling from any relevant EU funding or policy instruments. This includes the full inclusion of the Eurovelo network in T-ENT.
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