E-Bike retrofitting: The greener pedelec

Also, but not only in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bicycle market has experienced an unimaginable boom. In Germany, the industry achieved a turnover of over six billion euros in 2020, according to the association ZIV, which means an increase of 61 percent. Every third bicycle sold is now an E-bike or Pedelec, with 1.95 million bikes with electric assistance sold in Germany, an increase of over 43 percent compared to 2019. For the E-bikes, the association records the following distribution: E-Trekking 35.5%, E-MTB 30%, E-City-/Urban 28%, E-Cargo Bikes 4%, E-Road Bikes 0.5% and fast E-bikes 0.5%. The E-MTB model group was once again able to grow significantly.

However, with the success of electrified bikes, their sustainability is increasingly coming into focus. In terms of mobility, only walking or using a conventional bicycle is more environmentally friendly than using an E-bike, states the German manufacturer of the retrofit system Pendix. He refers to a study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Heidelberg (IFEU), in which E-bikes even outperformed public transport. The climate impact of Pedelecs was about five times lower than that of public transport. The E-bike can also hold its own ecologically against the E-car. Including battery production, the CO2 emissions per kilometer driven are between 7 and 7.8 grams for an E-bike.

Using an E-bike instead of a car is 15 times more environmentally friendly

According to a comparison by Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the E-car comes to a value 15 times higher. By the way, a diesel engine emits 28 times as much CO2. In other words, for a distance of ten kilometers, an E-bike needs as much energy as required to boil 0.7 liters of water at room temperature. Nevertheless, questions remain, not least since thousands of rentable E-scooters have been in the cities and lying tipped over on the sidewalks, as the manufacturer notes. He lists the CO2 balance of an E-bike. Over 345 kilograms of CO2 are emitted during the production of a new E-bike. This is mainly due to the long transport routes of the individual components from the Far East.

"The ecological Achilles heel of the E-bike is the lithium-ion battery, which currently cannot be avoided. The valuable metals needed for this, including the raw material cobalt, also come from abroad," states the provider.

Research is simply not yet advanced enough at this point to offer market-ready, environmentally friendly solutions. Another sensitive point is seen in the disposal of the batteries. There are always recyclers who trick the prescribed guidelines. The Environmental Federal Office advises paying attention to durability and proper disposal of the battery when buying, as well as a long warranty period. Proper disposal of the remaining E-bike is also emphasized. However, there is no reason for pessimism, says Thomas Herzog, Pedelec expert and managing director of Pendix.

"On average, after just 165 kilometers covered by E-bike instead of a car, the CO2 emissions of a battery are offset. In addition, customers can improve the environmental balance of their own E-bikes in a very clever way," he points out. 

And brings into play the retrofit drive of the now established specialist from Zwickau. Already, over half of the CO2 emissions can be prevented if an E-bike buyer purchases a product "Made in Germany," promotes the manufacturer. Another option is using a retrofit drive, consisting of a motor, a battery, a crank, and a charger. According to Herzog, this variant offers several advantages.

"A retrofit drive is always cheaper than a new E-bike. And above all, it saves raw materials to retrofit an existing bike instead of buying a new complete bike and then having two bikes in the basement or garage," advocates Herzog.

Most bicycles, not older than eight years, can be retrofitted with a Pendix eDrive. Regardless of whether it is a cargo bike, trekking bike, or folding bike. E-support can also be switched on and off, Herzog continues. "For example, if you ride to work with the battery, you can exhaust yourself on the way back with just muscle power. There is then no resistance, no noise, nothing. That was very important to us in the development," promotes the bike-manager.

Manageable supply of retrofits

However, the supply of high-quality retrofit drives is manageable. Pendix sees itself as the market leader here and sources 85 percent of the raw materials for the retrofit drives produced in Zwickau from Germany and other EU countries. In Thomas Herzog's view, responsibility for the raw materials does not end with the sale. Therefore, the market leader also offers an exchange program for old batteries. Every buyer can hand in their old battery at Pendix and receive a voucher for a new one. The old one is then used as an energy source elsewhere together with others that have been discarded and only when it is fully utilized is it properly recycled, the provider promotes. The side effect: customers can not only keep their bike but also contribute to a system that comes very close to a functioning circular economy.