SAN DIEGO — As extra folks turn out to be acutely aware of their carbon footprint whereas looking for a solution to escape the monotony of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rising popularity of electrical bicycles is giving folks a lot wanted escape.
When the pandemic hit, Jean Keane hopped on a pattern that hundreds of different folks would additionally observe by getting an electrical bike.
What You Need To Know
- E-bike gross sales have elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Most folks cite well being and environmental causes as their motive for buying
- The E-BIKE Act creates a shopper tax credit score that covers 30% of the price of the electrical bicycle, as much as a $1,500 credit score
- Aventon Ebikes reported a 301% web site gross sales improve in the Los Angeles space in 2021
“I use it for everything,” Keane said. “I don’t even hardly ever drive my car anymore.”
Keane has ridden her e-bike as much as 35 miles to fulfill purchasers and drop off paperwork for her actual property enterprise.
“I initially purchased the bike simply to commute, after which I spotted how superior it was and what number of makes use of for train, psychological well being, setting, only a entire gambit of issues, and I simply adore it,” she stated.
Debbe Simmons is the founding father of Bicycle Warehouse, one of many nation’s prime bicycle retailers. She says the pandemic rush for electrical bikes broke all her retailer’s data.
“In my 30 years of business, I saw the most of every day people come in like, ‘Oh, I haven’t had a bike in years, I haven’t had a bike since I was little.’ And we’re like, yay! You’re getting on a bike again,” Simmons stated.
It’s a motion cities across the nation are shifting to help as gross sales soar. The metropolis of San Diego put in six new bikeways and accomplished 100 miles of design of recent bikeways in 2021.
“Spurred by the pandemic, more people are staying safe outdoors and exploring San Diego using different modes, including bikes, e-bikes and scooters,” the City of San Diego stated in a press release. “We want to continue that momentum and make San Diego roads safe and friendly for all our residents and visitors. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to achieving our Climate Action Plan goals and more San Diegans using active transportation will help us get there.”
“It’s a win-win,” Simmons said. “It’s a win for us, and it’s a win for the planet. It retains us wholesome, retains the planet wholesome.”
According to Aventon Ebikes, its web site gross sales elevated 301% in the Los Angeles space and 235% in the San Diego space in 2021.
There are additionally new tax incentives, together with the E-BIKE Act that would offer a tax credit score of as much as $1,500 to anybody who buys an e-bike.
What began as a solution to get to work has now was a very totally different way of life for Keane and her household, and he or she hopes many others take the time to discover it for themselves.
“It’s just easier,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about parking, getting gas, and I get some exercise and feel the fresh air on my face and just have a really cool day.”