Active Transport Foreshadowed as Priority for COP27

Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt Active transport appears set to gain greater attention at the next instalment of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP27. After being a last-minute inclusion for COP26, the COP27 Presidency of Egypt has identified transport as an issue of particular importance for the forum on the 6th…

Riese & Müller CEO Steps Down for Innovation Focus

Riese & Müller executives

Darmstadt, Germany The CEO of one of Europe’s most enduring and important players in micromobility, Riese & Müller, has stepped down from executive duties to focus more on innovation and product development. Markus Riese, who co-founded the e-bike specialist company in Germany almost 30 years ago, last month announced he was relinquishing the top executive…

Oliver’s World of E-Bikes, Autonomous Cars and Higher Planes

Wellington, NZ Welcome to the latest instalment of transcripts from our influencers! podcasts, talking to people making a major difference to cycling or micromobility in Australia and around the world. We’re skipping out of sequence this issue and jumping straight to the most recent episode of influencers!, featuring long-standing micromobility commentator and visionary Oliver Bruce.…

£2 million ‘Cycling Revolution’ Followed by Falling Participation

students riding to school in the ‘Shawlands bike bus’

London, UK A £2 million (A$3.39 million) funding boost for cycling in the UK in 2020 was followed by a decline in riding rates, according to recently released statistics, with the blame levelled at the post-pandemic removal of cycling lanes. In fact, the proportion of people cycling at least once a week fell to its…

Hopper Stays Close to Driving Experience

Hopper Mobility prototype

Frankfurt, Germany Luring drivers out of cars and into more sustainable transport options could require alternatives as close as possible to the automobile experience, according to the developer of a new light electric vehicle (LEV) prototype. German company Hopper Mobility, launched only last year, attracted plenty of attention when it exhibited its three-wheeler prototype at…

Two More E-Bike Ventures for Porsche

Man riding Porsche’s eBike Sport

Ottobrunn, Germany German performance car manufacturer Porsche has further escalated its involvement in the bicycle industry, launching two ventures his month as it seeks to launch a new generation of Porsche electric bikes from the middle of this decade. It has partnered with Dutch company Ponooc Investment B.V. to create Porsche eBike Performance GmbH, based…

Sometimes Perceptions Don’t Match Reality

R&M’s new Urban Five Touring bike

Frankfurt, Germany Many Australian bicycle industry members have probably not even heard of Riese & Müller. Although the brand has been available here for quite a few years, it’s only sold through about a dozen dealers across Australia and NZ who are supplied direct from R&M’s head office in Germany, rather than through a local…

Commercial Cargo Requirements Define a New Category

Keego cargo KG3 prototype

Frankfurt, Germany The entire cargo bike market is still in its infancy in Australia. But shows like Eurobike give us a glimpse into what the future holds. The European cargo market has already reached 500,000 units per year. Given the high unit price of each bike, particularly as most of them are electric, that would…

Cargo Explosion Delivers a Wealth of Innovations

Mubea ‘U-mobility’ vehicle

Frankfurt, Germany The exploding cargo bike market was an unmistakeable feature of Eurobike 2022, with a growing array of global players occupying much of one exhibition hall. A vast spectrum of designs whizzed around the test tracks and many industry folk and members of the public took the opportunity to try the multitude of cargo…

Electric Motorcycle a Sustainable Saviour for Africa

Roam electric motorcycle

Nairobi, Kenya Motorcycles provide essential mobility for many Africans and can now offer a more sustainable mode of transport, courtesy of Kenyan company Roam and its new lightweight and very cheap electric bike launched last month. The Roam Air – designed, developed and built in Kenya – can travel up to 180km on a pair…