Why should you switch to an e-bike?

An e-bike is the convenient and environmentally friendly alternative to a car

An e-bike is much more environmentally friendly than a car. With an e-bike, you don’t emit any local CO₂ emissions and may even be able to charge the battery with solar power or other renewable energy sources. This would make your journey completely climate-neutral. The production of an e-bike also requires much less energy than the production of a car, which further improves the environmental footprint of an e-bike. FLYER is doing a great deal to make the production of e-bikes as environmentally friendly as possible.

Discover e-bikes Sustainability at FLYER

Another issue where e-bikes could score points over cars is noise. Starting early in the morning, car convoys wind their way through residential areas, making it impossible to get a good night’s sleep in some places. Many towns are very noisy due to car traffic. In cities, the problem is sometimes even more pronounced than in rural areas, as people use their cars well into the night and cause corresponding noise emissions. By contrast, e-bikes are virtually silent. Even if you’re riding an e-bike in the middle of the night, you won’t interfere with local residents' night-time sleep. The quiet e-bikes are also advantageous to riders in another way: On an e-bike, for example, you can enjoy birds singing on a beautiful spring morning. Pure quality of life, isn’t it?

With an e-bike, parking worries are a thing of the past. The e-bike will take you directly from door to door – it couldn’t be more convenient. You do not have to look for a parking space, or pay parking fees. And if all the cars get stuck in traffic again in the morning, you can simply sail past them on your e-bike.

More cost-effective than a car

Buying an e-bike saves money compared to buying a car. A good, high-quality e-bike may well cost several thousand francs or euros. Good quality and workmanship have their price, but are worth it in the long term. FLYER, for example, also offers spare parts for many older e-bikes if the need arises. This gives you the peace of mind that you will be able to use your e-bike for a long time. As mentioned at the beginning, this takes pressure off your wallet.

Lower maintenance costs and mileage costs compared to cars and public transport

Have you ever wondered how expensive an e-bike is compared to a car and public transport? “Elektrobike” carried out such a test and calculated the costs of the three different modes of transport on a full-cost basis. To make the comparison as transparent as possible, the costs for the individual means of transport were broken down to the kilometer. We used the “Elektrobike” calculation as our basis. Mileage was adjusted downwards, as the 11,000 kilometers used seem too high to us.

For the cost comparison, we assume 5,000 kilometers of riding per year. We use a price of EUR 5,000 for a new e-bike (“Elektrobike” calculates at EUR 3,000) and assume a useful life of five years. Due to the high mileage, the maintenance costs are estimated at EUR 500 per year. “Elektrobike” based their calculation on a power consumption of 1 kWh per 100 kilometers. We calculate EUR 0.30 per kWh. This results in the following calculation:

When it comes to costs for a car, we use the TCS – Touring Club Switzerland – calculator. As a comparison car, we chose the Skoda Octavia, one of the best-selling cars in Switzerland. Based on annual traveling of 5,000 kilometers, TCS expects costs of EUR 1.44/km. Based on annual traveling of 10,000 kilometers, costs of 0.84 EUR/km. So: Clear cost advantage for the e-bike.

When calculating the costs for public transport, we also use 5,000 kilometers as a basis. A ticket from the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund ZVV for the city of Zurich costs 782 euros for one year. The public transport ticket costs EUR 0.16/km per kilometer. However, this ticket is only valid within the city of Zurich. On longer journeys, the e-bike can easily keep up with the costs of public transport. Not to be forgotten are the positive effects of cycling, which public transport cannot give you.

You can find the full Elektrobike report here.

With your e-bike, you can effortlessly tackle long distances and steep hills

But an e-bike is also a lot of fun in your free time. In the past, have you been put off some routes because of the uphill stretches or simply their length? An e-bike gives you the freedom to tackle long distances with steep inclines without any problems. You will discover new areas, take longer tours, conquer higher mountains. Or do you have the problem that your partner is faster? With an e-bike, you can balance out differences in your fitness and enjoy tours together in a relaxed way.

In the mountains, the e-bike offers a safety advantage that should not be underestimated. After long and steep climbs, you’ll be less exhausted thanks to the assistance. You will also have enough energy to safely master and enjoy the descent. The constant tailwind of the motor makes cycling even more enjoyable.

Riding an e-bike has health benefits

Exercise is healthy. But does riding an e-bike also have a positive impact on health, despite the assistance provided by the electric motor? An e-bike only moves forward if you turn the pedals. This allows you to move continuously, regardless of the assistance level selected.

A study by the University of Basel has shown that riding an e-bike has a positive effect on fitness and health after just four weeks. The research group examined how great the physical strain is when using an e-bike compared to a non-motorized bicycle. The result: Training on an e-bike has the same health and fitness benefits as a non-motorized bicycle.

The authors of the study say that regular use of an e-bike reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, after four weeks of training, the hearts of the people examined worked more economically.

The study also showed that e-bikers traveled at a higher speed and covered greater differences in altitude than before. ”This gives us an indication that an e-bike can boost motivation and help overweight people as well as older people who would otherwise find it difficult to exercise regularly,” says study leader Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Basel. “Anyone who trains regularly on an e-bike benefits in the long term, not only in terms of fitness, but also in terms of other factors such as blood pressure, fat metabolism and psyche.”

So you have a positive effect on your health, incredible fun and save money too in comparison to a car. High time to switch to an e-bike.

Will riding an e-bike make you fit?

Yes, riding an e-bike makes you fit. A study by the University of Basel has shown that fitness is positively influenced by riding an e-bike.