E-bikes bring value to challenged market

KORTRIJK, Belgium - Is Belgium the 'most promising market' amidst the other European markets where companies are struggling with financial burdens and slow demand? "2024 has not been a crisis year for the bicycle industry," said Paul Glorieux, secretary general of the Belgium industry association Traxio-Velo at the presentation of the 2024 market statistics.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - The fact that the Taiwanese supply chain has struggled during 2024 is fully evident in the latest custom statistics. In Q3, the island nation exported around 75,000 e-bike units, a 44% drop compared to 2023. E-bike exports to the EU specifically dropped 55% to a mere 34,000 units between July and September. Most significantly, the country is on course to see its export value drop half a billion euros this year in total.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - The import statistics of the European Union clearly indicate that China regained its leading position as e-bike supplier for Europe's market. At the same time, the market is drowned with cheap and non-compliant China made e-bikes whose sellers shamelessly advertise the presence of a throttle and how to circumvent the maximum support of 25 km/h. How should the industry respond to these market developments?

To support its rapid growth, Tracefy recently expanded its management team. Ferry Post has been appointed as sales director and Greg Schouten as technical director. This allows Niels Penning, as general manager, to focus more on overall company leadership, while Jeroen van Kester, director of marketing and new business, will concentrate on international markets and opportunities for Tracefy's GPS solutions beyond the bicycle industry.