Bicycle boom in Germany continues unabated in 2018
Published
Retail sales up 22.3 %
The boom in the bicycle trade, which has been ongoing for years, continued in 2018. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on the occasion of World Health Day on 7 April, the retail trade in bicycles, parts and accessories recorded an increase in sales of 11.9 % in real terms in 2018 compared to the previous year.
880,000 electric bikes imported into Germany
The trend towards electric bicycles with a rated continuous power of up to 250 watts is reflected in foreign trade: 880,000 electric bicycles with a total value of 789.6 million euros were imported to Germany in 2018. This corresponded to an increase in volume of 32.3 % compared to 2017. With a share of 23 % of the total imports of electric bicycles to Germany, Hungary was the most important importing country. Other important supplier countries were Vietnam with a share of 17.2 % and the Netherlands with 10.2 %.
Prices for conventional bikes are rising faster than prices for electric bikes
Consumers had to spend more money on pedelecs and e-bikes in 2018 than three years previously: between 2015 and 2018, prices in this market segment rose by 1.8 %. However, prices rose less sharply than consumer prices overall in this period (+3.8 %). In comparison, prices for bicycles without an electric motor rose by an above-average 4.5 % between 2015 and 2018.
Opportunity for bargains outside of the cycling season
Whether with or without an electric motor: consumer prices for bicycles fluctuate slightly depending on the time of year. Bicycles are cheaper around the turn of the year than in summer. If you are looking for good value for money, you can buy cheaper on average outside the cycling season.
Source: Press release of the Federal Statistical Office from 3 April 2019
In 2015, a historic double success was achieved for sustainability and climate policy. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate protection define an ambitious global target system. The group of the twenty most important industrialised and emerging countries (G20) should now resolutely press ahead with the implementation of both agreements and perceive the Great Transformation towards sustainability as a unique modernisation project that offers considerable economic development opportunities. For example, the complete decarbonisation of the global economy needed to avoid the greatest climate risks can only be implemented with a profound transformation of energy systems and other emissions-intensive infrastructures. The transformation inspires innovation and directs investments towards sustainability and climate protection, including in the sustainable infrastructures to be built and expanded. At the same time, the transformation can be used to fight inequality, i.e. to advance inclusion within societies as well as globally, and thus become a justice project.
The main recommendations of the report can be found here. Download the report. Order the print version
Difu study provides recommendations for more effective use of funding in NRW
Staff shortages and high administrative demands are two of the reasons that prevent cities, districts and municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) from drawing down available urban development funding on time. This is an important finding of a study conducted by the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) on behalf of the then Ministry of Building, Housing, Urban Development and Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia (now: Ministry of Home Affairs, Local Government, Building and Equality).
In the past ten years, about 83 percent of the municipalities in NRW used urban development funds. Due to a very high number of project applications - with a total volume of around 1.45 billion euros - four to five times more funds were applied for than were originally earmarked. This illustrates the high demand of the municipalities and at the same time the fundamental acceptance of the existing funding instruments.
However, more than 80 per cent of the cities and municipalities surveyed criticise the public procurement law, as the resulting administrative burden is a key obstacle for them in making smooth use of urban development funding. In addition, the municipalities surveyed believe that there are generally major staffing bottlenecks. Many municipalities also feel that the cost calculations for funding measures that have to be submitted with the application are too time-consuming and detailed. This is also due to the fact that multi-year forecasts are always subject to uncertainties regarding the actual time allocation by the funding agencies, price developments and possible unforeseeable developments.
Based on the results of its survey of North Rhine-Westphalian municipalities, Difu therefore recommends dispensing with new programmes in favour of merging and/or redesigning the existing federal-state programmes for urban development funding. In addition, the existing procedures should be made more flexible. This applies in particular to the application for and settlement of funding by the municipalities with the state. However, the municipalities must also make their contribution: urban development funding must be a "matter for the boss" and requires sufficient personnel resources and continuous cooperation between all the departments and treasuries involved in the cities and municipalities. However, the municipalities need support from the state to build up sufficient personnel capacities in the technical areas.
The number of CarSharing customers in Germany rose to 2.46 million over the course of last year. Above-average percentage growth was recorded by station-based CarSharing services. Station-based CarSharing also remains the backbone of the expansion in terms of area and is now available at 740 locations in Germany.
At the beginning of 2019, 2.46 million customers in Germany are registered with a car-sharing service, 350,000 more than in the previous year. Station-based car sharing providers are experiencing above-average growth with an increase of 21.5 percent. In free-floating CarSharing, customer growth is slowing somewhat and amounts to 14.9 percent. Overall, CarSharing in Germany continues to be on a clear growth path.
Graphic: bcs
Gunnar Nehrke, Managing Director of Bundesverband CarSharing e.V., comments:
"The positive development in the German CarSharing market over the past years shows: More and more people want to deal responsibly with the resource car and practically shape the traffic turnaround."
The association is particularly pleased with the strong growth in the area of station-based CarSharing services, as several scientific studies had shown in 2018 that this variant has a particularly high traffic-relieving effect. Association Managing Director Nehrke explains:
"In station-based CarSharing, 70 to 80 percent of customers no longer own a car. Cities and municipalities should specifically promote this variant by setting up CarSharing stations in public areas.
In connection with CarSharing funding, the association criticises the Federal Ministry of Transport: "Even one and a half years after the Carsharing Act (CsgG) came into force, cities and municipalities cannot practically apply this law in all points because the Ministry does not present the ordinances that are the basis for it.
Christian Hochfeld, Director of Agora Verkehrswende, explains the current development of CarSharing:
"It is important that CarSharing becomes visible and available in public spaces. However, CarSharing should not be seen as an individual measure, but as an integral part of a municipal mobility strategy. After all, the right traffic policy framework conditions - such as comprehensive parking space management and the expansion of environmental zones - can further strengthen the positive effects of CarSharing services."
Strong growth also on the supply side
20,200 CarSharing vehicles will be available in Germany at the beginning of 2019, 2,250 more than in the previous year. Station-based providers account for more than half of the supply with 11,200 vehicles, while 9,000 vehicles will be used in free-floating CarSharing.
In the "free-floating" market segment, 890 vehicles belong to combined station-based/free-floating offerings. This new form of offering is used by some formerly purely station-based providers in order to be able to offer the advantages of both CarSharing variants from a single source. New combined systems were launched in 2018 in Leipzig and Karlsruhe, for example.
Station-based CarSharing remains the backbone of CarSharing expansion
Graphic: bcs
Station-based CarSharing is currently available at 740 locations in Germany. This is 63 locations more than in the previous year. Pure free-floating services are currently available in seven metropolitan areas and a few surrounding communities of these major cities.
E-share stagnates at a high level, more e-vehicles in the fleets of station-based providers
Graphic: bcs
The number of electric vehicles in the German CarSharing fleet remained almost unchanged in 2018. However, there are shifts in the number of electric vehicles in the individual fleet segments: The number of electric vehicles in the free-floating fleets of car manufacturers remained largely unchanged at 1,025 vehicles. The medium-sized CarSharing providers in the station-based sector were able to increase the number of electric vehicles from 321 to 498.
On the other hand, the operators of pure e-car sharing projects recorded declines. Here, the number of vehicles fell from 431 to 304. This is mainly due to the fact that the period of public funding or the leasing contracts for a high number of vehicles expired in 2018. As the vehicles had not reached the threshold for economic viability, they were removed from the fleet. Gunnar Nehrke explains:
"The electric share in CarSharing is 50 times higher than in the national car fleet. This shows: The providers want to switch to emission-free drives. But the framework conditions are not yet right: the vehicles are still too expensive. And there is still no funding concept for the installation of charging infrastructure at car sharing stations."
PolRess is a project of the Freie Universität Berlin, the Research Centre for Environmental Policy, together with Ecologic Institute and Öko-Institut, which accompanies the process of implementing and updating the German resource efficiency programme ProgRess with scientific studies.
The analyses examine relevant actors and their positions on various fields of action and starting points for resource policy, instruments of resource policy
In particular, the integration of environmentally oriented and ambitious resource policy requirements should be strengthened in the various policy areas and levels, especially at the subnational level.
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