Do e-bikes get people out of cars?

There have been a number of governments in the last few years that have offered rebates on e-bike purchases. As a non e-bike rider I do wish that it was a rebate for any kind of bike but regardless, I think the rebates are good. I wonder though, how many people the rebates get out of cars and how many switch to e-bikes from other alternatives to driving.

Rérat and Marincek (2024) examined this question in Switzerland. They found that e-bikes users fell into two broad categories. One was the people who either started or restarted cycling because of the e-bikes. The second was people who were able to continue to cycle despite changes such as having a longer commute, aging, or having to transport kids.

Both groups have the potential to increase the number of people cycling; however, this doesn’t mean that all of these people would have driven without the e-bikes. People indicated that they switched from public transport, walking, non-motorized bikes, and, yes, cars. So many people switched from public transit that there were 1/3 fewer passes sold in the participant in the study period. I get this as my (regular) bike most often replaces trips that I would have made on public transport.

Eighteen percent of respondents indicated that the e-bikes replaced the need for car ownership but it isn’t known whether these individuals owned cars and sold them or had not owned a car before owning the e-bikes.

They also found that families with kids were less likely to reduce car use. This makes sense as it is still more challenging to get around with kids without a car (not impossible though).

I’d like to see similar research from other locations that also look at the cycling infrastructure in place. I feel like having the infrastructure is still a necessary first step to really encouraging a transition.