Evaluation of Electric Bike Use in Portland Metro Region

Oregon and Portland in particular, is internationally known for its love for bikes. Not only does the region have some of the highest bike ridership but the Oregon bike manufacturing industry is quickly growing. Oregon's electric bike (e-bike) market is also growing but little data are available on the potential market and e-bike user behavior and interest. Only a limited amount of research has explored the potential new market segments for e-bikes and the economic, operational, safety, and transportation issues surrounding e-bikes in the United States. This proposal aims to gain greater understanding of how e-bikes can be integrated into…

Oregon and Portland in particular, is internationally known for its love for bikes. Not only does the region have some of the highest bike ridership but the Oregon bike manufacturing industry is quickly growing. Oregon’s electric bike (e-bike) market is also growing but little data are available on the potential market and e-bike user behavior and interest. Only a limited amount of research has explored the potential new market segments for e-bikes and the economic, operational, safety, and transportation issues surrounding e-bikes in the United States.
This proposal aims to gain greater understanding of how e-bikes can be integrated into a sustainable transportation system. In the U.S., e-bikes are bicycles that have an electric motor that assists, but does not replace, the power provided by the rider. In other words, the rider still needs to pedal; the motor provides extra help which is particularly useful when starting from a stop and going up hills.  E-bikes have the potential to overcome common barriers to cycling, including hilliness and long trip distances. Existing qualitative research indicates that certain segments of the population may be particularly attracted to e-bikes, including women, older adults, and people with some physical limitations.
This research project has two primary objectives: (1) Understand people’s perceptions and attitudes of e-bikes; and (2) Evaluate the use of e-bikes by potential users to determine if these bikes could encourage new bike users. The objectives will be addressed primarily by loaning e-bikes to a range of potential users. The participants, recruited from the Portland metropolitan region, will include a range of demographics and geography. The e-bikes will be equipped with a GPS device to collect actual usage data. In addition, each participant will complete surveys before, during, and after their time with the e-bike to garter data on perceptions, attitudes and travel patterns. Data will be gathered from at least 100 participants, each of which will have use of an e-bike for one month period. This e-bike evaluation study can provide valuable insight into the potential market, user characteristics and barriers to adoption.