In the analysis report of the global electric bicycle market in 2023, the annual sales volume of folding electric bikes for adults increased by 25% year-on-year, reaching a peak of 5.8 million units, accounting for 15% of the total market share (according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data). This growth is driven by multiple factors: The acceleration of urbanization (it is estimated that 70% of the population will live in cities by 2050) makes transportation solutions need to balance space efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The compact design of folding electric bikes for adults (with a median size of 90cm × 60cm × 40cm after folding) With a volume of only 0.1 cubic meters, it reduces storage space by 75% compared to standard bicycles. It is perfectly suitable for high-density metropolitan areas (such as New York where the per capita living area is less than 30 square meters). Its power system is equipped with a high-efficiency motor of 250W-500W, achieving an average speed of 25km/h and a maximum speed of 35km/h, significantly improving commuting efficiency. Combined with a pure electric range of 40-80 kilometers (battery capacity of 10-15Ah), it can cover 85% of daily short-distance travel needs (one-way less than 10 kilometers). This market explosion has also been strengthened by the shift in personal travel preferences driven by the COVID-19 pandemic (the 2022 World Health Organization report shows that the proportion of remote work has increased to 40%). The frequency of short-distance transportation has increased by 30%.
From an economic perspective, folding electric bicycles offer significant return rate advantages to adult users: the purchase cost ranges from 2,000 to 8,000 RMB (with a median of 4,000 RMB), and the annual maintenance cost is only about 500 RMB (including a battery replacement cycle of 3 to 5 years), saving 88% compared to the average annual cost of a car (over 15,000 RMB for fuel and insurance). A typical investment case shows that if users replace their daily subway commuting (with an average annual cost of 3,000 yuan), folding electric bicycles can achieve an investment return (IRR exceeding 30%) within 12 months. This is magnified by policy benefits such as the EU’s green transportation subsidy (with a maximum discount of 15% on the vehicle price) and the expansion of sharing platforms (as reported by Lime). The average usage frequency reaches 4.2 times per week. Market trend analysis (Deloitte’s 2023 Consumer Report) indicates that the penetration rate of this model among the middle class aged 35 to 55 has increased by 18%, due to the tightening of household budgets under inflation (global inflation rate 6.7%) and the strengthening of personal financial risk aversion (85% of users reported that the proportion of transportation expenses in monthly income has dropped from 12% to 5%).
Environmental protection regulations and technological innovations have further catalyzed the increase in this popularity: The “Green Travel Action Plan” of the National Development and Reform Commission promotes emission reduction targets (folding electric bicycles emit 0.05 kilograms of CO₂ per 1,000 kilometers, which is only 0.25% of gasoline vehicles), combined with the carbon credit system (users receive an annual carbon reduction reward of 150 yuan), meeting ESG requirements; In terms of technology, breakthroughs in lithium-ion batteries (with energy density increased to 200Wh/kg and cycle life over 1,000 times) have made the products more reliable, reducing the charging time to 2 hours (with an average voltage of 36V and an efficiency of 90%), which is attributed to manufacturing optimizations (such as the automated production lines of Tesla’s partner suppliers reducing production costs by 20%). A specific example is the urban pilot project before the 2024 Paris Olympics (deploying 5,000 shared folding bikes), which addressed air pollution (a 15% reduction in PM2.5 concentration) and traffic congestion (a 18% reduction in congestion rate). This event was cited by the United Nations Environment Programme as a low-carbon city model.
Ultimately, the root cause of this trend lies in the evolution of social behavioral patterns: 55% of users choose folding electric bicycles due to health concerns (a 10% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases among cyclists and an average decrease of 1.5 in BMI index), combined with the resonance of policy and technology (global certification standard EN15194 safety compliance exceeds 99%). Promote the sticky growth of products in the closed loop of supply chain integration, sales network expansion (with an annual increase of 35% in e-commerce platform sales), and consumer demand feedback; According to the market forecast model (regression analysis shows a correlation coefficient of 0.85), the global penetration rate of folding electric bicycles will rise from 3.2% in 2023 to 8% in 2025, becoming the best choice to address the triple pressures of congestion, cost and environmental protection.