A Survey Study on Three E-Bike Programs in California Assessed Changes in Travel Behavior, Car Travel Replacement, and Equity Impacts.
Statewide, California, United States
Impacts of E-Bike Ownership on Travel Behavior: Evidence From Three Northern California Rebate Programs
Summary Information
Electronic bicycle, or e-bike incentive programs are becoming increasingly widespread across the US to promote active transportation modes. This study assessed the travel and environmental impacts of three e-bike rebate programs in Northern California, namely the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Peninsula Clean Energy and Contra Costa County, using survey results gathered by the e-bike agencies before and after the implementation of their rebate programs launched in 2020 and 2021. The study had three main objectives: (1) understanding the effects of owning an e-bike on participants’ transportation choices, trip reasons, and how often they travel; (2) finding out if participant who received e-bike rebates lowered their greenhouse gas emissions; and (3) examining how each rebate program's design influenced who could participate and the results of the program.
METHODOLOGY
In this study, participants from three e-bike rebate programs completed an online follow-up survey after receiving their rebates. They provided information on demographics, travel behavior, e-bike attitudes, travel frequency by mode, e-bike odometer readings, alternative travel modes, trip purposes, average trip distances, and more. A total of 617 responses were received, with response rates varying between the programs, ranging from 19 to 87 percent. To estimate GHG emissions before and after respondents got their e-bikes, the study calculated the number of monthly car and e-bike trips when a car trip was replaced, based on reported travel frequencies in the surveys. These were then multiplied by the average distance when replacing a vehicle trip with an e-bike to create a rough estimation of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). The California Emissions Factor (EMFAC) tool developed by California Air Resources Board (CARB) provided data on regional fleet mixes and GHG emissions for calculating total CO2 equivalent emissions.
FINDINGS
Overall, the results showed that e-bike recipients reported more regular bike use after getting their e-bike, although their frequency of bike travel began to decline in the long-term:
- In total, 82 percent of the sampled respondents reported they replaced at least one car trip with their e-bike.
- In the short-term, most respondents replaced car trips one to three times per week or month, with less than 10 percent doing so daily.
- In the long term, nearly 40 percent of the respondents replaced at least a weekly trip, but a decline in daily replacement and an increase in those never replacing trips were also observed. It was estimated that in the short-term, survey respondents replaced 35 to 44 percent of their car VMT, reducing CO2 emissions by 12-44 kg per participant monthly.
- Participants with lower incomes replaced car trips more frequently, resulting in greater emissions reductions compared to the rest of the sample. However, the highest-income respondents reported more daily replacements, even though their overall replacement frequency was lower than the rest of the sample.
- Reported benefits of an e-bike included being good for recreational use, a good alternative to car for some trips, ability to travel further than non-electric bikes, and less effort than a non-electric bike. However, environmental gains were not seen as a major benefit of e-bike usage.
- Respondents indicated that fear of theft/vandalism, insufficient bike lanes, battery and charging concerns, weather conditions, and difficulty finding a parking spot were among the top barriers to e-bike ownership.
