Technology adoption of electric bicycles: A survey among early adopters

Electric bicycles (e-bikes) may reduce energy use, air pollution and noise for private transportation through a modal shift from fossil-fuel powered vehicles to e-bikes on short distance trips. However, designing effective promotion campaigns for the adoption of e-bikes requires detailed knowledge on user characteristics and motivations. In order to explain e-bike use on work, shopping and leisure trips, the present study combines concepts from technology adoption with factors derived from research on mobility behaviour. The study employs structural equation modeling to survey data from 1398 Austrian early adopters who purchased an e-bike between 2009 and 2011.