War on wheels: Europe’s love-hate relationship with cheap Chinese electric bikes
- Movement in Brussels towards imposing taxes on imports from China has sparked a battle over e-bikes between consumers, companies and conservationists
First they were hailed as Europe’s green saviours – cheap, imported Chinese electric bicycles that could help the continent tackle traffic, environment and health issues all at once.
Now the European Commission considers them a threat to sales of pricier bikes made by European companies.
Following a year-long inquiry, the European Commission (EC) wants to impose duties on Chinese-made electric bicycles it claimed were being sold at heavily-discounted prices by manufacturers it said benefited from state subsidies.
The move appears to be the opposite of an EU decision last August to scrap five-year-old trade restrictions on solar panels from China, ignoring local producers’ concerns it would flood the market with cheaper Chinese products. However, more recent trade tensions stemming from US President Donald Trump’s trade war with Beijing may have something to do with the proposed tariffs.
The e-bikes typically go for a fraction of the price of those made by leading European manufacturers such as Riese & Muller and George Fritzmeier, according to Michael Barnard, chief strategist with TFIE Strategy and editor of its journal The Future is Electric.
