Car manufacturers see the writing on the wall about personal electric vehicles

[FlatSix911]

This is why so many car companies are making electric scooters and e-bikes

We’ve all seen how electric scooters from companies like Bird and Lime are taking over cities. But now we’re watching...

electrek.co

Essentially, car manufacturers see the way urban transportation is headed. And it’s not a pretty picture for conventional cars.
More and more cities are closing off areas to car traffic in favor of bikes, scooters, and other smaller vehicles.
Electric scooter-sharing companies are exploding in popularity.

Electric bicycle sales are at an all-time high and growing faster than ever.
In other words, personal electric vehicles like e-bikes and e-scooters are the future of urban transportation.
Which isn’t to say that cars aren’t part of the picture. They just aren’t the only part anymore, and some would argue they soon won’t even be the main part. And car companies aren’t blind. Nor are they stupid. They all want a piece of that action.

 

[trainman]

I don't disagree with what was said above and for some areas of the country this will probably be the up and coming thing, as we can see it happening today. But if you lived in Ft. Worth/Dallas, Texas you would not see ebikes as the up and coming thing, there almost non existent. Now I wouldn't go into why I think this is the way it is, but I can say it's a total different life style and I don't see ebikes taking over anytime soon. I would say most ebikes here are sold for the pleasure of riding, or a toy, not as transportation to and from work. As far as auto manufacturing going into the ebike business and you stated that some have, I wish them all the luck, but I would think that there profits are in auto sales, big ticket items is where I would think they would want to be. Let's face it, anyone can have ebikes made and shipped here from overseas, it's being done as we speak, I have a hard time seeing auto manufactures taking this serious, can they really compete in today's world market on ebikes.

 

[sparkwest]

How about one of there?

 

[sparkwest]

I'd go for a Toyota iRoad, v cool! Would be great for the 5-6 months of rain we get here. Thx!

 

[Solom01]

I'm sure the car makers are scared to death...not. Bikes and other small vehicles may be ok in a few small, densely packed countries like the Netherlands and Denmark with the appropriate infrastructure but in North America, Australia and many other countries they are fine for use recreationally but you would have to be somewhat foolhardy to use them as general transportation. The death rate for cyclists in the US is already much higher than for car use and growing. Huge SUVs and bikes don't mix. Even cities that pay lip service to the concept such as NYC have had bumper years of cycling deaths - and wearing a helmet isn't going to help when you get hit by a Range Rover or slef-driving Uber. Moreover who will be buying these bikes? Most of us in this forum are boomers and learned to bike as a normal part of growing up. Now with video games and increased obesity the number of kids learning how to bike is plummeting...Harley Davidson found out what happens when your target demographics start aging. Sorry folks, age and experience have taught me not to believe every sensational story I hear. Heck, I'm still waiting for acid rain to end humanity (that was the big scare in the 80s); for oil to totally run out in 1990 (that was the story in the 70s) for humanity to freeze from the coming Ice Age (big in the late 60's).

 

[FreeWheelie]

Cities are going away from car parking as well, if you are not taking transit or a bike you'll be paying high fees or hiking it into downtown

 

[ruffruff]

I know this thread is about getting cars off the street but this was interesting.

Daimler halts internal-combustion development to focus on EVs - LeftLaneNews

R&D resources are now shifting toward electric motors and batteries.

leftlanenews.com