Charging ahead: what you need to know about buying, or renting, an e-bike in Australia
Gary Nunn
You may have seen a change in your town or city recently as roads, share paths, bike lanes and pavements host a relatively new and soaringly popular type of vehicle: the electric bike.
By now, you’ve probably had your takeaway food delivered on one, or seen the vibrant red or purple bikes popping up on city streets, available to rent in new dockless share-bike schemes.
An increasing number of Australians are buying e-bikes for themselves too.
“Globally speaking, this craze isn’t unique – Australia has a lot of catching up to do,” Matt Turner, the founder of retailer 99 Bikes tells Guardian Australia, citing higher uptake in Europe and New Zealand. “There’s still a car culture here. But e-bikes are changing that as people who swore off cycling are realising that longer journeys can be done quickly and easily on one.”