9 companies and research institutes work in new living lab for a sustainable e-bike industry in Flanders

Electric bikes are 20 to 50 times more environmentally friendly than electric cars, emitting between 2 and 5 grams of CO2 per kilometre ridden. Even if you charge your bike's battery with green electricity, there can be CO2 emissions along the entire sustainability chain, as bikes are produced in countries where the electricity mix is not yet as green. Electric bikes also include a lot of rare, valuable materials. Those who care about sustainability should therefore choose a quality bicycle and use it for as long as possible. In order to take steps towards sustainability, research centre Flanders Make and bicycle manufacturer Åska Bike are starting a living lab together with a consortium* of innovative players in the Flemish e-bike landscape. 

Until now, the bicycle industry has mainly focused on selling as many new bicycles as possible. Large foreign suppliers of bike parts often make new versions that deliberately do not match older versions of their parts. In addition, cheap electric bikes are also more difficult to repair, and labour costs are high in our region. Therefore, it is often cheaper to buy a new electric bike than to repair or refurbish an existing one.

Making the bicycle industry more sustainable is therefore a big challenge. With this living lab, we are taking up the gauntlet. Our focus is on fast electric bikes or 'speedpedelecs'.

Åska Bike is already quite far along in its realisation of a sustainable speedpedelec, with its production chain located as much as possible in Europe. The battery and frame are made in Flanders. All suppliers of the bike components have been selected for their focus on sustainability. The bike is built for easy maintenance and longevity, with the possibility of upgrading it rather than completely replacing it with a better version after a few years.

In order to test the Bike-as-a-Service concept in real conditions, we are involving a few Antwerp companies that can use it to offer easy accessibility to their employees. Employees are increasingly looking for a healthy work-life balance and also judge their employer on sustainability. So with a sustainable speedpedelec for employees, companies have an extra asset in the war for talent and to keep their current employees on board.