Halfords have just published something called their E-Bike Report and within it are some eyebrow-raising facts. Here’s are pic of the stats.

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The findings in the report are particularly significant this year due to the recent revision of the Cycle  To work scheme and the removal of the £1,000 limit. E-bikes are ideal for commuting but pretty much no decent ones cost less than £1k.

Key findings of the report

28% think they aren’t fit enough to ride a [regular] bike.

65% didn’t know that you still have to pedal when riding an e-bike.

20% think you need insurance to ride an e-bike.

43% are unsure if e-bikes need to be taxed.

37% think they need specific electric car-style charging stations.

9% think you can’t ride them in the rain.

15% are scared they would not have full control over an e-bike.

41% are unsure if you need to have a license to ride an e-bike.

84% didn’t know that e=bikes can be purchased on the Cycle To Work scheme.

47% think an e-bike would encourage them to ride more.

23% think having an e-bike will help them start cycling again.

All of this research points yet again to the main problem with e-bikes: people don’t know very much about them. Those polled by Halfords clearly think they an e-bike is an electric-engined motorbike.

To be fair to Joe Public, pedal assist e-bikes are actually quite an odd thing to get to grasps with. The public are pretty much where us cyclists were a few years ago in terms of comprehension and experience of e-bikes. But the fact that, despite the relative ignorance on the specifics of e-bikes and e-biking, the interest in them is clearly there can only be a positive thing in our opinion.