The War on E-Bikes: Why the media are getting it wrong

Not all is as it seems.

You may be aware, then again you may not. There is a lot of buzz around e-bikes but not much coverage in the mainstream press is positive - why is that? 

These brilliant pieces of technology are true levellers of the cycling playing field. I see people of all ages getting out and about and making full use of these clever little machines. No matter your age or your ability - an e-bike can really open up sustainable active travel to everyone. The average person travels just 22 miles per day - in e-bike terms about 50% of the average e-bike range. So, why are they suddenly being portrayed as dangerous, disruptive, and deadly?

You've seen the headlines "E-Bike batteries exploding!" "Teen joyriders terrorising the streets!" "Calls for clampdowns on e-bike menace!"

All are common in the tabloid press. It's like overnight, the media decided e-bikes were suddenly a threat. Now let's remove e-bike from those headlines and replace them with cars and internal combustion engines (or ICE for short). There are so many more issues with these machines on a daily basis, yet no one seems to want to report things in the mainstream press - why is that? 

This may shock you ... but they are a threat. Not to you or me. They're a threat to the people who profit from the status quo. The fossil fuel lobby - that's who. If you dig deep enough, you will find their oily fingerprints over the bundles of cash being handed over to the mainstream media. 

Let’s Be Clear: E-Bikes Aren’t the Problem

E-bikes are transformative. They're affordable, easily accessible, sustainable - low carbon transport. They are cost-effective to run and use very little energy. Those with more than a vested interest in energy really don't like this. They get people cycling who probably never would have otherwise. They're perfect for commuting to work, going shopping, even doing the school run. They make everyday journeys easy - the same tasks that most do in their cars without thinking. But let's think about costs - imagine being caught in a constant trap of having to keep using consumable energy to get about. Imagine accepting without question that you should spend 2 hours per day in a traffic jam to travel just 10 miles. Does it sound a little daft? It does when you think deeply enough about it. So, why do it?

E-bikes use a tiny fraction of the resources used by ICE cars or electric cars. You can charge them easily off a standard plug or even a solar panel. They don't pollute the air or leave debris in the environment. They are a simple answer to congestion. They improve physical and mental health. They make our living spaces quieter, safer, and allow room for people to connect - to be social human beings.

They also do something else. They chip away at car culture and motor-normativity. They challenge the grip that petrol and diesel industries have had on our streets for decades. And that is why the backlash has begun. The development of E-bike technology threatens the fossil fuel dinosaurs - their bottom lines are at stake.

E-Bike or E-Motorbike? The Media Doesn’t Seem to Know

There is a problem with the media - the confusion regarding the difference between e-bikes and e-motorcycles. Sometimes genuine, sometimes deliberate. It's the deliberate part that concerns me the most - I firmly believe that dark forces are at play.

E-bikes in the UK are pedal assist. You have to pedal them to make them go. They're limited to an assist level of 15.5mph, along with a maximum 250 watt motor - that is written into UK law. These e-bikes don't require insurance or a license and legally belong in the same category as bicycles. So, not much to fear from these!

What about e-motorbikes? Well anything that doesn't meet the above criteria is not an e-bike but an e-motorcycle. When an uninsured teen crashes a high-performance e-motorcycle on the pavement, the media just love to attach a headline such as "e-bike horror". It's great for those all important clicks and better still for the Mr Angry's in the comments section. You see technology has left the media scrambling for readership. As a last stand they resort to clickbait tactics to survive. There is no effort to distinguish. No explanation. Just a lazy, self-serving, fear-mongering label.

That is a deliberate misrepresentation - and it isn't harmless. It sows confusion, feeds division, and paints all e-bike users as dangerous and antisocial. Then factor in the spin from councillors and politicians - here in Worcester we have a very prominent one of those - you find a dangerous situation where vulnerable road users are put at greater risk.

It fuels public resistance, regulatory crackdowns, and allows for bad policy. It plays right into the hands of the industries that just don't want people riding e-bikes. I have a real problem when corporations put profits over people - if for no other reason than it is morally repugnant.

Follow the Money

I don't wish to be doom and gloom, but the fuel lobby are massive and have hands in many pies.Car manufacturers, oil companies, motorway contractors and anyone else who profits when we stay in our cars. They directly influence transport policy and have done for generations. Even the most staunch of politicians seems to have their price. 

These industries have invested millions, if not billions, in lobbying politicians and the media. By placing stories in newspapers, funding "research" that meets their agenda's - all leads to the direct shaping of public opinion. Newsflash: People are being played!

So, when something truly disruptive comes along - something simple, inexpensive, cheap to build and repair, that doesn't need constant fuel, something that gives back control over how we move - the wheels turn and misinformation and discrediting kicks in. 

E-bikes are that disruptive and the dinosaurs don't like it. They're the cheap, effective, climate-friendly alternatives to short car journeys. This makes them public enemy number one for industries built upon oil, tarmac, and four wheels.

Of course, they'll fund stories that attempt to scare and divide - they are age-old tactics employed for millenia by the power-hungry fearful of a loss of control. The obvious attempts to blur the lines between law-abiding e-bikes and illegal, unregulated vehicles will be lost on many. They'll push for overregulation, for mandatory insurance, for laws that will make it impossible to own and ride a simple e-bike. Remember, they're not protecting you - they're protecting their bottom line.

This is a Battle Between Two Futures

When someone swaps a car trip for an e-bike ride, they are casting a vote for a different kind of world. One that is cleaner, safer, calmer, and more connected. A world with less congestion, less exhaust fumes and more cycle lanes, is a world with healthier people, quieter towns, and air that won't damage your lungs.

Scaremongering headlines that are effective, that stop someone taking that ride, keep us locked into the old system. The system where oil rules and corporates exchange your freedom for hard cash. They want towns and cities built for cars, not bicycles, e-bikes, or people. It is a world where the climate breakdown accelerates - all the while those with power and money look the other way or get greedier than ever before! It won't get better appeasing them - they will just want more - all at the cost of your bank account and your health, possibly your freedoms.

That is what this is really about, it's not about exploding batteries, or speed limits, or bike crime - it's about control. Which future do you want to travel towards? A billionaire owned dystopia, or a world where we can all live a happy, healthy and productive life.

The Real Story

So, what story should the media be telling?

E-bikes, not e-motorcycles, are a lifeline - a force for good. They are one of the simplest, smartest tools that we have to cut carbon, reclaim our streets, and build a sustainable relationship with transport. 

We should be celebrating them, endorsing them, using them. Instead, we have the press selling their soul for clicks and oil stained cash. We get division, disharmony, and a culture where those who have been bought are turning everyone against each other. The reason is as old as capitalism itself - profit over people.

It's time to call it out for what it is. We need better reporting, clearer distinctions, smarter regulation, and investment in infrastructure that supports active travel. We need safe and fair choices for all - I'm not talking about electric cars for the already privileged, tolerated by the car manufacturers and their buddies in the oil industry.

Above all, we need to keep riding. Everytime we do, we show the cynics and those who have been bought-and-paid-for, that we want a better transport system.

Now that is a story worth telling!

— The Two Wheeled Journo