One of the vehicles that has boomed in the last decade is the electric bicycle, which has been gaining popularity, especially as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, since it was presented as a good alternative to public transport for urban trips.

In times of coronavirus, many people resorted to these frames to cover, for example, their journeys to work. In this way they avoided going by subway or bus, where space was closed and had to be shared without a safe distance with many other passengers.

According to the study The bicycle and the scooter in times of pandemic in Spanish urban areas, carried out by the Network of Cities for the Bicycle, this health crisis increased bicycle users by 700,000: 7.7 million people traveled by bike at some time during the pandemic in urban areas.

The sale of electric mounts increased remarkably. One of the brands that, at an international level, grew like foam was the Dutch VanMoof, created in 2008. However, it could die of success, since the company could be going through its worst moment.

From the beginning, the company opted to equip its bikes with interesting technological features: integrated GPS, connection to the mobile phone as a recognition system to deactivate the anti-theft device or powerful electric drives.

Despite not having an affordable price, VanMoofs began to be sold en masse after the pandemic in countries like the Netherlands or the United States, where more and more people opted for this alternative when traveling. Unfortunately, its unexpected popularity outpaced the company, which showed weaker technical and distribution support than previously thought.

After a flurry of complaints from its customers, VanMoof came to an end. Since 2020, the Dutch company has had to deal with reliability problems, setbacks with the guarantee of its products and disappointing quality controls, even delivering damaged bicycles. In 2022 alone, Van Moof came to experience losses worth more than 11.9 million euros.

The fall of the VanMoof empire raises a question: is it the beginning of the end for electric bikes? Gone are the days of covid and masks on public transport, which is why many people are now betting again on public transport or the car. However, it is still early to know if this product has managed to gain a foothold among cyclists, or if, on the contrary, it will end up becoming just another trend.