The UK E-bike Market 2025-26

Firstly a warning. I haven’t used AI. Apologies for any grammatical errors – although, it may add an element of “spot the error” for the grammar police, and positive data for everyone else.

This week I shared some data with MP, Fabian Hamilton in Portcullis house, London. Whilst there, I learned that visitors by e-bike are on the increase in Parliament and that, like everyone else I meet, our solar-powered e-bike charging would really solve the problem of charging for them. Fabian, a cycling advocate and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking, told me “Cycling saved my life”. It’s almost certainly why he’s regularly seen aboard his Estarli folding e-bike. Fueled by this positive meeting and so many other encouraging signs within our own data, I felt compelled to share a view on the market, that feels different to mainstream media. Some perepective.

And growth… Ahead of some major updates at Solarcycle, driven by strong customer demand, I’ve assembled some facts behind our successes – from within the Solarcycle e-bike charging network, but also, initially other sources, which are hard to ignore…

The Size of the E-bike market

Continual growth, despite challenging conditions within other industries.
There are few industries I speak with enjoying growth this year. But, according to Future Market Insights, the global micro-mobility charging infrastructure market is forecast to grow from USD 9.1 billion in 2025 to more than USD 62 billion by 2035 — a 22.5% CAGR.
 In the UK, this growth is also strong, with a 21.5% CAGR driven by legislation and rising e-bike usage, in both public and private sectors.

Solarcycle’s own data

As the world’s leading network off-grid, cloud-connected e-bike chargers, we’re seeing strong behavioural shifts.

• In 2025, we installed a record number of e-bike chargers. This included sites within the NHS, Large Campus‘s and Councils and Leisure / Tourism. 
  ⁃ The Solarcycle network of e-bike chargers is now the widest spread in the industry, with coverage across the UK and into Europe.
  ⁃ Our enquiries and Purchase Orders are up. Due I would say, to increasing levels of e-bikes arriving at customer sites with nowehere to top-up on energy.
  ⁃ The number of ‘sessions’ or people ‘regularly charging at a Solarcycle Charger’. This is the main metric our cloud connected chargers provide and it has increased in regularity AND in consistency. Behaviours are definitely changing and providing us with unique patterns and insights.
  ⁃ This year, a whopping increase of over +1200% more energy was dispensed from our network of chargers to e-bike riders. And it’s growing. Through this regular, tracked data, we’ve been able to determine what the average user requires in kWh’s weekly, and how to help future customers predict what they need and design accordingly.

In addition to Solarcycle’s own proprietary data, I wanted to highlight other tangible signs (beyond just new e-bike sales);

• The volume of e-bikes on the roads and in conversations everywhere, is more visible and vocal than ever, across all generations.
• The Sales of quality, second-hand e-bikes is now has an actual, verified second-life marketplace thanks to Autotrader’s e-bike category
• The UK Ride2Work (salary sacrifice) cap was recently lifted, enabling more employees to now make better quality, affordable purchases
• APPWCG conducted a report this summer, coining the phrase ‘fake e-bikes’, to help everyday people distinguish between safe, regulated e-bikes and modified, illegal e-bikes causing so much negative press. This is a very welcome change to help the media report more accurately.
• I see more and more high-end features now available on low price e-bikes. This includes integrated batteries, theft protection and automatic gears – which used to be reserved for £4k+ e-bikes.
• Shared e-bike trips from users of Lime and Forest in the City of London have quadrupled since 2020, now accounting for 1 in 6 total trips into the city

The Transport revolution to save businesses, the planet and people’s wellbeing:

• A study from the University of Leeds found that e-bikes could cut car emissions in England by up to 50% if they replaced car travel for some journeys, which is approximately 30 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
• E-bikes produce significantly fewer CO2 emissions than cars, with an average of around 4.9g of CO2 per mile compared to approximately 274g for ICE cars
• Power those e-bikes with a Solarcycle Charger and that figure goes to zero
• People who cycle, report 40% less sick days. To businesses, this represents a cost of £100bn+ annually.
• As of 2024/25, the total cost for mental health services to the NHS in England is £18.99 billion. The UK Chief Medical Officers suggest 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, and cycling is an easy way to achieve this, with benefits including reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, and boosting mood and overall wellbeing.

As the founder of Solarcycle, I believe the picture we’re seeing of e-bike behaviour in the UK, is the most proven map of positive growth. And, I welcome conversations with anyone who is looking for a clear (and positive!) perspective on the growth of E-bikes.

A bit about Solarcycle’s award winning off-grid e-bike chargers…

With the right product, every problem fits.

With enquiries still flooding in, I feel compelled to share some of the positivity. I believe it’s because we proved e-bikes powered by solar is viable in the UK, using our own empirical data. We developed a product around the needs of our users – the NHS, councils, and campus’s – always with affordability in mind. Solarcycle has never been a vanity project.

• Safer – Install anywhere, away from buildings
• Affordable – no groundworks
• Versatile – fit’s all bike brands
• Award winning and NHS Approved
• Greener – CO2 Data Reporting included

Our success has also extended beyond the UK – with demand from many areas of Europe. This demonstrates we have a world leading product, saving the same problems worldwide.

Solarcycle is just one piece of the puzzle though. All this demand we experience, reflects the countless conversations I have with facilities teams, indicating more e-bikes arriving in more workplaces and city centres. So, helmets off to you. All you innovative, radical riders. I hope we look back in ten years’ time and feel proud to have played a part of the same shift in culture …

Please do contact me at Solarcycle if you want any more info…

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