Urban mobility becomes greener

The 2-wheeler market came out definitely downsized by the hard income crisis that affected Italian households in the period 2011-'13, as happened for other durable goods. The intensity of the fall was greater for scooters and mopeds, characterized by a higher purchase cost and burdened by significant accessory charges (fuel and insurance):-42% the change in volumes sold between 2011 and 2016. The sales of bicycles, on the other hand, showed a better stability in the same period (-6%).

It’s interesting to examine the different dynamics of vehicle segments within the two sectors. Mopeds, in particular, have been competing with the bikes on the one hand, benefiting from lower purchase costs and the absence of usage charges, and scooters of higher engine capacity on the other, with similar costs but also suitable for extra-urban mobility.

In recent years, the market entry of more interesting models of e-bikes has further contributed to this process of substitution of traditional mopeds with vehicles with a lower environmental impact. E-bikes, with a price not unlike that of a moped, allow you to move around the city at similar speeds but without significant costs of use, in particular the cost of insurance that affects substantially the purchase value of mopeds. 

Sales of e-bikes in 2016 were above 124 thousand units, recording an increase of about 200% compared to 2011 and becoming the second segment in the urban two-wheeler market, exceeding the numbered scooters for volumes sold.

The interest of consumers for these vehicles is shown by the trend of sales in the crisis years: they have indeed increased also between 2011 (42 thousand units) and 2014 (51 thousand units). Sales of mopeds on the other hand, are more than halved compared to 2011, positioning around 23 thousand pieces, a now marginal market also due to changes in habits that interested the young population. The moped in fact seems to have disappeared from the list of teenagers’ wishes that put the smartphone first, in an age when physical mobility becomes less important to cultivate relationships.