Eurobike 2022 to be a showcase for mobility revolution

2022 will see Eurobike will take place in Frankfurt am Main for the first time, with ‘new mobility’ forming the focal point of the show.

In making this positioning statement the show seeks to ask a number of clear questions:

• How much impact will the bicycle have on the mobility of the future?
• How must and can the inner cities change?
• To what extent can the cargo bike’s success story contribute here?
• What exactly does new mobility mean beyond the e-bike?

The newly relocated and refocused show aims to point toward answers, in part, with smart products from innovative start-ups, but also via international congresses and events. Being based in Frankfurt, it is also within the hub of a major financial centre.

Of the wider show, the announcement highlights that just as bicycles and eBikes enable low-carbon local mobility – something which even new mobility sceptics have always admitted – the 2022 will address head on the “But what about the lack of transport options!” calls of critics.

As a point of particular focus, the evolution of the cargo bike has brought many different cycling-as-transport variants, largely silencing the doubters. Especially in Europe, where many network-related projects are working to make cities cleaner and more pleasant to live in thanks to modern cargo bike mobility and capacities.

At the first Eurobike in Frankfurt, significant attention will be paid to the cargo bike, its success thus far, and its future as a major driver of new mobility all over Europe.

A key point here is the City Changer Cargo Bike (CCCB) project, which European cities have been working on since 2018 together with NGOs, Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) and research institutions, to show how the cargo bike can free up cities and drive new urban mobility forward. This project aims at more sustainable logistics processes, more liveable public spaces, and above all changing public perceptions. Now it is time to take stock of the achievements at Eurobike 2022: The participants will gather here for the final conference to recap how the cargo bike went “from niche to mainstream” and to inform of their steps towards the mobile future of cities.

2021 saw substantial growth for cargo and eCargo bikes, with last mile delivery applications growing significantly.

“Cargo bikes are revolutionary for the mobility of the residents of Gdynia,” explains Dorota Gajda-Kutowińska, CCCB staff member in the Polish port city of Gdynia, where cargo bikes were still a rare sight five years ago. “We are already an inspiration for Polish cities.” And Gonçalo Pais says: “Cargo bikes are a simple solution to a complex problem, and with the CCCB project we were able to demonstrate this in Lisbon.” Ahead of the final conference, the project coordinator, Susanne Wrighton from Cycling Industries Europe (CIE), notes: “The cargo bike can become the new, sustainable equivalent of the SUV!”

Taking this approach, Eurobike 2022 seeks to highlight and explore fast changing developments: “It is becoming increasingly apparent that the cargo bike represents an important interface in the future of urban logistics and mobility,” says Dirk Heidrich, Eurobike project manager. “We are delighted to be able to illustrate the success story of the path covered so far, together with CCCB at the Eurobike premiere in the urban setting of the metropolis on the River Main.”

The mobility revolution will play a fundamentally central role at the trade fair, as demonstrated also by the Start-up and Innovation Day (SUI) scheduled for Thursday, July 14.

Here everything revolves around technology and the challenges of its further development, it’s all about solutions with an Aha! effect, whether coming from gifted individual developers or innovation departments of medium-sized companies. There will also be new perspectives on old problems, along with new business models, various customer motivations and, of course, plenty of networking. Europe is strongly represented here as well.

The Frankfurt-edition of Eurobike also looks to provides a more complete view of the bigger cycling picture. Light electric vehicles (LEVs) will also play a major role. They will have their place among others in Eurobike’s Future Mobility Section in Hall 8. These are vehicles that position themselves between the eBike and the conventional car, and have a legal maximum speed of 45 kilometers per hour. As three-wheelers, they can transport passengers or goods just like cars, but carbon-free, whisper-quiet, and saving space and time.

LEVs fill a gap in the mobility system, which is why it’s impossible to imagine an urban mobility-oriented Eurobike without them.

For those keen to find out more, on Wednesday, July 13th the Eurobike Convention will have the future of mobility as its topic of focus.

• The keynote speech will be delivered by Janette Sadik-Khan, who was responsible for the extensive transformation of New York City in the 2010s, with focus on making the city more liveable.
• Exciting topics – such as the possibility of city planning through new synergies between companies and municipalities or mobility planning based on digital bicycle use data – come into play here.

One way for the trade fair audience to learn more about the topic of urban transformation is the guided Frankfurt bike tour, taking place on Thursday, July 14th.