Roaring motorbike are still the headline for the bi-annual Intermot show in Cologne. However electromobility is getting more and more important at Intermot

A growing number of Germans embraces the bicycle as a mean of transport like never before. In the past two years this reflected by growing sales figures.

LONDON, UK - In 2015 the UK government made GBP 700,000 (€ 906,000) available to fund e-bike sharing projects across the UK. Spring 2016 sees the winning bidders start to roll out their schemes.

SHANGHAI, China - On Friday May 6 the doors will open for the 26th edition of the China Cycle 2016. Last year some 158,000 people attended China Cycle of which 11% were overseas visitors, making it the largest bicycle show on earth.

NAPLES, USA - The publishers of the 'Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports' announced the 2016 update to the 2015 edition of EBWR, the most comprehensive report of the light electric vehicle industry. The 2016 EBWR Update identifies trends like who are the major propulsion system makers and General Motors new e-bike development.

SHENZHEN, China - Recent legislation in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and coming soon to Shenzhen forbids the use of e-bikes across large swathes of the cities. It urged Dr. David Hon to write an open letter to the public, and to the government, speaking out against the regulations. The China Bicycle Association (CBA) responded with an official statement in support of Dr. David Hon.

HOLLY RIDGE, USA - The majority of the electric bicycles sold in the USA last year were imported from China or Taiwan. There are some local assembly operations, with the largest one being Prodecotech in Florida. The others are very relatively low volume.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The electric bike market in Europe must have performed exceptionally good in 2015. This is indicated by the Eurostat import statistics. In the January to August 2015 period the total e-bike import grew by 26.5% to over 550,000 units.

FRANKFURT, Germany - Startup Connection Bike (COBI) completed another round of financing with a nearly € 6.3 million financial injection from venture capitalist Munich Venture Partners (MVP) and other investors that are not all explicitly mentioned. Except this one: Meinders & Elstermann - International Print & Mediaservices.

SAINT LO, France - Supported by the local community as well as regional authorities, Easybike built a brand new factory completely dedicated to the production of e-bikes. The new plant was opened last Tuesday.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - The announcement of the Dutch bicycle market statistics did not include many surprises this year. After the long summer of 2014, with mild temperatures and a lot of sunny hours, bicycle sales increased in both numbers and turnover. What intrigued everybody was the exact growth level.

Supreme Dutch, a bicycle tyre innovator based in the Netherlands, has unveiled its next generation airless tyre specifically designed for bicycles. The new patented product is aimed at transforming the bike-sharing, food delivery, and cargo bike transportation sectors, where reliability, durability, and minimal maintenance are critical. With over a decade of research and development, the company is known for its focus on airless solutions for urban (E-) mobility. The company collaborated with tyre brand Schwalbe - Ralf Bohle for nearly five years before branching out independently to expand its reach globally.

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands - Adaptable tyre pressure technology firm Gravaa has ap-pointed John Zopfi as its new chief commercial officer. With more than 20 years of experi-ence in outdoor and cycling industries, Zopfi took up the role earlier this month after spend-ing the past six years at 7mesh Industries where he most recently served as general manager for global wholesale.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Support from Pon.Bike makes it possible for Ziemi to venture its innovative bicycle lighting system into international markets. Pon.Bike is, among others, the largest of seven parties that recently participated in an investment round raising €300,000.

Alessandro (Alex) Colnago, nephew of Ernesto Colnago, known for starting the famous Italian race bike company in the 1950s, has recently partnered with WiaWis to launch Acol, a premium bicycle brand. Acol specializes in lightweight frames, aerodynamic bicycles and other components including gravel and track frames. The company targets cyclists seeking high-performance gear, utilizing the same advanced materials and engineering principles that WiaWis applies to its renowned archery products.

BERLIN, Germany - Full-service mobility provider Cycle has acquired the Dutch delivery e-bike manufacturer, Ebike4Delivery. "This strategic acquisition strengthens our position as a provider of e-bike fleets for the delivery industry in Europe," writes Cycle in a statement. The transaction includes the staff, all e-bikes, and existing leasing contracts.

BERLIN, Germany - Europe-wide regulations and experiences for speed pedelecs vary per country. The Dutch mobility consultancy Mobycon and German industry association ZIV have now made a first comparative study on this market in in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

ZEIST, the Netherlands - In the first half of this year, bicycle sales took place at a normal gross margin on average in the Netherlands. At the same time Dutch retailers are struggling with sky high inventory levels. This was reported by H&L Accountants from its hundreds of IBD customers in the Netherlands.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Irish e-bike delivery fleet provider Moby has taken over the customers of Mechs BV which was started only recently. Mechs took on the rental and maintenance of delivery vehicles after the restart of e-bike delivery fleet provider GreenMo. Now Mechs has also been declared bankrupt.

ZEIST, The Netherlands - Brothers Taco and Ties Carlier started VanMoof in 2009 because they wanted to change the world. VanMoof's innovative bicycles caused a stir worldwide and were embraced by more than 200,000 customers. The Amsterdam company rises to great heights, but crashes after 14 years due to quality problems, poor service and major financial problems. Here the chronological journey VanMoof has taken over the years is explored.