New research supported by UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) highlights that E-cargo bikes can take on many average car journeys, from school runs to shopping trips and family outings, while also changing how families and communities see cycling.
The research shows that e-cargo bikes can do many of the jobs we rely on cars for, while also bringing the social benefits of cycling, helping to normalise cycling and change views in places where cycling doesn’t always have a positive image.
- Encouraging e-cargo bike use could help reduce urban congestion, lower emissions and create healthier, more connected communities.
- The researchers add that, as cycle commuting in the UK is male-dominated, e-cargo bikes may help include more women and children in utility cycling.
Collaborative work in Europe and the UK
Researchers from the universities of Eindhoven, Brighton, Leeds and Oxford analysed the experiences of 49 households who trialled e-cargo bikes as part of a loan scheme in British suburbs.
Their study, published in the journal Geoforum, found that e-cargo bikes are not only practical alternatives to cars for some but also foster new social norms and cultural identities around family, community and sustainable travel.
They showed that e-cargo bikes offer a hybrid experience for users, allowing interaction between riders and passengers – somewhat vehicle-like – while still connecting users to their local surroundings.
Key findings of the study include:
- Everyday practicality: Study participants used e-cargo bikes for lots of reasons, including school runs, food shopping and commuting – trips often seen as only possible by car. More than a technical trait, this everyday practicality encourages a cultural shift, normalising cycling as a utility activity beyond leisure or sport.
- Family mobility: Unlike conventional cycling by individuals, e-cargo bikes often involved carrying children or passengers, creating a sense of shared family travel, and enabling interactions between rider and passengers, not hugely dissimilar to travelling by car.
- Community connection: Riders reported feeling more connected to local communities compared to car use, describing e-cargo cycling as “part of the neighbourhood.”
- Novel and unconventional: While most interactions were positive, some riders experienced feelings of being unconventional or out of place, linked to concerns over child safety.
Clara Glachant of the University of Eindhoven and lead author of the study, said: “This trial shows e-cargo bikes are more than a novelty. They can fit into everyday family life.
“Our findings suggest that e-cargo cycling may help cultivate a cycling culture both at the household level and the community level. They may reshape ideas of who belongs on the road, who is entitled to space. This could help to reduce anti-cyclist sentiment, which would help active travel contribute more to sustainable transport.
“It’s also about culture: people’s habits, identities and perceptions of transport. Our research shows e-cargo bikes can help reshape these, challenging what psychologist Ian Walker has coined ‘motonormativity’ – a concept that describes society’s unconscious acceptance of car dominance -and making cycling feel like a more normal, mainstream choice.”
Professor Ian Philips of the University of Leeds, who leads the EPSRC-funded ELEVATE project, said: “The ELEVATE project is about understanding who might benefit from using e-cargo bikes and other e-micromobility in what circumstances and to understand if that has a positive effect on carbon emissions, health and other important aspects of people’s lives. Clara’s work on the project helps us see more about how e-cargo bikes fit into daily life in terms of culture, perceptions and identities around active travel.”
Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair of EPSRC, said: “This research shows that transforming transport sustainably means combining innovative technology with an understanding of people’s everyday choices and behaviours. New designs in e-cargo bikes are making them more practical and accessible, helping families replace short car trips. They can cut congestion and emissions while opening up cycling to more women and children. Through projects like ELEVATE, EPSRC is supporting innovations that have the potential to change how we travel and create healthier, more connected communities.”
A wider view: Culture change. Challenging ingrained behaviour.
The research highlights that shifting towards low-carbon transport isn’t just about infrastructure or technology, but also about how people perceive themselves and cultural perceptions associated with transport modes.
The National Travel Survey data, published in 2024, shows while 81% of journeys under one mile in length in 2023 were made by foot, 17% were made by car or van. For journeys between one and five miles, 69% were made by can or van, compared to 19% by foot and 6% by bus. Between five and ten miles, 83% of journeys were made by car or van.
The study was supported by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and is part of the CREDS research community (funded by EPSRC and ESRC).
Image credit: ELEVATE (Innovative Light ELEctric Vehicles for Active and Digital TravEl), University of Leeds.
