Users’ Attitude and Satisfaction towards E-Bikes: A Study in Erode District

Global warming is a major concern all over the world. There are several policies, promises and pledges to save environment. With the ever increasing emission of greenhouse gases, there is an increased fear of environment pollution at every step. With modern technology and innovation, transportation and communication have undergone a paradigm shift. Increased numbers of fossil-fuel dependent vehicles, not only add to greater level of pollution but are also leading to depletion of fuel resources. This has necessitated automobile companies to innovate motorized vehicles that get charged through electricity and do not depend on fossil fuels. This led to the expansion of eco-friendly initiatives and many automobile manufacturing companies have invested in bringing forth E-Bikes, known as Electric Bikes, which help people save a few bucks by reducing consumption of already spiraling fuel price, besides fighting global warming. E-Bikes are environment friendly as air and noise pollutions are much reduced. In this backdrop, an attempt has been made in this study to analyze users' attitude towards E-Bikes in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. The study has divulged that 'smooth driving' is the most influencing factor in the purchase decision of users; none of the socio-economic variables has any significant association with the satisfaction of e-bike users; and however, 'poor battery life' is the most significant problem faced by them.