Electric bikes: just another type of waste? The emerging problem of batteries.

Yvonne Ryan, July 2025

The Conversation

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Electric bikes make cycling easier, faster and more accessible. They already play an important role in reducing the environmental impact of transport, particularly when they replace car journeys.

But when an electric bike is discarded, its battery must also be disposed of. These batteries can be particularly dangerous for the environment and difficult to dispose of (as appropriate recycling channels are not always available). The rise of electric bikes is therefore accompanied by a new environmental problem: the increase in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

The sector needs stricter regulations to encourage it to reduce its waste. This would include encouraging the design of bikes that are easier to repair or recycle and establishing universal standards so that parts can be used across different brands and models, meaning that components can be reused instead of being thrown away.

Despite this, electric bikes often fall through the legislative net. Their exclusion from priority products under the EU’s sustainable product eco-design regulation, introduced in 2024, is regrettable.

At the University of Limerick in Ireland, colleagues and I have conducted research into the environmental impact of electric bikes. We looked at their entire life cycle, from metal mining to manufacturing, use and final disposal, to see if there were ways to reduce the amount of materials used.

We interviewed retailers and people working in waste management. They shared their concerns about the online sale of lower-quality electric bikes, whose components are more prone to failure, leading to more frequent replacement.

Using data on the fleet of electric bikes in use at our university, we identified design and component compatibility issues. Bike tyres, for example, have become increasingly atypical and specialised.

Additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing, could become more important for bicycle retailers and repairers, who could use it to print replacement nuts, bolts or even saddles themselves. This could be particularly necessary in island states such as Ireland, where there are often delays in the supply of spare parts.

But first, electric bikes need to be of sufficient quality to be repaired. And to create replacement parts, you need access to the necessary data, i.e. digital files containing precise drawings of objects such as a tyre or a bike handlebar.

Extending the life of electric bikes

New business models are emerging. Some companies lend electric bikes to their employees, with a management company taking care of maintenance and repairs.

There are also a growing number of mobile electric bike repair services, as well as specialised training in electric bike repair and retail through manufacturer platforms such as Bosch and Shimano.

E-bike brands are also gradually changing from selling bikes to offering scalable services. For example, e-bike retailer Cowboy offers a subscription to mobile mechanics, and VanMoof is partnering with approved repair services. However, while these models work well in large cities, they are not necessarily suitable for rural areas and small towns.

It is important to ensure that consumers are not disadvantaged or excluded from repair options. In the United States, electric bike manufacturers have requested exemptions from laws designed to facilitate product repair, while insisting that the public should not be allowed access to the data needed to carry out repairs.

Electric bikes sometimes difficult to distinguish from ordinary bikes

When it comes to waste treatment, some of the innovations that have made electric bikes more accessible are creating new problems. For example, electric bikes have evolved to become sleeker and more stylish – and, as a result, they are sometimes indistinguishable from ordinary bikes. This makes it easier for them to end up in household waste processing facilities (sorting, incineration, landfill, etc.) that are not equipped to handle electronic waste. If a lithium-ion battery inside an electric bike is still charged and is crushed or shredded (during sorting, for example), it can cause a fire.

However, this problem is far from unsolvable. Computer vision and other artificial intelligence technologies could help identify electric bikes and batteries in waste management facilities. QR codes on bike frames could also be used to provide information on the entire product life cycle, including repair manuals and service history, similar to the product passports proposed by the European Union.

Consumer awareness, choice and education remain essential. While consumers must take the initiative to maintain and repair electric bikes, policymakers must ensure that these options are available and affordable and that consumers are aware of them.

Retailers, for their part, need help integrating repair and reuse into their business models. This includes setting up home/workplace packages to facilitate the maintenance of electric bikes. It also requires better access to insurance and legal protection, particularly for the sale of refurbished electric bikes. Finally, they need a workforce with the skills to repair these bikes.

Around the world, bike-sharing schemes and ‘try before you buy’ programmes are helping consumers make better decisions by allowing them to test an electric bike before committing to a purchase.

Moving away from the traditional ownership model – particularly for expensive electric bikes – could also make active mobility more accessible.

Policies that promote sales, such as subsidies and incentives for new bike purchases, can undermine efforts to reduce waste. We need more policies that promote the repair and refurbishment of electric bikes.

This sector has great potential to limit our environmental impact and improve public health. But for these benefits to materialise, we must strive to make them last longer and consume fewer natural resources.

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