Tauranga is becoming New Zealand's e-bike with the region recording the highest number of e-bike sales nationally.

Tauranga Electrify NZ franchise owner Daniel Wallace says his Bay of Plenty store is selling around 30-35 e-bikes a month currently, and demand is not slowing down with summer coming.

'There is a massive trend towards people in their forties and people with young families who are wanting to transition to one car and want to use an e-bike for commuting,” says Daniel.

'Traffic congestion in Tauranga can be really bad and riding an e-bike to work removes that hurdle from your day.”

Tauranga has a growing number of both urban commuter and off-road cycle paths with up to $100 million expected to be invested in cycling networks in the region between 2018 and 2028.

They include major projects like the 19km cycleway between the growing township of Ōmokoroa and Tauranga City and upgrades to Tauranga's existing urban commuter cycleways.

'Our cycle infrastructure is really growing in the region and our communities are learning what e-bikes can do for them whether they are leisure riders, commuters, farmers or even hunters,” says Daniel.

Tauranga's temperate climate means riders are not limited to using their bikes for commuting only during warm, fine seasons, and it means leisure riders could also get out almost all year round, says Daniel.

'There are more and more people using e-bikes to commute to work. We have one customer who commutes to the Port of Tauranga each day and it has saved him a huge amount of time on days when traffic in Tauranga can be really bad.”

That customer is Dion Young, who uses his e-mountain bike to get from his home in Mt Maunganui to his work at Sulphur Point most fine days.

Dion Young.

'I'm trying to use my car a little bit less and particularly at this time of year, coming into summer, traffic just gets worse and worse. You can be stuck in nose to tail during peak hours so it's often quicker on the e-bike,” says Dion.

He also uses his bike for riding around the Mount, saving him time having to find a carpark.

'I think as they continue to develop the cycleways in our region more people will shift to e-bikes. With the right infrastructure it's a lot safer and you don't have to worry about the traffic.”

While his customer base has traditionally been in the over 50 age bracket and mainly leisure riders, Daniel says that is shifting.

He has recently sold e-bikes to Zespri kiwifruit orchard owners who were using the bikes to get around their orchards instead of traditional four wheelers. He also had a sheep farm owner who was using an e-bike during lambing season because of how quiet the bike is, meaning less stressful for his flocks.

'People are now seeking e-bikes out year-round, and they're starting to be used in the day to day running of businesses,” says Daniel.

E-bike batteries and motors have improved considerably in the last five years which was increasing the attraction for people, he says.

Nationally Electrify NZ, which has eight franchise stores around the country as well as independent dealers, has doubled its sales for the 2020/21 financial year.